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President Mouw Writes on Mormonism for the L.A. Times

Evangelicals should put aside hostilities in presidential campaign, he writes :: 11/21/11
BG-Mouw

Fuller President Richard J. Mouw wrote an editorial article for the Los Angeles Times that ran Sunday, November 20, titled “Mormonism: Not a Cult, Not a Problem.”

In the current president campaign, “Some voters are convinced that if Mitt Romney wins the Republican nomination, we run the risk of ending up with a member of a 'cult' in the White House,” writes Mouw in his opening. “Many of my fellow evangelicals are especially concerned about this possibility. Some are unhappy with me because I have gone on record as saying that Romney's church, the Utah-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is not a cult.”

In the article, Mouw discusses why he does not believe Mormonism is a cult, referencing the many theological dialogues he and other evangelical leaders have had with Mormons over the years. Mouw emphasizes, however, his belief that Mormon theology should not be “classified as Christian in the historic sense of that word.”

He goes on to note that in the Ten Commandments, God warns us not to “bear false witness to our neighbor”; this truth-telling obligation, Mouw writes, applies to our Mormon neighbors as well.

“We evangelicals should cast aside old suspicions and hostilities and listen carefully during this campaign,” he adds. “I believe we should make our voting decisions on the basis of what a Mormon candidate—or any candidate—actually has to say about the values and issues we all care about as citizens.”

To read the entire article, please visit here.