A week of prayer for No. Amer. missions -- Salt Lake and Utah

[MrShorty]

I came across this today about a Southern Baptist minister living in Utah -- not quite sure what to make of it: http://bpnews.net/44307/week-of-prayer-a-heart-for-mormonheavy-utah

 

Maybe it was the "this city is on fire and burning" comment (from one of our occasional summer wildfires). Maybe it is the "convert from Mormonism to Christanity", as if they are mutually exclusive.

 

Just not sure what to make of it, but thought I would share.

Edited March 6, 2015 by MrShorty

[Palerider]

Sounds like he is trying to save the Mormons.

[pam]

I didn't realize SLC was such a lost city.

[Vort]

I didn't realize SLC was such a lost city.

Pfft. How could you not? Look how long it took Brigham Young to find it. (Or to found it...something like that.)

[Jane_Doe]

Good for those people!

 

They want to get spread God's Word and talk about Christ, awesome for them!

 

Ok, so they don't want to accept me as their particular brand of Christian.  That's doesn't bother me: the only person's whose judgement I care about is Christ's.  

 

I also note from their video and a little number crunching that the only people they call "Chrsitains" are Baptists of the Southern Convention persuasion, and exclude Mormon, Catholics, Methodists, Lutherans, Presbyterians, etc.  Oh well.  

[MarginOfError]

Sounds like he is trying to save the Mormons.

 

Aren't we all?

[Pa Pa]

I didn't realize SLC was such a lost city.

I feel lke people's time would be better spent teaching what they believe instead of trying those of other faiths that they are wrong...just sayin.

[EarlJibbs]

"In 18 years of doing this, I've only seen two people convert from Mormonism to Christianity," 

 

It kills me! haha. 

[Jane_Doe]

I feel lke people's time would be better spent teaching what they believe instead of trying those of other faiths that they are wrong...just sayin.

 

I agree with you: to build someone's faith in God you should focus on *building*, not tearing down.  This goes for Mormon missionaries as well as other faiths.

 

I did notice that the OP's article does really say the methodology they are doing, so I can't really say anything about them.  

[Daybreak79]

Right now it seems like the South-West part of the Salt Lake Valley has a lot of "Christian" missionaries trying to save us Mormons. In the community I live in (which has been the top selling area of the valley for about 5 years) I can think of (3) families within about a 2 mile radius of just my home that were sent to our area to try and save us.

 

While their "conversion rate" may not be very high, their presence in shaking peoples faith is high. And I find that more destructive than them getting people to decide to attend another church, because it seems that many who fall away from the LDS church then fall away from God. If someone is going to leave their church (whatever church it is) I want them to still have a relationship with God that fosters growth within them.

 

And while many in Utah are sheltered from some aspects of the world, I have a hard time believing the pastor's statement that "It's so Mormon here, many have never met or heard from anybody who is not Mormon". I've lived in Utah my whole life and have met many people who are not LDS.

Edited March 6, 2015 by Daybreak79

[Palerider]

In the portion of the Bible belt I live in...sometimes the other churches in the area will bring someone in during Revival and talk about the Mormons.

[MrShorty]

This goes for Mormon missionaries as well as other faiths.

Interesting.... I had a similar thought. Is the "angst" (for lack of a better word) I feel at this gentleman trying to "save" me similar to the "angst" that others feel when Mormons assert "only true church" stuff while trying to "save" them from whatever religion they practice?

 

Hmmm....

[jerome1232]

I feel lke people's time would be better spent teaching what they believe instead of trying those of other faiths that they are wrong...just sayin.

By telling someone what you believe, and when they realize it is not what they believe, you've just indirectly told them they are wrong.

Sort of unavoidable. When you are trying to change someones opinion or belief about something, at some point we have to confront that fact that a does not equal b.

Edited March 7, 2015 by jerome1232

[Jane_Doe]

By telling someone what you believe, and when they realize it is not what they believe, you've just indirectly told them they are wrong.

Sort of unavoidable. When you are trying to change someones opinion or believe about something, at some point we have to confront that fact that a does not equal b.

 

Yes, the "this idea is wrong" message will come across regardless.  The "this idea is right" is much harder to convey, and hence deserving our focus.

[Palerider]

In the area where I live a few years ago there was a Methodist Youth Group that planned a trip to Salt Lake City to help save the Mormons. They planned this for close to a year. Summer time came and the day for their trip and off they went. They got into the State of Kansas and the bus they chartered developed serious engine problems. They had to pull off into a town and ended up having to wait for another bus. Finally got another bus about a day later and off they went. Somewhere at the other end of Kansas or into Colorado they had a flat tire. Delayed again. Turns out when all said and done it was the worst trip you could Imagine. One problem after another. Due to time and what not they did not get to do what they wanted when they arrived to Salt Lake. Everyone was so frustrated they couldn't wait to get back home.