Introduction: Should Christians Share the Good News with Mormons?—Eric Johnson
1. In this book, we will refer to Christians in several ways by using adjectives such as biblical, Bible-believing, evangelical, and born again. Those who have contributed to this book align themselves with Protestant (evangelical) Christianity.
2. Mormons Believe…What?! Fact and Fiction about a Rising Religion (Orange, CA: The Parameter Foundation, 2011), 7.
3. For a fuller treatment of this question, see chapter 1 of Bill McKeever and Eric Johnson, Answering Mormons’ Questions (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel, 2013).
4. According to Appendix 2, the Great Apostasy is the belief that true Christianity lost its authority after the death of Christ’s apostles, which made it necessary for God to restore the true church through Joseph Smith and the founding of the LDS Church in 1830. See original quotes by a variety of LDS leaders at Mormonism Research Ministry, “Is This Bigotry? A Response to Latter-day Saints Who Say, ‘We Never Criticize Christian Churches,’ ” http://www.mrm.org/we-never-criticize.
5. To a Mormon, “scripture” can include one of the four written works called the Standard Works; this is comprised of the Bible (King James Version), the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price. In addition, words spoken by the leadership can also be accepted as “modern” scripture.
6. Visit our website SharingWithMormons.com for LDS Church citations on these issues.
7. Unless otherwise noted, we will use the English Standard Version (ESV) in biblical citations.
8. Saint Francis was known for preaching the gospel as much as living in a righteous fashion. For information to show how the quoted statement was never cited by Saint Francis, see an article by Christianity Today’s Mark Galli titled “Speak the Gospel,” May 21, 2009, www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2009/mayweb-only/120-42.0.html.
1. Helping Our Friends Evaluate Truth Claims: The Straight-Thinking Approach—Mark Mittelberg
1. I present these in detail in my book Confident Faith: Building a Firm Foundation for Your Beliefs (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale, 2013).
2. History of the Church, ed. B.H. Roberts (Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book, 1950), 6:319-320. The History of the Church is a seven-volume set produced by the LDS Church providing details about the earliest years of the religion.
3. For more information, see chapter 2 of this book, “Sharing the Reasons for God: The Evidence Approach,” by Sean McDowell.
4. To see the citation, visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVsNEIOXTQc.
5. See, for example, my section on the 20 “Arrows of Truth” in Confident Faith. Also recommended are Lee Strobel’s The Case for Christ (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1998) and The Case for Faith (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2000).
2. Sharing the Reasons for God: The Evidence Approach—Dr. Sean McDowell
1. For instance, see exmormon.org and exmormonstories.org. Both sites are atheistic in nature.
2. The LDS Church is trying to address historical findings that contradict earlier Mormon teachings to prevent the exodus of Mormons from the faith. See “Gospel Topics Essays—Introduction and Links,” Mormonism Research Ministry, www.mrm.org/gospel-topics.
3. Victor Reppert, “The Argument from Reason,” in The Blackwell Companion to Natural Theology, eds. William Lane Craig and J.P. Moreland (West Sussex, UK: Blackwell, 2009), 344-390.
4. J.P. Moreland, Consciousness and the Existence of God: A Theistic Argument (New York: Routledge, 2008).
5. Stephen Meyer, Darwin’s Doubt (New York: HarperCollins, 2013).
6. Guillermo Gonzalez and Jay W. Richards, The Privileged Planet (Washington, DC: Regnery Publishing, 2004).
7. Josh McDowell and Sean McDowell, Evidence that Demands a Verdict (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2017).
8. Ibid.
9. For a helpful articulation of the ontological argument, see Douglas R. Groothuis, Christian Apologetics (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2011), 185-206.
10. Sean McDowell and Jonathan Morrow, Is God Just a Human Invention? (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel, 2010), 71-82.
11. Francis J. Beckwith, Carl Mosser, and Paul Owen, eds., The New Mormon Challenge (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2002).
12. Michael R. Licona, The Resurrection of Jesus: A New Historiographical Approach (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2010).
13. Josh McDowell and Sean McDowell, “The Historical Existence of Jesus,” in Evidence that Demands a Verdict (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2017).
14. Sean McDowell, “Was Joseph Smith a Martyr?” SeanMcDowell.org, November 17, 2015, http://seanmcdowell.org/blog/was-joseph-smith-a-martyr.
3. Did God Really Say So? The Reliability-of-the-Bible Approach—Matt Slick
1. To see these changes, see 3913 Changes in the Book of Mormon (Salt Lake City, UT: Utah Lighthouse, 1996).
2. “After the books of the New Testament were written, they were carried all over the Roman Empire. The Christians everywhere took care of them, and copied and multiplied them in the century immediately following their production” (Ira Maurice Price, The Ancestry of Our English Bible, 3rd rev. ed by William A. Irwin and Allen P. Wikgren (New York: Harper and Row, 1956), 154. And “many of the first copies of the Gospels were made, not by professional scribes, but by literate lay copyists. As the early church rapidly expanded throughout the Roman world in the first centuries A.D., there was a pressing need for multiple copies of authoritative Christian documents, including Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Nonprofessional copyists must have stepped in to meet this need” (Mark D. Roberts, Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2007), 28.
3. “Care for the precise wording of the biblical text is attested, therefore, at the start of the Christian era” (A.R. Millard, “In praise of ancient scribes,” Biblical Archaeologist 45, no. 3): 143.
4. Lloyd Anderson, “Manuscript Discoveries of the New Testament in Perspective,” Papers of the Fourteenth Annual Symposium on the Archaeology of the Scriptures, presented April 13, 1963, 57-58. Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah. BYU is an official university of the LDS Church.
5. In 2013, I personally visited each of these historical sites in Israel as well as walked into Cave 1 in Qumran. For more, see my article “Archaeological evidence verifying biblical cities,” on the Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry website, www.carm.org/archaeological-evidence-verifying-biblical-cities.
6. Two books that deal with contradictions are Gleason Archer’s New International Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2001) and Norman L. Geisler and Thomas Howe’s The Big Book of Bible Difficulties (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2008).
4. Who Is the Real Jesus? The Christ-Centered Approach—Dr. Robert M. Bowman Jr.
1. See Robert M. Bowman Jr., Jesus and the Inerrancy of Scripture: A Simple Argument for Those Who Believe in Jesus (Cedar Springs, MI: Institute for Religious Research, 2015), http://bib.irr.org/jesus-and-inerrancy-of-scripture.
2. The groundbreaking study was Richard A. Burridge, What Are the Gospels? A Comparison with Graeco-Roman Biography, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2004).
3. See, for example, the entries on the four Gospels in The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Books of the Bible, Michael D. Coogan, editor-in-chief (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011), a secular/liberal reference work. Even the agnostic scholar Bart Ehrman dates the Gospels between AD 70 and 100, in The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings, 6th ed. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2016), 100.
4. In The Complete Works of Tacitus, translated by Alfred John Church and William Jackson Brodribb, edited by Moses Hadas, Modern Library College Edition (New York: Modern Library, 1942), 380.
5. Investigating Mormonism: The Case-Making Approach—J. Warner Wallace
1. For verification from the official LDS Church website, see “Plural Marriage in Kirtland and Nauvoo,” https://www.lds.org/topics/plural-marriage-in-kirtland-and-nauvoo?lang=eng.
2. Although Joseph did convince Emma to support polygamy for a short time, she quickly retracted her support and despised the practice for the rest of her life. See Linda King Newell and Valeen Tippetts Avery, Mormon Enigma: Emma Hale Smith, 2nd ed. (Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press, 1994), 143-145, 151-156.
3. Richard Lyman Bushman, Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2005), 328-332. Read more about the Kirtland bank failure in “Joseph Smith’s Kirtland Bank Failure,” Utah Lighthouse Ministry, http://www.utlm.org/onlineresources/josephsmithsbank.htm.
4. Bushman, Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling, 413, 423-424, 514-517.
5. Ibid., 48-52.
6. See the trial document at Fawn M. Brodie, No Man Knows My History: The Life of Joseph Smith the Mormon Prophet (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1983), 427-428.
7. For instance, compare Matthew 6:13 to 3 Nephi 13:13. For more information on Smith’s plagiarism from the KJV, see Jerald and Sandra Tanner, Joseph Smith’s Plagiarism of the Bible in the Book of Mormon (Salt Lake City, UT: Utah Lighthouse Ministry, 1998).
8. For example, compare John 10:9, 14, 16, spoken by Jesus in AD 32 to 1 Nephi 22:25, allegedly spoken by Nephi in 588 BC.
9. Compare 1 Nephi 22:20 with Deuteronomy 18:15, 19 as quoted in Acts 3:22-23. Smith quoted the New Testament paraphrase, but 1 Nephi was allegedly written more than 600 years prior to this paraphrase.
10. For more on this issue, watch a one-hour documentary titled The Lost Book of Abraham, from the Institute for Religious Research and Grooters Productions, which can be found online on YouTube, published by Aaron Shafovaloff, June 26, 2007, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcyzkd_m6KE.
6. Undermining Confidence in a Mormon’s Personal “Testimony”: The Police-Lineup Approach—Dr. Corey Miller
1. To see my full approach on the testimony and addressing the notion of salvation using the Book of Mormon prior to the biblical presentation, see Corey Miller and Lynn K. Wilder, Leaving Mormonism: Why Four Scholars Changed their Minds (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel, 2017). Also see Corey Miller, “The Use and Misuse of Testimony: A Stealth Strategy for Effective Dialogue with Mormons,” Christian Research Journal (December 2017).
2. Boyd K. Packer, That All May Be Edified (Salt Lake City, UT: Bookcraft, 1982), 340; italics in original.
3. Boyd K. Packer, “The Candle of the Lord,” Ensign (January 1983): 55.
4. Dallin Oaks, “Teaching and Learning by the Spirit,” Ensign (March 1997): 13.
5. Gene R. Cook, “Are You a Member Missionary?” Ensign (May 1976): 103. D&C 9:8-9 says, “But, behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right. But if it be not right you shall have no such feelings, but you shall have a stupor of thought that shall cause you to forget the thing which is wrong; therefore, you cannot write that which is sacred save it be given you from me.”
6. Preach My Gospel: A Guide to Missionary Service (Salt Lake City, UT: Intellectual Reserve, 2004), 38.
7. Here is just one of Spencer W. Kimball’s comments: “Monthly there are testimony meetings held where each one has the opportunity to bear witness. To by-pass such opportunities is to fail to that extent to pile up credits against the accumulated errors and transgressions.” See The Miracle of Forgiveness (Salt Lake City, UT: Bookcraft, 1969), 206.
8. See definitions of LDS terms in Appendix 2.
9. There are dozens of splinter Mormon groups, many of which are found in or near Utah. For instance, the polygamist Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (FLDS), formerly led by Warren Jeffs, teaches that the LDS Church based in Utah went apostate for changes over the years, including the elimination of polygamy and allowing those with African heritage to hold the priesthood. Based in Independence, Missouri, the Community of Christ (formerly Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) denies that Brigham Young was a legitimate prophet and claims that Smith’s son, Joseph Smith III, was the legitimate successor to his father.
10. Examples may include the Community of Christ, based in Independence, Missouri; Church of Christ (Temple Lot), based in Independence, Missouri; and the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (FLDS), a polygamist group based in Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Arizona. Dozens of other splinter groups can be named.
11. To see my approach on presenting the gospel using the Book of Mormon (and The Miracle of Forgiveness mentioned above) as well as problems with the Mormon concept of God and a treatment on the nature and value of testimonial evidence, see chapter 2 of Leaving Mormonism.
12. The phrase “eternal life” in Mormonism denotes celestial glory (Doctrine and Covenants 14:7).
13. The word has is present tense in the verse’s original Greek.
7. Joseph Smith’s First Vision and the Book of Mormon: The Historical Approach—Bill McKeever
1. Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley (Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book Company, 2016), 226-227.
2. Joseph Smith—History 1:17.
3. Joseph Smith—History 1:19.
4. Joseph Smith—History 1:22.
5. See Joseph Smith’s Handwritten 1832 First Vision at http://www.utlm.org/onlineresources/firstvisionjosephsmith1832.htm.
6. Richard Abanes, One Nation Under Gods (New York: Four Walls, Eight Windows, 2002), 16. Also see Joseph Smith’s 1832-34 Diary (Salt Lake City, UT: Modern Microfilm, 1979), 5.
7. Ibid., 11-12.
8. Ibid., 11-22.
9. Preach My Gospel (Salt Lake City, UT: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2004), 36.
10. Wesley Walters, The Palmyra Revival and Mormon Origins (Salt Lake City, UT: Mormonism Research Ministry, 2012). For more, visit Mormonism Research Ministry, www.mrm.org/first-vision.
11. For more information on the different First Vision stories, visit Mormonism Research Ministry, www.mrm.org/first-vision-stories.
12. Jeffrey R. Holland, Christ and the New Covenant: The Messianic Message of the Book of Mormon (Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book, 1997), 345-46.
13. Tad R. Callister, “God’s Compelling Witness: The Book of Mormon,” Ensign (November 2017): 107.
14. See Richard L. Bushman, Rough Stone Rolling (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2005), 60. See also Church History in the Fullness of Times: Religion 341 through 343 (Salt Lake City, UT: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2003), 44-45.
15. Lucy Mack Smith, History of Joseph Smith by His Mother (Salt Lake City, UT: Stevens and Wallis, 1945), 108.
16. History of the Church, ed. B.H. Roberts, vol. 4 (Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book Company, 1973), 537.
17. John A. Widtsoe and Franklin S. Harris Jr., Seven Claims of the Book of Mormon (Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret News Press, 1937), 37.
18. Ibid.
19. John L. Sorenson, An Ancient American Setting for the Book of Mormon (Provo, UT: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1996), 283.
20. H. Putnam, “Were the Golden Plates Made of Tumbaga?” The Improvement Era (September 1966), 789.
21. Ibid.
22. From 2013 to 2015, a series of essays written by LDS scholars were published on the official LDS website, lds.org. Topics included the First Vision and the Book of Mormon. The church has dealt with some of the obvious problems in these essays. You can find links to these essays and also see MRM’s reviews of each one by visiting the Mormonism Research Ministry, www.mrm.org/gospel-topics.
8. Using Surveys to Reveal Truth to Mormons: The Polling Approach—Chip Thompson
1. Gospel Principles (Salt Lake City, UT: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2009), 9. An earlier edition of this manual added, “The first spirit born to our heavenly parents was Jesus Christ. He is thus our elder brother.”
2. F. Burton Howard, “Eternal Marriage,” Ensign (May 2003): 92.
3. History of the Church, ed. B.H. Roberts, vol. 4, (Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book, 1950), 461. See also Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith (Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book, 1977), 194.
4. Gospel Principles, 67.
5. For more on this topic, see chapter 3 of this book, “Did God Really Say So? The Reliability-of-the-Bible Approach,” by Matt Slick.
9. Sharing with a Mormon Family Member: The Keeping-Good-Relations Approach—Carl Wimmer
1. The article by Paul Rolly, a columnist for The Salt Lake Tribune, was published on October 11, 2013. The headline read, “Carl Wimmer goes from Mormon to Evangelical: Former Lawmakers, ex-Latter-day Saint wants to be a Christian preacher” http://archive.sltrib.com/article.php?id=56982850&itype=CMSID. The article started out this way: “Carl Wimmer was the bull-in-a-china-shop, take-no-prisoners legislator whose uncompromising conservatism and in-your-face approach toward adversaries earned him a fair share of antagonism from some colleagues, while becoming a hero to the far right.” After listing some nefarious traits of my political career, he then wrote using a sarcastic tone, “That was the old Carl Wimmer, the world-class weight lifter, gun-loving cop and super-ambitious politician who showed disdain for liberals and RINOS (Republicans in Name Only). The new Wimmer is about peace and love and is working toward being a Christian minister.”
2. David Earley and David Wheeler, Evangelism Is…How to Share Jesus with Passion and Confidence (Nashville, TN: B&H Academics, 2010), 80.
10. When the Elders Come Calling: The Missionaries-At-Your-Door Approach—Sandra Tanner
1. See at www.lds.org/ensign/2017/05/saturday-afternoon-session/statistical-report-2016?lang=eng.
2. L.L. (Don) Veinot, Lynn K. Wilder, and Cory B. Willson, “Should Christians Confront Mormon Missionaries When They Knock on the Front Door?” Christianity Today, May 2015, www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2015/may/should-christians-confront-mormon-missionaries.html.
3. See at www.lds.org/manual/preach-my-gospel-a-guide-to-missionary-service?lang=eng.
4. For more definitions, see Appendix 2 in this book. Also visit www.utlm.org/onlineresources/terminologymain.htm.
5. Joseph Fielding Smith, ed., Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith (Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book, 1977), 312, 342-354, 370-373. One of Smith’s sermons is published at www.lds.org/ensign/1971/04/the-king-follett-sermon?lang=eng.
6. See Doctrine & Covenants 7:1-3.
7. For example, see Steven L. Shields, Divergent Paths of the Restoration (Independence, MO: Herald Publishing House, 2001).
8. See Galatians 1:7-12 and 1 John 4:1.
9. For more on this topic, visit www.utlm.org/onlinebooks/mclaims7.htm.
10. For more information on the reliability of the Bible, see chapter 3, “Did God Really Say So? The Reliability-of-the-Bible Approach,” by Matt Slick.
11. See F.F. Bruce, The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable? (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1981).
12. Gospel Principles (Salt Lake City, UT: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2009), 62-65.
13. See 2 Timothy 2:23-26 and Titus 3:2-9.
14. For more information on this topic, I recommend Missionary 911: A Guide to Productive Conversations with Mormon Missionaries (Brigham City, UT: Main Street Church of Brigham City, 2016). For more questions to ask the missionaries, go to www.utlm.org/onlineresources/sharingyourfaithwithlds.htm.
11. Sharing the Truth with LDS Women: The Compassion Approach—Becky Walker
1. Zion in Mormonism means the LDS Church on earth.
2. For definitions of LDS terms, see Appendix 2.
3. For more, see chapter 21 of this book, “When Being Good Is Not Good Enough: The Awareness-of-Sin Approach,” by Joel Groat.
4. This is according to one study done in 2002. See Julie Cart, “Study Finds Utah Leads Nation in Antidepressant Use,” LA Times, February 20, 2002, www.articles.latimes.com/2002/feb/20/news/mn-28924. The primary cause for the depression in Utah could be high altitude; or perhaps the strict guidelines in the state’s majority religion is responsible. Whichever it might be, this topic has been widely debated.
5. Polygamous groups hold to the teachings of Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, and John Taylor—the first three presidents of the LDS Church—but are not aligned with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints based in Salt Lake City, Utah.
6. To see a short video about this outreach, see “10,000 Tissues, The Outreach in Utah,” posted on YouTube by “MormonDoctrinedotnet,” October 1, 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvtJvBvbyZE.
7. For more on this topic, visit JosephsWives.com.
8. For another perspective by a woman on how to share the truth with Latter-day Saint females, go to www.SharingWithMormons.com.
12. Preaching from an Asbestos Suit: The Reasoning-with -Mormons-on-the-Internet Approach—Fred W. Anson
1. Since Trinitarianism versus Mormonism’s doctrine of tri-theism is such a common point of discussion, gaining a proficient grasp of the doctrine of the Trinity is essential. While there are many good resources on this doctrine, I recommend James White’s book The Forgotten Trinity (Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House, 1999).
2. Aaron Shafovaloff, “The Creed of Practical Mormon Atheism,” Mormonism Research Ministry, March 14, 2013, http://blog.mrm.org/2013/03/the-creed-of-practical-mormon-atheism.
3. Richard and Joan Ostling, Mormon America: The Power and the Promise (New York: Harper San Francisco, 2007), 249.
4. There are many excellent websites that will help build understanding of authentic church history and doctrine. For example, the sites run by Mormonism Research Ministry (mrm.org), Utah Lighthouse Ministry (utlm.org), Institute for Religious Research (irr.org), and Mormon Think (mormonthink.com) are my favorites. Besides Mormon America as referenced above, I recommend two books by Mormonism Research Ministry’s Bill McKeever and Eric Johnson: Answering Mormons’ Questions (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel, 2013) and Mormonism 101 (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2015).
5. Pew Research Center, “A Portrait of Mormons in the U.S.,” July 24, 2009, Pew Forum, www.pewforum.org/2009/07/24/a-portrait-of-mormons-in-the-us.
6. John Dehlin, “Top 5 Myths and Truths about Why Mormons Leave the LDS Church,” Why MormonsLeave.com, February 1, 2014, www.whymormonsleave.com/top-5-myths-and-truths-about-why-mormons-leave-the-lds-church.
7. Os Guiness, Fool’s Talk: Recovering the Art of Christian Persuasion (Downer’s Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2015), 163. Ellipsis mine.
8. The link I used when I made this argument was Robin Ngo, “Top 10 Biblical Archaeology Discoveries in 2016,” Bible History Daily, December 30, 2016, www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/news/top-10-biblical-archaeology-discoveries-in-2016.
9. See “Revelation Book 1,” The Joseph Smith Papers, www.josephsmithpapers.org/paperSummary/revelation-book-1?p=15; or “The Attempt to Sell the Book of Mormon Copyright,” Mormonism Research Ministry, www.mrm.org/attempt-to-sell-copyright.
10. The link used in support of this argument was Caroline Winter, “How the Mormons Make Money,” Bloomberg, July 19, 2012, www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2012-07-18/how-the-mormons-make-money#p5.
11. According to the LDS Church website, “where Latter-day Saints differ from other Christian religions is in their belief that God and Jesus Christ are glorified, physical beings and that each member of the Godhead is a separate being” (www.lds.org/topics/godhead). This is where an understanding of the basic tenets of the Trinity comes into play.
12. Jim Whitefield, The Mormon Delusion, Volume 4: The Mormon Missionary Lessons a Conspiracy to Deceive (Raleigh, NC: Lulu Press, 2011), 429.
13. Engaging in Gospel Discussions: The Keep-It-Simple Approach—Aaron Shafovaloff
1. For more on these approaches, see chapter 18 of this book, “Extra! Extra! Read All About It: The Newspaper Approach,” by Sharon Lindbloom and chapter 17 of this book, “Let Your Voice Be Heard: The Open-Air-Evangelism Approach,” by Andrew Rappaport.
2. For a clear presentation of the gospel, see Appendix 1.
3. The diversity of thought within Mormonism is astounding. One phenomenon within Mormonism is that of nonbelieving participants, which are those who associate with Mormonism and who defend its theology and culture yet who do not personally believe the core truth claims of the religion. Be aware that while the person may say she is Mormon, you may be talking to someone who is essentially agnostic.
4. For more on this topic, see chapter 3 of this book, “Did God Really Say So? The Reliability-of-the-Bible Approach,” by Matt Slick.
5. A good online resource for this complex (yet biblical!) doctrine is Matt Slick, “What Is the Trinity?” Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry, November 24, 2008, https://carm.org/what-is-the-trinity.
14. LISTEN: The Conversational Approach—Dr. David Geisler and Brian Henson
1. We are referring to groups that claim to be Christian, yet in some way depart from the essential teachings of traditional Christianity, including Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses.
2. As contained in the first four Ecumenical Councils of the Church, and as explained in Conviction Without Compromise by Norman L. Geisler and Ron Rhodes (Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 2008).
3. David Geisler and Norman Geisler, Conversational Evangelism: Connecting with People to Share Jesus (Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 2014).
4. The LISTEN acrostic was first introduced into our second edition of our book Conversational Evangelism in 2014.
5. In our Conversational Evangelism model, we explain that the Christian needs to learn to be like a musician, able to hear the sour notes people are singing to us. Every day in our conversations with nonbelievers, we can train our ears to hear problematic beliefs that others hold, just as we can hear off-key or sour notes in someone’s singing.
6. See Mormon definitions of terms in Appendix 2.
7. See 1 Corinthians 1:18. To contradict literally means to say yes and no at the same time in the same sense. Paul’s point here is that Christian beliefs are not contradictory. The further implication is that we cannot believe that Jesus is the only way (John 14:6) to God and, at the same time, believe that He is not the only way to God. There may be mysteries in the Bible, but never contradictions. God’s truth certainly goes beyond reason but it never goes against reason.
8. For example, Doctrine and Covenants 130:22 says, “The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s.” Thus, man is made in the image of the body of God (Moses 6:9). This is in contrast with John 4:24, which teaches that “God is spirit.”
9. For more on these arguments, see chapter 2 of this book, “Sharing the Reasons for God: The Evidence Approach,” by Sean McDowell.
15. Authentic, Humble Dialogue with Mormons: The Columbo Approach—Dr. Lynn K. Wilder
1. Our family’s story is found in the book Unveiling Grace: The Story of How We Found Our Way Out of the Mormon Church (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2013).
2. Michael Lipka, “Mormons more likely to marry, have more children than other U.S. religious groups,” Pew Research Center, May 22, 2015, www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/05/22/mormons-more-likely-to-marry-have-more-children-than-other-u-s-religious-groups.
3. Aleksandra Sandstrom and Becka A. Alper, “6 facts about U.S. Mormons,” Pew Research Center, September 30, 2016, www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/09/30/6-facts-about-u-s-mormons/.
4. Preach My Gospel (Salt Lake City, UT: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2004), 70.
5. Pastor Jim Caitlin talks about land mines in Missionary 911: How to Have Meaningful Discussions with Mormon Missionaries (Brigham City, UT: Main Street Church, 2016).
6. Adam’s Road Ministry’s “LDS Doctrine Topical Guide” is available online at their website, http://adamsroadministry.com/bible_topic_guide_list/. Also see the doctrinal comparison chart at the back of my book Unveiling Grace.
7. Gregory Koukl, Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2009), 46.
8. Ibid., 47.
9. See Doctrine and Covenants 20:9; 27:5; 42:12; 135:3.
10. For more information, see chapter 3 of this book, “Did God Really Say So? The Reliability-of-the-Bible Approach,” by Matt Slick.
11. See James R. White, Forgotten Trinity: Recovering the Heart of Christian Belief (Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House Publishers, 1998).
16. The Power of a Simple Invitation: The Come-and-See Approach—Dr. Bryan Hurlbutt
1. Jonathan Edwards, The Works of Jonathan Edwards, vol. 1 (Carlisle PA: The Banner of Truth Trust 1834), 119-120. Ellipsis mine.
2. For further research see Whitney Cross, The Burned-over District: The Social and Intellectual History of Enthusiastic Religion in Western New York, 1800–1850 (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1950).
3. This couplet that was coined by Snow in 1840 was approved by Joseph Smith. According to Seventy Milton R. Hunter in a book that was used as a church manual, this “today is still a doctrine understood primarily by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints” and has been approved by a variety of other church leaders, even those who currently hold office (Milton R. Hunter, The Gospel through the Ages (Salt Lake City, UT: Steven and Willis, 1945), 105-106. For more on this, see Bill McKeever, “Does Lorenzo Snow’s famous couplet no longer have a functioning place in LDS theology?” Mormonism Research Ministry, www.mrm.org/snow-couplet.
4. Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith (Salt Lake City, UT: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), 210.
Spotlight Shane Jones
1. For more on this issue, see “Why are Mormons not allowed to drink coffee?” Mormonism Research Ministry, www.mrm.org/word-of-wisdom-coffee.
17. Let Your Voice Be Heard: The Open-Air Evangelism Approach—Andrew Rappaport
1. Listen to the December 15, 2016, broadcast here: www.str.org/podcasts/strask-december-15-2016#.WiwhiEqnFaR. More resources from Stand to Reason can be found at www.str.org.
2. More resources from Living Waters can be found at www.LivingWaters.org. For more on the example of how I think open-air evangelism works well, check out the resources there.
3. For an example of using someone’s name to disarm the opponent’s defenses, see the video “Open Air Preaching with a Demon Possessed Heckler,” posted on YouTube by “StrivingforEternity,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbwL4C9wMXE.
4. Greg Koukl, Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2009), 42-71.
18. Extra! Extra! Read All About It: The Newspaper Approach—Sharon Lindbloom
1. Nauvoo, Illinois, was a Mormon settlement from 1839 to 1846. Today, restored buildings serve as tourist attractions staffed by LDS missionary docents.
2. A PDF copy of the four-page “Temple Square Visitors Guide” is available online at Mormonism Research Ministry, www.mrm.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Newspaper-Square-Project-pdf.pdf.
3. These public events are held for several weeks before a new or remodeled Mormon temple is dedicated. A PDF copy of this newspaper is available online from Mormonism Research Ministry at www.mrm.org/temple-newspaper.
4. The Book of Mormon purports to be “a record of God’s dealings with the ancient inhabitants of the Americas” (Book of Mormon Introduction). For one example of horses in the Book of Mormon, see 1 Nephi 18:25.
5. For more on this topic, visit JosephsWives.com.
6. As described by Christian missionary Wally Tope.
7. The tract was “Citings of Joseph,” 1998, printed and distributed by the Nauvoo Christian Visitors Center.
8. History of the Church, vol. 6, ed. B.H. Roberts (Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book, 1950), 408-409.
9. The four keys: “(1) You are in trouble (Romans 3:23; 6:23). (2) God has provided a Savior (Romans 5:8). (3) Receiving the Savior repairs your broken relationship with God (John 1:12). (4) You must have faith (Romans 10:9-10).”
19. The Miracle of Forgiveness: The Free-Book Approach—Eric Johnson and Randy Sweet
1. Perry cited Joseph Smith, “We Believe All that God has Revealed,” Ensign (November 2003): 86.
2. “Lord, I Believe; Help Thou Mine Unbelief,” Ensign (November 2003): 22.
3. Lengthen Your Stride: The Presidency of Spencer W. Kimball (Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book, 2005), 79.
4. Sara Long, petition directed at Deseret Book, “Deseret Book: Please stop publishing The Miracle of Forgiveness (1969),” www.change.org/p/deseret-book-please-stop-publishing-the-miracle-of-forgiveness-1969. Ellipsis mine.
5. See Eric Johnson, “The Miracle of Forgiveness is now out of print: Why?” Mormonism Research Ministry, www.mrm.org/miracle-out-of-print.
6. Richard G. Scott, “Finding Forgiveness,” Ensign (May 1995): 76.
7. Richard G. Scott, “Peace of Conscience and Peace of Mind,” Ensign (November 2004): 16.
8. Bruce C. Hafen, “Beauty for Ashes: The Atonement of Jesus Christ,” Liahona (April 1997): 41.
9. Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Spencer W. Kimball (Salt Lake City, UT: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2006). Two chapters of this manual per month (the book contains 24) were supposed to be read and talked about in church Sunday school meetings in 2007.
10. See the tract by visiting the website TheMiracleofForgiveness.com. The highlighted portions of the book can be found at Mormonism Research Ministry’s website, www.mrm.org/highlighted-portions.
11. See the bill at Mormonism Research Ministry’s website, www.mrm.org/kimball-bill.
12. This part is cited in the church manual Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Spencer W. Kimball (Salt Lake City, UT: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2006), 96.
13. Gospel Principles (Salt Lake City, UT: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2009), 231.
14. For more on this topic, see chapter 24 of this book, “I’m Trying My Best: The Impossible-Gospel Approach,” by Keith Walker.
15. See a highlighted and scanned copy of what we consider the best quotes online at the Mormonism Research Ministry, www.mrm.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/scan0003.pdf.
16. For example, see Doctrine and Covenants 1:31-32; 14:7; 25:15; 58:43; and 82:7, among others.
20. Website Advertising: The Sign Approach—Rob Sivulka
1. Peter Henderson and Kristina Cooke, “Special Report: Mormonism besieged by the modern age,” Reuters (January 31, 2012), www.reuters.com/article/us-mormonchurch-idUSTRE80T1 CM20120131.
2. Both website domains go to the same page. During the day, I use a cloth sign with PVC pipe on the inside to hold it up; this can be dismantled and is much more attractive and durable than a cardboard sign. During the night, I use a lighted LED sign designed by friend Jeff Baran that simply says “JosephLied.com.”
3. There has been some recent effort on the part of the LDS Church to dissemble the fact that they really teach this doctrine. See “Will Exalted Mormons Get Their Own Spirit Children and Worlds?” at Mormonism Research Ministry’s website, www.mrm.org/spirit-children-and-planets.
4. For a brilliantly humorous cartoon that extrapolates the point further, see “Mormon Secrets: What the Missionaries Don’t Tell,” posted on YouTube by “Saved XMormon,” October 6, 2014, https://youtu.be/-VKT4hrBTuk.
5. “LDS Are Told Not To Research Their Religion,” posted to YouTube by “isthechurchtrue,” October 29, 2015, https://youtube/Qv3UdvcI21k.
6. Robert L. Millet, “Milk Before Meat—But Meat,” More Holiness Give Me (Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book, 2001), 143-156.
7. Discourses of Brigham Young (Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book, 1954), 11.
8. Ibid., 126.
9. Written permission to quote granted by a friend who wishes to remain nameless (December 11, 2017).
10. Written permission to quote granted by Anita Hoak (December 9, 2017).
11. Walter Martin and Jill Martin Rische, Through the Windows of Heaven (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman, 1999), 16-17.
12. For those who want to pursue this method of evangelism, you have my permission to use any of my sites in your own advertising. Bumper stickers with the site’s address are available to order. You may also want to consider creating your own site to advertise.
21. When Being Good Is Not Good Enough: The Awareness-of-Sin Approach—Joel B. Groat
1. Exaltation is synonymous with eternal life. Gospel Principles (Salt Lake City, UT: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2009), 141-142, 277-279.
2. See Gospel Principles, 109-113. For a treatment on the impossibility of forgiveness and repentance in Mormonism, see chapter 24 of this book by Keith Walker: “I’m Trying My Best: The Impossible-Gospel Approach.”
22. Can Something Valuable Really Be Free? The Meaning-of-Grace Approach—Dr. Loren Pankratz
1. While reports indicate that approximately 60 percent of all Utah residents are affiliated with the LDS Church, most estimates show that fewer than 3 percent of Utahans are evangelical Christian. Out of Utah’s 29 counties, several don’t have any Christian churches with Sunday services.
2. See Seventy Tad Callister’s book The Infinite Atonement (Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book, 2000).
3. Preparing for Exaltation Teacher’s Manual (Salt Lake City, UT: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1998), 14.
4. “Adam’s Role in Bringing Us Mortality,” Ensign (January 2006): 53.
5. Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, vol. 1 (Salt Lake City, UT: Bookcraft, 1954), 114.
6. Stephen L. Richards, About Mormonism (Salt Lake City, UT: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1944), 10.
7. Jeffrey R. Holland, “The Atonement of Christ,” Ensign (March 2008): 35.
8. Gospel Principles (Salt Lake City, UT: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2009), 109. See also Robert Millet, Precept Upon Precept (Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book, 2016), 353.
9. Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, ed. Bruce R. McConkie (Salt Lake City, UT: Bookcraft, 1955), 2:10.
10. Adhemar Damiani, “The Merciful Plan of the Great Creator,” Ensign (March 2004): 10.
11. See also D&C 14:7; 25:15; 1; Nephi 22:31; Joseph Smith Translation of Romans 4:16; Mosiah 4:10-12; Ether 2:15; Alma 11:37 and 42:24.
12. This talk was delivered at BYU on July 12, 2011. Text of the talk may be downloaded from BYU’s website at: https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/brad-wilcox_his-grace-is-sufficient/ (accessed September 1, 2017). For a Christian response to this talk along with an eight-part Viewpoint on Mormonism podcast, visit the Mormonism Research Ministry, www.mrm.org/wilcox-speech.
13. Robert Millet, Grace Works (Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book, 2003), 143.
14. Old Testament Student Manual Genesis-2 Samuel (Rel. 301) (Salt Lake City, UT: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1981), 79.
23. Are You Considered as Good as Jesus? The Imputation Approach—John Kauer
1. For more on this topic, see chapter 24 of this book, “I’m Trying My Best: The Impossible-Gospel Approach,” by Keith Walker.
2. John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, vol. 1, bk. 3, ch. 11.2 (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 1960).
3. A temple open house is an event open to the public just before a new or remodeled temple is opened for members in good standing only.
4. In his book The Story of Reality (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2017), Greg Koukl explains that he is “not fond of the English word faith…since it is too easy to mentally add the words blind or leap of to it” (133). According to the early Christians, the word trust is a better choice because “true faith was neither belief without knowledge (a ‘leap of faith’), nor a simple assent to certain truths. Rather, faith was knowledge in motion” (135).
24. I’m Trying My Best: The Impossible-Gospel Approach—Keith Walker
1. Bo Bennett, Logically Fallacious (Archieboy Holdings LLC, 2015), 186.
2. The Miracle of Forgiveness (Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book, 1989), 325. For more on how to use Kimball’s book in evangelism, see chapter 19 of this book, “The Miracle of Forgiveness: The Free-Book Approach,” by Eric Johnson and Randy Sweet.
3. Most LDS source references in this chapter can be found on the LDS Library app available for free on both Apple and Android devices.
4. Aaronic Priesthood Manual 1 (Salt Lake City, UT: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2002), 83.
5. Gospel Fundamentals (Salt Lake City, UT: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2002), 69-70. Ellipsis mine.
Epilogue: Go for It!—Dr. Sean McDowell
1. Michael Hyatt, Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2012).
2. Contact information can be found on this book’s website, SharingWithMormons.com.
Appendix 1: The Gospel (Good News) According to the Bible
1. Used with permission from God Loves Mormons, www.godlovesmormons.com/gospel.
Appendix 2: 101 Mormon Terms Defined (from Aaronic Priesthood to Zion)
1. The first term is generally the more common term. For a more complete list of terms related to Mormonism, visit Mormonism Research Ministry’s “A-Z: A Simple Introduction to Terms Used by Latter-day Saints” by Eric Johnson, www.mrm.org/a-z.