Paganism Alert

For paganism, click here.

This by no means suggests that all Catholics are pagans. Far from it. However, practices such as this are nothing more than paganism revisited.

Are Mormons Saved?

A few days ago I asked whether or not Roman Catholics are saved. My answer is that we would do well to get to know Catholics individually before making any judgments about their salvation.

But what about Mormons? Are they saved?

This is a significant question for several reasons. Mitt Romney is going to be running for the white house as the Republican candidate. Like it or not, this legitimizes Mormonism in some people's eyes. Additionally, some high profile pastors such as Joel Osteen believe that Mormons are saved. Osteen has much influence even though his theology is bankrupt and vapid.

So what about it? Are Mormons saved?

If they hold to stated Mormon beliefs, then then answer is a sad but resounding "No." They deviate too far from core doctrines of the faith to be in Christ. This has been written about by many people in many places; therefore, I have no desire to get into many details. Let me just mention that for Mormons the primary goal in life is to eventually reach godhood status. This violates multiple aspects of orthodox Christianity (to read more about why Mormons are not Christians, click here).

A related question is whether or not an individual Mormon is saved. I'm referring here to someone who attends a Mormon church. My answer is that it is possible but not likely. We've all had Mormon missionaries knock on our doors. The nice young men never start out by speaking about the wacked-out Mormon beliefs. Instead, they try to make it sound palatable to Christians. They describe it something like just another denomination that has further revelations about Christ (The Book of Mormon, The Pearl of Great Price, and The Doctrines and Covenants). It is possible that someone who is a Christian could be duped by Mormons into thinking that Mormonism is valid. This would have to be a fairly ignorant Christian, but I can see how it could happen.

That said, I do not know how a true Christian could attend a Mormon church for any length of time and not smell a rat. Eventually it would become apparent that biblical Christianity and Mormonism are significantly different. In particular, the teachings on the person of Jesus Christ deviate a great deal from what we read in scripture.

To sum up, I believe that an ignorant Christian could be deceived into attending a Mormon church for a relatively short period of time. However, if that person is truly indwelt by the Holy Spirit, he will discover that Mormons are in fact not saved.

To read a comparison chart between Christianity and Mormonism, click here.

To read more about Mormonism from someone who has both lived and escaped it, check out Arthur Sido's blog entitled The Fo-Mo Chronicles.

We should remember that Mormons are outside of Christ and therefore need him. They are not our enemies. Rather, they are people lost apart from Christ. Let's share the true gospel with them.

So Westboro Baptist is Here in Savannah

For the next week or so, our fair city gets its turn with Westboro Baptist Church.  Today there were protests and counter-protests in several different locations around Savannah.

This is a difficult issue for Christians. Frankly, there seems to be no obviously good option for how to respond.  In talking with other Christ followers, I've heard a range of ways that the church is choosing to handle the Westboro visit.

As for our family, our decision for today (and the remainder of Westboro's time here) is to actively ignore them. The reality is that the folks from Westboro would quickly stop their nonsense if everyone simply left them alone. They travel from city to city in anticipation of protests, near riots, anger, hatred, violence, etc. Westboro Baptist visits with no intention of listening to the gospel. They have one message, and we all know what that is.

Some Christians decide to protest against them, try to share the gospel with them, or a combination of the two.  May God bless them as they do so.

Our decision to ignore this group is based on the idea that the gospel itself is a precious message.  It strikes me that trying to share the good news of Christ-crucified in that atmosphere is sort of like casting pearls before swine. I have no desire to do this, and as I said above do not want to give them any attention.

Instead, this morning we got together with our church family for a time of encouragement, singing, testimony, teaching, prayer, scripture reading, and eating.  It was great.

As for Westboro, I'll be glad when they leave.  Let's all ignore them that they may run out of money and stop taking their hatred to other cities.

Um...

This is an example of how good intentions and lots of practice cannot make up for bad theology (and taste).

You've Probably Already Read This...

This has been circulating for about a day, but if you have not read it please do so.

Russell Moore, Dean of the School of Theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, has written an excellent response to the politically-conservative-revival-type-thing that happened this weekend in Washington, D.C. The post is entitled, "God, the Gospel, and Glenn Beck."

Moore concludes his piece by saying, "It’s sad to see so many Christians confusing Mormon politics or American nationalism with the gospel of Jesus Christ. But, don’t get me wrong, I’m not pessimistic. Jesus will build his church, and he will build it on the gospel. He doesn’t need American Christianity to do it. Vibrant, loving, orthodox Christianity will flourish, perhaps among the poor of Haiti or the persecuted of Sudan or the outlawed of China, but it will flourish...And there will be a new generation, in America and elsewhere, who will be ready for a gospel that is more than just Fox News at prayer."

Read the entire piece here.

Mary, Queen of the Universe

As we drove through Orlando last Thursday, we were stunned to see a huge "church" sign that says "Mary, Queen of the Universe." I've known for a long time that some Catholics worship Mary. However, this is the most up-front sign I have ever seen. It turns out that this church is more of a shrine than anything else.

I decided to take a look at the shrine's website (click here if you want to see it). The above photo shows a statue from the museum - I got it from the website, not from a visit to the shrine.

The following are four quotes from the site:

"Preserved free from all guilt of original sin, the Immaculate Virgin was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory ... exalted by the Lord as Queen of the Universe ..." -Pope John Paul II, Redemptoris Mater

"A 2,000 seat Shrine Church adorned with inspirational stained-glass windows, depicting the story of God's love for man, and Mary's place in God's plan for salvation." (emphasis mine)

"But equally important - the area's teeming tourist population gives us a marvelous opportunity for evangelization and witness for Catholicism." (emphasis mine)

"In years that followed, the beloved Saint Desiderius was venerated as a martyr, his bone wrapped, sealed and preserved. And his feast day is still celebrated in Langres, France on the 23rd of May." (They have a relic from a bone of his forearm).

As we think about this shrine, let us first remember that if not for the grace of God we would too be worshipers of Mary. Let's also be reminded of the world's need for the gospel. The folks who worship at this shrine are lost just like Muslims, Hindus, materialists, and moralists.

I'm thankful that these Catholics are so up front about what they believe. My hope is that followers of Christ in the Orlando area will lovingly and sacrificially reach out to them with the biblical gospel.

Some Jehovah's Witnesses Just Came to My Door

I was outside my house earlier this morning and saw some nicely dressed ladies talking to some folks who live across the street. It was clear that they were Jehovah's Witnesses.

I had mixed emotions about them coming to my house. Part of me just didn't want to have to deal with it. However, I also figured that since God is sovereign, He has a purpose in sending them to my door. Additionally, this may be one of the few times that they get to hear that Jesus actually is fully God. Jude 1:3 comes to mind, "Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints."

Of course, there was always the possibility that they wouldn't come. Then the doorbell rang.

As we began talking, they started in by wanting to discuss something that we would agree on: there is a lot of suffering in the world. As they continued, I wanted to be up front, so I told them that I'm a Southern Baptist pastor. Keep in mind that what REALLY matters is that I'm a follower of Jesus Christ, but I did want to be completely clear with them.

Whenever dealing with cults, we should be both loving and gracious. It is only loving to tell the truth, so I decided to "cut to the chase." I went straight to John 1:1 (which God in His providence had me read this morning). This verse says, in any decent English translation, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."

That verse is a cornerstone verse for what we believe about Jesus Christ. In particular, it tells us that Jesus Christ is fully God. Jehovah's Witnesses deny this, so their false translation of the bible (The New World Translation) says, "...and the word was a god." The little word "a" makes a huge difference. They use this translation to say that Jesus is not fully God.

(To read a good explanation for the correct translation of John 1:1, click here.)

While these two ladies kept going to different verses that supposedly show that Jesus is not fully God, I kept returning to John 1:1. My purpose was not to win an argument, but rather to speak the truth in love and also to cause some doubt in their minds about what they believe.

In the end, we simply disagreed. However, these ladies acted like they had heard no good explanation before of why Jesus is fully God. My hope is that this conversation will at least cause them to think.

This episode reminds me once again that our entire Christian belief system really comes down to what we believe about Jesus Christ. When I say "believe," I mean whether or not we have fully surrendered our lives to the Christ of the bible as Lord and Savior.

All other world religions have other false gods. Atheists deny the existence of God. Cults all try to deny either the full humanity or full deity of Jesus Christ.

Jesus is the reason for all we believe. In the blog world, we spend a lot of time talking about church, culture, parenting, education, evangelism, etc. These are all important things. However, let us always remember that it is Christ who is at the very center of our worldview. He is the key.

What we say about Jesus really does matter.

It Looks Like the Cults Pray More Than We Do

The Pew Forum is reporting on statistics related to prayer in the USA. The reason for this particular report seems to be the furor that has erupted of late over the National Day of Prayer.

As the results below indicate (click directly on the graph to enlarge), the big cults - Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons - pray more than we do. When I write "we," I'm referring to Evangelical Protestants.

It is very problematic when people who know Jesus Christ actually pray less than those who do not know the real God. I realize that some of these groups pray in order to gain what they think is a works-based salvation. This undoubtedly is why their numbers are as high as they are. However, our number should be 100%. Why in the world do only 3/4 of those who know Christ pray to Christ daily? This number alone speaks volumes about the problems we have today in the modern Western church.

The command to "Pray without ceasing" is not a punishment or even work. Rather, it is for our joy and for God's glory. May we be people of fervent and constant prayer who also encourage and exhort our brothers and sisters in Christ to be the same.