Standing Together or Falling Away? Back to Articles
Reverend Gregory Johnson of Standing Together Ministries once again demonstrated his lack of scriptural knowledge when he maintained that division in families over religious beliefs runs counter to Christ’s purpose on earth. An article in the Church Executive (May 14, 2008) entitled, “Mormons and Evangelicals Cross Religious Barriers,”[i] refers to the strife that often follows when a Christian converts to Mormonism or vice versa;
"It has severely tested marriages, it has put children opposite their parents, it has broken some families up," Johnson said. "That breaks our hearts to think there are people, in the context of loving family relationships," who let religious choices break bonds among loved ones. It runs counter to Christ's purpose on earth, he said. "Jesus died on the cross because he loved a lost world."
Johnson’s comments came during the latest faux pas by Standing Together Ministries, which participated in an interfaith dialogue hosted by the Greater Phoenix Latter-day Saints Interfaith Council and the Arizona Ecumenical Council in April with over 500 Mormons and evangelical Christians in attendance. Johnson’s remarks represent an overall misunderstanding or misapplication of God’s word.
Contrary to Rev. Johnson’s belief, the Lord Himself stated His purpose;
Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.[ii]
The problem regarding Standing Together is missiological in nature and stems from the view that informal, personal conversations between individuals regarding faith can be duplicated by formal ecumenical dialogues between Christian and non-Christian organizations. What results, however, is not a number of unbelievers coming to saving faith in the biblical Christ, but rather a spiritual love-fest where everyone leaves feeling better about their own beliefs, only with greater understanding of where the other side is coming from. This presents a very real danger of falling away from “the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3).
There is nothing wrong with the desire to promote loving, compassionate relationships in the context of religious understanding and outreach. Jesus admonished us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. Christians with any sense of biblical understanding realize that Mormons are not our enemies. They have been deceived by the real enemy, who is Satan. Individual Christians can and should be kind to their LDS friends, neighbors, and co-workers. As individuals we can demonstrate the love God to Mormons through compassionate acts of service; taking in meals to the sick, mowing their lawn, inviting them over to dinner, being interested in their personal lives, and yes—sharing our faith with them in an open, non-confrontational way without compromising truth. However, what can easily be accomplished on a personal level cannot be accomplished by formal dialogues between representatives of faith groups with opposing views on the nature of God and salvation.
We see the apostle Paul witnessing as an individual to Felix, Porcius Festus, to the Sanhedrin, and others. Peter bore testimony to several thousand Jews at Pentecost and to Cornelius and his household. Jesus sent his disciples to “make disciples of all nations.” In every instance of evangelizing the lost in the New Testament it is an individual effort, not a corporate event. Nowhere do we find Jesus organizing a formal public dialogue between a panel of leaders representing two faith groups. We do not see the Church at Ephesus hosting an interfaith dialogue between Paul and Demetrius with both followers of Christ and followers of Artemis in attendance. They did not travel the religious circuit presenting, “A Pagan and a Christian in Conversation.” We do not find Peter, James, Paul, John, or Jude co-authoring epistles with the false teachers and pagan religious leaders of their day to foster greater understanding and unity between believers of their respective faiths. Nowhere in the Bible do the prophets make efforts to “bridge the divide” between God’s people and gentile nations. What we do find is Christians being exhorted to come out from among the pagans, separate themselves, and not be yoked with unbelievers.[iii]
God is adamant that His people be clean, holy (set apart), and separate from unbelievers in matters of worship because these unscriptural unions lead to complacency at best and apostasy at worst. There is tendency for people of both faith groups to become so at ease with one another’s beliefs that the lost are kept in darkness and those with the true gospel lose their sense of urgency to evangelize. Furthermore, spiritual alliances between Christians and unbelievers (practitioners of other religions or pseudo-Christian cults) often lead the Christian into embracing unbiblical doctrines and teachings, rather than leading the unbeliever to saving faith in Jesus Christ.
Ministries such as Standing Together would better serve the Christian community and Mormons alike, by “dividing the bridge” between their two corporate bodies and focusing on educating the individual. For example, Rev. Johnson could speak at churches (without LDS Professor Robert Millet) and teach Christians how to communicate the gospel to Mormons with gentleness and respect. He could educate them on the basic tenets of Mormonism and give them the “do’s and don’ts” of witnessing to their LDS family and friends. There is much good that Standing Together could do in the Christian body to promote understanding without giving the appearance of legitimizing or endorsing Mormonism.
Jesus loves Mormons. He died on the cross for them. Tragically, ministries that follow Rev. Johnson’s lead in partnering with Mormons in public forums are doing them a horrible disservice by tip-toeing around hard gospel truths in the name of friendship. The message of the cross—salvation coming by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ (Who is God incarnate) alone—needs to be proclaimed in a clear and unmistakable way that distinguishes itself from the false gospel of Mormonism. As long as the lines are blurred and differences minimized, there will continue to be casualties as our LDS loved ones are catapulted toward hell because of false teachings and unbiblical methods of popular evangelism.
These strong statements are not intended to offend or shed doubt on Rev. Johnson’s motivation or desire to see Mormons come to saving faith in the biblical Jesus; however, his continued support of the Mormon Church by giving one of its lead apologists a platform to address and teach Christian audiences does make one wonder. In light of scripture, there is cause for alarm with his method of evangelism. Ministries that equip Christians with an understanding of Mormonism and have an outreach to LDS people are often confronted with the fallout of the “bridging the divide” philosophy. It is absolutely heartbreaking to see people kept in spiritual darkness by undiscerning individuals and ministries that set aside the counsel of God to do their own thing, which they seem to believe improves on what God has already revealed in Holy Scripture. When Christian churches stand together with false religions in mutual spiritual endeavors, they will eventually fall away from biblical truth.
1. http://www.churchexecutive.com/news.asp?N_ID=1262 (retrieved on May 26, 2008)
2. Matthew 10:34-38
3. 2 Corinthians 6:14-17. Other scriptures on unholy alliances include; Ex. 23:32, 33; 34:12–15; Deut. 7:2; Judg. 2:2; 2 Chr. 19:2; 20:37
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