Evangelism in Manti, Utah

Every year during the month of June the Mormon Church puts together a pageant located in Manti, Utah. The Manti pageant is no small production for the LDS church. It is a live drama depicted on a hill side a little larger than a football field, located on the south side of the temple property. It contains a cast of over 200 people that dramatically reenact a struggle of good and evil, which the LDS church lay claim to be a reenactment of accurate historical account. Thousands of LDS gather to watch this production of Joseph Smith’s early life containing his supposed struggle and pursuit for God’s one and only true church.

Most of the LDS who come to watch this pageant show up several hours early in order to get a good seat on the temple grounds. During those hours of waiting, many wander around the streets or head down to the many venues to purchase food items and LDS apparel. This offers a prime time for Christians to gather on the streets and engage in many fruitful conversations which result in Christians challenging Mormons to research the claims of their church and come to a saving knowledge in Christ. Every year many Mormons come to know Christ making commitments to follow Him, alone. My wife and I had a very exciting trip. We engaged in many dialogues that planted many seeds in the minds of LDS. We talked to a younger gentleman named Brandon, who admitted he could see that there were some definite problems surrounding Mormon theology. Brandon could see how the Mormon gospel was not ultimately good news. We presented him with the simplicity of the real gospel and how rest and eternal life was a free gift from Jesus Christ. We pray that Brandon will be reconciled to God alone! (2 Corinthians 5:20)

A Recommended Read For Any Christian Looking To Share Their Faith With LDS

While in Manti, my wife and I were introduced to a book written by Chip Thompson of Tri-Grace Ministries. This book is highly recommended for Christians who desire to share their faith with Mormons. It's content is laid out very simple yet covers in great depth how to successfully scale the language barrier.
When witnessing to Mormons, Christians soon realize that Mormons use the same terminology that Christians use. But, these terms have entirely different meanings. To the unaware Christian who is new to witnessing to Mormons, this can be very frustrating. I know that when I started out in sharing my faith with Mormon missionaries, the language barrier was definitely present. I was aware that Mormons believed in a gospel entirely different from Christianity, but I was unable to constructively express why. Chip lays out the ground work to prepare you for these sometimes very frustrating times in sharing. The book is extremely fair and balanced. It is obvious that it comes from a heart of love that desires to see Mormons come to Christ. I encourage all of you (even if you are a veteran in evangelism to LDS) to get a copy of this book. Click here for more details on pricing and ordering information.

An Interesting Review On The Living Truth Podcast

Recently our ministry received an interesting, yet far to common review for our podcast on the Apple iTunes Music Store.™ The review went as follows:

“I wonder why so many people, including this podcast’s author, spend so much time attempting to discredit the Mormon faith. What is in it for you? I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and have a very open mind. I can honestly say that I am tolerant of anyone’s religious views, even those opposed to mine. Why can’t the author? Anyone can take any subject and find faults within the recesses of that subject. Do you know how many errors the bible contains? Isn’t it refreshing to have another witness of Jesus Christ-one that has not been subject translation-after-translation? If you are considering listening to or subscribing to this podcast, ask yourself what is in it for Mr. Hoffman.”

There are several things that I find extremely frustrating and interesting about this review.
First off, this reviewers idea that he or she is open minded to all religious beliefs is simply not true. Mormons like to think they are tolerant of all faiths, but when it comes right down to it they are actually only tolerant to those who tolerate or do not challenge their belief system. Many Mormons will repeatedly make this claim of their tolerance and open mindedness. We must keep in mind that it was Mormon founder Joseph Smith who made the claim that God had told him that all churches were wrong and an abomination in his sight. Sounds like the Mormon church is founded on exclusivity and intolerance for churches who are not within the Mormon theological circle.

Secondly, I would like to bring up the fact that most LDS, if not all, are under the impression that the bible contains many errors and cannot be taken to it’s literal message for which it was intended for. At the same time they believe the Book of Mormon is 100% accurate and has not bee altered in the least. Most Mormons are not aware that the book of Mormon contains over four thousand changes. These changes are not simply grammatical changes. They are dramatic changes to the doctrinal teachings within it. Considering that the book of Mormon is a little over five hundred pages would show that there are about eight changes per page. The same cannot be said about the bible. First of all, one must consider that God made a promise to all people who put their trust in God’s word. What is written would not fall to corruption or be altered. Click here for more information on Biblical Accuracy.

Also, we have something for the bible which carries great weight when put to the test against the Book of Mormon. We have original manuscripts. And let’s not forget our finding of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

The last thing I would like to bring to the surface considering this reviewers comment, is my reason for doing a podcast. The reviewer said to ask me, so I shall answer.

Mormons are sincere hard working people who are sincerely wrong. Mormons make great neighbors and friends. They uphold some strong moral and ethical values that we would agree with. But if our good intentions were what was needed in order to save us from sin then we don’t need Jesus do we? In Romans 3:23 it states that all have fallen short of the glory of God. In Romans 3:11 It says that no one is good, not one of us. We don’t meet the standard to be our own savior. That’s why God sent his Son. So that we may have eternal life and live in God’s glory forever. We think Mormons are in need of serious forgiveness of their sins and need to repent of their righteous works. Our mission is not to mock the Mormon church, but rather bring to light the grace and love of the real Jesus of the bible.