I Love Mormons: A New Way to Share Christ with Latter-day Saints
David L. Rowe asserts that many Mormons view Christian
witnessing as Bible bashing. What Christians need to understand, he
suggests, is that Latter-day Saints are an entirely separate ethnic
group with their own history, values, and customs. Evangelizing
Mormons can be so much more effective if Christians first know,
understand, and respect Mormon heritage.
With helpful illustrations and discussions of Mormon values and
theology, Rowe calls Christians away from confrontational
evangelism and instead suggests active listening and respect as a
way to bridge Christian beliefs and Mormon culture. A glossary in
the back of the book and discussion questions at the end of each
chapter will help readers apply these concepts in their own
witnessing experiences. In the end, Christians will be more
approachable representatives of Christ.
From the Back Cover
How can Christians speak the Good News to Mormons so that it
really sounds like good news?
Wrestling with this and other questions has led Salt Lake City
resident David Rowe to a new way of sharing Christ with Latter-day
Saints. "Mormons are three-dimensional human beings with their own
culture, lingo, and worldview," Rowe explains. In evangelism, our
words will be more effective if we start by learning and respecting
LDS culture. Rowe's keen insights, helpful illustrations, and
practical discussion questions will help readers to build bridges
to Mormon friends and neighbors.
Top Highlights
“Our objective is never just imparting knowledge about God (no matter how ‘correct’) but helping people know God.” (source)
“Impressive attitudes eclipsed impressive arguments. Incarnation eclipsed information.” (source)
“don’t stereotype. Don’t assume you know what your LDS friends believe. Ask them!” (source)
“The prospective convert is told by a Mormon missionary or friend simply to read the Book of Mormon and do what the words say, asking with a sincere heart, and God will answer. But the rhetoric, when decoded, is saying more than the mere words—three things more: (1) if the Book of Mormon is true, it automatically means Joseph Smith was a true prophet of God and the LDS Church is ‘the one true church’; (2) the way God tells you it is true is by a feeling you get called a ‘burning in the bosom,’ which is taken to come from the Holy Ghost; and (3) if you are sincere, God always and only answers in the affirmative—the corollary being that if you did not get a ‘yes’ answer, you were insincere.” (source)
“‘We are a persecuted people’ in the bones of Latter-day Saints. That feeling is still there, showing up in extreme sensitivity to attack in any form. Conversations that include any element of questioning by a non-Mormon, disparaging remarks, jokes that slight them—almost always these will be perceived as a form of attack on them for their faith, as just one more persecution, whether intended or not. That’s why what I often thought was a mere discussion, my Mormon friends perceived as a ‘Bible bash.’” (source)
Product Details
- Title : I Love Mormons: A New Way to Share Christ with Latter-day Saints
- Author: Rowe, David L.
- Publisher: Baker
- Publication Date: 2005
- ISBN: 9781441201461
David L. Rowe (M.S., Ph.D., M.Div.) is a professor and the dean of spiritual life at Salt Lake Theological Seminary. He teaches courses in homiletics and communication, spiritual formation, cross-cultural ministry, worship theology, and biblical studies. He lives in Utah.