Mormons Show Evangelicals the Way
For two hundred years, Christians in the United States have viewed the Mormons (LDS) as a cult.
The reasons for this are many, including the suspect life and practices of the its founder, Joseph Smith, the acceptance of extra-biblical revelation (the Book of Moromon), many questionable doctrines and edicts of the LDS Church, and especially a “works” orientation toward salvation.
I agree that the church’s origins and some practices are cultish.
However, after seeing the results of the Republican caucuses in Utah, it may be time to re-evaluate whether the Mormons are more Christian than Christians.
In their voting, Mormons are showing evangelicals the way.
First a few thoughts on the Mormon Church and religion in general.
I met my first Latter Day Saints when I was a teenager. They seemed like normal people who shared my values but didn’t demonstrate a personal relationship with Christ. They had “religion”–but it didn’t appear to go deep.
They were easy to understand because I was also raised in a religious home–without the power, conviction, and intimate knowledge of Christ. When I became born again in 1968, that experience changed my view of religion and what people need to do to get right with God.
The Bible was clear on the subject: We must be born again through repentance and faith by the work of the Holy Spirit. Salvation is a gift of God based on grace, not works.
In fact, during Jesus’ day there were two groups of religious folks who also failed the salvation test. One was the Saduccees. They were the religious liberals of the day, and didn’t believe in spirits, angels, or life after death. The other was the Pharisees. These were the religious work-a-holics that Jesus condemned at many points. They were the fundamentalists of the time.
Jesus told one prominent Pharisee named Nicodemus that people needed to “re-start” their spiritual lives by turning way from self (repentance) and put their faith in Him. The most famous Bible verse ever was given to this seeking Pharisee: “God so loved the loved that He gave his only Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
I learned early on that religion–going through the right motions–is not enough. Salvation is about heart change that comes through our yieldedness and the work of God’s Spirit.
Which brings us back to the Mormons. Not only were they similar to my religious background and that of the Saduccees and Pharisees, but they also believed some pretty strange things that put them outside the bounds of mainstream biblical faith.
On the other hand, many Mormons displayed solid Christian virtues including strong and supportive families (with many children), a powerful sense of community, great work ethic and business principles, and a giving, generous spirit.
Thus, many Mormons may not be born again (heart), but they practiced many Christian principles they understood (mind).
I wrote my first book in 1976 on the reverse of that phenomenon–that a person can be Christian in heart but not in mind. The subject was former Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter who was running for president. I know that in his heart he said and appeared to be born again. But in his policies, his “mind” didn’t line up with Scripture.
He was pro-abortion, pro-Big Government and weak on national defense.
Jimmy Carter was the opposite of the LDS Church–biblical in heart but weak in practice. The Mormons were weak in heart, but strong in principles.
Which brings us to 2016 and the Republican presidential race.
I personally believe that as goes the Church, so does the American nation. In the past few political cycles. we have elected a number of poor national leaders and allowed massive disintegration in our culture because many evangelical Christians–even though they have born again hearts–do not have born again minds.
It’s a failure of discipleship. The Evangelical Church has led millions to Christ (heart faith) but have not taught and discipled them into a Christian worldview about government, economics, and the issues of the day.
Evangelicals either don’t vote, or they don’t vote for biblically principled people.
In this presidential election cycle, I am grieved by the ignorance of many evangelical leaders. I don’t need to mention their names. You know who they are. They have bought into the power and charisma of Donald Trump and have provided him the cover to attain victory in a number of states.
Donald Trump is extremely questionable of both heart and mind. He is essentially a billionaire opportunist who is riding the ignorance of Christians to victories in numerous states where the evangelical vote should have gone to the principled Christian conservatives in the race like Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, or others.
Instead, a mind-less Church has put Donald Trump in the driver’s seat toward becoming the Republican nominee.
It’s such a wasted opportunity that one is almost led to weep.
Gary Randall reports that The Christian Post says that while 78% of evangelicals characterize the outcome of this year’s presidential election as “extremely important to the future of the United States,” only 20% of evangelicals are paying close attention to the election process.
Among non-Christian faiths—including Islam, Buddhism and Judaism— 41% are closely following the election campaigns.
Even religious skeptics, which includes atheists and agnostics are more engaged, with 38% paying attention to the elections. Also 38% of Catholics are engaged compared to 26% of Protestants. This is a reversal of the last four presidential elections.
Shame, shame, shame on us.
George Barna shares this concern about unengaged and ignorant evangelicals. About 38% of Americans are self-declared evangelicals, but Barna used the term only to identify persons who are evangelical in their fundamental biblical beliefs–what I call being Christian “in mind.”
By his criteria, only 8% of Americans are truly evangelical.
Not surprisingly, self-declared evangelicals are all over the map politically, some Democrats, some Republicans, but how many are voting biblically? Very few. The sad news is that just 8 percent of the people most capable of influencing America for righteousness are paying attention to the elections as compared to others. (Barna Report; Who Qualifies as an Evangelical?).
To sum up, God’s people in this nation are asleep and ignorant as the United States faces its greatest challenges.
But the Mormons seem to get it.
Glenn Beck (a prominent Mormon broadcaster and author) recently suggested that GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump is incompatible with Christians who take their faith seriously.
“No Christian, no real Christian – I don’t mean a judgmental Christian, I mean somebody who is living their faith – no real Christian says, ‘I want that guy, that guy is for me,’” he said during a broadcast of his radio show. “Nobody, nobody.”
Beck also argued America is moving away from its Christian underpinnings, causing myriads of moral and social problems nationwide.
“I honestly don’t know what else to do,” he said. “We have got to be a people of principles. We are a Christian nation.”
“Are we really?” Beck asked. “Then why are we in so much trouble? Why do we have the same kind of problems that non-Christian nations do with pornography and drugs and everything else?
“We should be setting an example if we’re actually living our Christian faith. The problem is we all say we’re living our Christian faith [and] we’re not living our Christian faith.”
Beck additionally vowed he would challenge any religion or denomination he believes is ignoring its own guiding principles.
“I’ll take on the Jews, and I’ll take on the Lutherans, and I’ll take on the Catholics, and I’ll take on the Mormons,” he said. “I’ll take them all on. You’re damn right. Where are you? You’re not living your principles.”
Where have you heard that prophetic call in the evangelical churches?
Meanwhile, the Republican presidential sweepstakes arrived in Utah–a Mormon bastion–on March 22 after giving Donald Trump ten-to-fifteen victories in the Bible heart-land of America. How did the Mormons vote? The way evangelicals should have:
- Ted Cruz, a principled Christian conservative – 69%
- John Kasich, an evangelical governor – 17%.
- Donald Trump – 14%.
If evangelicals had been as wise as Mormon voters in Utah, then right now Ted Cruz would be well on his way to wrapping up the Republican nomination and going against a weak Hillary Clinton or Socialist Bernie Sanders in November.
Many people believe that Ted Cruz is the closest thing to Ronald Reagan in a generation. Yet, an unengaged, mindless, unprincipled Church is not practicing its faith in the voting booth.
Mormons are showing evangelicals the way. Maybe we need to be born again more than they do.
And show our faith by our works.
The Greatest Week in History: A Lesson in Humility
Pride is one of the ugliest things in the universe. It’s what led to the fall of Lucifer from heaven, and allied with the invective of murder, was the motive behind the Brussels massacre this week.
On the presidential election front, both front runners of the Democrat and Republican parties regularly demonstrate the attitude of pride in either name-calling childishness or not telling the truth.
Would you agree there’s an abundance of pride in our world today?
This Holy Week–the greatest week in history–let’s look the opposite direction for inspiration from the life of Jesus Christ and others that follow him. He never displayed arrogance, never acted nastily, or ever told a lie.
Let’s learn a lesson in humility.
I must confess that the Boehme family and even my ethnic heritage (German) is susceptible to the sin of pride. Early on I realized that pride was one of my “easily besetting sins” (Hebrews 12:2), and if I wanted to grow in God, I needed to let him expose and crucify it in my life.
To some extent, He has been victorious in that process of sanctification.
Still, I must constantly be on guard against pride rearing its ugly head. I have found that learning from and being filled with Jesus is my only hope of character salvation.
So this Easter week–the greatest week of all time–when Jesus Christ arrived in Jerusalem to die for the sins of mankind (for our corporate pride) and then rise from the dead (He is Risen!), it might be beneficial to take a crash course in one of the Godhead’s most incredible qualities.
Humility.
Here’s my take on how humility, meekness, or a humble heart shows itself in a human life.
Characteristics of Humility
A servant’s attitude
Because humility is a lowliness of heart and mind, it shows a willingness to serve and lift up others. Jesus said in Mark 10: 43-44: “Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.” Humility is the antithesis of narcissism. It always seeks to serve, not dominate.
A non-defensive or reactionary heart
Humble people are relaxed in who they are. Defensiveness is almost always a mark of pride showing a lack of relaxation in the truth. When Jesus was confronted by Pontius Pilate and Herod he didn’t defend himself. He didn’t have to. He knew who he was.
A quiet, teachable spirit
1 Peter 3: 4 tells us that real beauty “should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.” When you have that type of heart, you are able to receive reproof: “Do not rebuke mockers or they will hate you; rebuke the wise and they will love you” (Proverbs 9:8). Humble people are teachable and easy to be around. Remember the boy Jesus, anxious to learn from the teachers in the Temple?
Self-less interest and speech
Humble people don’t think about themselves, they put others first. We taught our young kids the rightness of J. O.Y. Jesus first, Yourself last, and Others in between (J.O.Y.) Humble people don’t talk about themselves because they don’t think about themselves. They are others-centered. Philippians 2: 3, 4 says, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” That’s the attitude of Christ Jesus (2:5).
Submissiveness
A humble person sees their own short-comings and welcomes the strengths of others. Ephesians 5:21 tells us to “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” Having a submissive attitude toward other people is an incredible mark of strength. A humble person can relax on their “level” of authority knowing that “authority is given by God on the basis of humility” (Loren Cunningham).
Not interested in power
Humble people are not drawn to power–which is dangerous stuff. They desire to help and bless the lives of others–in fact, give up all power and lay their lives down for the sake of others (Philippians 2:5-11). Imagine what power Jesus gave up in heaven to be born in a dirty stable, live a peasant life, and be tortured and die via crucifixion. Humble folks love helping others–not pomp and circumstance that flatters the ego.
Love for people and interest in blessing them
Paul tells us in Ephesians 4:1-3 – “to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” When we are humble, we will make people feel comfortable and safe–not flaunt them with our gifts or stare them down with our eyes. Humility looks up–not down.
Obedience
Jesus obeyed his Heavenly Father in everything out of a humble heart. Then he told his disciples,
“So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty'” ( Luke 17:10). Humility always does what’s right. It is opposite of the spirit of anarchy or demanding rights. Humble people love to obey.
A thankful and grateful spirit
A humble person understands he or she is a sinner, deserves nothing, and deeply appreciates God’s grace. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 encourages us to “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” Jesus never sinned, but his life was filled with thanksgiving and praise. That’s the constant attitude of the humble follower of His.
A tender conscience toward sin
It is understanding we have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory that humbles the heart and keeps it in a posture of hating and rejecting sin. David displays a humble conscience in Psalm 51 and declares that “the sacrifices of God (what He likes) is a broken and contrite spirit.” Great definition of humility. James Madison said that “Conscience is the most sacred of all property” because it keeps us humble and on track with God.
No desire for applause or publicity
William MacDonald reminds us that Jesus was “psychologically impervious to the popular prise of himself–it did not inflate him–and to negative criticism of himself–it did not deflate him.” He humbly knew what His Heavenly Father thought about at all times. When you’re focused on God, you don’t hear the blather. Humility deadens the ear to self and reputation.
Honesty and Transparency
Jesus told us humble people are willing to be known for who they really are. He said in Luke 18:13, “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’” Pride covers up and erects walls. Humility allows in the sunlight with joy.
Courteous and respectful
Note all the rioting and ill manners that are common in our nation today. They reveal nothing but self-centered pride–not humble love. 1 Corinthians 13:5 says that real love “does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs (Romans 13:1-7)” A mark of a humble person is great manners and personal self-control–perfectly seen in the life of Jesus Christ.
Child-like heart
The people of Jesus’ day (and ours) had it backwards. Adult-like cynicism is bad. Child-like sincerity is good. Jesus put a child on his lap and declared, “Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3, 4). Humble folks who focus on God and others are not skeptics.
Natural and real
A humble person doesn’t try to be humble—they just are—from the heart. Humility, in its basic essence, is living in reality, not being more than you are, which is pride, or being less than you are, which is self pity. Both sides of the coin of self is pride. When we are humble, there is a naturalness to our attitudes and actions that encourages those around us.
Self-sacrifice
It was self-sacrificing humility that took Jesus Christ to Calvary some two thousand years ago. Humility not only prefers others, it is willing to lay down its life for them out of love.
I hope you get the point. Pride is full of self. Humility is full of God and other’s concerns. Our world desperately needs to learn from Holy Week that the way to change the world is not through power, pride, anger, and revolution.
It’s through a changed heart who learns from Jesus.
Matthew 11:28-30:
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
This week we commemorate the greatest week in history. Happy Easter as you love and emulate the humble, servant King.
Right Revolt–Wrong Standard-Bearer
Pundits have been saying for months–some for years–that the driving force of the 2016 electorate is an unabashed and unleashed anger at the political establishment in the United States.
It’s especially aimed at Republicans elites. We’re told that anger fueled the rise of the Tea Party in 2010 which took over the House of Representatives. But nothing changed. Then a new wave of angst led to the toppling of the Senate in 2014.
But nothing again happened.
So Donald Trump is now riding this populist heat wave to the top of the Republican nominating process.
There’s only one problem.
It’s the right revolution but the wrong standard bearer.
I’d like to first say something about the “anger” thing which seems to be the word-du-jour at the present. In one of the most inspiring concession speeches I’ve ever heard by Florida Senator Mario Rubio, he also referred to this phenomenon:
“The politics of resentment against other people will not just leave us a fractured party. They’re going to leave us a fractured nation. They’re going to leave us as a nation where people literally hate each other because they have different political opinions.”
“American needs a vibrant conservative movement, but one that’s built on principles and on ideas, not on fear, not on anger, not on preying on people’s frustrations.”
We lost a great candidate in Marco Rubio. Watch his full speech and weep for our stupidity.
Now back to the anger problem.
There are a few of things I know about anger and most of them are bad. First, anger is an emotion that usually flairs up when you don’t think. It’s not for stable, thoughtful minds–just for loose cannons that like to spit out smoke.
Second, last time I checked, anger is a sin. It is usually a selfish response to something I don’t like. The Bible tells us quite clearly to not let the sun go down on our anger (Ephesians 4:26, 27). In other words, deal with it daily and don’t let it poison your inner being.
Yes, I know there’s a place for righteous anger. But I only trust God to practice it perfectly with a right motivation. Most times I try to do it, I mess up the situation with bad attitudes and actions.
So anger is usually a destructive, immature force.
And we’re happy about it driving the American electorate?
We shouldn’t be. The better response to injustice and poor leadership is deep burden and positive action. I think of the response of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to the plight of blacks in the 1960s. That was a revolution worth emulating. Anger took a back seat to passionate impact.
If anger (sin) drives your voting, then you will pull the lever for angry (sinful) people. Which tells us why Donald Trump is riding the Republican wave.
I’ve already made the case that a back-slidden American nation, whose evangelicals seem to have left our shores (or their values), are looking for a king to rescue them. The Donald fits that description. He’s tall, tough and uncouth, and embodies the things that many Americans desire (wealth, supermodel wife, and entertainment fame).
He’s also extremely vulgar, childish, mean, unprincipled, and cunning. Street smart would be a good word with emphasis on the part next to the pavement.
A third of the Republican Party, including many Christians, are unthinkingly following an angry man. To understand how ridiculous this is, check out this two minute video by humorist Andrew Klavan.
It is right and necessary to rescue the Republic from the entrenched bureaucracy. But we’ve chosen the wrong standard-bearer and now only one good alternative is left.
Ted Cruz. Revolutionary. Man of faith. Principled. Courageous. Not an anger-induced barbarian.
Listen to the wisdom and warnings of an economist and a prophet.
Thomas Sowell
“There is a reason why polls repeatedly show Donald Trump producing the highest negative reactions of any candidate of either party. Yet the small hard core of Trump supporters seem oblivious to his antics, his recklessness and his all-consuming ego.”
“Some of these supporters may simply not be paying careful attention. But there have also been some very knowledgeable and intellectually talented people who have backed Trump. Sometimes it takes a high IQ to evade the obvious.”
“What does Trump offer his supporters that makes them so willing to overlook so much? He boldly articulates the resentment and anger they feel at having been betrayed by smug elites in general and the Republican establishment in particular.”
“Charismatic leaders who articulated the just grievances of the people have often risen to power on the basis of that talent alone. And those who put them in power have often paid a catastrophic price afterwards. That story was repeated in countries around the world in the 20th century.”
“Will that story be repeated in America in the 21st century?”
“The only candidate who has any real chance to stop Donald Trump at the ballot box is Ted Cruz. But the Republican elite, who have never liked Senator Cruz, may prefer to stop Trump with chicanery at the convention. That can cost Republicans the votes of Trump’s followers, putting Hillary Clinton in the White House — and the country on the ruinous road to a point of no return.”
Mario Murillo
“It is now or never for America. Embracing the reality of that statement is our major hope. Whatever we are going to do—we must do now. Don’t delude yourself into thinking we have more time. You deceive yourself at your own peril. Those who handle warnings carelessly, will almost certainly be fatalities in the maelstrom.”
“In the midst of these great horrors we are still a divided church. This is the most jaw dropping fact of all: U.S. Christians refuse to unify. Everything is at stake—how is this possible? What decadent arrogance allows Christian leaders to keep building empires? Why do they steadfastly refuse to join their brothers and sisters in the struggle to save the nation? How can they ignore the deafening air raid siren? What will they do if the church is driven underground and their little kingdoms are gone in an instant?”
“What has happened to America and the church is dreadful. But just as dreadful as these things are that is how wonderful it is to know that all God needs is a core. 1 Samuel 14: 6 says, ‘Then Jonathan said to the young man who bore his armor, “Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised; it may be that the Lord will work for us. For nothing restrains the Lord from saving by many or by few.’
“Martin Luther said, ‘One with God is a majority.’ Gideon proved this. When all of Israel was dulled by immorality, and failed to rally to the cause, God honed 300 men to save the nation. God seeks a core that will not hold back in prayer, action and sacrifice. He seeks you.”
“You and I can’t wait for the church to wake up. No pastor should stall revival in committee. No soldier of Jesus should look for the right amount of support or a consensus. There is nothing—and no one to wait for.”
“The anger you see in the election is not political…it is rooted in their spirits. They are sick to death of the lies of our culture. They feel outrage at the betrayal of our leaders. If we seize this moment—if we go full bore—if we abandon ourselves to outreach—we will see the greatest harvest in 40 years.”
These are voices of burden and intelligence.
Let’s stop being foolish and angry. Ted Cruz is a true statesman/outsider that could lead America into a time of desperately needed renewal. We must repent of both our anger and apathy and join a righteous revolution that would make our founders proud.
We don’t need a king.
We need a principled-leader who will point us to the King of kings.