In an effort to emphasize the cultural commonalities between Christians and Mormons, Brigham Young University has invited a number of evangelical leaders to speak to its students. Richard Land, president of Southern Evangelical Seminary in North Carolina, Rev. Albert Mohler, president of Baptist Theological Seminary, and George O. Wood, the general superintendent of the Assemblies of God are among those who have accepted the invitation and have spoken at the university. According to the Religion News Service, this prompted one man to refer to this as “The year of the evangelical at BYU.”
The writer of the RNS piece, Adelle M. Banks, wondered:
Is there a new detente — perhaps more practical than theological — between evangelicals and Mormons?
A better question is, “Should there be a new détente between evangelicals and Mormons?” When we juxtapose the essentials of the Christian faith with the beliefs Mormon’s hold to, we see that there is a wide divide between Christianity and Mormonism. Thus, many Christians believe that uniting with Mormons to “save America” is not the best means to achieve the desired ends.