As evangelical Christians, we often envision discussing our religion either with fellow believers, or believers of starkly different faiths—but what about those who stand in the middle? What does it look like for Christians to engage in interfaith dialogue with those who hold similar beliefs but do not fully align with our doctrine? To delve into these questions, I want to look specifically at how Christians engage in interfaith dialogue with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS).
The LDS church is one of the most prominent religions in America, and is often mistaken with Christianity. Despite LDS being named after Jesus Christ and having a Christology, they are not considered a legitimate branch of Christianity by most denominations of Christianity. There are a plethora of reasons why that is so, with one of the main ones being that the LDS considers the Book of Mormon alongside the Bible to be God’s Word. While they revere the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, they do not believe them to be one in essence, and therefore do not believe in the triune God. It is critical to note that while the LDS church uses language similar to Christianity (e.g., revelation, atonement, and salvation), their doctrine for these terms are different from Christianity’s, making their religion definitively different from ours. While we cannot ignore these differences, the LDS church has an indisputable passion for Christ and the Gospel. How can we, as fellow believers, understand our differences and facilitate dialogue that is both productive and un-relinquishing of our doctrine?
BIOLA X BYU
This spring semester, Biola offered a joint course with Brigham Young University (BYU) focused on interfaith dialogue. The course took place from Jan. 27–Feb. 24 and was co-facilitated by Biola Winsome Conviction Project Director, Tim Muehlhoff, and BYU Richard L. Evans Chair of Religious Understanding, Andrew Reed. Students from both universities volunteered to be a part of the course, where they were able to meet with each other over video conference once a week for 50 minutes, and in person from Mar. 10–13. These meetings entailed brief lectures on communication principles from Muehlhoff and Reed, as well as breakout sessions where students were able to converse and learn about each others’ religious beliefs and perspectives.
According to Muehlhoff, the course was highly rated by students from both universities. They got the opportunity to dialogue with believers not of their own religion, and were able to recognize where the evangelical Christian and LDS beliefs differ.
“We believe at the Winsome Conviction Project, there’s great value to achieving disagreement, to actually realizing where we disagree with each other. So that absolutely happened,” said Muehlhoff.
Muehlhoff—along with the rest of the Winsome Conviction Project—believes that identifying points of disagreement is one of the most beneficial things we can do in situations such as these. Mainly because it is all that we can do, considering how inextricably tied religion is to all other aspects of a believer’s life.
“These are people who are brought up in the Mormon tradition,” said Muehlhoff, “Imagine what it would take for somebody to talk [a Biolan] out of evangelicalism. Yeah, it would probably take a whole lot more than just a five-week class or three days. So we’re laying the communication climate that we can continue to have these in depth conversations”
Due to the brevity of the course, there was not sufficient room for students to shift in their faith or doctrinal beliefs; however, the course remained productive in the sense that it set up a groundwork for these students to have similar dialogues in the future. Rather than these LDS members having to approach future evangelical Christians with hesitancy and worry, they can approach us with a predisposition to healthy conversation. A specific way in which this course opened up a space for students to hear and understand one another’s religions was through practicing the method of the dialectic.
Muehlhoff explained, “The method of the dialectic—which comes from Aristotle—believed you should be able to give both sides of an issue on any issue. So…I presented the LDS perspective of Jesus. I did that as an evangelical professor, and Dr. Reed, my counterpart, gave the evangelical perspective, and then we opened it up to students.”
Activities such as this one gave members of both faiths the opportunity to search and understand each other with intentionality and authenticity. They were able to do so on an even greater level when BYU students, faculty, and dean visited Biola’s campus for three days on Mar. 10.
“There’s nothing like face-to face-interaction,” said Muehlhoff, “So when they [BYU] came here…we went to AfterDark chapel and experienced worship together…and then we went to the fire pit…we were there almost until midnight having cookies, and hot chocolate, and talking to each other… there’s just something about sitting around, unhurriedly processing.”
While much can be accomplished through online dialogue, it simply does not match the impact of meeting face-to-face. When we are able to meet others in-person and sit with their physical presence, something changes in how we view and hear each other. Communication thrives on human connection, especially in the context of interfaith dialogue. So when we exchange religious perspectives in a face-to-face setting, we open the door to greater connection. Moreover, we allow ourselves to see others for who they truly are, and recognize that what we are saying is being reflected onto another human being—a person made in the image of God just like us.
ENGAGING IN INTERFAITH DIALOGUE
This intentional and attentive engagement between different religious perspectives is not something that is reserved for these specific students or this specific course—it is something that each and every Christian should be partaking in.
Interfaith dialogue is a calling of the Christian faith, and it is a calling that can often be neglected. Muehlhoff presented interfaith dialogue as being an irrevocable part of The Great Commission, explaining how if we are to truly make disciples of all nations, then we must reach out to those of all other faiths.
However, there is no doubt that this type of evangelism is easier said than done. When engaging in interfaith dialogue, there is more to consider than meets the eye.
“[It] isn’t just an intellectual debate. [It’s] also a person’s culture, history, and family that we’re sensitively talking about,” said Muehlhoff. “We have to keep that in mind and not be insensitive to what it’s going to cost a person to actually develop ideas that are outside of the tradition of their community.”
In the face of an interfaith dialogue, efforts to proselytize from either side are possible. But we must recognize the gravity of this interaction. Interfaith dialogue is a discussion between individuals whose lives have been wholly shaped and influenced by their faith. Put simply, faith is holistic. That is why we must develop a stronger sensitivity for other ways of life.
In many cases, not only will individuals be wary in changing their faith, but they will be resistant. For the LDS church, this might look like them trying to be included within the fold of Christianity.
An anonymous interviewee who has connections to the LDS church explained, “The LDS church 100% considers themselves to be Christians, and as such, want to be under the umbrella of Christianity, and want to be perceived as a legitimate branch of Christianity…The LDS church pushes back on any notion that there’s a real serious divide between Protestants, evangelicals … and [them].”
TRUTH AMIDST DIVIDE
The question now becomes: How do we as evangelical Christians dialogue with individuals of other faiths without compromising our core doctrinal beliefs?
We must meet others where they are, by finding a common truth between our own faiths despite our significant divides.
“All truth meets at the top,” said Muehlhoff quoting Augustine. “So if something is true, it’s because God has enlightened that community…Our LDS neighbors can get it right, and that’s because of God’s common grace.”
Even though the LDS church observes a faith different to ours, that does not negate the fact that their religion still retains some level of truth. Just because the LDS church has beliefs that contrast with Christianity does not mean that we are incapable of finding common ground. We might differ in how we view revelation and atonement, and we might agree on how we love our neighbor. Rather than exacerbating the divide between LDS and Christianity (or any religions for that matter), let us look to our shared truths and promote productive and inoffensive dialogue.
