Heart of the Matter: Where Mormonism Meets Biblical Christianity

LIVE! From the “Mecca of Mormonism” Salt Lake City, Utah – THIS . . . is Heart of the MatterTGNN’s original show where Shawn McCraney deconstructed religion and developed fulfilled theology. . . .

“And I’m Shawn McCraneyFounder of TGNN and developer of the fulfilled perspective—calling people to faith outside of religion., your host.”

Resources and Broadcasts

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“I was a Born-Again Mormon”

The manuscript is available online through a downloadable PDF. Go to www.hotm.tv and you can have the book in your hands within minutes.

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Hey, beginning Sunday, April 4th, KUTR “The Truth” AM 820 will be airing Heart of the Matter from 1 to 2 pm. So instead of sitting on the couch eating potato chips and watching some boring game, sit on the couch and eat potato chips and listen to a boring rebroadcast of me!

No, really, “KUTR THE TRUTH AM 820” every Sunday afternoon from 1 to 2 pm where Heart of the Matter can be heard all over again!

Introducing Family

Well over the years you have met most of the members of my family but tonight I want to introduce you to my eldest daughter Mallory and, “man,” Niklas. Now Niklas is from Sweden and he and Mallory reside there near a forest by the sea. In July they are due to have their first child, which will make me a grandfather! Words cannot describe the joy I felt in my heart when I was given the news. It is an amazing act and fact of God that as we all sit here together, He is knitting together a human being who in the years to come will laugh, think, believe, cry, feel, love, share and wonder about the deeper things of life. I love all three of you very much. Thank you for appearing.

And with that, let’s have a prayer.

PRAYER PRAYER PRAYER

PRAYER PRAYER PRAYER

Perspectives on Church and Religion

When it comes to our topic for tonight, Church, there are a few angles people can take – I can think of five.

1 The first is that all churches, or in this case, all religions, are good and true and correct. It is said with this opinion that we all worship the same God, and so we ought to all receive everyone’s message equally.

I refute this position based on simple logic alone since contradictory teachings cannot all be considered true. And since most religions do in fact contradict one another, they cannot all be acceptable – unless of course, God is contradictory, but then THAT would be non-sensical too.

2 The second thought says that no churches or religions are true, that they all have error and they all fail and they all are the product of human imagination. In the way human beings define church and religion, I would greatly agree with this position. Any and every religious institution has problems and errors, so to call one true is ridiculous and causes people to place their trust and focus in or on the wrong thing.

The One True Church

3 The third position says that there is one single true Church or religion on the face of the earth. It has buildings, and leaders, and doctrines, practices, rites, and rituals that are stamped “of God.” This is what Catholicism, Mormonism, Jehovah’s Witnesses, etc. teach and would have you believe.

4 The fourth position says that some religions have some truth, others have other truths, they all have good, they all help humanity reach God, and in the end, it will all work out – so don’t worry, be happy. While I think it is true that most earthly religious institutions teach some truth, this is not the yardstick by which to tell whether they are true or not. I mean, even Hitler hated Picasso for goodness sake.

Redefining Church

5 The fifth attitude, which I wholly embrace, redefines Church all together. So where we might use the term “church” to describe where we physically join up with a group of like-minded believers, the true church on earth is not defined by race, memberships, or cement and mortar, but by people who are united in

The Difference Between Mormonism and Biblical Christianity

Faith, belief, and allegiance the world over.

In the debate between Mormonism and true biblical Christianity, Mormonism would have the world believe that there is one True Church on the face of the earth, established by Jesus Christ, defined by priests, authority, brick and mortar, membership rolls, and tithing receipts, Bible-believing Christians the world over KNOW that God’s true Church is constructed of believing people, NO MATTER where they attend weekly religious meetings. The differences between the two perspectives result in a wholly different “type” (if you will) of person.

One creates a person whose allegiance is to a religious institution while the other creates a person who relies solely upon their relationship with God. One creates a rigidity of motion, restricting the religious expressions of a people while the other allows God to work with people outside of the box. One creates uniformity, sort of like McDonald’s, where a church meeting in Guam tastes exactly like a church meeting in Massachusetts. The other shares in a universal reception of the Bible but allows for all sorts of divergent expressions to exist.

The LDS Church and the Institutional Perspective

So let’s take a minute and talk about what the LDS say the Church of Jesus Christ is – and what this teaching amounts to in their members – and then what the Bible says ‘church’ is, and how this is generally manifested in its believers. In order to really understand the LDS position on what “the True Church is,” we have to go back to Joseph Smith’s story.

He claims to have been confused about what church or religious institution he should join when he was but a young teenager, and so in search of an answer, went to a grove of trees and asked God:

“Which Church is true? Which is right? Which should I join?”

God, responding to the errant question, told Him “to join none of them, that they were all wrong, that their creeds were abominable, and those who professed them were all corrupt.”

Unlike what the Bible plainly states, God did not say to Joseph there in the grove:

“Joseph, my church is built of believers who know me by faith,”

But instead, Joseph says He affirmed the LDS idea that there was an institutionalized religion that was established by Jesus Christ . . . and that Joseph Smith himself was supposed to restore it to the earth. Therefore yet another false, non-biblical premise was introduced by Joseph that said that Christ’s church is a brick and mortar institution with an associated priesthood authority. The inherent problems associated with this completely man-made position are nothing short of staggering.

Where Mormonism claims that so-called “biblical Christianity” is proven a failure by the fact that it lacks uniformity, unity, and deals with its fair share of financial and moral failures, Mormonism fails to see how its successes in uniformity, conformity, and financial successes feed off the souls of a people trapped by spiritual and religious bondage and deathSeparation from God—now overcome. Physical death remains, but it no longer separates us from life with God.. In Mormonism, the thinking has been done. In Mormonism, the spirit does not work outside the confines of accepted culture. In Mormonism, the Church, the religious institution, the brethren—men—are everything.

Contrasting Teachings on Allegiance

In November of 1857, Apostle Heber C. Kimball said:

“If you are told by your leaders to do a thing, do it. None of your business if it is right or wrong.”

In 1995, late LDS prophet Gordon B Hinckley said, as quoted in the LDS magazine the Ensign:

“Hold to the Church. Do not ever lose sight of the fact that the Church must ever remain preeminent in your lives if you are going to be happy as the years pass. Never let yourselves be found in the position of fighting the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. You cling to it and be faithful to it. You uphold and sustain it. You teach its doctrines and live by it. And I do not hesitate to say that your lives will be richer and happier because of that.”

Let me read how a Christian would say these very same words but with the biblical and therefore the Christian emphasis:

“Hold to the Lord. Do not ever lose sight of the fact that the Lord is preeminent in your lives whether you are faithful to Him or not. If you want to experience His joy as the years pass, hang on to Him. Never let yourselves be found in the position of fighting Him and His love for you. You cling to Him and be faithful to believing Him.”

The Role of the LDS Church in Salvation

Uphold and sustain Him. You teach His doctrines and live by Him. And I do not hesitate to say that your lives will be full of joy and love because of it.”

Within Mormonism, EVERYTHING – and I mean everything is the Church. Let’s take a look at a video clip of a speech the President of BYU Hawaii gave a number of years back. Listen not only to what he supports, but his justification for supporting it. (RUN YOUTUBE CLIP HERE)

Influence of LDS Church Leaders

COMMENT:

How strongly is the superiority and importance of the LDS Church and its leaders placed on Mormon members? Listen up: LDS prophet Harold B Lee said: (Living Prophets for a living Church pg 32) “Your safety and ours depends upon whether or not we follow the ones whom the Lord has placed to preside over his church. He knows who He wants to preside over this church, and He will make no mistake. The Lord chooses whom he wants to preside over his church and he will make no mistake. The Lord doesn’t do things by accident . . . let’s keep our eyes on the president of the church.”

Eternal safety and salvation is explained as being inextricably tied not only to membership in the Church and following the brethren in the church, it is tied to doing everything the Church requires!

LDS Apostle Bruce R McConkie said: “Salvation comes by obedience to the whole of the gospel (meaning, the whole of what Mormonism says). McConkie goes on, and quotes Joseph Smith, saying: “any person who is exalted to the highest mansion has to abide a celestial law (which is only found in the LDS church) then Joseph Smith added, “and the whole law too.” This added line from Joseph Smith caused LDS apostle McConkie to say: “Thus, a man may be damned for a single sinMissing the mark of faith and love—no punishment, just lost growth or peace.!” (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary 3:256) This anti-biblical message is enough to make a Christian die of hypernausea.

Spencer W. Kimball, supposed prophet of the LDS church during my youth, said of the Mormon priesthood which is ONLY available through the Mormon Church: “Men require priesthood for exaltation. No man will ever reach godhood who does not hold the (LDS) priesthood. You have to be a member of the higher priesthood – an elder, seventy, or high priest – and today is the day to get it and magnify it.”

Temple and Exaltation

Apostle McConkie also tied salvation to the LDS temple – which is also ONLY available to members of the LDS church. Said he in his book, The Mortal Messiah: “with temples men can be exalted; without them there is NO exaltation.”

Brigham Young taught that salvation is available only to people who have a spouse by their eternal side – and of course, a spouse can only be at our side if the spouse is sealed to us in the LDS temple, which belongs to the LDS Church. Young said: “If a man wishes to be saved, he cannot be saved without a woman by his side.” (Miracle of Forgiveness)

LDS leaders have even gone so far as to tie salvation to accepting the LDS Church and the founder of this faith, Joseph Smith, by saying: “I know that Joseph Smith is a Prophet of God, that this is the Gospel of Salvation, and if you do not believe it you will be damned, every one of you.” (JOD 4:298)

Joseph Smith himself, said, as found in the History of the Church 6:408-409) “I have more to boast of than ever any man had. I am the only man that has ever been able to keep a whole CHURCH together since the days of Adam. A large majority of the whole have stood by me. Neither Paul, John, Peter nor JESUS ever did it. I boast that no man ever did a work such as I.”

And upon this man’s very person, this religious institution called Mormonism claims it is the ONLY true Church on the face of the earth!

Derived probably from the Greek kuriakon (i.e., "the Lord's house"), which was used by ancient authors for the place of worship. In the New Testament it is the translation of the Greek word ecclesia, which is synonymous with the Hebrew kahal of the Old Testament, both words meaning simply an assembly, the character of which can only be known from the connection in which the word is found. There is no clear instance of its being used for a place of meeting or of worship, although in post-apostolic times it early received this.

Understanding the Concept of the Church

Meaning. Nor is this word ever used to denote the inhabitants of a country united in the same profession, as when we say the "Church of England," the "Church of Scotland," etc.

We find the word ecclesia used in the following senses in the New Testament:

1. It is translated "assembly" in the ordinary classical sense (Ac 19:32, 39, 41).

2. It denotes the whole body of the redeemed, all those whom the Father has given to Christ, the invisible catholic church (Eph 5:23, 25, 27, 29; Heb 12:23).

3. A few Christians associated together in observing the ordinances of the gospel are an ecclesia (Ro 16:5; Col 4:15).

4. All the Christians in a particular city, whether they assembled together in one place or in several places for religious worship, were an ecclesia. Thus all the disciples in Antioch, forming several congregations, were one church (Ac 13:1); so also we read of the "church of God at Corinth" (1Co 1:2), "the church at Jerusalem" (Ac 8:1), "the church of Ephesus" (Re 2:1), etc.

5. The whole body of professing Christians throughout the world (1Co 15:9; Ga 1:13; Mt 16:18) are the church of Christ.

The Visible Church

The church visible "consists of all those throughout the world that profess the true religion, together with their children." It is called "visible" because its members are known and its assemblies are public. Here there is a mixture of "wheat and chaff," of saints and sinners. "God has commanded his people to organize themselves into distinct visible ecclesiastical communities, with constitutions, laws, and officers, badges, ordinances, and discipline, for the great purpose of giving visibility to his kingdom, of making known the gospel of that kingdom, and of gathering in all its elect subjects. Each one of these distinct organized communities which is faithful to the great King is an integral part of the visible church, and all together constitute the catholic or universal visible church." A credible profession of the true religion constitutes a person a member of this church. This is "the kingdom of heaven," whose character and progress are set forth in the parables recorded in Mt 13:1-58.

The children of all who thus profess the true religion are members of the visible church along with their parents. Children are included in every covenant God ever made with man. They go along with their parents (Ge 9:9-17; 12:1-3; 17:7; Ex 20:5; De 29:10-13). Peter, on the day of Pentecost, at the beginning of the New Testament dispensation, announces the same great principle. "The promise [just as to Abraham and his seed the promises were made] is unto you, and to your children" (Ac 2:38, 39). The children of believing parents are "holy," i.e., are "saints," a title which designates the members of the Christian church (1Co 7:14). (See Baptism, Christian.)

The Invisible Church

The church invisible "consists of the whole number of the elect that have been, are, or shall be gathered into one under Christ, the head thereof." This is a pure society, the church in which Christ dwells. It is the body of Christ. It is called "invisible" because the greater part of those who constitute it are already in heaven or are yet unborn, and also because its members still on earth cannot certainly be distinguished. The qualifications of membership in it are internal and are hidden. It is unseen except by Him who "searches the heart." "The Lord knoweth them that are his" (2Ti 2:19).

Attributes of the Church

The church to which the attributes, prerogatives, and promises appertaining to Christ's kingdom belong, is a spiritual body consisting of all true believers, i.e., the church invisible.

1. Its unity. God has ever had only one church on earth. We sometimes speak of the Old Testament Church and of the New Testament church, but they are one and the same. The Old Testament church was not to be changed but enlarged (Isa 49:13-23; 60:1-14). When the Jews are at length restored, they will not enter a new church, but will be grafted again into "their own olive tree" (Ro 11:18-24; comp. Eph 2:11-22). The apostles did not set up a new organization. Under their ministry, disciples were "added" to the "church" already existing (Ac 2:47).

2. Its universality. It is the "catholic" church; not confined to any particular country or outward organization, but comprehending all believers throughout the whole world.

3. Its perpetuity. It will continue through all ages to the end of the world. It can never be destroyed.

An Everlasting Kingdom

It is an "everlasting kingdom."

Now the LDS maintain the idea that Jesus established a church consisting of “institutionalized offices” – you know, “one True literal-under one roof so to speak Congregation” rather than a body of spiritually reborn believers who follow all sorts of organized paths to God. They insist Jesus “organized” an institutional construct that was to carry on as “His Church” until He returns. This model relates much, much closer to the Roman Catholic claims than the claims of those Churches which formed during and after the Protestant reformation.

LDS vs. Catholic Authority

In fact, LDS Apostle Legrand Richards once made a great either/or claim years ago in a book called, A Marvellous Work and A Wonder, which said (and I’m paraphrasing here) “that the true Church on earth is either Catholicism or Mormonism, which ridiculously infers that either the Catholics still have the authority of Christ or, they lost that authority and so God had to restore it back to the earth through one Joseph Smith.” In other words, where the Catholics claim uninterrupted authority to act for Christ through a priesthood lineage which has come down since Peter, Mormonism claims this authority was lost and corrupted, and needed to be “restored” to the earth – and was restored to the earth – through Joseph Smith.

This whole premise is nothing but a big fat straw man, based on a selective and misinterpreted readings from the Bible, and the acceptance of a number of man-made ideations. When Jesus said to Peter: Upon this “rock” I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it,” the Catholics have selectively ignored a truck load of other verses and have purposefully used this line to suggest that Jesus built His Church entirely upon Peter and a line of “infallible” successors. But the LDS, in the shadows of the dark ages, have injected themselves with selective amnesia by forgetting that Jesus also said, “And the gates of hell will NOT prevail against” this church He established!”

According to LDS teachings, the gates of hell did, in fact prevail against the Lord Church, so much so that the true “church” as they have it painted was completely removed from the earth!

The Purpose of Jesus' Church

I would suggest that everyone should ask themselves: “What did Jesus establish when He was on the earth? What did it look like? Was it a formal actual “building” containing ordinances and religiosity and dogma or was it a saving message that redeems people through all sorts miraculous manners, means and ways? Next, shouldn’t we ask ourselves, “Did Jesus fail in establishing this Gospel of salvation once and for all? When He said, “It is finished,” was He kidding? Did the gates of hell prevail, leaving millions of people shortly after His ascension in stumble in the dark until Joseph Smith came along to fix what Jesus couldn’t do Himself?”

I think you should also ask yourself: What would controlling men say God established on earth (to retain power) and what would God establish on earth to save people? Controlling men would tell you that God ONLY operates in this Church, in this way, with these exact beliefs and practices and lifestyles. You must do this. You must be that. You must have this baptism, that ordinance (that only we can give you).

But the Bible says:

Galatians 3:28 “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.”

In Christ Jesus we are all one.