In that earlier post, I explained:
Is it a denomination, a cult or another religion? How should we discuss such things in the moment?
First, Mitt Romney is right. At Liberty University, he spoke about people of different faiths, “your faith and mine.” Yes, those words were certainly chosen to assure evangelicals, but it hit the right tone—Mormonism is a different faith or religion. Three out of four Protestant pastors (and it’s higher for evangelicals) agree that Mormons are not Christians.
The problem is that most Mormons want to use the Christian label without believing biblical, Christian theology.
The obvious question is, how divergent can your views be and still be a part of a faith group (in contrast to forming a new one)? Can you believe, for instance, that Muhammad is not the prophet and still call yourself a Muslim? The vast majority of Muslims would say you cannot. For Christians, calling yourself a Christian while not believing God has always existed as the triune Father, Son and Holy Spirit is just as inconceivable. That’s what Mormonism does. It’s not a Christian denomination. It is a different religion.
But, it also requires a gracious spirit to reach out, befriend and even grow to love our Mormon friends and neighbors.
I hope pastors and church leaders will love their Mormon neighbors enough not to blur the lines and see Mormonism as simply another denomination, which, it appears, is the current Mormon desire.
However, I also hope they don’t love the word “cult” more than they love their Mormon neighbor. I hope they keep in mind how a lost world understands that term—and how your Mormon neighbor understands the term. We all should ask, “Will it make them more willing to hear the truth?”
Mission to Mormons
A while back on the blog, I talked about how Christians might relate to Mormons in the midst of what was then a growing discussion. Our nation has a short attention span, so that discussion has certainly lost much of its punch. But hopefully it won’t go away completely.
It is important that we continue to relate to Mormons with grace, engage them with truth and share the gospel with love.
