Tag Archives: Christian

Are Polygamists Mormons?

Ministry in LDS Culture, Understanding Your Mormon Neighbor, , , , , ,

Part 6 of a series.

I’ve been sharing some thoughts about a question that often arises in discussions with Latter-day Saints: Are Mormons Christians?  I speak to this issue in my upcoming book, Understanding Your Mormon Neighbor, which is due to be released by Zondervan next year.  But I’m giving a preview in recent posts.

To help a Latter-day Saint friend gain some insight into why this question even matters to many traditional Christians, you might consider an analogous situation within Mormonism.

Polygamy has been in the news quite a bit in recent years.  Most of the polygamist groups are offshoots of the LDS Church.  They continue to follow Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon.  These groups are commonly referred to by themselves and others as “Fundamentalist Mormons.”  But the LDS Church objects strenuously to anyone using the word “Mormon” in reference to polygamist groups (see here), because what the polygamists stand for is at odds with the mainstream LDS Church.  The Church is trying to control the definition of what “Mormon” means, and who has the right to use the name, because it doesn’t want to be confused with polygamists by use of the same label.  The Saints have some values and boundaries that they want to maintain.  They want to world to think certain things when they see the word “Mormon” – and not think certain other things that they don’t feel are legitimate expressions of Mormonism.

That’s almost precisely how evangelicals feel about Latter-day Saints using the title “Christian”.  Mainstream Christians have some values and boundaries they want to uphold.  Mormonism espouses some things that are at odds with historic Christianity.  The use of the same word to describe both groups creates confusion about what each group stands for.

If Latter-day Saints are uncomfortable with the polygamous groups being called “Mormon”, they should at least have some empathy with why evangelicals are hesitant to apply the title “Christian” to them.

Who Is an Authentic Christian?

Ministry in LDS Culture, , , ,

Part 5 of a series.

In recent posts, (starting here) I’ve been exploring how to answer the question: “Are Mormons Christians?”  Evangelicals say “No” and Latter-day Saints say “Yes” based on differing definitions of the word “Christian”.  Because we use the word differently, we’re really not even asking the same question.

But there is another issue underlying this debate.  We’re not just asking, “Who has the right to use the label ‘Christian’ on themselves?”  We’re asking a more fundamental question: “Who has the right to claim to be a true, authentic Christian in the fullest sense of the word?”  Evangelicals deny that Mormonism is Christian in the ways that really matter most to us.

But I haven’t heard many Mormons admit that, when it comes right down to it, the LDS Church denies that evangelicals and other traditional Christians are genuinely Christians in the fullest sense.  Its not just that Latter-day Saints want to be acknowledged as legitimate Christians.  There is also a very real sense in which Latter-day Saints view themselves as the only fully authentic Christians.

After all, the LDS Church claims to be the only valid representative of Jesus Christ on earth.  It portrays itself as the complete restoration of everything that Jesus originally established.  Joseph Smith claimed that God told him not to join any of the existing churches, because they were all wrong, their creeds were an abomination to him, and the people who professed those creeds were all corrupt.

I continually hear faithful Mormons say that the LDS Church and its people don’t ever attack other churches.  They don’t realize that the exclusive claims of Mormonism constitute just such an attack.  Latter-day Saints generally have backed away from the kind of inflammatory rhetoric expressed in the First Vision account.  But the LDS Church is eagerly trying to convince members of Christian faiths to abandon the churches they attend in favor of Mormonism.

The LDS Church’s claim to be the only true and living church on earth and the only authorized representative of God is, in effect, is an attack on the validity of every other church.  By making these claims, Mormons position themselves as the only fully legitimate Christians, with all others being Christian only in some inferior sense or in name only.

So I find it a bit difficult to empathize with Latter-day Saints who express hurt and confusion over being denied status as Christian, as long as they continue to assert that traditional Christian faiths are apostate, have no authority to act for God, practice meaningless ordinances, and read a corrupted Bible.

Can Mormons Be Christians?

Ministry in LDS Culture, Understanding Your Mormon Neighbor, , , , ,

Part 4 of a series.

In my upcoming book, Understanding Your Mormon Neighbor, I discuss how to think about the question, “Are Mormons Christian?”  I’m sharing some of those thoughts in this series of posts.

In my last post, I explained why evangelical and mainstream Christians do not consider the LDS Church to be a Christian church: because its beliefs stand far outside the biblical and historical boundaries that mark the Christian faith.

But as I noted in a previous post, we evaluate individuals differently from institutions.  Institutions are classified by what they assert to be true.  For individuals, we use a more experiential definition.  We call a person a Christian based on their standing with God, which depends not just on affirming certain truths, but on accepting and acting on the truth – which evangelicals understand as trusting fully and solely in the finished work of Jesus Christ to be right with God.

While we can examine the beliefs of Mormonism to evaluate whether it is Christian or not, no one can see into the heart of another person to know with assurance where that person stands with God.  Thus I can state with confidence that the LDS Church is not a part of the historic, biblical Christian faith.  But I cannot declare whether any individual Latter-day Saint is a Christian or not.  Only God can ultimately know that person’s interior condition.

Based on the definition I accept, I assume that some Mormons are regenerate, heaven-bound children of God, and that some members of evangelical churches are not.  I imagine there are people who genuinely became Christians in childhood or youth, but joined the LDS Church as adults without full knowledge of its world view and beliefs, perhaps because of a romantic relationship.  I know people who, as Mormons, read the Bible and understood its meaning apart from the LDS interpretive grid, and came to adopt the historic biblical gospel.  I’ve met people whom I believe had an authentic, saving encounter with God as members of the LDS Church.

I do believe that the more closely a person adopts the LDS world view and central beliefs, the more unlikely it is that he or she could be a regenerate, heaven-bound Christian, because the core beliefs of Mormonism are contrary to the biblical good news message of God’s saving grace.  I know a number of people who left Mormonism because they found their newly discovered evangelical experience and beliefs to be increasingly at odds with the LDS world view.  In the end they felt they could no longer support the things the LDS Church stands for.  But it makes sense to me that other genuine Christ-followers within Mormonism would stay in the LDS Church for family reasons.

So Mormonism has to be considered Christian in the broadest sense.  In a more particular sense it is not.  Individual Mormons may be Christians.  But if they are, it seems to me that it is in spite of, rather than because of, what Mormonism teaches.  I guess we’ll find out when we get to heaven.

For a different twist on the issue, see my next post.

Is Mormonism Christian?

Ministry in LDS Culture, Understanding Your Mormon Neighbor, , , , ,

Part 3 of a series.

In previous posts, I’ve noted the underlying problem of definitions when it comes to the discussion of whether Mormonism is a legitimate Christian faith.  Latter-day Saints use a broad definition, and claim to be Christian because Jesus has a central role in their beliefs and practices.  Evangelicals use a narrow definition, actually two definitions: one for institutions and one for individuals.  (See my previous post.)

Referring to institutions, we use a theological definition.  The title “Christian” becomes a shorthand for a set of beliefs about what is ultimately true.  We define this in terms of what the followers of Jesus since the first century and around the globe have commonly understood the Bible to teach – not in every detail encompassing every secondary issue, but in the core, essential doctrines that define the heart of Christian belief.  The Bible is clear about the nature of God, the person of Jesus Christ, the human condition and destiny, the conditions for and the effects of salvation, and the like.  On these matters there is widespread agreement, historically and geographically, among the divergent movements within Christianity.

When evangelical Christians say that the LDS Church is not a Christian church, we are asserting that this biblically and historically defined understanding of the Christian faith sets certain legitimate boundaries.  Hinduism and Islam stand outside those boundaries.  I believe a number of sects that arose from within the Christian context have placed themselves outside of historic, biblical Christianity by virtue of their truth claims – including such groups as Christian Science, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and others.

Thus, by and large, Mormonism is denied the label “Christian” based on what traditional Christians consider to be unbiblical beliefs, such as the view that human beings can become gods, that God is an exalted man with a physical body, that people have a second chance for salvation after death,  that the fall of Adam and Eve was a blessing, that the basis of salvation is not the work of Christ alone,  that families are required for exaltation, and more.  The argument is that some LDS doctrines are so far outside the Christian faith as it is defined historically and biblically that they mark Mormonism as essentially a foreign religion.

Latter-day Saints would not deny that Mormonism is not Christian in this narrower sense.  In fact, they would not want to be considered Christian based on this definition.

But what about individuals?  If Mormonism stands outside the stream of biblical Christianity, can individual Mormons be considered Christians?  I will address that issue in my next post.

Are Mormons Christians? Two Separate Questions

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Part 2 of a series.

When it comes to the question: “Are Mormons Christians?” I’ve pointed out that Latter-day Saints tend to use a broad definition of the word “Christian”.  According to a broad definition, Mormonism can be considered a Christian faith.  But evangelicals have reasons to use a much narrower definition.  Before I elaborate on that, let me point out that some confusion arises because evangelicals use the word “Christian” in different ways among ourselves.

We are willing to use “Christian” in a broader sense when we’re talking about the entire historic Christian tradition.  In the context of history, we talk about Nestorian Christianity even though we disagree with the Nestorian view on the divine and human natures of Christ.  In the context of the broad Christian tradition, we include the Episcopal Church as a Christian denomination even though we may be concerned about their views on homosexual practice.  Latter-day Saints I know look at this as a double standard.  How can evangelicals grant Christian status to a church that denies fundamental biblical morality (Mormons might say) while denying it to another church that takes a strong stand on biblical morality?  There is no double standard; we simply use the word “Christian” in varying ways in different contexts.

Speaking of different uses, the whole question is further confused by the difference between institutions and individuals.  To ask: “Is Mormonism Christian” is a different question than: “Are Mormons Christians?”  Let me explain.

When it comes to institutions – a college, an agency, a denomination – evangelicals typically use a theological definition.  The institution in question is called “Christian” or not based on what it professes as truth.  “Christian” becomes a shorthand for a particular set of beliefs.  This definition is an attempt to coalesce the essential, biblically derived doctrines on key issues – such as God, humanity, creation, salvation – that have characterized Christianity worldwide since the first century.  When we ask if an institution is Christian, we typically mean: does it stand within the mainstream of historic, biblical Christian doctrine, by virtue of what it asserts to be ultimately true?

But when it comes to individuals, we commonly use an experiential definition.   We call a person “a Christian” based on their status in relation to God.  Using biblical categories of experience, we’re asking whether or not that person is regenerated by the Holy Spirit or still dead in sin, bound for heaven or for hell, under God’s grace or still under his just condemnation.  The issue is not simply right doctrine or a certain kind of ethical life, but a right standing with God as a function of one’s response of saving faith in God’s gracious work.  None of us can see into another person’s heart, so we have no absolute assurance of where anyone else stands with God.  So we use “Christian” to refer to individuals who profess that they are right with God by virtue of their trust in the saving work of Christ alone.  Certain basic truths must be believed, even if imperfectly or incompletely.  But believing those truths does not constitute anyone as a Christian in this sense.  A changed lifestyle is expected as the consequence, and thus as some sort of evidence, of salvation.  According to this experiential definition, we would certainly not assume that a person is right with God – and thus a Christian – simply because of the church he or she attends.  In other words, when we ask if an individual is or is not a Christian, we mean: has that person trusted in God’s provision through Jesus Christ alone so as to effect an eternal, spiritual change in his or her life?

In the next post, I’ll apply these two definitions of “Christian” to Mormonism.