Fuller President Defends Mormonism

In light of the recent controversy surrounding presidential nominee Mitt Romney’s Mormon faith, Richard Mouw, president of Fuller Theological Seminary, defended the Mormon religion in an article he wrote for CNN and said Mormonism is not a cult (“My Take: This Evangelical Says Mormonism Isn’t a Cult,” CNN blog, 10-9-11). Mouw cited the Mormon religion’s willingness to dialogue with evangelical Christians and their respect for people like Billy Graham and Mother Teresa as evidences that Mormonism is different from other cults that embrace an “us-verses-them” mentality. “While I am not prepared to reclassify Mormonism as possessing undeniably Christian theology, I do accept many of my Mormon friends as genuine followers of the Jesus whom I worship as the divine Savior,” Mouw wrote, adding, “I find Mormons to be more Christ-centered than they have been in the past.” Mouw, who has been at the center of a Mormon-Evangelical ecumenical dialogue for the past 12 years, said, “Those of us who have made the effort to engage Mormons in friendly and sustained give-and-take conversations have come to see them as good citizens whose life of faith often exhibits qualities that are worthy of the Christian label, even as we continue to engage in friendly arguments with them about crucial theological issues.” Mouw’s entire article can be found here:

religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/10/09/my-take-this-evangelical-says-mormonism-isnt-a-cult/