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Although Mormons have moved toward the cultural mainstream of American Christianity, they continue to insist that the LDS church is true—and others are not.

"On every major doctrine, the fundamental teachings of evangelical Christianity and Mormon doctrine are diametrically opposed," says Norman Geisler, dean of Southern Evangelical Seminary.

M. Russell Ballard, 70, a member since 1985 of the Council of the Twelve, the LDS church's ruling body, told CHRISTIANITY TODAY (CT), "We believe God, the eternal Father, is literally our father. He's a man glorified, exalted, perfected, resurrected."

Robert L. Millet, 51, dean of religious education at Brigham Young University (BYU), says, "Human spirits were born sons and daughters of God before this life, and if they will be born again now, they can be empowered and transformed by Jesus Christ, becoming eventually as he is. We believe in the ultimate deification of man."

Sandra Tanner, who left Mormonism at age 19 and has written more than 40 books on the religion, says, "Christians should be concerned about the growth of Mormonism. The Jesus of the Bible is different from the Jesus of the Mormons."

Mormons, who were much maligned and persecuted in nineteenth-century America, have not been deterred by criticism. Worldwide, there are 56,530 LDS missionaries, three-fourths of them young males, knocking on doors in 162 countries. About 318,000 people convert to Mormonism annually, primarily from Christian groups.

The LDS church is experiencing rapid growth, with 10,070,500 Mormons worldwide. Seven out of ten Mormons live in North, Central, or South America. "At any given moment, the majority of Mormons are first-generation converts," says Rodney Stark, author and University of Washington sociologist. Most have significant attachments to non-Mormon relatives and friends, who then are ripe for conversion themselves. Stark projects that Mormonism will become the next world religion, with a membership of 267 million by 2080. (In the November 16, 1998, issue of CHRISTIANITY TODAY, researcher David Barrett says there are about 700 million "Great Commission" Christians worldwide—people who embrace evangelical beliefs.)

Mormon missionaries have had the greatest success in countries with sizable Christian populations. The key LDS doctrine of restoration of the church is more easily grasped by people who have already been introduced to Christianity.

Partly because all but 85 top Mormon leaders are volunteers, LDS missions efforts are well-funded. Mormons are the most generous of all American church members, giving on average nearly 7.5 percent of their income.

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