Tag: god
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A common claim I hear is that the LDS Church simply “adds more truth,” while evangelism to Latter-day Saints by Christians supposedly “takes things away” or diminishes people’s faith. Well-meaning Latter-day Saints who make this claim are often echoing the words of former President Gordon B. Hinckley: “We do not argue with other churches. We…
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When we think of Christmas, we imagine a silent night, not a battlefield. But in addition to bucolic fields and shepherds, perhaps one image that should come to mind when we imagine Christmas is the Battle of D-Day, when American (and other Allied) soldiers began to take Europe back from Nazi control. (I know that…
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Abraham and Grace: Chosen, not Earned Should Abraham be seen as a model of religious striving, or a recipient of God’s sovereign grace? Abraham is one of the most important figures for Jews, Christians and Muslims. He is seen as the Father of the Faithful who trusted in God and developed a deep covenantal relationship…
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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…
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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…
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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.”…
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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.”…
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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…
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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…