Heart of the Matter: Where Mormonism Meets Biblical Christianity

Episode 34: Five Point Calvinism Part IV

October 22nd, 2013

Live from Salt Lake City, Utah, the heart of Mormonism, welcome to Heart of the Matter, where Mormonism meets Biblical Christianity face to face. I'm your host, Shawn McCraney. We praise the True and Living God for allowing us to participate in this ministry. May He be with you (and us) tonight.

Looking to learn the Word of God verse by verse? Go to www.c-a-m-p-u-s.com, and you can choose to hear the Gospel of John, beginning in John 1:1, or Hebrews, beginning at the same. Use CAMPUS to supplement your Christian experience and to enhance your knowledge of the Word. Again, go to www.c-a-m-p-u-s.com for more information.

Part of what we do at CAMPUS is listen to the Word of God put to music. My daughter Mallory, who, before being a Christian, helped earn her way through college singing her lyric-laden songs in the subways of New York City. Once she came to know the Lord, she put her hand to this extremely difficult task of taking entire verses – often strings of them – and putting them to song. To date, there are four CDs with somewhere between 13 and 17 numbers. Now, here’s the deal. If you are looking for pop songs with Christian themes, save your money and go buy something on the top of the Christian charts – yeah! The comparison of this music to Christian chart toppers is like comparing Cash to Britney Spears. Let those who have ears hear.

See, because the Word is complex, this music can be complex while at the same time elemental. These CDs provide exceptional compositions that tap into different musical genres while delivering a word-for-word presentation of God’s utterances to Man. Anyway, they are available by going to www.hotm.tv and going to our store. Each CD is called In His Words, available in volumes 1, 2, 3, and now 4.

If you’re interested in obtaining any In His Words volumes, just go to www.hotm.tv.

The Importance of Love in Christian Faith

Speaking of In His Words, how about a moment “From the Word?”

After a few passes through the Word of God, one thing becomes manifestly clear – we are called to love. We have the basic descriptions of love presented in scripture, don’t we? 1st Corinthians 13 summarizes it well, right? “Love suffers long, and is kind; love doesn’t envy or boast, it is not prideful. It does not behave badly, doesn’t seek its own welfare, is not easily provoked, thinks no evil, rejoices not in evil, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things, and never fails.”

In a perfect world and in perfected people, we would see this type of love present at all times and in all places, wouldn’t we? Obviously, this is not the case – even among believers. How are we to understand the application of Christian love – what it looks like, how it varies from situation to situation? The best way is to examine the biblical models. Many people will promote and call for “love,” but forget it is manifested in different ways depending on the circumstance.

Five Forms of Christian Love

We all know when it comes to parenting, there are times for tender love and times for tough – may the Spirit of God help us discern which is which. I would suggest that, contextually speaking, there are five areas where Christian love is presented in slightly different forms.

First, there’s our love for God. For Him and His ways. This is primary and takes place over all allegiances. The first and great commandment, right?

Deuteronomy 6:5: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

With this first love firmly in place, the second application follows – love of each other. And the first in this category is love for our brothers and sisters in the Lord. I really don’t know any other way to put this than to say that this is absolutely mandatory (which is sort of paradoxical because real love cannot really be mandated, can it?). But until it is genuinely in place (because of our love for God), believers must humbly strive to love each other without fail (because real love never fails).

Speaking to believers, Paul wrote to the Galatians: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such, there is no law.”

Expressions of Love in Christian Teachings

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love:” (with everything after love being a description of such love, including) “joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”

The third expressed area of love ought to be to our neighbors, whether believers or not. And according to Jesus, everyone is our neighbor. But in the case of loving everyone else, new applications seem to apply. In Luke ten Jesus tells us to “love our neighbors as we love ourselves.” Meaning “treat them (treat others) as we would want to be treated.” The old Golden Rule. In this, we hopefully will be “salt and light” to them, “cities set on hills that cannot be hid.” The fourth application of Christian love is a tough one – it is extended to our enemies. Jesus said in Matthew 5 –

“But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.”

I like how Luke adds to the concept, saying:

Challenges of Loving Enemies

Luke 6:35 But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. In the case of loving enemies, we are taken to a place where the love we express to God, in Church to others, and to neighbors has a different application. While our love for God, believers, and neighbors is always completely mixed with Truth, the need for this is especially apparent when dealing with enemies of the cross. It does not mean we condemn, but the highest form of love we can express to enemies of the cross is based on straight-up truth delivered plainly. In our day, such applications of love are often seen as intolerance, but we might see it as much as our being intolerant of a toddler walking out to play on a busy highway.

Summary of the Love Mandate

Love God
Love believers
Love neighbor
Love enemies . . . in truth.

Before we go to our message tonight, I want to take a moment to give you an update on our attempt to return to local TV here in Utah.

On Thursday of last week, I received an email from the manager of the station and almost a simultaneous phone call from the station owners. Both communications let me know, in no uncertain terms, that Heart of the Matter will never return to TV20. In my gentle conversation with the owner, I asked why. The response was that “why” was not something that needs to be answered but just that fact that the decision has been made.

At the time I thought this was really strange, and said, “I respect your right to this decision, but don’t you think that after seven years of weekly programming, of always paying all of our bills on time and in full, and of being a ministry that the Lord has greatly used in reaching the local LDS community we deserved at least an explanation?” All he could say was, “there are just too many problems.” The call ended, and so has Alathea ministries earthly relationship with TV20.

We thank all of you SO very, very much for your letters and prayers and efforts to try and get us back on local television. Your support was very encouraging in the midst of our appeals. So to Gentry, who came up with the idea to put up a link to an on-line letter, and to John G. who made the link happen, and to all of you for your letters, prayers, calls – thank you.

Back in January, I entered into a long season of personal reflection. I have had to shine a strong light on my own motives, my heart, and even many of my theological views. It has, quite honestly, been a season of great spiritual, emotional, and financial trial. What made all of it so weighty was I could NOT, for the life of me, understand why this local TV station would so adamantly and continually reject our outreach to the LDS – especially in light of the fact that we have apologized.

Reflection and Realization

For my attack on the local churches, and changed courses by refocusing on the Mormon/Christian debate. Because it made absolutely no sense to me, I blindly assumed it was a matter of my learning patience, of letting God work, and of waiting on Him to both refine me (and my person) and to move upon the hearts of people who are bent on keeping us off the local television airwaves. I could not have been more blind, or wrong, in my assessment of the situation.

In the end, I wound up being like a guy who cannot believe that his girlfriend does not love him anymore, and blinded by his own vision of what “should be,” is never able to fully accept “what is.” Such blindness can also serve to keep us from seeing or realizing what God has waiting for us just right around the corner.

After hanging up with the owner on Thursday, I entered one of the darkest nights of the soul I have ever experienced. Have you ever had one of these? I go through them intermittently due, in part, to ministry trials and being pruned by God. But this round was horrible as I believed God was indifferent to my existence, that my faith and patience and dedication to sharing truth with the LDS was wasted, and that maybe talking to God was a worthless endeavor – that I should just listen and keep my queries and petitions to myself.

From the heart, and for a number of hours, I was done with trying to work for, or even relate to, God or ANY of the Christians who have so quickly turned against me. It’s not that I didn’t believe in Him or think He existed, it was just I did not think He had any use for me, this ministry, or our desires to reach the LDS with truth. It’s not that I hated my Christian opponents, but that I saw them as members of a giant club with which I could and would never belong. How wrong, how stupid, and how blind I have been to Him and His ways.

A New Perspective

On Friday morning I woke to new light – (praise Him) – and this light has illuminated my path, invigorated our walk, and perfectly clarified what I was too blind to see over the past ten months.

So first, let me say farewell to the owners, Managers, and staff of TV20. I love them and hold no animus at all for their decision. I pray anyone who honors God will have this same heart toward them. I say farewell to all the Reverends, Pastors, apologists and Evangelical congregants who worked adamantly to keep me a negative light – and therefore the show off the air. I love you all, see you as my brothers and sisters, and pray all of God’s blessing upon you in your respective walk.

Lessons Learned

I do this because of the perspective the living God gave me early Friday morning after the dark night of the soul. First, He let me clearly see that a return to TV20 would have never worked. Smarter men and women realized this long ago but I was oblivious to the reality. Let me give you some of the reasons why:

1. First, had we returned, my every move would be monitored and highly scrutinized. I would not have the freedom I had in the first seven years to express myself so liberally (which I think was allowed in the first place because it took everyone by surprise). In other words my ability to make a stand for truth would be squelched with every single “questionable” comment or opinion shared subject to censorship.

2. Secondly, I was reminded that He created me to seek, speak, and pursue the truth – no matter what the cost – and that if we were put back into our former setting at TV20 I would have either had to compromise this part of my nature (and been a hypocrite) or speak the truth . . . and be kicked off the station again and in short order.

3. Finally, He had me look around – through our removal from 20 we were moved to create our own studio, our own church location, and were injected with the ambition to now obtain our own local television channel – a place where we cannot be scrutinized and censored but will be free to speak without fear of repercussion. Not only this, we will have sound, exegetical Christian teachings.

Reflections on Faith and Doctrine

in place 24/7 instead of one hour per week where all we talked about was Mormonism.

“And you wanted to go back why?” He gently asked. I was ashamed. At my blindness, my personal drivers to get back what I thought we had lost, to have my way, and to push for something that was never His will in the first place. He knew all of it – He could see it all, and gracefully, lovingly moved in spite of me.

TV20 has served us and Him in a number of tremendous ways. We praise Him and sincerely thank all who were involved in it ever happening. But standing here today, with His will and ways NOW firmly in view, I cannot image a return to that local station and completely agree with its ownership and management – Heart of the Matter will NEVER be on TV20 again.

Where will it be? Where are we headed? I know, but will not articulate this here tonight – not at this point. But stay with us in prayer, keep telling your friends about the program through social media, and get ready to be in on the ground floor of an entirely new era of Alathea Ministries.

Transition to Alathea Ministries

It begins with an intentional separation from all people who maintain non-biblical appellations present and thriving in American Evangelicalism. It continues with an relentless, crushing presentation of biblical truth for which we will not apologize, and then . . . it is morphing into a diverse multi-faceted collective of people who are just flat out tired of the religious.

Hang on to thy hats, my friends, know He is in charge, and know that while we will never be numerically significant (it’s just not the biblical way) we will prevail in and through His strength and power. So while we see those evangelical leaders and people who are part of the Body and will always love and respect them, we are putting our hand to the plow, and not looking back.

And with that, let’s have a word of prayer.

PRAYER PRAYER PRAYER

PRAYER PRAYER PRAYER

The Impact of Doctrine

While the good news is certainly static and without variable, and while those who believe that Jesus is Lord and Savior, we have to admit, no matter where we sit on theological positions, that the way we are taught to approach and think about God plays a significant role in how we see ourselves both as Christians and as human beings.

What I mean by this is let’s say we take a room full of people, and ask each of them if they believe Jesus died on the cross for their sins. There are people raised southern Baptist, Methodist, Nazarene, and those who cut their teeth in the Holiness movement. There are former hippies from Calvary Chapel, Messianic Jews, and Coptic Christians. All of them say they believe on Jesus AND they really believe it – but my point is each of them would relate to the world in entirely different ways because of how they “see” themselves in relation to Him.

1. In other words, the person who believes (because they were taught this way) that they are a “debased sinner” who must constantly “appeal to Jesus” for holiness and forgiveness will relate to life very differently from someone who thinks they are a debased sinner but Jesus paid for all their sin once and for all and all they really need to do is trust in this.

2. In other words, in matters of religion, doctrine and theology goes a long way in establishing not only an individual’s view of the world, but the view they have of themselves.

Let me say this again:

“In matters of religion, doctrine and theology goes a long way in establishing not only an individual’s view of the world, but the view they have of themselves.”

Personal Illustration

Let me illustrate this principle (outside of the topic of religion) by appealing to a true situation from my own life. I knew two girls from the same grade when I was in high school. One was named Debbie and another was named Lucinda. Debbie was raised to believe that she was all that – and I mean “all that.” Her Dad owned a series of retail stores in Southern California, she lived on the water in the harbor, and at 16 drove a top of the line Trans Am (which was popular in those days so back off sucka). From what I could tell Debbie sincerely believed that the world was created for her use and all things were in

Belief and Self-Identity

She was also raised LDS and had firmly established in her brain that she was a “special spirit sent from heaven to a home of affluence.” I think she thought she was nice looking with gorgeous black hair because she deserved it as a true daughter of God FROM birth. Debbie floated through high school on a cloud, ruling over the highest society of kids and from what I had experienced seemed to have true distain for others of lesser social standing. Here’s my point – Debbie was raised to believe she was special from inception and truly related to the world from this early indoctrination.

Lucinda, on the other hand, sat behind me in chemistry (where I did nothing but draw pictures and talk). I remember hearing around school that she got really drunk and “took on” the entire (or most of the football team) at some kids house a few weeks earlier. Lucinda was sort of a friend of mine and amazed at the story asked her if it was true. She said it was. As our year in chemistry passed, we got to know each other. I learned that Lucinda was raised by a set of parents who taught her that she was nothing – and what I mean by this is she was treated like she didn’t really matter or exist. Unfortunately for her she had an older sister who was the valedictorian of our school when I was a freshman and was now attending Stanford on a full ride scholarship. But Lucinda, it seems, was not cut from the same cloth and instead of trying to meet her parents relentless demands to measure up with her sister, she rebelled, which amounted to her being treated (at a very early age) like she didn’t exist. She let me know that neither parent even recognized her 15th birthday. Just like Debbie, Lucinda, at least up until I last had contact with her, lived up to what she was made to believe she was. The philosophy presented to them “about themselves” – about who they were – became a map of sorts on how they both viewed both the God, the world, themselves, and the purpose of life.

Calvinism and Mormonism

We are just beginning to enter into two philosophies of religion – Calvinism and Mormonism. As a summary of the teachings of CALVINISM we have what we call, TULIP, an acronym with the T standing for Total Depravity. Conversely, Mormonism teaches that every single human being, when born, is a Child of God. These two positions truly stand at opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to explaining where fallen human beings stand at birth in relation to God.

Understanding Total Depravity

Let me talk first about the notion of Total Depravity, which is typically misunderstood – even by many professing five point Calvinists. The reason that it gets so confused is the two words – “total” and “depravity” – make it sound like Calvinists believe that all human beings are wholly, abjectly, grossly depraved, like the most heinous serial child torturers on earth. This is not the meaning. Total Depravity does not mean that men and women are “as bad as they can possibly be,” which the term “total depravity” intimates. Nor does Calvinism teach that it is virtually impossible for unsaved people to do good things. It merely means that every facet of the human personality is corrupt and at odds with the purposes of Deity. In other words, “Total Depravity” is not absolute depravity. If absolute depravity was the case then we would all be acting absolutely and completely depraved in everything we do. This is neither the reality nor the Reformed position. “Total Depravity” means that from God’s perspective “Good cannot truly be seen as Good” unless it comes from the hands of someone doing His will from a regenerated heart. Therefore, even if an unsaved man is helping a little old lady across the street, the act, while not totally depraved, is of no virtue because it is being done by “tainted hands,” so to speak.

The Heidelberg Catechism

The Heidelberg Catechism (which is a document created in Heidelberg Germany that serves to instruct people who embrace Reformed theology on what it believes) makes it clear that good works are “only those which are done from true faith, according to the law of God, and to His glory.” I think we could interpret this to mean that non-Christians can do “relative good works” (meaning they are good relative to this fallen world and how it operates and runs) but they are not capable of doing

Understanding Total Depravity and its Implications

anything of merit when it comes to pleasing or impressing God.

Since Adam was created in God’s image (three parts in one man) and then, because of sin died spiritually, he and those who come after him are NOT spiritually inclined from their fallen state. We have nothing in the remaining operating parts of our person that seeks God and if left to our own natural devices (without God’s influences) no one would seek to pursue or please Him. So this is the view – unsaved human beings are incapable of doing “good” without the influences of God first drawing them. Of all the Five Points I tend to agree with Total Depravity most.

As a result of this teaching (which as I said has been greatly misunderstood over the centuries by pastor and believer alike) there have been some really heinous approaches to reaching “the lost.” We still see it today when zealous and fervent believers hold signs on street corners that tell the world they are depraved sinners headed for hell. I would suggest that this type of appeal is at odds with the New Testament overall description of the Good News.

Being raised on the idea of Total Depravity, and retaining elements of the teaching in our persons have caused many Christians to walk about, head lowered, repeating like a mantra, “I’m just a sinner. I’m just a sinner.” And they often live up to their self-description.

Contrasting Perspectives

On the other hand, and in the face of Five Point Calvinism, Joseph Smith introduced another world view (which stands counter to a contextual understanding of the Bible). He told people that they were born CHILDREN OF GOD. They are not depraved at birth, and unable to relate or desire spiritual things, but they are innately the offspring of God, and are entitled to His throne so long as they live up to their heritage. Often, and admittedly, the end results are as polarized as the lives and actions of Debbie and Lucinda.

Here’s the troubling and difficult reality however, in light of biblical Christianity – and especially in light of what Jesus said and taught. Those who are accomplished, and good, and avoid the mistakes that come from possessing a low self esteem are often the last to see the real need for Him.

So by comparison, where Smith’s approach creates what the world would say are far “better” products, Calvin’s total depravity is much closer to the mark, ultimately serving to bring many more to the throne of Grace than Smith. This is the diabolical thing about what Joseph Smith introduced. In my opinion, when it comes to my old school mates becoming Christian, Lucinda wins hands down because at least she has reason to seek for forgiveness – whereas Debbie probably would have a tough time trying to really love Him – as she would be far too busy honoring herself.

God's Call to Humanity

And yet where Smith’s ideas are certainly errant, and do far more to keep people from the cross than the biblical truth of spiritual depravity existing in all of us, Calvinism’s total depravity, in my opinion, fails in this way:

Yes, all humankind is born spiritually dead, and yes, there is not one person on earth who would ever choose God over their own desires, and yes, the only reason ANYONE seeks God at all is because He calls them. He does call – constantly – to all, in a number of various and different ways. The Calvinist position says this call is only to some, and that it is this specific call that makes a person a Christian. I would disagree. He calls (and is calling) and BECAUSE He calls in so many constant and numerous ways, every individual chooses to hear . . . or not.

We’ll talk more about this next week.

Let’s open up the phone lines:

(801)

Reflections on Mormonism

One of the amazing things about Mormonism is they have never been shy about supplying the world with answers to some of life’s more troubling topics. When I was twelve years old our Prophet was Harold B. Lee (who I have later learned (from reading a well-written biography on David O McKay) was a real piece of work. Anyway, when I was twelve I thought he was the bomb.

As Prophet he wrote a book titled, Decisions for Successful Living.

Listen to what the LDS prophet said: “The privilege of obtaining a mortal body on this earth is seemingly so priceless that those in the spirit world, even though unfaithful or not valiant, were undoubtedly permitted to take mortal bodies although under penalty of racial or physical

Perspectives on Limitations and Faith

“or nationalistic limitations.” (Harold B. Lee, Decisions for Successful Living, pp. 165).

Know what he is saying here?

That people who born with what Lee called “Racial Limitations,” or people born with “birth defects or physical or emotional or psychological or intellectual limitations” or people born with what he called “Nationalistic Limitations” (meaning they were not White Healthy North Americans) were born that way (penalized) because they were unfaithful or NOT valiant in the LDS fictional pre-mortal life!

Can you believe it? Imagine if you were faithful to old Harold B Lee and read this book and then gave birth to a child without a foot. The rest of your kids are healthy but the footless one would be raised by parents who automatically believed the child deserved the disability from actions taken before they were born.

Understanding Disabilities in a Biblical Context

How about a Biblical reason? The Fall? That God allows all of us to be born for His glory? That the MOST valiant souls may bear the greatest burdens?

Reflecting on Future Teachings

But the real question we’ve gotta ask is what are the modern LDS Prophet and Apostles saying that in 40 years will be just laughable? Tank about it