Richard J. Mouw
In his new book Talking with Mormons: An Invitation to Evangelicals, Richard J. Mouw — president of Fuller Seminary and a pioneering voice in Mormon-evangelical dialogue — shares his insights on whether (and how, and to what extent) evangelicals and Mormons can transcend doctrinal differences to discover common ground.
In the following post, Mouw explains why he wrote the book — and why he intends to keep on engaging in friendly conversation with Mormon theologians.
* * *
Whenever there is any published reference to something that I have said about Mormonism, I get quite a bit of email — most of it containing expressions of disagreement with my views. This happened again a while ago, when I wrote an op-ed piece in the Los Angeles Times dissenting from the views of some evangelical leaders who insisted that a vote for Mitt Romney is a vote for a member of a “cult.” I wasn’t intending to defend Mormonism as yet another version of orthodox Christianity. But I was meaning to encourage folks not simply to write off Mormonism as a deceptive and sinister religious movement.
I received many emails in response to that published piece. Mostly these came from angry evangelicals, but a few expressed agreement with my views. Two emails in particular stand out, especially since they both arrived in my inbox at about the same time.
The first was straightforwardly hostile. The writer could not fathom why I would say anything good about Mormonism. Don’t you know that they worship many gods? he asked. And even worse, he said, they think they themselves are on their way to becoming gods. There is nothing about true salvation in their religion. If they mention Christ at all it is a false Christ!
Talking with Mormons
(Click to order.)
The other was from a Mormon. He thanked me for my article and said that he knew I would be taking a lot of flak from people who despise Mormonism. Then he touched upon some of the same points made in the other email. Your critics will say, he affirmed, that Mormons think that they can become gods, and that the atoning work of Christ has no real role in Mormon teachings.
He then offered his candid appraisal of those criticisms. Actually, he said, some of what they say is the kind of things he himself was raised on as a Mormon. “We did hear a lot about becoming gods and that sort of teaching,” he recalled.
But, he also testified, things are changing. Mormons like him are hearing much more about being sinners who need salvation by God’s grace. More importantly, he said, in many Mormon cirlces these days there is a much more Christ-centered emphasis. “We hear messages about being sinners and about the importance of the Cross — and about the need to become more Christ-like in our lives.” He encouraged me to hang in there and continue in dialogue with LDS leaders.
I wrote my book, Talking with Mormons, precisely because of people like him. Do I think he represents a form of orthodox Christianity? Probably not. If I were to push him more on the details of his overall theology, I know there is much that I would find disturbing. But I do take encouragement in his kind of testimony. And it does inspire me to keep the conversation with Mormons going. At the very least, it strikes me as important to listen carefully to what Mormons are actually saying these days about what they believe.
Click here to order Talking with Mormons: An Invitation to Evangelicals by Richard J. Mouw.
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October 17, 2012 at 11:32 PM
Mormonism in the News: Billy Graham Evangelical Association and Mormonism | Mormon Apologia
[...] seems to run deep within the political hot bed of Romney/Ryan vs. Obama/Biden. Previous to this, Richard Mouw discussed his book Talking with Mormons: An Invitation to Evangelicals on his own blog. Religious [...]
June 23, 2012 at 7:06 PM
Rob Bailey
Dr Mouw, while admitting that he never intended to defend Mormonism as another version of orthodox Christianity, says that he “was meaning to encourage folks not simply to write off Mormonism as a deceptive and sinister religious movement.” At this point I must strenuously disagree.
My Mormon neighbors (who motivated my research into Mormonism) are the best neighbors one could have. And I’m delighted that our children play together and are good friends. However, built into the Mormon’s “technique” of proselytizing is deception. I do not believe Mormons are “sinister” in their intent, but in the spiritual dimension, I believe that Mormonism IS a sinister deception inspired by Satan himself. Mormons know that no seeker will continue to pursue Mormonism if they find out early on some of the strange and bizarre teachings of the religion.
The most disturbing is their understanding of God. He is not a trinity, but rather a “godhead” of three different gods. The father and the son both have physical bodies of flesh and bone. As such, they are not omnipresent. (The Holy Spirit does not have a body.) Furthermore, Mormon doctrine teaches an eternal progression of gods. The LDS Church President (and prophet) summarized the beliefe as follows: “As man now is, God once was:
As God now is, man may be.” —Lorenzo Snow (1840)
Joseph Smith said the following in his now infamous King Follett discourse:
“I am going to tell you how God came to be God. We have imagined and supposed that God was God from all eternity. I will refute that idea, and take away the veil, so that you may see. . . It is the first principle of the gospel to know for a certainty the character of God, and to know that we may converse with Him as one man converses with another, and that He was once a man like us; yea, that God himself, the Father of us all, dwelt on an earth, the same as Jesus Christ Himself did… ”
What follows from this belief is that the Father (when he was a man) also had a Heavenly Father, who was once a man, who also had a Heavenly Father, who was once a man, etc. Most Mormons who know this, won’t talk about it because they themselves do not know what to make of it. Jesus, likewise, was a man who became God as he was obedient to his Father. Jesus is, in other words, a created being.
I could go on, but my point is that Mormons proselytize from among those who do not know the difference between orthodox Christianity and Mormonism in some very key and important points. And Mormon missionaries will not offer the information unless asked point blank. Why is that, if not to deceive?
May 19, 2012 at 11:50 AM
mormon
Great write-up, I’m normal visitor of one’s website, maintain up the excellent operate, and It’s going to be a regular visitor for a lengthy time. You truly dignified what you really believed. To God be the Glory. God bless your working hands.
May 6, 2012 at 2:22 PM
Mardo Jimenez
Not many Christian leaders have the ability to engage the opposition. Dr Mouw meet the challenge, just like our Lord Jesus confronted those who opposed Him. Besides, the gospel is all inclusive and by God’s grace people can be beought to the truth. I confess I do not have that ability to confront the cults, but I praise God for those who do. I am not offended, but grateful for those who have the theological insight as to confront those who do not believe as we do.
May God be glorified!
Mardo Jimenez