Prominent Evangelical Leaders Recovering from Health Scares

By Michelle Vu

Two prominent evangelical leaders are recovering after suffering from serious health conditions.

The Rev. Dr. R. Albert Mohler, Jr., the president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and Dr. D. James Kennedy, founder of Coral Ridge Ministries and pastor of the 10,000-member Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., are regaining health after experiencing blood clots in the lungs and a heart attack, respectively.

Mohler, 47, was admitted to the intensive care unit at Baptist East Hospital Friday for blood clots in his lungs, reported The Associated Press. A week prior, he was hospitalized for abdominal pain and underwent surgery to remove scar tissue from a 1980s operation. He was then released, but the clots developed earlier this week.

Russell D. Moore, dean of the school of theology at Southern Seminary, reported Friday on Mohler’s web blog after a visit to the SBTS president that he was "doing much better."

"While his situation is still very serious, it seems that the doctors have his treatment well underway and his is recuperating well," wrote Moore.

Mohler is one of the nation’s leading conservative evangelical voices. He is often a guest on CNN’s "Larry King Live," NBC’s "Today Show," and Fox’s "The O’Reilly Factor," commenting on moral, cultural and theological issues. He is a theologian and an ordained minister and has served as the seminary’s president for 14 years.

Coral Ridge Ministries founder Dr. D. James Kennedy, 76, has also recently been hospitalized, recovering from a heart attack on Dec. 28 which lead to a cardiac arrest, according to the ministry.

"He’s doing well…The progress is quite encouraging," said John Aman, a spokesman for Coral Ridge Ministries, to The Miami Herald on Jan. 2.

Coral Ridge Ministry, which began with only 15 employees, now boasts a radio and television ministry called the The Coral Ridge Hour that airs to millions of viewers in 145 nations. CRM also has a political action arm, the Center for Reclaiming America, which seeks to mobilize American Christians at the grassroot level to advocate on issues such as sanctity of life, homosexuality, pornography, and creationism.

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