Engaging the Scriptures, Engaging the Culture

In Luke chapter 24, after we read the account of the two men whom Jesus met on the road to Emmaus, he was taken to one of their homes and revealed Himself to those gathered there.  He then appeared to His disciples, and he said beginning in verse 45:
45And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.46Then He said to them, "Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day,47and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

Each day, we can make it our goal to gain a greater understanding of who Jesus is...as we appreciate what He has done for us in His death, burial, and resurrection, and as our understanding is opened to comprehend the Scriptures, then we recognize that He has placed a call on our lives to share what He has done for us with other people, to demonstrate His love and to proclaim the hope that comes from knowing Him.  We are called to know and grow in the love of Christ and in our knowledge of the Scriptures, so that by His Word and Spirit, He will shape our lives for service to Him.

As Paul was telling the story of his conversion before King Agrippa, he related that when Jesus appeared to him, He gave him this assignment. according to Acts 26:
17I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you,18to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.'

One of America's leading apologists, whom you hear on Faith Radio daily at 12:25pm on Just Thinking, Ravi Zacharias, had quite an assignment, in a rather unusual setting this past Saturday night.   He was a featured speaker in, of all places, the Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City!    This came after speaking as part of Brigham Young University's "Faith, Family, and Society" lecture series.

According to the RZIM website, Mormon leader Jeffrey R. Holland, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, praised Dr. Zacharias for his “uncompromised witness of the divine and powerful use of the Word of God,” and called him “a dear and special friend.”

Holland explained that “No joint ecumenical statement of any kind is being attempted here” and acknowledged that “there are doctrinal differences,” but emphasized that “We are witnessing a diminution of religious expression that is unprecedented in Western culture and certainly in American culture” and “the very least we can do is know and understand each other better than we do.”

Ravi Zacharias in 2004 became the first evangelical to speak in the massive structure since D.L. Moody in 1899.   On this occasion, Fernando Ortega was the musical guest.  Last time, it was Michael Card who provided music.

In his address at the Mormon Tabernacle, Zacharias read from 2 Kings 21-22 and examined King Manasseh, who led the Israelites to practice child sacrifice. Of Manasseh and other demagogues he suggested, “It is possible for one person to lead millions into untold evil.” Zacharias contrasted Manasseh’s destructive reign with the leadership of King Josiah, who upon hearing the Book of the Law, tore his clothes in repentance and instructed it to be read aloud before the nation.

“We must build our lives upon things that are eternal,” said Zacharias. “Stay with the Word because the Word of God is what turned the heart of a nation around.”

He observed that if we are to impact society, “Our hearts need to be transformed…. We need a new birth,” and continued, “Only Jesus can give you the power to change. Has your heart been redeemed by Christ?”

“Redemption is prior to righteousness. You cannot be righteous until you are first redeemed,” Zacharias emphasized.

Zacharias asked the diverse audience a series of questions and challenged them to make the personal reading of scripture a priority. “Do you know what life’s purpose is? That you may have communion with the living God, your Maker,” he said, and continued by highlighting the sufficiency of Jesus Christ in salvation. “Do you have the Son? We are complete in Him.”

The day before, at BYU, Zacharias stated, “I want to give you the Christian answer to this question of what it means to be human and remind you how important it is that we understand how critical these definitions are,” said Zacharias, lamenting that “the great loss in our time as been the loss of definitions – of good, evil, humanity, sacredness of sexuality, family, and home.”

“If we don’t understand life’s purpose, then all other questions become just footnotes,” said Zacharias, emphasizing that “the intrinsic value of human life comes from being created by God in his image,” and that “ultimate freedom comes from knowing what Jesus Christ has done for you.”

Richard Land of Southern Evangelical Seminary, Richard Mouw, formerly of Fuller Seminary, and Assemblies of God leader George Wood have also visited BYU in the past few months.

In these encounters between Mormons and evangelicals, some of them public and others private, there does not seem to be an attempt to de-emphasize clear differences in theology, including beliefs on who Jesus is. 

Al Mohler of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, when he spoke at BYU plainly said, "I am not here because I believe we are going to heaven together, but I do believe we may go to jail together."  He said that, "I do not mean to exaggerate, but we are living in the shadow of a great moral revolution that we commonly believe will have grave and devastating human consequences."

Mohler said, "I come as a Christian theologian to speak explicitly and respectfully as a Christian -- a Christian who defines Christianity only within the historic creeds and confessions of the Christian church and who comes as one committed to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to the ancient and eternal Trinitarian faith of the Christian church. I have not come as less, and you know whom you have invited..."

Mohler is scheduled to appear at the Tabernacle next month.

Even though it would be very easy to question the presence of such noted individuals in an environment so closely tied to a religion that has traditionally been regarded as out of the mainstream of orthodox Christianity.   I believe that as evangelicals, we should attempt to engage those with whom we disagree. And, it is clear that these gentlemen are intent on sharing the love of Christ and His true, gospel message with those who hold to a different teaching.   With regard to issues such as the family and religious freedom, Christians and Mormons can stand together - and with regard to doctrine,I think it is important to learn about and understand the perspective of people who adhere to a different faith, or no faith, so that God can use us to share the truth of His message.

A couple more thoughts:  Do you understand the deeply held beliefs of other people and are you willing to engage them regarding matters of faith?  We have to make sure that we do not carelessly dismiss the faith perspective of others as being incorrect and make no attempt to humble and gently attempt to discuss our relationship with Jesus.   

And, finally, If you received an invitation to the Mormon Tabernacle to speak, what would be the content of your message?  I think that's an interesting premise, because it could tell us a little bit about what's in our heart and what we believe.  I do think that you always honor the people who invite you to speak and that confrontation should generally not be the ultimate aim of a faith conversation.   That may inevitably ensue, but whether publicly or privately, we are called to be firm in our convictions, persuasive in our own dialogue, but always grateful for the grace that we have been given in Christ so that we communicate with a sense of grace and understanding.