The candidacy of Mitt Romney and, to a lesser extent, Jon Huntsman has aroused intense concern among conservative Christians.  Robert Jeffress, pastor of the First Baptist Church, Dallas, has declared Mormonism a “cult,” meaning thereby to distinguish the Mormon faith of these two candidates from Christianity.  By virtue of his negative assessment of Mormonism, he vigorously espouses the selection of Rick Perry as the Republican candidate.  Were the Republican Party to choose Romney, he would support him, though reluctantly.

            Because a surprising number of friends have written to ask me about this issue, I have had to think about it more seriously than I have ever had to do previously.  What the question forces us to do is to ask a prior question:  How do we define Christianity?  What does it take to be a Christian?

            A run through Christian history will show that Christians have not found it easy to answer those questions.  For the very first Christians the answer was: Belief that Jesus is Israel’s Messiah (Christ).  Very soon, though, they said, “No.  That’s not enough.  We must say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ one with God.”  By the middle of the second century churches framed baptismal confessions requiring commitment to God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, as in the Roman Symbol that evolved into the Apostles’ Creed.  By the fourth century, trying to frame more precise definitions, councils of bishops formulated the Nicene and later Creeds with their emphasis upon the Son and Spirit being “of the same essence” as the Father.

            Search for Christian identity did not stop there either.  Eastern Christians recognize seven ecumenical or universal councils (up to 787) as definitive of Christian faith.  The Roman Catholic Church looks to 21 such councils up to and including the Second Vatican Council (1962-65).  Both Orthodox and Roman Catholics rely on tradition.  In the 16^th century, of course, Protestants negated those definitions and insisted on the Bible alone as offering a guide to who is or is not Christian.  Some, including Baptists, carried this principle to its logical extreme as a non-creedal people.  Since 1925, however, Southern Baptists have reversed themselves on this position and in 2000 published a Baptist Faith and Message that set belief in inerrancy of the Bible as the sine qua non for adherence to Christianity as they understood it.

            I suspect that Mormons can locate themselves comfortably across that broad spectrum.  Yet some might say, “It’s not that they don’t subscribe to some Christian affirmations.  It’s what they add to them that puts them in the ‘cult’ category, notably their use of The Book of Mormon as an authoritative revelation.  They once practiced polygamy based on that (although they had Old Testament support for it also).”   I think there is a certain legitimacy to this concern if Mormons look to The Book of Mormon as their ultimate authority, standing above scriptures as the final definer of their views.  But what if they look to it alongside scriptures like Roman Catholics and Orthodox look to tradition?  They certainly face a stern challenge in defining what being Christian means, but what Christian group does not, whether Catholic, Orthodox, or Protestant?  I’m inclined to accept Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman’s word when they call themselves Christian.

            Having said that, let me go on to say that I will not vote for or against either one because he is a Mormon.  I will base my vote on a judgment of their views, whether those views will be good for our country.  Our U. S. Constitution negates any religious test for public office.  On that basis, I didn’t need to decide whether Mormonism is Christian.

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R e l i g i o n by Mary Lee Talbot

“Jesus, the lowly field preacher, without portfolio or parish, was busy turning the world upside down. The Kingdom of God was at hand. The kingdom of love and justice was at hand. Even though we read from Matthew today, in Luke, Jesus laid out his agenda,” the Rev. Raphael G. Warnock said at the 9:15 a.m. morning worship service Monday. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, to preach the good news to the poor.”

Warnock quoted Luke 4:18-19 and then said, “Jesus wason the move.”His sermon title was “The Danger of a Divided House,” and the Scripture was Matthew 12:22-29. “What better evidence was there than they brought a demoniac who was blind and mute, and he cured him?” Warnock said. “Jesus was on the move. That is what people of faith ought to do. How can you love God, whom you have not seen, and not love your neighbor? Jesus was on the move.” Warnock told the congregation that people of faith should give a voice to the mute, evangelize those without faith, give a challenge to the unconcerned, educate the uneducated, strengthen the weak, give courage to the discouraged and hold up the depressed.

“We must embrace the poor until they can feel God holding them,” Warnock said. “People of faith are called to be on the move. Jesus cured the man so he could see and so he could be heard. Jesus gives voice to the voiceless and sight to the blind, and the crowds were amazed.” He continued, “Others were mad. Preachers, be careful how you receive plaudits, because your preaching should make someone mad. Those who were mad had to make achoice. Jesus was a threat to the status quo, a threat to the religious powers. The least, the lost and the left out were being lifted up. Wherever Jesus shows up, we have to make a choice.” The ones who were angry sought to discredit Jesus’ methods and motives. They said that Beelzebub, the prince of demons, gave Jesus his power to cast out demons. “Jesus hears them, and Jesus was a ‘bad brother,’” Warnock said. “You know what I mean; he was so bad that even in their criticism, they could not deny the effectiveness of his methods and ministry. He really is who he says he is. He restricted their power, he evicted the demons and he convicted the crowd. “Jesus responds to the critics, via the Warnock International Version of the Bible, ‘Come on, man, you know what you are saying doesn’t make sense. Why would a demon cast out demon?’ He destroys their agenda. It is a simple, sublime principle — no hou e divided against itself can stand. I liftthis up now because in America today, there are forces that seek to divide us in order to control us. We are in a fight for our lives to keep the house from coming down.” He continued, “Division is our greatest threat today.Abraham Lincoln recognized that a house divided could not stand. We are caught up in an uncivil war of words that demonize and divide. Our motto is ‘E Pluribus Unum’ — out of many, one. The debt ceiling may be settled, but we should not forget that this crisis did not begin six weeks ago or six months ago. We need to grab hold of the best of America. “In 2008, regardless if you are an Independent, Republican or Democrat, we did the unthinkable (in electing Barack Obama as president). We are hearing things aimed at the American president. I rise not to defend him, for he does notneed defending, but I rise to speak to the best of our American conscious. We are using code words in public. ‘He says he is a Christian, but he is not a Christian; he is a Muslim’ — as if that was the worst thing he could be. ‘He says he is an American, but he was not born in America.’ ‘He has aKenyan, anti-colonialist world view’ as if there was a stigma to being African. “Jesus was an anti-colonialist; I am an anti-colonialist, anti-imperialist, anti-phobias person. Jesus came to preach the good news. How can we stand unless we stand together? The issue is who will raise the conversation to a new moral and ethical level. We are a special people in a special place, and we all have to stand together, or the Liberty Bell will always have an unsightly crack.” He continued, ‘Thomas Jefferson was one of the sparks of our special union. He wrote about the inalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of  happiness. As eloquent as he was, he had slaves. But I don’t  mind, because in three weeks, you will look across (the Tidal Basin), and across from Thomas Jefferson will be a black man. Martin Luther King will be there asking, ‘Did you mean what you said when you said it?’ Martin Luther King called us to the best in the American spirit. Patrick Henry said, ‘Give me liberty or give me death.’ The slaves spoke up and said, ‘Me, too.’ Then the women said, ‘Me, too,’ through the suffrage movement. “Christians learned about Christian freedom and Muslims,Jews, Hindus and others said, ‘Me, too.’ We must stand with them. If we stand together in the house of prayer on Sunday, we can’t fight each other on Monday. If you burna Quran this week, next week you will burn a cross in my yard. Gays and lesbians are saying, ‘Me, too. We belong in the house.’

“We can use this moment of crisis to demonstrate how dangerous hateful speech is. Words can hurt, or we can use  words to lift us to a new plane. Christian people ought to lead the way. “And finally,” he said, and the congregation laughed as hereferenced a joke from the Sunday sermon. He reminded the congregation that geese fly in a V formation. “They have figured out the laws of aviation and aerodynamics. Pelicans flap their wings more, but they fly less distance because they fly alone. The goose that works thehardest is the one out front. When it gets tired, it movesback and another moves up. They change positions without a church vote, a split or dissension. They move and keep flying because the individual location is not as important asthe collective destination. We ought to have as much sense as geese.”He concluded, “We are not going to go unless we go together. We have to fly together, walk together, cry together,pray together and struggle together. If we rise and fly together, we will make it to the promised land.”

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1. How would you describe your calling and mission as a writer and as a Christian?

            My calling as a Christian is to live a life that reflects my faith in Jesus and that causes others to want to share in that faith. My calling and mission as a Christian writer is to communicate the love of God and the blessings of being a member of His family to everyone I can in the simplest and most loving way possible. I want to encourage and help others to share their faith and convictions in ways that glorify God and honors fellow Christians. 

2. Which books have had the greatest impact on your ministry?

            It would be difficult to name all of the books that have influenced my life. Other than the Bible, five that have had great influence on me are: As a Man Thinketh by James Allen, Communicating for Life by Quentin Schultze, Uncommon Decency by Richard Mouw, Words That Hurt, Words That Heal by Rabbi Joseph Telushkin and The Power of Positive Thinking. by Norman Vincent Peale.
3. How important do you feel writing is in the world of religion?

            Writing is important for many reasons. Many people are drawn to reading who would not listen to a sermon. Many are drawn to reading for inspiration, encouragement, comfort and entertainment. Others are seeking explanations, information, clarification or guidance. There must be a variety of resources available and at varying levels for all of these seekers. Books and articles can be read and digested when there are small tidbits of time available or while waiting for other things to happen. The Internet opens a great venue for both writers and readers.

4. When did you first become interested in writing?

            I became interested in writing in the sixth grade when our teacher introduced us to poetry and then had us practice writing poems of our own. After initially dismissing the idea, I experienced some success and was hooked. My first paid story was published when I was in the eighth grade.

5. What are the great joys in writing for you?

            The great joy in writing for me is when I receive a note or telephone call from someone who tells me that a particular piece has helped him or her in some way. After I wrote about the death of my first wife, a woman called to say that she had posted the article on her refrigerator so she could read it often and that it had helped her re-engage life after a difficult and traumatic situation. 

6. What events led up to you writing Christian Civility in an Uncivil World?

            Christian Civility in an Uncivil World, grew out of my deep concern about the direction rhetoric is taking in our society and especially the way many denominations, churches and individuals are treating one another. Some groups are taking out full page newspaper advertisements denouncing and demonizing other Christian organizations. My experiences at the Chautauqua Institution in New York State and with the John Hamrick Lectures at First Baptist Church of Charleston, SC let me experience that people of different backgrounds, experiences, and faith traditions could engage in civil discourse without rancor. Because of my background in the field of communication, I felt a deep calling to use whatever knowledge, skills and abilities I have to help Christians of all backgrounds find a way to communicate with and about each other and with non-Christians in a way that would glorify God.
7. How do you feel Christian Civility in an Uncivil World can impact the reader and/or small groups?

            My prayer is that individual Christians as well as small groups will receive the book in the spirit that it is written and that each person will consider its message. I hope that small groups will discuss the issues thoroughly and then resolve to help change the dialogue in their faith community. My greatest hope is that the book with its distinguished list of religious thinkers will help move us toward a dialogue that creates more understanding than heat and disrespect. We will never agree on all the issues that divide us, but we can agree to respect each other as brothers and sisters in Christ with the same Creator.
8. Briefly describe your current ministry.

            I am an active lay member of my church where I serve on the diaconate. I am deeply involved in promoting Say Something Nice Sunday on the first Sunday in June each year and hope to see it adopted by churches and denominations nationwide. I continue to write, speak, and conduct seminars on improving communication. I am currently involved in writing a book tracing my own faith journey. My lifelong mission is to help give voice to those who have no voice.

9. Outside of your ministry, how do you enjoy spending time?

            My wife, Carol, and I enjoy traveling, attending plays and concerts and getting together with friends and family.

10. What would readers be surprised to know about you?

            Readers might be surprised to know that I have had a passionate interest in politics since going with my dad, who was a precinct worker, to the polls when I was in elementary school. I miss the great orators of the past and am dismayed at our reliance on misleading and inaccurate sound bites.
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