Even though Robert Jeffress, senior pastor at the First Baptist Church in Dallas, directed his remarks against Mormonism at fellow GOP candidate Mitt Romney during the Value Voters Summit in Washington D.C. on October 7th, 2011, the "other" Mormon in the race, Jon Huntsman Jr., decided to fire back at Jeffress, taking advantage of his appearance on CNN's Situation Room on October 10th to deliver his message.
CNN host Wolf Blitzer wasted little time in cutting to the chase, leading off by asking Huntsman's opinion about the pastor's remarks. Huntsman deplored the fact that one person seems to be driving the narrative during a time when there are 15 million unemployed, two wars abroad, America's standing in the world increasingly uncertain, failing schools, and what Huntsman called "the most important election of my lifetime" looming ahead. Then Huntsman delivered the money shot, saying "The fact that some moron can stand up and make a comment like that...it's outrageous. Second of all, the fact that we are spending so much time discussing it makes it even worse." He called upon people to stick to the big issues that really matter and leave religion off the table. CNN video embedded below; segment begins almost immediately after the ad (after the jump):
Showing posts with label Christianity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christianity. Show all posts
Monday, October 10, 2011
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Pastor Robert Jeffress Defends His Characterization Of Mormonism As A "Theological Cult" On The Fox News Channel; LDS Church Issues Statement
Two days after stirring up a hornet's nest by his remarks about Mormonism being non-Christian and a cult, Pastor Robert Jeffress of the First Baptist Church in Dallas was back before the cameras on Fox and Friends on Sunday October 9th, and he defended those remarks, although he apparently threw out a few signals designed to indicate that he has no personal axe to grind against members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
On Fox & Friends, Pastor Jeffress did not back down from his original remarks, and insisted that when given the choice, evangelical voters still ought to give preference to a Christian instead of someone who doesn’t embrace historical Christianity. However, Jeffress did offer a more precise definition of a cult in order to avoid conveying the image that he considered Mormons to be on the same level as the Branch Davidians or the People's Temple, who most people think of when they hear the word "cult". Jeffress said. “When I’m talking about a cult, I’m not talking about a sociological cult, but a theological cult...Mormonism was invented 1,800 years after Jesus Christ and the founding of Christianity. It has its own founder, Joseph Smith, its own set of doctrines and even its own book, the Book of Mormon, in addition to the Bible. That by definition is a theological cult.” Fox News video after the jump:
On Fox & Friends, Pastor Jeffress did not back down from his original remarks, and insisted that when given the choice, evangelical voters still ought to give preference to a Christian instead of someone who doesn’t embrace historical Christianity. However, Jeffress did offer a more precise definition of a cult in order to avoid conveying the image that he considered Mormons to be on the same level as the Branch Davidians or the People's Temple, who most people think of when they hear the word "cult". Jeffress said. “When I’m talking about a cult, I’m not talking about a sociological cult, but a theological cult...Mormonism was invented 1,800 years after Jesus Christ and the founding of Christianity. It has its own founder, Joseph Smith, its own set of doctrines and even its own book, the Book of Mormon, in addition to the Bible. That by definition is a theological cult.” Fox News video after the jump:
Friday, October 7, 2011
Texas Baptist Pastor Robert Jeffress Criticizes Mitt Romney's Mormonism As "Not Christian"; Rick Perry Quickly Disavows Remarks
Update October 10th: Pastor Robert Jeffress reaffirmed his statements on October 9th, and Jon Huntsman Jr. weighed in on October 10th.
Robert Jeffress, senior pastor at the 10,000 member First Baptist Church in Dallas, is at it again. At a Value Voters summit in Washington, D.C. on October 7th, 2011, Jeffress referred to Mitt Romney's Mormonism as a "cult". And it's not the first time.
Pastor Jeffress was in attendance to introduce Republican Presidential candidate Rick Perry before his speech to the group. He did not make the reference during his introduction, when he merely characterized Perry as a proven leader, a true conservative, and a committed follower of Christ. But in remarks to the media after the event, Jeffress said "Rick Perry's a Christian. He's an evangelical Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ...Mitt Romney's a good moral person, but he's not a Christian. Mormonism is not Christianity. It has always been considered a cult by the mainstream of Christianity." He also told reporters that being a fine person with a great family and great values does not get you to heaven.
Interesting that he had nothing to say about the other Mormon presidential candidate, Jon Huntsman Jr.
Pastor Jeffress also put forth his definition of "Christian". He explained, “It is only faith in Jesus Christ, in Jesus Christ alone, that qualifies you as a Christian...They embraced another gospel, the Book of Mormon, and that is why they have never been considered by evangelical Christians to be part of the Christian family.” Of course, Pastor Jeffress fails to understand that the Book of Mormon stands ALONGSIDE the Bible as the equally authoritative word of God, and does NOT supersede the Bible. Jeffress did add that if Romney wins the nomination, he will "hold his nose" and vote for him. He said he would rather have a non-Christian who embraces Christian principles in the White House than a professing Christian who governs by unbiblical principles. He believes that although Barack Obama is a professing Christian, Obama governs by unbiblical principles. Thanks to Think Progress, we have a video recording some of the pastor's remarks:
Even though Pastor Jeffress was at the summit at the behest of the Value Voters rather than Rick Perry, Perry immediately took action to disavow Jeffress' remarks. Perry spokesman Mark Miner initially explained, “The governor doesn’t judge what is in the heart and soul of others. He leaves that to God.” Minutes later, Miner came back and flatly stated, "The governor does not believe Mormonism is a cult". I cannot recall a single instance during this campaign so far when Rick Perry ever made any reference to Mitt Romney's religion.
Ironically, it was just this past Sunday, on October 2nd, that Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve addressed this very subject during the 181st Semiannual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He provides a powerful justification of why we consider ourselves Christian. You can read the transcript of the address HERE, or watch it on the video embedded below:
You can also read an official explanation from the LDS Church as to why Mormons are Christians.
Pastor Robert Jeffress has previously criticized Romney for his Mormonism in 2007 and again in 2008. And Jeffress has also been critical of Islam; in August 2010, Jeffress claimed that Islam “promotes pedophilia” and that violence by Muslims is in accordance with what the Quran teaches because it’s a violent religion. Islam neither promotes pedophilia, nor is it violent by default, although the Quran encourages Muslims to defend their faith by force if necessary.
Robert Jeffress, senior pastor at the 10,000 member First Baptist Church in Dallas, is at it again. At a Value Voters summit in Washington, D.C. on October 7th, 2011, Jeffress referred to Mitt Romney's Mormonism as a "cult". And it's not the first time.
Pastor Jeffress was in attendance to introduce Republican Presidential candidate Rick Perry before his speech to the group. He did not make the reference during his introduction, when he merely characterized Perry as a proven leader, a true conservative, and a committed follower of Christ. But in remarks to the media after the event, Jeffress said "Rick Perry's a Christian. He's an evangelical Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ...Mitt Romney's a good moral person, but he's not a Christian. Mormonism is not Christianity. It has always been considered a cult by the mainstream of Christianity." He also told reporters that being a fine person with a great family and great values does not get you to heaven.
Interesting that he had nothing to say about the other Mormon presidential candidate, Jon Huntsman Jr.
Pastor Jeffress also put forth his definition of "Christian". He explained, “It is only faith in Jesus Christ, in Jesus Christ alone, that qualifies you as a Christian...They embraced another gospel, the Book of Mormon, and that is why they have never been considered by evangelical Christians to be part of the Christian family.” Of course, Pastor Jeffress fails to understand that the Book of Mormon stands ALONGSIDE the Bible as the equally authoritative word of God, and does NOT supersede the Bible. Jeffress did add that if Romney wins the nomination, he will "hold his nose" and vote for him. He said he would rather have a non-Christian who embraces Christian principles in the White House than a professing Christian who governs by unbiblical principles. He believes that although Barack Obama is a professing Christian, Obama governs by unbiblical principles. Thanks to Think Progress, we have a video recording some of the pastor's remarks:
Even though Pastor Jeffress was at the summit at the behest of the Value Voters rather than Rick Perry, Perry immediately took action to disavow Jeffress' remarks. Perry spokesman Mark Miner initially explained, “The governor doesn’t judge what is in the heart and soul of others. He leaves that to God.” Minutes later, Miner came back and flatly stated, "The governor does not believe Mormonism is a cult". I cannot recall a single instance during this campaign so far when Rick Perry ever made any reference to Mitt Romney's religion.
Ironically, it was just this past Sunday, on October 2nd, that Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve addressed this very subject during the 181st Semiannual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He provides a powerful justification of why we consider ourselves Christian. You can read the transcript of the address HERE, or watch it on the video embedded below:
You can also read an official explanation from the LDS Church as to why Mormons are Christians.
Pastor Robert Jeffress has previously criticized Romney for his Mormonism in 2007 and again in 2008. And Jeffress has also been critical of Islam; in August 2010, Jeffress claimed that Islam “promotes pedophilia” and that violence by Muslims is in accordance with what the Quran teaches because it’s a violent religion. Islam neither promotes pedophilia, nor is it violent by default, although the Quran encourages Muslims to defend their faith by force if necessary.
Friday, June 24, 2011
Why Is It "So Important" For Us Mormons To Be Considered Christians?
In a post on CNN's Belief Blog entitled "Explain it to me: Mormonism", Dan Gilgoff presents 10 fast facts about Mormonism which are designed to answer questions most frequently posed by the public. The presence of two members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman Jr., in the Republican presidential race, have sharpened public focus on Mormonism. There is perceptibly less public hostility expressed towards Mormonism now than in 2008, when Romney launched his first campaign. CNN has an accompanying video:
The fast facts presented by Gilgoff are not only pertinent, but accurate; he's made a positive contribution to the public discourse. But it's the comments section that caught my attention and triggered this post. I focus upon the following exchange:
The last question is the one addressed here. Actually, it is not "so important", as Nic_Driver implies, but it is significant. The real importance is that we want to promote unity within the Body of Christ. Not a unity of denominations, but a unity in spirit.
On April 19th, 2010, the LDS Church most recently addressed this issue. The problem is that those who question whether or not Mormonism is Christian adhere to a more narrow "creedal" Christianity that goes beyond merely accepting the divinity of Jesus Christ and the authority of the Bible, and demand that we accept an expanded set of creeds formulated centuries after biblical writings, which are not necessarily canonical. This narrow emphasis leaves little room for new revelation beyond what is regarded as orthodoxy.
When we say we are Christian, we do not suggest that our beliefs line up perfectly with other Christians. Instead, we say that we follow Jesus Christ -- we seek to embrace Him and emulate His example. Since nearly all Christians can acknowledge that the Lord offered two commandments as primary -- to love God and to love our neighbors. Doing so makes us followers of Christ -- we suggest this is enough to supersede other differences.
While we do add to the Bible by introducing the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine & Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price as its canonical partners, we do not minimize the Bible in any way. The statement about the Bible in the Eighth Article Faith, "as it is translated correctly", is an explanatory statement, NOT a conditional statement; we accept the King James Version of the Bible as authoritative despite its acknowledged imperfections. But while authoritative, it cannot be inerrant, because it was recorded by imperfect human beings using imperfect syntax. Imperfection can NOT produce perfection. We do not use the Joseph Smith Translation because Joseph Smith did not get the chance to properly vet it before he was assassinated.
To promote greater unity within the Body of Christ, I propose a two-step litmus test of Christianity. First, do you believe that Jesus Christ is the literal crucified, buried, and risen Savior? And second, do you believe the Bible, at the very least, is the authoritative word of God? Note that we don't ask you to accept our other scriptures to be considered a Christian. If your answer to both questions is Yes, then you are my brother or sister in Christ -- even if you do not agree. With Christianity under attack worldwide from so many sources, greater spiritual unity within the Body of Christ is more imperative now than ever before.
You can certainly ask us why we consider ourselves Christians, and we'll give you our best answers; we'll take no offense. But if you tell us we're not Christians, you risk cutting off the lines of communication before they can even form.
The fast facts presented by Gilgoff are not only pertinent, but accurate; he's made a positive contribution to the public discourse. But it's the comments section that caught my attention and triggered this post. I focus upon the following exchange:
Joseph June 24, 2011 at 7:12 pm:
I'm a Mormon. Reading these comments is hilarious. I think the author of the article must have done a fairly good job at being objective, since many Mormons are ticked that he didn't include all the good things, and many not-pro-Mormons are ticked that he didn't include enough of the bad things!
Lds.org and Mormon.org and your Mormon neighbors are good places to start if you want to learn more about the LDS Church. We don't have a perfect past, but not many religious or non-religious traditions do. Take what we say with a grain of salt, though, because we really do think what we're saying is good and true, so we paint things in a positive light – even the weird, sometimes unsavory parts of our faith and/or history.
When learning about something new, it's always good to hear differing opinions on things, so Anti-Mormon sites or people who are ex-Mormons can also be a good place to find out about why people have negative feelings about the LDS church. Take what they say with a grain of salt, though, as they really do think that what we believe is false and wrong and even evil, so they are going to paint things in a negative light – even the good, true, and even beautiful things about us.
Love and peace to all. – Joseph
Nic_Driver June 24, 2011 at 7:17 pm:
In your opinion, is it anti-Mormon to point out that Mormons don't practice Christianity? I know a great many Mormons and they are, for the majority, very nice people with good intentions, who treat others nicely.
That doesn't make them Christians though.
Why is it so important for Mormons to be considered Christians?
The last question is the one addressed here. Actually, it is not "so important", as Nic_Driver implies, but it is significant. The real importance is that we want to promote unity within the Body of Christ. Not a unity of denominations, but a unity in spirit.
On April 19th, 2010, the LDS Church most recently addressed this issue. The problem is that those who question whether or not Mormonism is Christian adhere to a more narrow "creedal" Christianity that goes beyond merely accepting the divinity of Jesus Christ and the authority of the Bible, and demand that we accept an expanded set of creeds formulated centuries after biblical writings, which are not necessarily canonical. This narrow emphasis leaves little room for new revelation beyond what is regarded as orthodoxy.
When we say we are Christian, we do not suggest that our beliefs line up perfectly with other Christians. Instead, we say that we follow Jesus Christ -- we seek to embrace Him and emulate His example. Since nearly all Christians can acknowledge that the Lord offered two commandments as primary -- to love God and to love our neighbors. Doing so makes us followers of Christ -- we suggest this is enough to supersede other differences.
While we do add to the Bible by introducing the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine & Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price as its canonical partners, we do not minimize the Bible in any way. The statement about the Bible in the Eighth Article Faith, "as it is translated correctly", is an explanatory statement, NOT a conditional statement; we accept the King James Version of the Bible as authoritative despite its acknowledged imperfections. But while authoritative, it cannot be inerrant, because it was recorded by imperfect human beings using imperfect syntax. Imperfection can NOT produce perfection. We do not use the Joseph Smith Translation because Joseph Smith did not get the chance to properly vet it before he was assassinated.
To promote greater unity within the Body of Christ, I propose a two-step litmus test of Christianity. First, do you believe that Jesus Christ is the literal crucified, buried, and risen Savior? And second, do you believe the Bible, at the very least, is the authoritative word of God? Note that we don't ask you to accept our other scriptures to be considered a Christian. If your answer to both questions is Yes, then you are my brother or sister in Christ -- even if you do not agree. With Christianity under attack worldwide from so many sources, greater spiritual unity within the Body of Christ is more imperative now than ever before.
You can certainly ask us why we consider ourselves Christians, and we'll give you our best answers; we'll take no offense. But if you tell us we're not Christians, you risk cutting off the lines of communication before they can even form.
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