Boasting in Christ Alone

Tag: god

  • The Head Coach and the Unfaithful Offensive Lineman: Why an LDS Analogy for Flawed Prophets Breaks Down

    David Snell, a popular Latter-day Saint content creator, recently made a video analogizing God to a head coach and LDS prophets and apostles as his offensive linemen. His point was that prophets are faithfully but imperfectly doing their best to run the coach’s plays, and that we should excuse their imperfections. It’s a clever metaphor.…

  • Did Paul Predict a Great Apostasy?: Reading 2 Thessalonians 2 in Context

    1. A Misused Prooftext Latter-day Saints and other restorationist movements often quote 2 Thessalonians 2:3:“Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition.” They see this as proof the true Church vanished…

  • Rooted in the Word: Reflections on a Recent Conversation with LDS Apologist Jacob Hansen

    Last night, I had a lengthy conversation with Latter-day Saint apologist Jacob Hansen about the nature of God. We covered a lot of ground — from creation ex nihilo to the Trinity, from the death of Egypt’s firstborn to hell and eternal punishment. I know I didn’t always express myself perfectly, and there are answers…

  • Why Ishmael Was Not an Heir: Polygamy v. God’s Promise

    According to LDS teaching, plural marriage was a divine principle restored in modern times and practiced anciently by prophets such as Abraham. Doctrine and Covenants 132:34 states: “God commanded Abraham, and Sarah gave Hagar to Abraham to wife. And why did she do it? Because this was the law; and from Hagar sprang many people.”…

  • Beyond Birthright: The Wonder of Adoption in Christ

    One of the common debates between Protestants and Latter-day Saints is whether human beings are by nature children of God. It’s a well-worn topic with familiar arguments on both sides. On the one hand, Scripture does speak of all people as God’s creation. In Acts 17:28–29, Paul reminds the Athenians that “we are His offspring.”…

  • The Covenant Path or the Covenant Promise? How the Abrahamic Covenant Points to the Cross

    One of the legacies of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints President Russell M. Nelson was his strong emphasis on covenants and the covenant path. President Nelson spoke frequently about covenants—especially about the Abrahamic Covenant. When I was LDS, I was taught to see the Abrahamic Covenant as the equivalent of the “new and…

  • An Unbreakable Covenant: What’s Really at Stake When We Debate about Ongoing Revelation?

    The Heart of the Matter When Latter-day Saints and Evangelicals talk about ongoing revelation, we often spend a lot of energy debating peripheral issues — like whether Revelation 22:18–19 supports the closing of the biblical canon. But that misses the heart of the matter. Latter-day Saints do not simply believe in an open canon; they…

  • Speaking Truth with a Gentle Heart: Contending for the Gospel Without Quarreling

    Over the past few weeks, I’ve been thinking a lot about the challenge of finding the right balance in conversations about faith—between conviction and courtesy. Since the tragic shooting in Michigan, tensions have been high between Evangelicals and Latter-day Saints. Dialogue has never been more important, but also more fraught. Today in church, I heard…

  • God is our Savior: Why the Trinity Really Matters

    I’ve been having a lot of conversations with Latter-day Saints on social media this week both pushing back against some of the unfair criticisms against the Church and also trying to explain why orthodox Christians sees the issues that divide us as particularly important. As I’ve done so, I’ve repeatedly receive a variation of this…

  • Can a Murderer Be Forgiven? A Tale of Two Gospels

    In light of the killing of Charlie Kirk, I asked a group of Latter-day Saints a straightforward question: “If Charlie Kirk’s murderer repents while in prison, can he achieve exaltation in the Celestial Kingdom?” The responses were telling: There were two additional write-in votes that equate to “yes” and two that equate to “no.” Ignoring…