Buzz vs Brawn

I went with a group to the Grand Opening of the Sacramento Mormon Temple last night. One of the people who showed us around was a Mormon bishop and lawyer. I met him through a friend, and appreciated the opportunity to get to know him.

Overall it was an interesting and worthwhile experience. There was a very large crowd, and it was organized professionally. Somewhat surprisingly there were no overtly evangelistic overtures. They even said very little about Mormonism. What little they did say revolved around an 11-minute video that taught about the Latter-Day Saint trek to California and beyond.

At the same time as this event was occurring, there was another group doing their thing. They were fellow Christians who were stationed just before the entrance to the Mormon Temple. They were waving banners with the Sacred or Secret website on them.

I struggle with the two different scenes occurring simultaneously. This is my take:

1. While Mormons invited the public to their celebration, Christians crashed their party.

2. While Mormons were professional, Christians acted without tact.

3. While Mormons created the kind of buzz that leads people to ask for more information, Christians created barriers through confrontation.

Though both faiths are often overtly evangelistic, I'm troubled by old school forms of evangelism that create negative impressions of Christians, and by association a negative impression of the Christian faith.

We need to start thinking about the long-term consequences of our actions before we use confrontational approaches to share our faith. A little salt creates thirst for more; too much salt causes repulsion.

Comments

[John W. Morehead]

John, thanks for sharing your impressions of the temple tour, the Mormon community's actions surrounding it, and the corresponding evangelical actions. I wish I could have toured the temple in Rancho Cordova myself and seen things firsthand, but having been at the Manti Miracle Pageant and General Conference in Utah I have seen similar actions by evangelicals here. I agree with your assessments and wonder whether evangelicals might be even more self-reflective, critiquing not only their behaviors, but also how these might be modified in light of further theological consideration, as well as good communication theory. I believe the "old school," perhaps appropriately labeled a heresy refutation approach that engages Mormon culture through apologetic confrontation, might benefit from reflecdtion on missiology and the history of Christian missions in the lessons on cross-cultural interaction. Thanks again for the comments.

[Rob Petrini]

It is the sad, honest truth about “old school” evangelism.

The reason why Mormonism is growing at such an extraordinary rate is because they are nice, relational people that don’t stand on the corner of Christian churches waving their anti-protestant agenda!

Is it not hypocritical that we would use confrontational tactics and hateful propaganda to preach a loving God!? Let me slap you in the face and then tell you about how loving our God is!!! Do you think anyone in their right mind would listen!?

[fernando]

The problem is the reactionary militant "evangelists" only need the odd convert to feel their method is justified and they probably consider negative responses to their methods, even thoughtful ones like these as validation of their approach.

[Super Jaca]

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Acquire mine in the blog www.superjaca.blogspot.com

[travis johnson]

Fernando,

Good thoughts. Unfortunately, they make too much sense.

[Mark Wilson]

Mmmmm... militant Christianity. I guess we have to ask ourselves, did Jesus picket? He spoke out clearly, but did He deliberately walk up to someone believing something else and harass them? No, I think not.

[johnsmulo]

John,

I agree that reflection on missiological principles would help. But I've found in general that the more confrontational one's evangelistic and apologetic approach, the more confrontational their response is to any suggestion that they might reasses aspects of their approach.

I'm open to respectful dialogue with those with different methodologies, but in the past I've found that such interaction has created more heartburn than light.

[Mark Wilson]

Hey John

I totally agree. I simply chat to people and it works well, they aren't defensive at all and enjoy seeing my world view IF I respect theirs. I am free to say I disagree with theirs, but I should respect that they have a choice. So I work from this perspective and I'm always available to explain my position and that happens far more often IF I show respect for theirs.

Bless you,
Mark.

[johnsmulo]

Mark,

I'm with you. Positive interaction is based on mutual respect. I think that most people are naturally interested to learn other's stories, as well as share their own. Mutual respect and listening goes a long way.

[Tom Jones]

I agree that we must be respectful of our Mormon friends (I'm married to my best LDS friend) but we must not forget that the primary reason many Christians pass out literature at LDS events, like temple tours where the public is invited for proselytizing purposes, is to educate non-Mormons who don't understand the Christian-sounding messages they hear during their tour (and from the LDS Missionaries who come visit them when they return home). Without a Christian voice there, many of those folks would be attracted to, and join, the LDS Church not realizing that they have an entirely different theology than that of the Bible.
In the case of the Sacramento temple opening, where they had no access to pedestrians leaving the temple grounds, the signs are simply leading people to the information they need to make an informed decision about whether they want to adopt a new theology or stick with the Bible.
That would not be so offensive except that the LDS desperately need to keep us quiet so that their investigators can be wooed into their counterfeit church. I, for one, am not ashamed to stand in the wide divide and speak the truth in love, even though my only opportunity to do so might be taken as an offense by some. As long as we behave ourselves in a gentle and respectful manner, we are doing the best we can with a difficult situation for the sake of rescuing eternal lives before they can be deceived.
If anyone has a suggestion as to how we can reach the non-Mormons who attend public LDS events without having to be there handing out literature or holding domain name signs, I invite you to share some constructive ideas with me so that I can promote a better way of rescuing those headed for a thorough hoodwinking.
I promise to stay away from LDS temples and pageants if there is a viable alternative which allows us to get the message out to those non-LDS visitors. I have made this promise to many LDS leaders and have never heard any feedback.
Tom Jones
Christian Research & Counsel
www.crcmin.org

[johnsmulo]

Tom,

Thank you for your comments. Reading your thoughts, we have some common ground in our thinking and some differences in the outworking of our thoughts.

We have common ground in that we both think we should be respectful to Mormons, share the truth in love, and have a concern for the effects events like temple openings have on people.

The difference then comes in our methodology for addressing these concerns.

For example, in my opinion, handing out literature and waving signs clearly shows an utter lack of respect and doesn't share the truth in love.

You wrote, "I invite you to share some constructive ideas with me so that I can promote a better way of rescuing those headed for a thorough hoodwinking."

Here's my idea: Run from this confrontational, disrespectful approach. The hoodwinking that is going on is that people are attending an event and expected one thing, when they get confronting protestors in their face instead.

People who go to these events are just like you and I and every other human being, we don't learn best in confrontational situations. Most of us even dig our heels in even more. One of the things that most concerns me is that people that might not have thought much of the temple opening will react negatively against the Christian protestors and be more open to hearing people (Mormons) who come across in the temple openings as gracious, loving, gentle, kind and respectful.

In essence, I'm saying "Choose your fights wisely." You don't show up to every LDS meeting, or follow Mormon missionaries around to every door they knock on, you also don't have to go to temple openings which is a losing battle at best.

My suggestion is to take a relational approach, informed by missiology. I think that's our best bet for sharing the truth in love.

[John W. Morehead]

Tom, thanks for leaving your thoughtful comments and perspective here. You and I have had some exchanges on this and I appreciate your openness.

I get conflicting messages from folks in the countercult on why they appear at such venues to tract and hold up signs. Some say it's for the public to educate and prevent deception. Other say it's to evangelize Mormons, sometimes both. Allow me to respond to both.

First, I'm not sure that the traditional apologetic approaches are good forms of communication for the educational process. On the surface evangelicals look more like disgruntled protestors that don't like religious competition, so I wonder to what extent this is effective and whether other approaches and venues might more appropriate.

Second, as to reacing LDS, as I've discussed elsewhere, the LDS view temple sites as sacred and the presence of evangelicals engaged in such practices is interpreted as an attack against the individual Mormon, their symbols and their culture. This triggers defensiveness, not openness to evangelical concerns about temples and Mormonism. Again, there are other venues and approaches in order to share traditional Christian faith.

What might the positive alternative be? I've shared this with countercult folks before, but so far no one has tried it. To educate churches, I'd suggest contacting them in the area where temples are going to open and offering Salt Lake Seminary's Bridges program that represents a culturally sensitive educational and evangelistic resource. As to educating the public, brainstorming could be done and funds raised to purchase an ad in the local paper where a loving contrast of traditional Christianity and Mormonism could be shared. Yes, this costs money and requires thinking, but it just might be worthwhile.

If there is any merit to the notion that our activities at temple openings and pageants alienate rather than open Mormons to our message, then it is time to consider alternatives. The suggestions above are worth exploring, and I invite others to consider creating other alternatives, and the most promising are informed by missions and good communication strategies.

[johnsmulo]

John M,

Thanks for your further comments. I'd reiterate your thoughts on the Bridges course. Our use of this at LifeSong Church was very helpful.

[Paul Carden]

Unfortunately, too often the Mormons are practicing intentional deception at such temple openings. To draw the public's attention to this may seem indelicate to some, but is actually more considerate than letting the lies go unchallenged.
Worth reading:
www.sacredorsecret.com/temples_tours_truth.htm

[Aaron Shaf]

Culturally sensitive, long-term relationships are the GOSPEL! Those crusty counter-cult neanderthals need to repent.

[johnsmulo]

Paul,

Ditto what I said to Tom.

[Jeff Downs]

I've shared this with countercult folks before, but so far no one has tried it...

I don't understand these kinds of comments, as they are misinformed - unless you are strickly speaking about showing the Bridges video.

Culturally sensitive, long-term relationships are the GOSPEL! Those crusty counter-cult neanderthals need to repent.

No itn't Aaron, read your Bible. Building relationship is a great thing, but it is not the gospel. Thanks for your kind words though. You are such a gracious man.

[Aaron Shaf]

Jeff, my comment was purely in the realm of sarcasm. I think initiative stranger-evangelism should be part of the larger package of methods Christians use to evangelize, and that certainly can inculde advertising web sites.

I'm beginning to realize that the primary critics of public, initiative stranger-evangelism are trying to accomodate postmodernism with their own brand of postmodernism.

It boggles me how people can so simplisticly treat the postmodern culture of Mormonism, and how quick people are to abandon almost any method if it offends, even if the offense itself is borne out of an deeply unChristian component of one's worldview, and even if the method in question is an extremely practical way to inform large numbers of people. Mormonism is diverse, and it seems very obvious to me that even countercultural evangelism is strategic. Many Mormons I know are so sick of the homogeneous, wishy-washy nature of their religion, that countercultural claims and means of communication are actually a breath of fresh air.

And ironically, advertising a web site, something many Mormons are willing to visit in the privacy of their office or home, is a very relevant, culturally strategic thing to do. According to Christianity Today, "Two-thirds of American Internet users surf the web for spiritual purposes." It seems like many under the microscope of haughty, postmodern criticism--criticism for not being conscientiously sensitive and strategic with culture--are the very ones actively using perhaps the most strategic and relevant medium of evangelistic communication available today: the internet. Keith Walker and Bill McKeever do a substantial portion of their evangelistic ministry using the internet. MRM.org is an excellent resource and has been of great help to many. Countless people have been saved through the videos of Living Hope Ministries. I can't say the same, however, for the johnny-come-lately ministries of those who spend a good portion of their time in the back seat telling everyone else how to drive.

Perhaps another culturally stragetic thing we Christians can be doing is posting short, informative, evangelistic videos on YouTube, which seems to be a sort of town square for folks now.

PS I highly recommend the following:

http://mormonwiki.org/Postmodernism

[John W. Morehead]

I was wondering when this post would capture attention. You can't hide now, Smulo.

A few brief responses:

First, I picked up on Aaron's sarcasm. No evangelical in this discussion on ministry philosophy and methodology equates the gospel with relationships or cultural sensitivity. The gospel can be communicated more effectively through careful consideration of the importance of these elements, but this is not the gospel. But even recognizing Aaron's sarcasm, it seems misplaced here and it misses the mark.

Which leads me to my second point. Neither John Smulo, myself, or anyone advocating a cross-cultural missions approach to Mormons and other new religionists is coming from a postmodern perspective. Unfortunately, this criticism has been raised before and it has become a straw man whereby advocates of a missional paradigm can be casually dismissed as compromisers. However, the basis for our disagreements with temple and pageant outreach approaches as seen in Sacramento comes from concerns raised due to our interaction with missiology and theological reflection.

Third, Mormon culture is not postmodern by and large, although you may find individual Mormons who come from this perspective.

Fourth, critics of temple outreach are not calling for the abandonment of such approaches simply because it offends Mormons and we opt for a kinder, gentler approach in light of postmodern sensitivities. Rather, due to our interaction with intercultural studies and missiology, we question an approach that is needlessly confrontational and counter-cultural and which fosters defensiveness and barriers to effective communication rather than facilitating it.

Fifth, as I said previously, I think there is a valid place for educating the community, but I question the manner in which some try to accomplish this.

Sixth, many in the countercult are concerned with Mormon deception in temple openings, but might this be rethought? Deception implies willful attempts at misleading. Is it not more accurate to say they might selectively share information that is presented in the most positive light, just as evangelicals might share the best about their church and faith, or as advertisers do when promoting their products, even though nothing is perfect? Sure there are deceptive Mormons, just like there are deceptive people in a variety of religious groups, but is it fair to label the entire religious institution of Mormonism with such a broad brush? I know I'll be tarred and feathered for raising these questions, but I wonder about the common "cult" stereotype of evil, deceptive religious groups.

Finally, I'm all for using any and all means possible for communicating the message, including the Internet. However, our strategies must be properly informed and relevant to the subcultures we are trying to communicate with. For reasons I've articulated in other places, I believe that the tracting and signs advertising websites are inadequate and inappropriate. Perhaps someone advocating these approaches could interact with the deeper cultural issues raised by Mormon concepts of sacred geography, symbols, and pilgrimage associated with temples and provide us with their thoughts on how these confrontational approaches avoid the apparent counter-cultural problems suggested above.

Let the civil dialogue continue.

[Tom Jones]

John Smulo wrote:

Here's my idea: Run from this confrontational, disrespectful approach. The hoodwinking that is going on is that people are attending an event and expected one thing, when they get confronting protestors in their face instead.

John, why do you call offering people eternal life saving information "hoodwinking"? Is there something that's dishonest about what they are doing?

I call what the LDS are doing that because they are clearly trying to make folks believe that they are just as much Christian, in fact more so, as any other church, when they teach contrary to the Bible.

[johnsmulo]

Tom,

Please don't twist my words. I didn't, in your words, "call offering people eternal life saving information "hoodwinking"".

Rather, as you correctly quoted me saying, "The hoodwinking that is going on is that people are attending an event and expected one thing, when they get confronting protestors in their face instead."

[Jeff Downs]

""The hoodwinking that is going on is that people are attending an event and expected one thing, when they get confronting protestors in their face instead."

If Christians are to advoid this so-called "hoodwinking," we would never share. You make it sounds so harsh (not sure why you need to do this), but why are the "in their face," just because they are handing our material or having signs.

[johnsmulo]

Jeff,

If it sounds harsh, which it is, it's not because of me. It's because it's harsh in and of itself.

As you'd know, there's a sense in the Mormon community that they're being attacked by Christians who protest at temple openings.

It was quite embarrassing and unhelpful for me as I was seeking to get to know the Mormon bishop I was on the temple tour with when he made passing comment about the protestors.

The confronting behavior of temple protestors means that evangelicals who are trying to build relationships with LDS are already 3 steps behind because they have to make up for the sense of suspcision and distrust that are the result.

Here's the bottom line for me. What small results may come out of this confrontational methodology is far too high a price to pay for the fact that most LDS, and I have no doubt many non-LDS onlookers, now have a less hospitable view of Christianity because of these protests.

Here's a final thought. Picture yourself going to church with your family this Sunday. Perhaps you and your family have even invited along an unbelieving friend for the first time. As you all are walking up to the front door of the church you are greeted by people waving signs to an LDS apologetics website and people are seeking to stuff literature in your hand. How is this experience going to impact you and your unbelieving friend? Are you going to consider the LDS literature that they're giving you because they're concerned you are following a false religion? If not, what makes you think this works for them? Remember by the way, that a temple opening would be far more significant for them than an average Sunday service for most Christians.

[Jon Trott]

Sigh...

I may not be willing to totally dispense with quietly handing out literature at a Mormon event, depending of course on the contents of the literature. But that one caveat (itself in need of further nuancing by me, I suspect) with John Smulo's post here is minor compared to what seems to be an almost willful rejection of Mormons as sincere believers.

This countercult / cult-buster narrative (and narrative it is) that says Mormons are habitual deceivers is simply nonsense. The heart of the missional paradigm is that it insists on a true respect for those being reached out to... a respect that values their own story, their own journey, and their own belief system as it has impacted the very foundations of both individuals and cultures.

Without that respect, evangelism turns into something much like a spiritual "bunker-buster," dropped by westerners intent on ramming truth down the throats of the "deceived."

I could go on to make some overt political connections re my nation's current adventurisms in "exporting democracy" -- remarkably similar in some respects to the countercult paradigm -- but I don't want to get John in any more trouble than he's in already.

[Jon Trott]

One quick note in anticipation of countercult objections to my previous post here...

When I said the countercult is exercising an almost "willful rejection of Mormons as sincere believers" I was, of course, referring to LDS members being sincere in MORMON belief, not (necessarily) CHRISTIAN belief. Forgive the inspecific nature of my syntax there...