Evangelicals and Mormonis,

[Herald]

So, from a purely political perspective I am often in agreement with talk show host, and primary owner of The Blaze, Glenn Beck. However, Beck is a Mormon, so I have no agreement with him on theological issues, and cannot call him a brother. I find it interesting that a number of professing Christians agree to talk to Beck on spiritual issues without expressing even a scintilla of disagreement on theology. It's almost as though they consider themselves brothers with not even the barest of disagreements. This weekend I listened to a Beck podcast featuring an interview with Kirk Cameron, who is making the rounds hawking his new book. To be sure, I have my disagreements with Cameron, but he falls within the bounds of orthodoxy. However, as I listened to the interview, Beck and Cameron were like chummy Christian pals; talking about their common faith and and the need for Americans to turn to God. It begs the questions of which faith and which God? Maybe I'm expecting too much. I don't have a book to sell, so you won't be finding me on the talk show circuit. Still, I can't help but feel that we should not be tactically endorsing errors like Mormonism by normalizing it - and that's exactly what is being done when we let these errors go unchallenged.

 

[jwright82]

So, from a purely political perspective I am often in agreement with talk show host, and primary owner of The Blaze, Glenn Beck. However, Beck is a Mormon, so I have no agreement with him on theological issues, and cannot call him a brother. I find it interesting that a number of professing Christians agree to talk to Beck on spiritual issues without expressing even a scintilla of disagreement on theology. It's almost as though they consider themselves brothers with not even the barest of disagreements. This weekend I listened to a Beck podcast featuring an interview with Kirk Cameron, who is making the rounds hawking his new book. To be sure, I have my disagreements with Cameron, but he falls within the bounds of orthodoxy. However, as I listened to the interview, Beck and Cameron were like chummy Christian pals; talking about their common faith and and the need for Americans to turn to God. It begs the questions of which faith and which God? Maybe I'm expecting too much. I don't have a book to sell, so you won't be finding me on the talk show circuit. Still, I can't help but feel that we should not be tactically endorsing errors like Mormonism by normalizing it - and that's exactly what is being done when we let these errors go unchallenged.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend I guess. Yeah I agree with you. Too many Americans sacrifice their faith for political agreement. My pastor, who has his B. A. in political philosophy, is doing a sermon series on Revelations and he rails against doing that or putting our faith in political power.

 

[MyCrows]

So, from a purely political perspective I am often in agreement with talk show host, and primary owner of The Blaze, Glenn Beck. However, Beck is a Mormon, so I have no agreement with him on theological issues, and cannot call him a brother. I find it interesting that a number of professing Christians agree to talk to Beck on spiritual issues without expressing even a scintilla of disagreement on theology. It's almost as though they consider themselves brothers with not even the barest of disagreements. This weekend I listened to a Beck podcast featuring an interview with Kirk Cameron, who is making the rounds hawking his new book. To be sure, I have my disagreements with Cameron, but he falls within the bounds of orthodoxy. However, as I listened to the interview, Beck and Cameron were like chummy Christian pals; talking about their common faith and and the need for Americans to turn to God. It begs the questions of which faith and which God? Maybe I'm expecting too much. I don't have a book to sell, so you won't be finding me on the talk show circuit. Still, I can't help but feel that we should not be tactically endorsing errors like Mormonism by normalizing it - and that's exactly what is being done when we let these errors go unchallenged.

I think your concerns are valid. By ignoring the glaring errors being propagated by the LDS church, people can give the impression that it is a legitimate form of Christianity.

I noticed the phrase where you quoted them as saying, "Americans need to turn to God". While this is certainly true, I fear it is just one more example of the danger of making political alliances with people in the name of Christ, when in reality they are spiritual enemies of Christ.

 

[davejonescue]

I also see this kind of thing happening with Christians and Jordan Peterson, who has no problem both teaching on the Bible and rejecting Christ simultaneously.

 

[MarrowMan]

I think your concerns are valid. By ignoring the glaring errors being propagated by the LDS church, people can give the impression that it is a legitimate form of Christianity.

I noticed the phrase where you quoted them as saying, "Americans need to turn to God". While this is certainly true, I fear it is just one more example of the danger of making political alliances with people in the name of Christ, when in reality they are spiritual enemies of Christ.

I just noticed the connection between your username and your sig line

 

[MyCrows]

I just noticed the connection between your username and your sig line

You sir, are only the fourth person ever to make that connection I think.

 

[lynnie]

My experience is that people just don't know who the Mormon Jesus is. Mormons use words like Jesus, salvation, church, missions, gospel, prayer, obedience, and sing all those great hymns in tabernacle harmony. If you ask them if Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead they will say yes.

If you tell Christians that Jesus and Satan are spirit brothers- as are we- who all lived as spirits before we came to earth, and Jesus was the good brother and Satan a bad brother, and Jesus was not eternal but created by God the father, and mention the verse where Paul speaks of preaching another Jesus, then people get it.

The question is if Cameron is actually ignorant, or leading people astray knowingly. Its hard to know the difference between intentional deception or just plain dumb. You are correct to challenge it when you can.

 

[MarrowMan]

My experience is that people just don't know who the Mormon Jesus is. Mormons use words like Jesus, salvation, church, missions, gospel, prayer, obedience, and sing all those great hymns in tabernacle harmony. If you ask them if Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead they will say yes.

If you tell Christians that Jesus and Satan are spirit brothers- as are we- who all lived as spirits before we came to earth, and Jesus was the good brother and Satan a bad brother, and Jesus was not eternal but created by God the father, and mention the verse where Paul speaks of preaching another Jesus, then people get it.

The question is if Cameron is actually ignorant, or leading people astray knowingly. Its hard to know the difference between intentional deception or just plain dumb. You are correct to challenge it when you can.

This post is the heart of the issue. We are too familiar with lingo without definition. I've been approached in the last few months by two different Mormon missionary teams and their lingo is the same but they mean very different things. I wish we were much more invested in defining terms.

 

[davejonescue]

My experience is that people just don't know who the Mormon Jesus is. Mormons use words like Jesus, salvation, church, missions, gospel, prayer, obedience, and sing all those great hymns in tabernacle harmony. If you ask them if Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead they will say yes.

If you tell Christians that Jesus and Satan are spirit brothers- as are we- who all lived as spirits before we came to earth, and Jesus was the good brother and Satan a bad brother, and Jesus was not eternal but created by God the father, and mention the verse where Paul speaks of preaching another Jesus, then people get it.

The question is if Cameron is actually ignorant, or leading people astray knowingly. Its hard to know the difference between intentional deception or just plain dumb. You are correct to challenge it when you can.

Cameron partnered with Ray Comfort for a long time doing public evangelizing. I would bet my life savings he is not ignorant of the main Mormon heresies. It would most likely be him being on a television show or podcast, weighing carefully the value of getting into a theological debate with someone as intelligent as Beck midshow, who I am sure has done plenty of research into orthodox Christianity and still has chosen Mormonism. Most likely it isnt nefarious, but like the OP stated, could have been completely avoided by not sharing venues with those whose theological leanings can misconstrue proper definitions and doctrinal positions for the general public.

 

[Jack K]

I suspect part of it is due to people conflating faith in Christ and conservative politics. Anyone who speaks about Jesus and has conservative political views has checked the most important boxes, in some people's view.

 

[davejonescue]

I suspect part of it is due to people conflating faith in Christ and conservative politics. Anyone who speaks about Jesus and has conservative political views has checked the most important boxes, in some people's view.

John Witherspoon - Ecclesiastical Characteristics

 

[MarrowMan]

View attachment 11408
John Witherspoon - Ecclesiastical Characteristics

It’s good to be a dissenter, lol.

 

[Ploutos]

I suspect part of it is due to people conflating faith in Christ and conservative politics. Anyone who speaks about Jesus and has conservative political views has checked the most important boxes, in some people's view.

I agree with this, except that the actual checklist is shorter by one for many.