Session Three:  The Legitimacy of Mormon/Evangelical Dialogue, and Should We Even be talking? 

Dr. William Heersink (Professor of theology and missions, Salt Lake Theological Seminary)

Ten years ago, an LDS friend of mine handed me a book, How Wide the Divide? This book was a landmark volume.

Twenty five years ago, a campus pastor felt burdened to start a school.  It was called the Utah Institute for Biblical Studies, now Salt Lake Theological Seminary.  The founder was kind, seeking to understand LDS in a holistic context and culture.  And today, we would love to have students, even LDS students, pursue our studies offered.

Fifty years ago, an evangelical tuned into the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.  He sent a large contribution.  They refused his money.  He made a phone call and connected with Richard L. Evans. 

In their conversations, they felt their needed to be a lot more interchange. The Richard L. Evans Chair for Christian Understanding was established.  The first person to hold that chair is Truman Madsen, who graduated from Harvard Divinity School, student under Krister Stendahl and Paul Tillich. 

William Heersink asked Truman Madsen to come up to share a few things about this particular chair.

They gave me a chair but not a desk.  Richard Evans told this evangelical:  We had more in common than in separations.  And this man said, “The two greatest Christians he ever knew was Billy Graham and Richard Evans.”  The responsibility of the chair:  “Your assignment is teach that there are other good Christians but also to convince others that we are Christians.”  This chair has now expanded to three in the chair. Robert Millet, and one to Asia, and one elsewhere.  “Does this get us started Brother Bill?” (more…)

Questions

One of the students asked Dr. William Heersink about how he helped an LDS man to get back into his faith.  Bill shared how he felt alright in affirming this man with his position on salvation and Christ-centeredness to again be active within the LDS church.

To Dr. Truman Madsen: What bothers you the most about the evangelical doctrine?   The notion of the grace alone doctrine and that James is a straw epistle.  Also, Double predestination . . . that God causes damnation.

This session concluded last night, the first day of this genesis conference hosted in Salt Lake City for college students.  Please see Standing Together Minstries for full recordings of all these sessions.  These are only paraphrased cliffnotes through my lens.

Session two:  Missional Principles and Guidelines for Interfaith Dialogue

Dr. Doug McConnell (Dean of Intercultural Studies at Fuller Seminary)

 Here are quickly some selected highlights:

“I am an evangelist through and through.” (more…)

I looked for a seat in the last session tonight, and I accidentally slipped by two men that I have only read about on the internet.

Bill McKeever and Aaron Shavofaloff.

You know . . . for being such rabid, monstrous anti-Mormons, these guys are really quite nice.

Aaron bought my supper and has put me up in his house tonight.   He wouldn’t let me rob him of displaying kind, gracious hospitality.  I appreciate his family being so spontaneous. 

It is time to hit the sack in this comfy guest room.

Thanks guys.

Panel:  Dr. Jeffrey Silliman (President, Salt Lake Theological Seminary), Pastor Ray Smith (Sr. Pastor, Salt Lake Christian), Jordan Barrett (Grad student, Wheaton College), John Zarbock (LDS bishop, Sandy, Utah), Jerry Hansen (Professor, Brigham Young University – Idaho), and Jacob Farnsworth (Student, Brigham Young University)

Topic:  Is Anything Changed?  Evangelical and LDS perspectives of changes and how they impact the churches today.

I found this extremely jarring when Dr. Silliman stated, “Doctrines [LDS] are not changing.  But this is alright.”  I wasn’t impressed at all.

I really appreciated when Jerry mentioned, “We do want to convert each other.  Let’s be honest with that.”  (Sitting behind him in the last session tonight, we actually met each other.  This is the professor who has been teaching “Christian History” to all the BYU-Idaho students.)

Speaker:  John Morehead, M.A. Christian Theology, Salt Lake Seminary

Topic:  Are We Ready for This?  Critical Reflection on Mormon-Evangelical Dialogue and Its Critic

John handed to each of us a three page handout (front and back) on his subject, outlined with these main categories:  introduction, perspective of workshop, importance of dialogue, definitions of dialogue, types of inter-religious dialogue, the “dialogue decalogue” of Richard Swidler, challenges to Christian dialogue with New Religious Movements, need for an interdisciplinary perspective for analysis: The Missional Helix, missions and interreligious dialogue, and conclusions. (more…)

I will backtrack on sharing sessions;

but Bob answers a college student’s question right now on what are key differences: (more…)

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) (more…)

“There are not many people that are both convicted and civil” – Robert Millet

“I asked my dad, what does it mean to be saved by grace?  My dad replied, ‘We don’t believe that because the Baptists do.’ “ – Millet

“Neither one [Millet and Johnson] of us had a particular agenda” – Greg Johnson

“We are historically driven to convert one another. . . . [Yet this] It is not about converting one another but opening our hearts up to one another and building relationships” – Johnson

Krister Stendahl shares three things about good dialogue.  Go to an active member.  Compare their best with your best.  Always leave room for holy envy. – Millet

John Stackhouse says winning an argument is not as important as winning a friendship – Johnson

The local news is here at the Salt Lake Christian Center.

If you catch you me on television.  I am sitting in the second to back row in the middle.  Green sweater.  Blue levis.

Rolling into the city, I just caught Greg Johnson on KSL News Radio 102.7 FM.  He was talking about Dr. Robert Jeffrey’s (spelling?) latest comments on Mitt Romney.

Greg mentioned 350 are registered for this conference.  We have five BYU scholars with us.

This is going to be interesting.

[Btw, I loved listening to the hymn, Thou Art Worthy, on 91.7.  So does anybody listen to 95.5?  Yes, it is just a tad more traditional than K-love. 🙂 ]