Related articles and links |  1 of 7

Mormons open top pulpit to evangelical apologist
Indian-born apologist Ravi Zacharias has reportedly become the first evangelical invited to speak in the Mormon Tabernacle since Brigham Young extended an invitation to Dwight L. Moody in 1871. (Weblog has been unable to confirm that Moody actually did speak there.) His November 14 message will be "Who is the Truth? Defending Jesus Christ as the Way, the Truth, and the Life." There's no word if he will address differences between Mormon and Protestant Christologies.

Zacharias's invitation is particularly noteworthy since he was the general editor of the most recent edition of Walter Martin's The Kingdom of the Cults, which devotes one if its 20 chapters to Mormonism.

Pastor Greg Johnson, pastor of the evangelical group Standing Together Ministries, told the Deseret Morning News (owned by the Mormon church) he discussed the book with Mormon leaders. "Basically, he agreed to lend his name to it, but he didn't write any of it," Johnson said. The church leaders (called the First Presidency) are "all informed and still moving forward in great confidence," Johnson says.

They may be a bit mis-informed, however. In addition to serving as general editor of The Kingdom of the Cults, Zacharias wrote at least a two-and-a-half page introduction, in which he "applauds" the "extraordinary volume."

Johnson told the paper that his the First Presidency probably agreed to his request "because of the press conference and quiet outreach campaign that local evangelicals staged outside the Conference Center last spring during LDS general conference, designed to counter attempts by self-proclaimed Christian preachers who have sought to antagonize Latter-day Saints" (those are the News's words, not Johnson's). Those evangelicals, it should be noted, were organized by Johnson's group.

In any case, says Brigham Young University religion professor Robert Millet, Zacharias's invitation is a huge step for the Mormon church. "It represents tremendous graciousness on the part of the First Presidency in being willing to open the Tabernacle to a man of his stature who is of another faith," he told the News. "It's an effort to build goodwill and bridges of understanding between two vital faith communities."

Humorous CBS parody of the day
Parodies of Dan Rather's "fake but accurate" memo are legion, but Roy Rivenburg has a funny and religious one in today's Los Angeles Times:

In news that could rock Christianity, CBS has carbon-dated a 1st century scroll in which the Apostle Paul admits to having doubts about the Resurrection. Theologians consulted by the network vouched for the genuineness of the scroll, which is titled "Paul's Letter to the Corinthians or Current Resident."

Education:

• Catholic U. bars actor-activist at forum | A spokesman for the university said it cannot "give . . . any platform" to film and stage actor Stanley Tucci or any other people who "act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles" (The Washington Post)
• Groups decry Muslim scholar's visa denial | Scholars and critics worldwide are demanding that the U.S. government explain why it revoked the work visa of a Muslim scholar hired at the University of Notre Dame, saying the action threatens academic freedoms (Associated Press)
• Westminster recall vote signatures insufficient | Trustees had rejected the wording of a state anti-discrimination rule protecting transsexuals and others who do not conform to traditional gender roles (Los Angeles Times)

next page... |  1 of 7

share this page

September (Web-only) 2004, Vol. 48