Hey, what's with all the Mormon TV commercials? Are those noted missions going more poorly? I can't dignify that theology by a link, but I'd be glad to tell you about it. It features attractive people (read: hot) telling us about all the perfectly normal roles they play in life and work, a humorous anecdote, and then the person says, "I am [name], and I am a Mormon." That last line ruins it all. Anyway, I should say some good things about Mormons, before I tear into them/it again. I'd venture to say, nearly all Mormons are extremely nice. Maybe it's fake in some cases, but everyone I ever knew that was remotely Mormon seemed/seems very kind. They're generally quite moral in their living, which may well be in stark contrast to the movement's early leaders. BUT...these commercials seem designed with this thought: "If we make them seem normal and well-adjusted, the evangelicals won't notice we don't believe Jesus is God." More pointedly, the question for all time is this: "Is Jesus Christ consubstantial with the Father?" It's a yes/no question. You answer yes, you pass, you're a Christian (but maybe not a good one, depending). You answer no, you're something else. And to be something else isn't the worst thing; we all learn things at different paces, God love us, and that's OK. But what makes Mormonism especially injurious is that it claims to be Christian. I said recently that Christology was the hill I'd die on (pardon the pun) and I meant it. What we have to answer as Protestant evangelicals is, "How far does our 'ecclesial deism' truly go?" Even if I should reject the characterization, the phrase, or even question just how ad hoc Protestant appeals to history and authority are, at the end of the day,--and it will come to this--when it's God's Church versus the kingdom of Satan, do we have the humble courage to turn to the Catholic Church (and the Orthodox) and say, "Come, brothers, we fight together"? Even if the rift isn't healed? Luther famously stated that the Church stood or fell on justification. Let me ask you flat-out, in light of everything we face: Are you sure? Doesn't the very nature of things in the world, the entropy of life, the multiplication of evil (which begins and ends with Christ-denial) teach us that this can't possibly be true? I'm not speaking as a person considering "the Catholic question." I don't want to minimize our differences. I merely note that the mercy of God may turn severe in His good pleasure, and what was once vitally important will become minor. It already happens in war-zones and oppressive regimes. It will happen for all of us. We ought to decide now what we'll do.
Hilarious Com-Box Quote of The Day: "I was caught immediately because it is the Acts of the Apostles, not the Acts of the Holy Spirit Acting Erratically."--Donald Todd, reacting to the inartful opposition of the Holy Spirit and the Magisterium. Mark Galli, an editor at Christianity Today, had suggested that today's "confusion" in evangelicalism replicates a confusion on the day of Pentecost. Mr. Todd commented after this reply , and the original article is here. My thoughts: By what means was this Church-less "consensus" formed? If the Council did not possess the authority to adjudicate such questions, who does? If the Council Fathers did not intend to be the arbiters, why do they say that they do? At the risk of being rude, I would define evangelicalism as, "Whatever I want or need to believe at any particular time." Ecclesial authority to settle a particular question is a step forward, but only as long as, "God alone is Lord of the con...
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