Interesting note to this conference:  Greg Johnson mentioned there are about 20 different student representations from educational facilities

 Session One:  A Historical Review of Evangelical / Mormon Relations:  After 177 years what have we learned from our past interactions? 

Dr. Craig Hazen (Professor of Comparative Religion and Apologetics at Biola University)

Here are my cliff notes of his talk:

He began with some humor, referring to the tissue boxes in the aisles and how “I am going to touch you.”  He walked back to the enclosed drum stage at the back of the platform and asked, “Do they fill it with water?”

This is the first time I have heard Hazen.  He’s energetic.  Enthusiastic.

He opened with II Corinthians 10:3-5, “And for you that carry the big stack of paper bound, no wonder you are so robust.”

The 19^th century was a miserable situation.  Haun’s Mill.  I am glad we are hanging out like this today.  Mountain Meadows Massacre.  These things still haunt us.  I thank God for groups like Standing Together that bring us together.

How do we go about gaining religious knowledge?

Think of the story in I Kings – the contest between Elijah and false prophets.  We could have flaming duels in the parking lot.  Isn’t this how we should settle whose God is right?

Also, makes me think of one man’s answer to why they poured barrels of water over the sacrifice?  Why? To make gravy. 

This is part of our heritage in settling things.

Moving to the N.T., Jesus wanted us to know what things are true. Like the resurrection.  He gave us knowledge through signs.  Jonah.  The temple.  He wanted us to know this objectively.

In Mark 2, there is a wonderful story.  I could do this in interpretive dance.

Son, your sins are forgiven – it is an invisible activity – we can’t know it. 

Jesus wanted us to know that these things are true.

 

I Corinthians 15 is the strangest passage in all of Christian literature.  The apostle Paul hangs Christianity by a thread on the objective fact of the resurrection.  None of it in all the various forms of Christianity (even Mormon Christianity) is true if Jesus didn’t come back.  It is not about blind leaping.  Faith is trusting that which you know can be true.

 

The resurrection is the best attested fact of the ancient world.  Hands down.  There is a tremendous trail of evidence.

Our greatest hope for robust dialogue is knowing that we all walk around with false beliefs and that we need growth.  How do we best go about in the investigation?  I Peter 3:15 – do so with gentleness.  Also, Ephesians 4:15 and I Corinthians 13:1-3.  We must discuss with gentleness and respect.   I hope verbal conflicts are of the past.

But going back to II Corinthians 10, here Paul gives the key to the whole thing.  We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against God.  We go to war against errant beliefs.  It can be worked through.  Together we can tear these barriers down.

 

That is all I got. (I think he could have shared a lot more.  But perhaps time was up.)

 

Dr. Grant Underwood (Professor of History at Brigham Young University.  Currently he serves as co-chair of the Mormon Studies Consultation of the American Academy of Religion)

I now share my cliff notes of his speech:

 

He shares,

I just felt like I was through a power sermon experience.  I enjoyed it very much.

The definition of evangelicalism is not as neat and tidy as one presumes.  Most scholars (George Marsden, Mark Noll) list four or five keep elements:

1.  Historic reality and the salvation efficacy of Jesus’ atonement

 

2.  The experience of regeneration, second birth, doctrines of justification and sanctification

 

3.  Once reborn, there is a natural outflow of love (disinterested benevolence).  Reborn individuals turn outward to their fellow beings.  Evangelism.  Social activism.  Legendary missionary activities spanning the globe.

 

4.  Attachment to the Bible.  It stands alone, all sufficient.

 

There is Scofield Dispensationalism, but it is not a key component of today’s evangelicalism.

Now let’s look at the Latter-day history. 

Virtually, every LDS in the 1830’s was evangelical.  Going further, most LDS today are evangelicals.  I will elaborate to let this sink in.

It is evangelicalism not in associations, but in terms of core concepts and sensibilities

Here is my thesis:  The Latter-day Saint religion is an evangelical movement at heart.

 

In reviewing point 1,

 

He read quotes to confirm Mormonism evangelicalism as similar.

Underwood compared quotes from Samson Stansforth and from the Book of Mormon for similarities.

“Enos, thy sins are forgiven thee. how is it done?  Because of thy faith in Christ.”

Well, that is great in the book of Mormon, but what about Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery.

He read an unpublished letter, written by Oliver Cowdery.  Listen to the sensibility.  What are the real goods?  What is the private individual like?  I want you to savor it.

[I only picked up parts of this] “Only to serve him . . . with his grace to assist me . . .when I consider what he has done for me, I am astonished and amazed.  He has redeemed my soul from endless torment.  Not anything that I have merited.  It was in and through his own mercy.  Saved on conditions of repentance and faith in that infinite atonement . . . when I began to write of the mercies of God . . . time and paper fails me.”

Is there anything more evangelical than that?  From Mr. Mormon himself!

Latter-day saints authorities today are seasoned and senior Christians, impeccable in the administration and so gracious with one another.

 

Joseph Smith wrote . . .

O how marvelous are your works, O Lord,

O Lord, save me in your kingdom. 

Does this sound like some arrogant religionist?

 

Brigham Young, known by some for his doctrinal adventuresome, exhorted Mormon missionaries:

“I charge you to be riveted to the cross of Christ.”

Why Pastor Greg could have said that?

 In reviewing point 2, 

Regeneration

The Cain Ridge Revival – James McGrady (spelling?) He writes that the questions are not “Where you a Presbyterian, Methodist, or Baptist?  No, have you been born again?”

John Wesley said his heart was strangely warmed. Alma shares similar.

And now my brethren, if you experience a change of heart, can you feel so now the centrality of the second birth in the Book of Mormon and LDS leaders?

 In reviewing point 3,  

Now they were desirous that salvation be preached to every creature.

 In reviewing point 4,  

Just step back from the alone sufficiency, and let’s talk about the vital power.  They were not anti-biblical.  They were rooted and grounded in the Bible.  Joseph wanted to give more of the same.  Enforcement.  Enrichment.

I canvassed sermons, conference reports, etc. in the 1830s.  LDS leaders and teachers quoted the Bible 19 times for every time they quoted the BoM.

The BoM was viewed by them as that which supplemented and not supplanted the Bible.  Lay aside your arguments.  Step outside that logic.

LDS saints have never been antagonistic to the Bible.  They cherish it.

 

LDS have been consistently premillennialists, sort of in the vein of George Ladd.

 

Let me just in the final moments, zoom through history

There is a powerful evangelicalism beyond the arguments over eccentricities and exotica.  One finds what one looks for.  It is all there.

In fairness, Mormonism is the sharing of the pulpit with another set of ideas.  The early LDS leaders did God’s work by both testaments.  Not by way of repudiation, not by transcending. 

Dialogue, Interfaith activities have been going on in the last 30 years.  It began in the 1970s, picked up steam in the 1980s, and here is a great example, a wonderful healing endeavor.  We are after all relatives.  Mormons have core evangelical sensibilities.

Let’s don’t hair split on theories of the atonement.  What is the core impulse?  No one would disagree of their trying to love the Lord Jesus Christ.  Since when did unity have to be uniformity?  Can’t we be united without being identical?  Spread the news with everyone we meet.  Latter-day saints and evangelicals are cousins in the family of Christ.    We are related.  We share core sensibilities.