Wednesday, September 13, 2006

Greetings From Near Texas Somewhere

Bonus points if you can identify the allusion in the title...

Just a quick note to say that I've arrived in Texas, and classes are going.

The folks that I'm staying with (we'll call them Bonnie & Clyde), would like to be full-time missionaries to Mormons in Utah. I got to see a presentation on Sunday night of their most recent short-term trip to Utah, and also hear a bit about it.

Now for the prayer request: two young LDS men who are here on their mission are stopping in on Friday. Would you join me in praying that what we say while they are here would be pleasing to God, and that He might bring them out of darkness & into His marvelous light?

More later.

Your co-worker in the Kingdom...


Update
I do have a question for those of you who may have witnessed to Mormons before. I'm struggling with how to use a Presuppositional approach when all the terms I would use have different meanings to them.

Any thoughts or suggestions?

8 comments:

Kim said...

Definitely praying about those LDS guys. I came very close to joining that church, and I'm always willing to pray for those who are already in it.

Charles Sebold said...

They rely greatly on your searching your own heart to see whether things are true (you've almost certainly heard of the old "burning in the bosom" they used to talk about). There is a lot of room to work if doubt can be exhibited about whether the human heart can be trusted like that; plenty of people have felt strong feelings pushing them to other churches, religions, or atheism. How does one tell the difference? The Bible itself (even in the KJV, which is their translation of choice generally speaking) contains the doctrine of sola scriptura; that's where I'd start. The sufficiency of what has already been given is key; that's what they have rejected in looking to another prophet and "another testament."

Not presuppositional, but there is now DNA evidence that makes it clear that the native populations of North and South America are not descended from Abrahamic peoples. This flies directly in the face of Mormon doctrine, and while the BYU profs are starting to liberalize a bit to work around this, the missionaries so far have not (at least not as of 2-3 years ago). This may or may not be helpful; I don't know if you want to mix different apologetic thrusts or not.

Charles Sebold said...

Oh, and we expect a report when this is over! We'll be praying.

Chris Pixley said...

Matt-

Any chance you're in Plano, TX?

As far as the LDS issue is concerned, I'd pursue the issue of authority with them. At the end of the day, they'll have to admit that their church is their final authority, not the Word of God, as they would like for us to believe.

Matt Gumm said...

I'm in the Dallas area. Right near 6 Flags themepark. Why?

Nan said...

That's from Veggie Tales of course.

As for the Mormons... a bit of Googling got me only so far. A Reformed Baptist recommended this book but I don't know anything about it. I wish I knew better what to tell you on that score but it's easier for me to think of ways to discuss things on specific issues that arise during a conversation with them rather than just generally speaking.
Nan

jazzycat said...

They consider the book of mormon as a greater authority than the Holy Bible. They could never logically accept and affirm Galatians as being true since it curses any other gospel.

Matt Gumm said...

Nan: the people I'm staying with gave me a copy of that to look at over lunch today.

Thanks for the suggestion, even if it came from a rather dubious (ie, Baptist) source. :)

Jazzy: thanks for the thought.