Ideas and Society

Copyright Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.  Used by permission.

Mormonism has been the topic of an avalanche of stories in the past year as Mitt Romney has run for president. According to Elder Bruce D. Porter of the First Quorum of Seventy, “The total number of news articles devoted to the Church in the past year more than doubled the previous high, reached during the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City .”

What bewildered many Latter-day Saints was how often these stories were jammed with misconceptions and erroneous information. Yet, one of the most consistent errors is the notion that we are not Christian.

First Things, The Journal of Religion, Culture and Public Life, describes itself as “a journal of ideas that examines the most interesting — and often controversial — issues arising at the crossroads of religion and public life today. It begins with the premise that to understand American society — and where it is headed it is necessary to understand its religious life and values.”

The editor-in-chief of the magazines is father Richard John Nehaus, a prominent intellectual, whose writing is much admired.

In October issue of First Things, online at firstthings.com, is a discussion that asks the question, “Is Mormonism Christian?” between Elder Porter and Gerald R. McDermott, a professor of religion at Roanoke College and author with Robert Millet of Claiming Christ: A Mormon-Evangelical Debate.

Each gets their chance to make their point in considerable detail, beginning with Elder Porter, whose article is excellent, and a model of how to present the gospel viewpoint to those who don’t understand. In his article he talks about the nature of the misconceptions that others hold about the Church, calls them “false” and then clarifies with boldness and depth of understanding what we do believe.

He says, ” Are Mormons Christian? By self-definition and self-identity, unquestionably so. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints affirms that it is a Christian-faith denomination, a body of believers who worship Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and who witness that salvation is possible only by his atoning blood and grace. By the simple dictionary definition of a Christian as one who believes in or worships Jesus Christ, the case is compelling. To the title Christian a critic of Mormonism may add any modifiers he deems appropriate-unorthodox, heretical, non-Nicene, different-but blanket assertions that we are not Christian are a poor substitute for informed argument and dialogue.”

McDermott answers and acknowledges, Most Christians say Mormonism is not Christian-though their reasons are sometimes awkward,” but after a lengthy explanation concludes that Mormonism cannot be grafted on to either Judaism or Christianity.

To read the article, click here: It may give you understanding of how to talk to those who have misconceptions about our faith.

First Things” has positioned itself as the definitive journal on those three subjects and especially on their intersection and interplay. The ordering of the importance those three subjects from the description also reflects more or less accurately how prominently they are covered in the pages of the “First Things.” The journal has gained considerable reputation for its unapologetic stance on the role of religion in public life, especially when it comes to politics. This is one of the thorniest issues that is often misunderstood: religion, just like any other ethical system, can and should inform those decisions that are relevant for the common good.

The editor-in-chief of the magazine is father Richard John Neuhaus. He is a public intellectual par excellence and someone whose opinion and knowledge I admire a great deal. His mega-column/article “The Public Square” is a regular feature in every issue of the “First Things.”

The total number of news articles devoted to the church in the past year more than doubled the previous high, reached during the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City .

Copyright Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.  Used by permission.