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Can Evangelicals Support a Mormon for President? Is Mormonism a Cult?


It’s important to remember that the two questions above are distinct questions, though they may be interrelated.

Pete Wehner has a nice two-sentence summary of the controversy incited by prominent SBC pastor Robert Jeffress:

Jeffress has created quite a stir by declaring Mormonism is a “cult” and because Mitt Romney is a Mormon, evangelical Christians should support Texas Governor Rick Perry over the former Massachusetts governor. That’s not the only reason evangelical Christians should support Perry over Romney, Jeffress argued, but it’s a key one.

Wehner goes on to critique “the Jeffress Standard” (that religious beliefs should trump competence when it comes to selecting a president). Wehner’s case against that view is sound, it seems to me (though we would do well to retire the apocryphal Luther quote he cites).

On the other hand, evangelicals would be wise at least to consider—even if they ultimately reject—the arguments set forth here by Warren Cole Smith.

But apart from the political questions, there’s the underlying truth question: should we refer to Mormonism as a “cult”?

Denny Burk cites a helpful distinction:

In her book Another Gospel (p. 17), Ruth Tucker suggests at least three different ways to define a cult: sensational/popular approach, a sociological approach, or theological approach.

The sensational/popular approach is based on media accounts of bizarre religious behavior.

The sociological approach focuses on the authoritarian, manipulative, totalistic and sometimes communal features of cults.

The theological definition focuses on deviation from some standard of orthodox Christian belief. Popular culture tends to define the term using the sensational approach, while evangelicals typically define the term according to the theological approach. (My emphasis.)

Burk goes on to sketch some of the theological differences between Mormonism and historic, orthodox Christianity, and then wisely concludes as follows:

Maybe cult isn’t the best communicative term since so many people only think of the sensational and sociological approaches. It’s the concept, not the term, that matters most. If someone wants to call it “organized heterodoxy” that’s fine—but I doubt the term will stick! The important thing to emphasize is that Mormonism is not Christianity.

When Christians use the term, we need to be clear about what we mean. We need to be careful not to use the term because we want to score points for this or that agenda, but because we love our lost neighbors and we want to focus attention on the only message that can save them—the biblical gospel of Jesus Christ crucified and raised for sinners. And that message is for anyone who will have it—including Mormons (Revelation 22:17).

The whole post is worth reading.

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