An Important Read: Is Mormonism "Having a Moment?"

Is Mormonism having a moment?  That's the suggestion made by a recent Newsweek article entitled Mormons Rock!: They've conquered Broadway, talk radio, the U.S. Senate-and they may win the White House. Why Mitt Romney and 6 million Mormons have the secret to success.  The article highlights the Mormon faith of Presidential contenders Mitt Romney (former governor of Massachusetts) and Jon Huntsman Jr (former governor of Utah) who are rather hesitant about their faith.  Many may recall the troubles Romney had in 2008 when running for President the first time due to questions regarding his faith and the major speech he was forced to give in defense of it.  Similar to what former President John Kennedy had to do regarding his Catholic faith, so Romney had to defend his and at the same time assure the American people that he believed in religious liberty.

But it is fascinating to say the least that Newsweek sees this "moment," so to speak, for Mormonism in figures like Romney and others.  Like most other news outlet, most everything is seen through political, not theological lenses.  The rise of Mormonism in the broader culture is seen in their influence in the political world.  Christians have fallen for this trap repeatedly.

But nonetheless the article is significant and offers a great review of their history, a very brief introduction to some of their beliefs, an acknowledgement of some of their more bizarre convictions and practices, and of course a lot to say about Romney and Huntsman.  It is an important read and something for Christians to consider.  In terms of convictions regarding gay marriage, the sanctity of life, and other social issues, there is a lot that Evangelicals and Mormons can agree on.  But in terms of theology, we must be careful not to see the two as the same.  They reject the Trinity, justification by faith alone, monotheism, penal substitution, and other central truths of the gospel.  So though in some contexts we ought to join our Mormon friends in agreement, we ought to always remember that when it comes to the central issues of theology, the gospel is at stake.

No question the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is “having a moment.” Not only is Romney running again—this time, he’s likely to be competing against his distant Mormon cousin Jon Huntsman Jr. The Senate, meanwhile, is led by Mormon Harry Reid. Beyond the Beltway, the Twilight vampire novels of Mormon Stephenie Meyer sell tens of millions of copies, Mormon convert Glenn Beck inspires daily devotion and outrage with his radio show, and HBO generated lots of attention with the Big Love finale. Even Broadway has gotten in on the act, giving us The Book of Mormon, a big-budget musical about Mormon missionaries by South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone and Avenue Q writer Robert Lopez that, with 14 nominations, is expected to clean up at the Tony Awards on June 12.

But despite the sudden proliferation of Mormons in the mainstream, Mormonism itself isn’t any closer to gaining mainstream acceptance. And nowhere is the gap between increased exposure and actual progress more pronounced than in politics. In recent weeks NEWSWEEK called every one of the 15 Mormons currently serving in the U.S. Congress to ask if they would be willing to discuss their faith; the only politicians who agreed to speak on the record were the four who represent districts with substantial Mormon populations. The rest were “private about their faith,” or “politicians first and Mormons second,” according to their spokespeople.

The evasiveness extends even to presidential candidates. In late 2007 Romney traveled to Texas A&M to soothe evangelicals with a speech that downplayed the distinctiveness of Mormonism. “It’s important to recognize that while differences in theology exist between the churches in America,” he said, “we share a common creed of moral convictions.” Since then, Romney has rarely commented on the subject . . .

 In a vacuum, some people will inevitably conclude that Mormonism is too weird for mainstream America. But just because Romney and Huntsman aren’t making the case for their faith doesn’t mean there isn’t a case to be made. The pro-Mormon argument doesn’t have anything to do with the quirkier aspects of the sect’s history and practices (special underpants, magic spectacles); the accouterments of any religion can seem wacky when scrutinized in the public square. Instead, it centers on the distinctive values and characteristics that have come to define Mormons outside the church walls—in their communities, in their careers, and in the culture at large. Those inclined to think of Mormons as a band of zealots bent on amending the Constitution to outlaw cappuccino may never be convinced. But the rest of us might benefit from hearing the country’s most prominent and influential Mormons tell the truth about their faith: that the distinctiveness of the Mormons is actually the secret of their success.

From here, the author dives into a bit of the history of Mormonism from its founding in New York to the death of Joseph Smith at the hands of a mob, to its relocation to Utah through the leadership of Bringham Young.  But interestingly, Newsweek tries to dive into some of Mormonism's theology emphasizing how it influences their convictions on social issues and politics.  They write:

But the roots of Mormonism’s distinctiveness go beyond the church’s history and organizational structure. They go all the way down to some of the church’s unique theological doctrines. The Mormons believe, for example, in “eternal progression,” which means both that God himself was once a human being and that we can follow his example to evolve into gods ourselves. This progression toward ever-higher stages of divine perfection extends beyond death, continuing into the afterlife.

For Kim Clark, a Mormon and former dean of the Harvard Business School, this doctrine explains a lot about the church’s drive toward economic and educational achievement. “Your whole eternal identity as a person is defined by eternal progression,” says Clark. “We know that…there will be opportunities to grow and learn and become like our heavenly father, to do what he does. That’s a very powerful thing.”

Theological commitments also influence the way members of the Mormon church engage in politics. Members vote Republican in overwhelming numbers. (The McCain-Palin ticket carried heavily Mormon Utah with 63 percent of the vote.) It’s hardly surprising that support for low taxes and a minimum of government regulation would appeal to a community that once endured severe government-sponsored oppression. Congressman Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) sees an even deeper connection between his faith and his economic and political views. According to Mormon tradition, God and Satan fought a “war in heaven” over the question of moral agency, with God on the side of personal liberty and Satan seeking to enslave mankind. Flake acknowledges that the theme of freedom—and the threat of losing it—runs through much of Mormonism, and “that kind of fits my philosophy.” (Although Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has declared, “I am a Democrat because I’m a Mormon, not in spite of it,” his is a minority view among members of the faith.)

On social issues, many Mormons enthusiastically take part in what evangelical activist (and former Nixon accomplice) Charles Colson calls the “ecumenism of the trenches”—the practice of conservative Protestants, Catholics, and Mormons toiling side by side as allies in the culture war against secular liberalism. Still, the differences, and tensions, among the groups are real and deep, and not only because Mormons think of their religion as a “restoration” of genuine Christianity after an 1,800-year apostasy that produced both Catholic and Protestant forms of the faith. The church goes far beyond its comrades in the culture war in holding that an ideal marriage—one between a man and a woman, undertaken as a sacrament in a Mormon temple—is forever binding, with marital vows, and procreation, extending into eternity. This view of marriage motivates some of the church’s most controversial public stands—the most recent being its backing of Proposition 8, the California ballot initiative to prohibit same-sex marriage.

The article then concludes:

Politics—the field with perhaps the greatest potential to change how most Americans view Mormons—has yet to catch up. But while national figures such as Romney and Huntsman are still reluctant to highlight their Mormon faith, other politicians are starting to see their Mormonism as a selling point. Matt Salmon is one of them. After losing to Janet Napolitano in 2002, partly because of that independent polygamy ad, Salmon, a former congressman, retreated from public life for a while. “They put signs up beneath my signs saying ‘Don’t Vote Mormon,’?” he recalls. “If you did that with any other religion, you’d be crucified.” But now Salmon has decided to run in 2012 for his old congressional seat—and he’s refusing to “hide” from his heritage. “Our Mormonism is fundamental to who we are, whether in business, politics, or our daily activities,” he says. “I’ve come to the conclusion that I love to serve and would love to serve again. But if I have to shade over who I am and what I really believe and how I think to be successful, then I don’t want to be successful.

Read the entire article here.


Below is Mitt Romney's 2008 speech regarding his Mormon faith.

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Newsweek - Mormons Rock!: They've conquered Broadway, talk radio, the U.S. Senate-and they may win the White House. Why Mitt Romney and 6 million Mormons have the secret to success
Dr. R. Albert Mohler, Jr. - The Briefing - June 10, 2011 | Dr. Mohler discussed the article on his daily podcast.