What does Your Church Believe?

A Part of Christianity or Apart?

As much as the Community of Christ wants to be considered a part of Christianity, it continues to be lacking in the essential components. Even though current Herald articles make it appear that the church is now down-playing their founder Joseph Smith, Jr., the CoC cannot be considered Christian as long as it continues to promote his doctrines. Essential Christian doctrine forms the line of demarcation between the Kingdom of Christ, and the kingdom of the cults. Just what are the essentials of Christianity?

Essential Christian Doctrine

• The Bible alone is the inspired Word of God. It is complete, reliable and divine in nature. It is the ultimate authority for humankind; applicable for all peoples and all times.
• God is a triune God — God in three distinct persons — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God is self-existent, eternal, unchanging, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, holy, righteous, and loving.
• God created man in His image. Because of man’s sin in the Garden of Eden, man has lost his fellowship with God. Every person is born sinful, and is spiritually lost.
• By God’s grace, Jesus Christ — who is fully God and fully man — was sent to save us from our bondage to sin. Jesus Christ was born of a virgin, died for our sins in our place, physically rose from the dead and will one day return to judge the world and deliver His people.
• Faith in Jesus alone is the only means by which mankind can escape eternal damnation and judgment.
• The true Christian church, composed of all believers, is God’s ordained institution headed by Christ.

How CoC Doctrines Differ

• Bible disregarded as The Word of God: Church leaders from Joseph Smith, Jr. on down to present day have promoted the idea that the Bible has been tampered with, so is not reliable. This is evidenced in David Judd’s article “Language and Scriptures” (Herald, June 2001, p. 19) Rather than accept the Bible as God’s Word — Mr. Judd asserts that, “It would be more correct to speak of the Bible as words about God or something like that.” I Corinthians 2:9 explains that to the unsaved person, God’s Word is foolishness — that without the Holy Spirit, which comes with Salvation, a person is unable to understand and accept the Bible as God’s Word.
• Extra-Biblical Scriptures: The fact that extra-Biblical scriptures exist in the CoC is evidence enough that the church lies outside of Biblical Christianity. A Christian regards the Bible as the sole reliable, authoritative Word of God.
• Pluralism embraced: President W. Grant McMurray, in his September 2001 Herald article, “Celebrate Our Story” states that “A transformed people will honor its past by creating diverse pathways to faith that will breathe life and freedom into the reflection on God’s word.” The Bible is clear that there are no “diverse pathways” — but that Jesus is the One and Only Way. John 14:6 says, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Acts 4:12 says that “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” True Christians reject any belief system or world religion that does not honor Jesus as the only way to salvation.
• Reconciliation misinterpreted: When the Bible speaks of God’s ministry of reconciliation, it is referring to His work of Salvation through Jesus Christ. Because man lost fellowship with God, God has had to be about “reconciling” mankind to Him. The only way that sinful man can enter the presence of a Holy and blameless God is through the blood of Jesus, and the completed work of the cross. The CoC misinterprets this as a call to embrace all peoples, tolerate all religious beliefs with their diverse pathways to God, and simply live in peace and harmony. The CoC shifts the focus from reconciliation to God through Jesus, to simply reconciling the differences among mankind.
• Jesus’ mission not understood: The CoC promotes a Jesus who came as an example of how to live and love one another, rather than the Sacrificial Lamb who was slain to pay the penalty for our sin, in our place. Jesus not only died for us, but instead of us. A true Christian ministry of reconciliation would be focused on sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ: that all have fallen short and that no one is righteous — and the Good News that Jesus has paid the price for our sin. Through repentance and accepting God’s gift of eternal life — we can become reconciled to God and one day again dwell in His Holy Presence.
• New Age beliefs and practices: The Herald has regularly included articles that reflect the growing trend to infuse New Age practices and beliefs into COC doctrines and teachings. The most telling evidence lies in the course offerings for a recent Congregational Leader’s Workshop. Course titles included: “The Healing Path,” “Reiki Training,” “Moving in Stillness,” “Walking the Labyrinth,” and “The Enneagram.” Each of these course descriptions indicates that they present information and practices that have their roots in occultic practices and religions. The Lord has made it clear in the Old and New Testaments, that anytime we get involved with sorcery and other gods, as in pagan rituals and occult belief systems, it is detestable to Him.
• Ascribing all spiritual experiences to God: Simply because one has a spiritual experience does not mean it comes from the Lord. 2 Corinthians 11:14 tells us that Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. and 1 John 4:1 commands us to not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. A Christian’s non-negotiable Holy Standard for testing the spirits is the Bible alone. God is incapable of acting contrary to His Holy Character. Any belief or practice that does not line up perfectly with God’s Word can be judged to be contrary to God — and therefore detestable to the Lord.

Our prayer for you

The Lord loves you and yearns for you to be reconciled to Him. Our hope is that you will allow Him to soften your heart and open your eyes to the deception that has been perpetrated by Joseph Smith and his successors from the very beginning. We desire you to see clearly how your faith is contrary to essential Christian doctrine. We pray that you will reject the errors of Latter Day Saintism and turn instead to Biblical Christianity. Finally, we pray for and hope for the salvation of each member of the COC. That they would humble themselves before the Lord, confess themselves sinners, and embrace the gift of eternal life — paid in full by Jesus’ finished work on the Cross — and come to know their Lord in a profound and personal way.

Good, Evil and Shades of Gray

Many people in our modern society hold firmly to the belief that God is the source of all that is good in the world. As James 1:17 tells us, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights….” Conversely, many believe that Satan is the source of all that is evil in the world. John 8:44 supports this concept, “He [Satan] was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him.”

Yet do we fully consider the source of half-truths and deceptions? If God is truly holy and perfect as the Bible tells us, then the source of false illusions and chicanery must be Satan. In the apostle Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians he warns us, “…for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.” (2 Corinthians 11: 14)

1 John 4:1 counsels us, “…do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” But, if Satan and his spirit forces are prowling this world just waiting to deceive us, how can we know whether a spirit is of God or Satan? The answer is as close as our Bible.

An illustration in Ephesians about the armor of God points out that our only and best weapon against the enemy is the Word of God. By prayerfully studying the Bible then, and only then, will we be prepared to reject any experience, spiritual or not, and all information, miraculous or not, which contradicts the Word of God. Jesus showed us that we must be ready to use it with authority just as He did when He was tempted by Satan. It protected Him then; it will protect us now.

Please prayerfully consider the contents of this information. It is our prayer that the Word of God will prepare you to discern the false doctrine that Satan lays before you, disguised as the truth.