http://media.www.dailylobo.com/media/storage/paper344/news/2008/09/09/News/Christian.Fraternity.Turns.Away.Mormon-3421321.shtml
The University of New Mexico chapter of Kappa Upsilon Chi turned away John Bundy because he was LDS and not "Christian".
"The basic requirement for members is that they have faith in Jesus Christ as their savior and they follow Biblical theology," [Mark] Nelson said. "We follow the Bible alone as scripture. The (Church of Latter Day Saints) follows the Bible as well as the Book of Mormon."
"Brent Webster, head of the national chapter of Kappa Upsilon Chi, said the UNM branch was right in its actions.'The statement of beliefs is what we ask every member to agree to be part of the organization,' he said. 'We require people not only to believe in those but also to be pursuing a relationship with Christ.'
Webster said Mormons do not fit these requirements, but Baptists, Catholics and Methodists do.
'What Mormons believe is not a traditional Christian belief,' he said. 'We have different Christian denominations in our fraternity. There are doctrinal differences between the denominations, but we hold the same traditional beliefs.'"
Personally I am disappointed that an organization would have such an outdated viewpoint and not stand corrected by someone. Hopefully the example of members of the church and their efforts to combat this label succeed in changing these views.
In my classic style, I found Mr Nelson's email address (I'm still looking for one for Brent Webster) and sent him the following email:
Dear Mr Nelson,
I was very disappointed to see that your organization “the UNM chapter of Kappa Upsilon Chi” refused admittance to a potential member based solely on the fact that he is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Views such as these are extremely outdated and don’t benefit anyone.
There have been significant advances in communication between denominations. While I will not downplay the fact that “Mormons” follow a strictly 1st century line of Christianity while “other Christians” follow a modified 4th century and later versions of Christianity, the basic tenants are the same. It’s a shame that this is not recognized.
How can you say you follow the Jesus of the bible and not allow all who profess to follow him full fellowship in your organization? You claim to follow the same Jesus who communed with the Samarian woman at the well in spite of her being Samarian? The same Jesus who taught the parable of the good Samaritan? The same Jesus who called Saul of Tarsus, the great Christian persecutor, to follow him and preach his word? If Jesus could open his heart and ministry to these people who did not share in his gospel, why can’t you?
If excluding people who accept Jesus Christ as their savior from participation in a group meant to serve the world and praise his name is what it means to be a Christian to you, then I count myself lucky that you do not consider me to be one of you.
May the Lord open your hearts and minds to accept all those who seek for Christ.
Sincerely,
PLEASE email Mr Nelson YOUR thoughts at: rnelson1@unm.edu
I sent this email to him:
ReplyDelete"Dear Mr. Nelson -
I was disappointed to see that your chapter of Kappa Upsilon Chi turned away a Mormon on the grounds that he is not considered Christian (or, sufficiently Christian). You said that '"The basic requirement for members is that they have faith in Jesus Christ as their savior and they follow Biblical theology," Nelson said. "We follow the Bible alone as scripture. The (Church of Latter Day Saints [the actual name of the church is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]) follows the Bible as well as the Book of Mormon."'
I have no doubt that you could write a statement of beliefs which could include Catholics and Protestants but exclude Mormons. What Catholics and Protestants share is a version of Christianity which has been passed through the lens of Greek Philosophy. First Christianity was Platonized (notably by St. Augustine) and later Aristotelianized (by St. Thomas Aquinas); and in both cases you get a body of doctrine which commits itself to a variety of metaphysical views which are not explicitly endorsed by Jesus or the apostles (the Doctrine of the Trinity, as it is currently understood, is an example). Mormons do not share this committment to the authority of Greek Philosophy. But why should the question of who counts as Christian turn on whether one believes in a Hellenized version of Christianity? I readily admit that Mormons have many views which are different from those found in Catholic and Protestant churches, but I would imagine that there is a very large range of views endorsed by people within these traditions. Is the label "Christian" too narrow to include someone who sincerely believes in the Christ of the Bible and strives to serve Him? Again, Mormons believe in scriptures in addition to those in the Bible, but let's not forget that Catholics and Protestants do not agree on which books should get into the Bible (i.e., they believe in different canons).
In any case, to the extent that the young LDS man who applied does want to serve Christ alongside Christians of other denominations, I hope you will allow him to have that opportunity.
Sincerely,"
Both were well said!
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