comMITTed to Romney!

In the text version of John King’s CNN article (already reference by referenced by Mike Laub and Thomas Alan here), we can find this little tidbit about our favorite candidate:

“I would say that if [Romney] didn’t have the Mormon issue that he would be the clear front-runner and the race would be almost over,” said [Rick] Beltram, the Spartanburg [South Carolina] County GOP chairman. “That is definitely hampering him somewhat, although he has done exceptionally well talking about it and working with a lot of the social conservatives and the evangelical Baptist group.”

With that sentiment in mind, it is my observation that the root of the problem between evangelicals and Mormons, and the factor that drives the mistrust, is the misinformation that is taught both in evangelical training seminaries and in evangelical churches nationwide regarding Mormonism. That misinformation is driven, in large part, by a self-preservation instinct. The unfortunate and unintended consequence of this is that the misinformation has partially alienated the evangelical community from the most qualified presidential candidate in a generation and also the one who most shares their core value system–namely Governor Mitt Romney.

First, let me say that my general view of evangelicals is that they are good, moral people, who believe in and worship Jesus Christ. I admire and respect that. I also recognize that many thoughtful evangelicals such as those at Evangelicals for Mitt have profound differences with Mormon doctrine that are heartfelt but do not reach the level of acrimony that can brand an otherwise exceptionally qualified candidate as “unacceptable” (ala Pat Robertson this week). I also recognize that the evangelical world is comprised of organized churches across many denominations which are self interested in retaining members and that each one has a pastor or group of pastors who have dedicated their life to service, but at the same time, generally rely on the church as as their source of income. They have families and mouths to feed, so it is not just the pastors’ place of worship, it is their livelihood as well. I applaud them for their efforts to teach others of Christ.

However, it is this self-preservation instinct that has led the evangelical community to go on a full-scale offensive against Mormonism. They view it as a threat to the viability of their churches. Because of that perceived threat, they have, for decades now, researched and published and preached about, the most obscure and controversial aspects of Mormonism that they could find, in order to accomplish their goal. This is certainly something that is understandable, given the perceived threat. But the resulting attitudes and perceptions of Mormonism is so removed from reality at times, that it is could often be comical, if it were not so sad.

During his theology training, the average evangelical pastor has no doubt “studied Mormonism” as part of his coursework on “cults and false religions.” It is like learning about the Republican platform from the Democratic National Committee—you are going to get a slanted view of reality. Thus, the evangelical view of Mormonism as a diabolical cult, or at best, the fourth “Abrahamic Religion,” is based on the most negative portrayal possible. Relatively few evangelicals know large numbers of Mormons personally. Even fewer have had any direct interaction with the Mormon church at any level. The doctrinal differences, I think, are not as great as some would have you believe; it is the distorted misinformation that makes it seem so. But all that most evangelicals have to go on, is the misinformation. It is a sad reality.

So where does that leave us? The evangelical community is going to have to step back and take a look at Governor Romney based wholly upon his merits as a candidate, including his value-centered world view. Some people (for example, the previously mentioned Spartanburg County GOP chairman) might say, “ah, if he were only not a Mormon.” Well, I would argue that the reason that Governor Romney is such an effective leader, and so morally centered, is precisely because he IS a Mormon. He is not the candidate that he is in spite of his religion. He is what he is largely because of it! So again, this leaves us with the dilemma. I fear that it is not something that can be overcome, at least in the short term.

What I would really like to see happen, if for there to be a détente of sorts declared, so that we could just get Governor Romney elected. As a Mormon myself, I consider evangelicals to be my brothers and sisters in Christ. What evangelicals think and what they say about Mormons is largely done out of ignorance, and that is forgivable. Accordingly, I would hope that those evangelicals who are considering supporting Governor Romney would take the time to get a balanced view of his religion before they make a poor decision based upon questionable information.

Some in the evangelical community have occasionally reached out in the spirit of détente. On November 14, 2004, in a Salt Lake City speech, Dr. Richard Mouw, an evangelical and president of Fuller Seminary in California, said,

“Our public relations between our two communities have been-to put it mildly-decidedly unfriendly. From the very beginning, when Joseph Smith organized his church in 1830, my evangelical forebears hurled angry accusations and vehement denunciations at the Mormon community-a practice that continues from some evangelical quarters even into this present day.”

He added,

“I am now convinced that we evangelicals have often seriously misrepresented the beliefs and practices of the Mormon community. Indeed, let me state it bluntly to the LDS folks here this evening: we have sinned against you. The God of the Scriptures makes it clear that it is a terrible thing to bear false witness against our neighbors, and we have been guilty of that sort of transgression in things we have said about you.”

Now I don’t know how many evangelicals share the view of Dr. Mouw. I believe that he did take some heat for the sentiments expressed above. Nevertheless, I hope that many, many, more thoughtful evangelicals can come to understand Mouw’s point of view and give Governor Romney another look. In raising these points, I’m certainly not trying to convert anyone. I am just asking for open minds to weigh the strengths of the various candidates without clouding the issue with misinformation about a certain candidate’s religion, while at the same time acknowledging that there IS misinformation circulating out there about Mormonism.

In conclusion, I am reminded of an anecdote I read a number of years ago regarding Richard Paul Evans, best-selling author of the popular “Christmas Box” novella (who himself is a Mormon—a fact that is perhaps not widely known). On one occasion, Evans found himself seated on an airliner next to an evangelical Christian. The topic of conversation turned to Evans’ book. The evangelical had in fact read the book and had been moved by its depiction of Christ-centered love. As the conversation progressed and the evangelical discovered that Evans was a Mormon, he was incredulous at first that a Mormon could write such a book as the “Christmas Box.” The evangelical asked questions like, “as a Mormon, do you really believe that?” to which Evans replied in the affirmative. Then, as Evans explained and expounded on his core, Christ-centered beliefs, the evangelical, in reference to his many years of indoctrination regarding the “evil Mormons,” simply said, “I have been deceived.”

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