Probe Ministries had an excellent series of short commentaries on how Christians should view and interact with Mormons and Mormonism. It was very forward thinking. You can read Understanding Our Mormon Neighbors, or go there and listen to the mp3 podcast.
The elevating discussion includes:
- Mormon Neo-orthodoxy? Have you noticed that Mormons are sounding more and more like evangelical Christians?….Although Mormon theology has been somewhat fluid over the decades, some feel that a new band of Mormon scholars are indeed moving the religion in a new direction and that Christians need to be aware of these changes if we are to have effective dialogue with our Mormon neighbors.
- Recent Events and Historical Patterns: Also challenging are the results of a recent George Barna survey that found 26% of those Mormons that participated were classified as ‘born again’ by their responses. How can this be? Are all these Mormons being disingenuous regarding their true beliefs?
- The Mormon Neo-Orthodox Movement: Robinson passionately implores evangelicals to not give into a caricature of Mormon theology, one that few Mormons actually believe. He argues that there are legitimate reasons for misunderstanding between Mormons and evangelicals.
- Are Mormons Christian? Robinson believes that ‘If humans accept this gift and enter the gospel covenant by making Christ their Lord, they are justified of their sins, not by their own works and merits, but by the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ accepted on their behalf.’ He admits that the LDS Church is thoroughly Arminian, rejecting the Calvinist doctrine of eternal security, but that this shouldn’t remove them from the sphere of biblical Christianity.
- CONCLUSION: In spite of the recent changes in Mormon theology, a person who holds to the full spectrum of Mormon teachings has a view of God, salvation, and particularly the relationship between mankind and its creator, that is radically different from what traditional Christians believe and what we think the Bible teaches. This is not a reason to stop talking with Mormons; in fact, it is why we need to continue to express the reasons for the hope that we have in Christ.
