With his commitment to dialogue, Mouw has “deep understanding” of differences
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01/19/12
Several comments from Fuller President Richard J. Mouw are
included in a recent New York Times article,
“The Theological Differences Behind Evangelical Unease With Romney,” by Laurie
Goodstein.
The January 14 article, exploring why many Evangelicals oppose presidential
candidate Mitt Romney on the grounds of his Mormon faith, discusses the
theological distinctions between Mormonism and Protestant Christianity.
“It is the blurring of the lines between God, Jesus and
human beings that is hard for evangelicals to swallow,” the story describes Dr.
Mouw as saying.
“Both Christians and Jews, on the basis of our common
Scriptures, we’d all agree that God is God and we are not,” Mouw states.
“There’s a huge ontological gap between the Creator and the creature. So any
religious perspective that reduces that gap, you think . . . that could never
be called Christian.”
The article identifies Mouw as having “a deep understanding
of theology as Mormons see it,” given his longtime involvement in dialogue
between Evangelicals and Mormons.
Many do consider Mormons to be Christian, and Mouw describes a recent discussion he mediated among four Evangelical leaders—in which, after two and a half days of discussion, the group was divided on Mormon theology.
“Two concluded that while Mormons are good people, they don’t worship the same God,” Mouw reports. “Two concluded that Mormons love Jesus just as the evangelicals do, and they accepted the Mormons as brothers and sisters in Christ.
“That’s the split,” says Mouw, “and it’s very basic.”
Read the full article here.