“In a nutshell I have discovered that in places, this book is more Baptist than the Baptist hymnal.”
That’s what Southern Baptist minister Dr. Lynn Ridenhour said to start off his sermon in the video you’re about to watch. And boy did he have plenty more to say about The Book of Mormon. For more than ten minutes, Dr. Ridenhour preaches about the book’s message non-stop. Here are a few quotes from his sermon:
“Just like the Bible, the theme—the central theme—of this book, The Book of Mormon, is the Lordship of Jesus Christ.”
“Take off your Baptist glasses. Take off your Presbyterian glasses. Take off your Pentecostal glasses. Take off your Episcopal glasses. Take off your Lutheran glasses. And come to this book like a child, and read it.”
“While I was teaching, I had a library of over 6,000 books. And of all the books that I have ever read, this book is the most non-sectarian. This book is meant for Catholics. This book is meant for Episcopalians. This book is meant for Presbyterians. This book is meant for Lutherans. This book is meant for Seventh-Day Adventists. This book is meant for disciples of Christ. This book is meant for Methodists. This book is meant for Baptists. This book is meant for Pentecostals. This book is meant for Charismatics. This book we will even let you use.”
Dr. Ridenhour closes his message with the last few verses found in The Book of Mormon. He chokes up as he reads, “And now I bid unto all, farewell. I soon go to in the of God, until my and body shall again , and I am brought forth triumphant through the , to meet you before the bar of the great , the Eternal of both quick and dead. Amen.”
Dr. Ridenhour’s final words in this address: “I got one thing to say about The Book of Mormon: ‘How Baptist can you get?'”
This video came to my attention via the Facebook page, The First Presidency Message published by Ron Wong. Dr. Ridenhour also has his own YouTube channel where the video also appears.
Here’s the video:
The video was originally uploaded on Dr. Ridenhour’s YouTube channel on August 13, 2016. It is unclear whether or not the sermon occurred on that same date or not. My guess is that it’s probably several years older. Also, the congregation receiving this address is probably not Dr. Ridenhour’s personal congregation. From other videos it seems he was probably a visiting speaker in a break-off sect of our faith (probably Community of Christ), but don’t quote me on that.
Other clips from the sermon:
About Dr. Ridenhour’s initial exposure to our faith:
About Dr. Ridenhour’s feelings toward Joseph Smith:
More about Dr. Ridenhour’s feelings toward Joseph Smith:
For even more about what Dr. Ridenhour thinks about our faith, check out these resources:
The Baptist Version of The Book of Mormon, by Lynn Ridenhour.
A Witness of the Restoration, by Keith J. Wilson (about Dr. Ridenhour’s background with The Book of Mormon and his message to BYU Religious Education faculty).
Four Things that Impresses Me about the Restoration Gospel, by Dr. Lynn Ridenhour (audio of an address to BYU’s RE faculty).
