Is Mormonism a Christian religion? Though we have discussed this question here so many times, here we go again. Because of the flap Pastor Jeffress caused in publicly identifying Mormonism as a “theological cult” on October 8 (2011), it seems that everybody is talking about where Mormonism fits into the religious landscape.
Non-Christians and Mormons, predominately, think that defining Mormonism as a non-Christian religion is nothing but a nasty slur. Christians, on the other hand, generally understand the wisdom of sticking with a theological definition of the Christian faith. Albert Mohler, president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, wrote this week,
“It is neither slander nor condescension to state clearly that Mormonism is not Christianity. Taking Mormonism on its own terms, one finds a comprehensive set of teachings and doctrines that are self-consciously set against historic Christianity. The larger world may be confused about this, but biblical Christians cannot make this error, for we are certain that the consequences are eternal.”
Brent Hunsaker, reporter for ABC News Salt Lake City, thinks it is wrong to say Mormonism is not Christian. Though he frames the question personally, as whether Mormons themselves are Christians, his argument is broader. He wrote,
“[W]hy am I so disturbed by Pastor Jeffress declaration that Mormons are not Christians? — Because he does not grant me the same privileges.
“How is it that you, Pastor Jeffress, or for that matter, The Southern Baptist Convention, have obtained patent to the title Christian?
“Mormons, or more correctly, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, believe their only hope for salvation rests in Him whose name the Church bears. They believe the scriptural declaration that Jesus Christ is the great ‘I AM’ and the Only Begotten Son of the Father.
“Quibble all you want over the meaning of St. James, but Mormons take him at his word that ‘faith (in Christ) without works is dead’ and yet also believe in His saving grace. They hold that the two concepts are not exclusive or contradictory.
“Sounds ‘Christian’ to me…
“Mormons have what they believe are very good reasons for calling themselves Christians.”
What Mr. Hunsaker has failed to realize is that while he rejects the historic (biblical) theological definition of “Christian,” he demands that his own definition be recognized and accepted in its place. “Mormons have what they believe to be very good reasons for calling themselves Christians,” he argues. But what about those on the opposite side of the debate, who have what they believe to be very god reasons for saying Mormonism is not Christian?
Christians have been busy in the media over the last couple of weeks, explaining the reasons Mormonism is not recognized as Christianity. What follows are a few of these explanations (heavily edited – please click on the links for the complete stories). From an article in NewsOK:
“Mark McClellan, dean of the Hobbs College of Theology and Ministry at Oklahoma Baptist University, said there are several theological differences in what the ‘historic Christian Church’ — which he described as mainline Protestant churches and the Roman Catholic Church, to some degree — believe, and the faith beliefs to which members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ascribe…
“McClellan said the historic Christian Church and Mormonism differ on the role of the Bible.
“He said the historic Christian Church believes that the Bible is the revealed word of God and is the one inspired and authoritative Christian book.
“He said, and [President of the Oklahoma City Stake of the LDS Church, Kevin] Graves agreed, that Mormons have not one book, but a set of standard books which they ascribe to…
“McClellan said the historic Christian Church is monotheistic, viewing God as being one eternal God. He exists as one God in three persons (the Trinity)…
“By contrast, he said Mormons believe there are a number of gods… Mormons don’t have the same view of the Trinity, either.
“He said [Mormons] believe that God the Father was once a man and…that men can become gods, McClellan said.
“Graves said McClellan’s assessment of this aspect of Mormonism is true…
“McClellan said another difference can be found between views of grace.
He said the historic Christian Church says men are saved by the grace of God through Jesus Christ alone. By contrast, Mormonism holds that men are saved by grace but by also being obedient to the requirements of the Book of Mormon and Mormonism.
“Graves agreed with this assessment…”
To recap, both the Christian and the Mormon in this interview agreed that Mormonism is radically different from Christianity in the areas of Scripture, the nature of God, the nature of man, and the way of salvation.
To recap, a person is a Christian when he or she is born again in Christ–made righteous by the blood of Christ. Christianity teaches that Jesus is the beginning and the end of salvation; Mormonism says Jesus is the “starting point” of salvation, but the end point is determined by personal righteousness.
“…for evangelical Christians, our concern must start with theology. Is Mormonism just a distinctive denomination of Christianity?
“The answer to that question is definitive. Mormonism does not claim to be just another denomination of Christianity. To the contrary, the central claim of Mormonism is that Christianity was corrupt and incomplete until the restoration of the faith with the advent of the Latter-[d]ay Saints and their scripture, The Book of Mormon. Thus, it is just a matter of intellectual honesty to take Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism, at his word when he claimed that true Christianity did not exist…
“From a Christian perspective, Mormonism is a new religion, complete with its own scripture, its own priesthood, its own rituals, and its own teachings. Most importantly, those teachings are a repudiation of historic Christian orthodoxy – and were claimed to be so from the moment of Mormonism’s founding forward. Mormonism rejects orthodox Christianity as the very argument for its own existence, and it clearly identifies historic Christianity as a false faith.
“Mormonism starts with an understanding of God that rejects both monotheism and the Christian doctrine of the Trinity…Furthermore, Mormonism teaches that we are now what God once was and are becoming what He now is. This is in direct conflict with historic Christianity.
“Mormonism rejects the Bible as the sole and sufficient authority for the faith, and insists that The Book of Mormon and other authoritative Latter-Day Saints writings constitute God’s final revelation… Nothing makes the distinction between Mormonism and historic Christianity more clear than the experience of reading The Book of Mormon. The very subtitle of The Book of Mormon – Another Testament of Jesus Christ – makes one of Mormonism’s central claims directly and candidly: That we need another authority to provide what is lacking in the New Testament.
“The Mormon doctrine of sin is not that of biblical Christianity, nor is its teaching concerning salvation… Mormonism’s teachings concerning Jesus Christ start with a radically different understanding of the Virgin Birth and proceed to a fundamentally different understanding of Christ’s work of salvation.
“By its very nature, Mormonism borrows Christian themes, personalities, and narratives. Nevertheless, it rejects what orthodox Christianity affirms and it affirms what orthodox Christianity rejects. It is not orthodox Christianity in a new form or another branch of the Christian tradition. By its own teachings and claims, it rejects any claim of continuity with orthodox Christianity.”
Again we see that Christians reject Mormonism as Christian based on its theological claims as well as its own repudiation of historic Christianity.
Dr. Phil Roberts, president of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary explains,
“It is important for us to remember that the question here is much broader than just evangelicals. Virtually every self-confessed Christian movement in America rejects Mormonism as a true expression of biblical or traditional Christian faith…
“When I was director of interfaith evangelism at the North American Mission Board, we generally approached the idea of a ‘cult’ as a religious movement which claimed to be the only true expression of the Christian faith and yet had altered or changed one or more of the essential doctrines of the faith. Using this as a working definition, Mormonism is clearly, absolutely, completely, and thoroughly a ‘religious cult.’ And while the word ‘cult’ may be less than academic, it still carries popular meaning when used in a doctrinal sense as Dr. Jeffress has done…
“When I am asked the question, ‘Is Mormonism a cult?,’ I generally respond by saying there are three elements that everyone must be clearly aware of when it comes to Mormonism. These elements make it an aberrant expression of the Christian faith…
1. Mormonism radically redefines and doctrinally reconstructs the Christian faith. There is no major doctrine of the faith, whether it be God, Jesus, salvation or inspiration of the Scriptures that Mormonism has not severely and completely altered and changed from its original intent…
2. Mormonism radically redefines and reconstructs the Christian worldview…
3. Mormonism is disingenuous in its approach to proselytization. While claiming to be true to the Christian faith, Mormonism has seriously redesigned and recreated it. The whole basis of the church is built on the words of Jesus which are canonized in Joseph Smith’s religious autobiography. Joseph Smith claimed that God and Jesus commanded him not to join any church because ‘they were all wrong … their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors [members] were all corrupt.’ Mormonism, in fact, has set itself apart from main-stream Christianity…
“… Mormonism has been, is, and probably always will be a radical departure from Biblical faith.”
Dr. Ed Stetzer, president of LifeWay Research, wrote,
“For evangelicals and others, ‘Christian’ is more than a self-identified label. It is hard for people in tolerant America to hear, ‘I know you SAY you are a Christian, but you are not.’ Yet, basic to evangelicalism (and historic Protestantism) is that some people are Christians, some people are not, and not all people who think that they are Christians actually are.
“’Christianity’ is not based on what you say about yourself or your beliefs. ‘Christianity’ must be connected to how your beliefs agree with the beliefs of biblical Christianity.
“…the view that ‘Mormons are not Christians’ is the widely and strongly held view among Protestant pastors. That does not mean they do not respect Mormons as persons, share their values on family, and have much in common. Yet, they simply view Mormonism as a distinct religion outside of basic teachings of Christianity. Many of these pastors may know Mormons consider themselves Christians, but Protestant pastors overwhelmingly do not consider them such…
“The fundamental issue is: how divergent can your views be and still be a part of a faith group (in contrast to forming a new one). Can you believe, for instance, that Muhammad is not the prophet and still call yourself a Muslim? The vast majority of Muslims would say you cannot. For Christians, calling yourself a Christian while not believing that God has always existed as the triune Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is as inconceivable…
“…Christianity has been defined a certain way for centuries. There is no reason to be shocked that devout Christians consider those with a different view of Christ as non-Christians. In the current cultural climate it may be uncomfortable, but it is anything but shocking.”