Engaging with Mormons: Understanding Their World; Sharing Good News

Engaging

by Corey Miller

Many people see Mormons as just another branch of the Christian church, and to be admired, perhaps, for their family life, morality and upright culture.

But the theology and spirituality of this cult are very far from an orthodox biblical understanding of true saving faith. And yet Christians are often fearful of engaging in conversations about the gospel with Mormons, knowing that there are suspicions and complex issues that lie beneath the surface.

This short book is designed to help both Christians and whole churches to understand more about the beliefs, mindset and motivations of those who are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints (Mormons), and to reach out to them with the good news of the gospel.

Written at a level that everyone can understand, this book emphasizes the importance of forming loving, honest and open relationships as part of the way we engage with our Mormon friends and neighbors, and with those who may come knocking at our doors.

Genres: Christian, Mormonism, Nonfiction

ebook

Published November 1, 2020

About the author

Corey Miller, PhD, is the President/CEO of Ratio Christi (2015). While he grew up in Utah as a sixth generation Mormon, he came to Christ in 1988 and he has since been a youth and college pastor, a Bible college and university professor, campus minister, lecturer, and first and foremost an evangelist. From 2009-15 he served on staff with Cru's Faculty Commons ministry at Purdue. He is an Adjunct Professor of Philosophy and Comparative Religions at Indiana University-Kokomo. He is variously published in journals. He is co-author of Leaving Mormonism: Why Four Scholars Changed their Minds (2017), co-editor of Is Faith in God Reasonable? Debates in Philosophy, Science, and Rhetoric (2014), and author of Moses, Maimonides, and Thomas Aquinas on the Good Life: From the Fall to Human Perfectibility (forthcoming 2018). He holds masters degrees in philosophy, biblical studies, and in philosophy of religion and ethics. His PhD is in philosophical theology from the University of Aberdeen, Scotland. Miller lives with his wife Melinda and three children in Indiana. He is passionate about defending and proclaiming the truth of the Gospel in winsome and bold ways.

Reviews

[Raegan Watkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve known many LDS members and have become familiar with their faith over the years, but this book helped define some terminology I never got around to learning. It also helped with the history of their religion and how their holy books relate to one another. Great read for these things!

The book also including scriptural references for fundamental theology differences between Mormonism and Christianity from both the Bible and The Book of Mormon! Helpful go-to passages to help prepare for and guide a conversation.

However, the tangible recommendations to engaging with them were a little repetitive throughout the book and intuitive if you understand relational ministry with others.

Overall great short read and an easy starting place to explore their faith!

[Vini · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like how Miller emphasized the need to love the Mormons that we wish to reach. It’s a easy read, not very comprehensive but a good one nonetheless.

[Utah Kershner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating! This book is part of a series. I read “engaging with Muslims” two years ago before leading a summer mission to a Muslim country and remembered loving it and finding it super helpful. So when I saw that there was a version of it for engaging with Mormons, I had to read it. i’ve long been intrigued by LDS theology and wanted to understand it more so that I could readily engage with Mormons if I met any. This book is such a great resource to that end. Corey Miller, who is a former Mormon himself, does a fantastic job of breaking down the primary tenants of LDS theology and comparing them to Christian theology. He also shares practical ways to engage in a respectful, loving way with Mormon friends or missionaries. if you have any Mormons in your life that you would like to share the gospel with, I highly recommend picking this book up. It’s a super quick read and it was quite good.

[Ashley Marshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love how this is truly about engaging and not entirely about the history and beliefs.

I also love how he says a few time..."if you talk to 5 Mormons, you'll likely get 6 different opinions". It can be confusing to try and engage an ever evolving religion and I think its great that he then encourages one to ask lots of questions and learn first.

[Tyler Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was not too familiar with the concepts of what Mormons believed. This helped to give me a perspective that shows they are extremely dedicated to their beliefs but if you can go about sharing the gospel and asking questions in the correct manner their beliefs crumble because they are based on man’s word rather than Gods.

[Daniel Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first two chapters were super helpful to help folks understand Mormon doctrine, culture, and history in a simple way. The rest of the book is good, it’s just very specific approaches to Mormon evangelism.

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some interesting information, but it felt quite negative, patronizing, and somewhat bitter. Trickery is never a way to bring people to Christ, and this book felt like it was recommending this.

[Luke Schmeltzer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A helpful and concise guide to Mormon doctrine and how it differs from biblical, orthodox Christianity, with advice from the author on how to engage Mormons charitably and patiently.

[Daniel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Although I am a practicing Latter-day Saint, I approached this book with an open mind. Unfortunately, the book was very disappointing--not because the author disagrees with the doctrine of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (I had no doubt this would be the case), but because the author so egregiously misrepresents Latter-day Saint doctrine and belief.

The worst misrepresentations were in respect to Latter-day Saint views on salvation, grace, and the Atonement of Jesus Christ. The author either does not understand the doctrine of The Church of Jesus Christ, or he does and chooses to bear false witness.

I found the author's misuse of the story about Stephen Robinson's wife and his misuse of Elder Boyd Packer's parable of the debtor and creditors very distasteful. (In Stephen Robinson's book, Believing Christ, he shares how his wife had a breakdown because she didn't feel that she could do all that God and the Church expected of her. Stephen Robinson uses this story to illustrate how his wife had an inaccurate understanding of the doctrine of The Church of Church of Jesus in respect to grace and the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Meanwhile, the author of Engaging with Mormons misuses the story by utilizing it to illustrate how the "Mormon" understanding of grace and salvation leads to being overburdened and depressed.) (In Elder Packer's parable of the debtor and creditors, he explains how a third party [Christ] pays the entire debt outstanding to the creditor, and that the debtor then enters into a new creditor/debtor relationship with the third party. Elder Packer notes that the third party tells the debtor that the debtor is now indebted to him on terms that he [i.e., the third party] will set. The author of Engaging with Mormons reads into this parable that the terms and conditions between the third party and the debtor are the same as the terms as conditions as between the debtor and the original creditor. Hence, he claims, "Mormons" believe that Jesus Christ has only "refinanced" the debtor's debt. However, no where is this stated in the parable. In his address [https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/s...] Elder Packer doesn't explicate what the terms are between the debtor and the third party. Corey Miller reads into Elder Packer's parable what Corey Miller wants Latter-day Saint doctrine to be, not what Latter-day Saint doctrine actually is.)

For contemporary Latter-day Saint teachings on the subject of grace, see below:

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/s...

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/s...

[Hannah Burns · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very concise and informative little book explaining the Mormon culture and beliefs. It’s especially helpful since the author was a Mormon himself who could give insight into the culture and lifestyle of most Mormons that we could never learn from just reading their scriptures. It is also written in a very easy-to-read language that is very straight to the point while being light-hearted and winsome. Highly recommended for anyone who needs a quick overview of Mormonism before engaging with Mormons!

[Renee Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I saw "Engaging with Mormons: understanding their world sharing good news" by Corey Miller, I knew this was a book I had to read. Talking with LDS missionaries and members is perhaps one of my favorite of all things to do since two sister missionaries showed up at my apartment 4 years ago. And as this friendship unfolded while I listened to their presentations and asked pointed questions during our 5 meetings, my heart shattered.
Miller - a former 7th generation Mormon who became a Christian as a teenager - gives the reader a brief insights to basic LDS history, doctrine, terms, and Mormon culture, and he gives helpful pointers when talking to your LDS friend, coworker, or missionary. To be clear, this book isn't necessarily a "how-to" book, it isn't a weapon, and it certainly isn't meant to be used to "prove" LDS members wrong. Instead, Miller writes for us an "in-what-manner to" kind of book by providing helpful talking points filled with grace, questions to ask in order to clarify, and encourages great listening with gentle responses.
What I found most profound in this book were the excerpts from various Mormon literature, Joesph Smith, former LDS presidents, and notable Mormons and contrasted those with orthodox Christianity. When you look full into the gospel of Jesus Christ, it becomes clear when you are presented with a counterfeit. I invite anyone who has a tender spot in their heart for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and wants to be better equipped to share the hope of Jesus with them in a way they can relate to read this book.
"For the Mormon, the plan of salvation involves a debt refinanced rather than a debt paid (81)...The true gospel is that Christ paid the debt he did not owe because we owed a debt we could not pay" (62)...the Bible substitutes Christ's perfect life for our own imperfect life" (82).

[Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's short, which is good, but doesn't go into depth on the history and issues of doctrine of the Mormon church--there is a LOT. if you want to go deeper into these details, i recommend listening/watching the "LDS discussions" series on the Mormon stories podcast (also on youtube)--these are all done by former mormons who researched history and doctrine (having first truly believed it) and found it was not objectively true based on evidence. Other good resources are the Alyssa Grenfell youtube channel, and books like Passport to Heaven by Micah Wilder (former Mormon missionary) and a book by his mom (Lynn Wilder) "Unveiling Grace." Also see the Year of Polygamy podcast by Lindsay Hansen Park

if you don't have hours and hours to research it and/or don't have the interest to do a deep dive, this book is a great overview with some really good points and tips for beginning a discussion with an LDS friend or missionary.

[Ed Creedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed reading this. Helpful insight into the teaching of the LDS, and great practical and personable advice for sharing the Gospel with them.

A useful toolkit for sharing our faith with those of the Mormon faith, and Corey writes from a gentle and winsome perspective.

[Wood Marshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very helpful to engaged with Mormons.

This book is so good. Very helpful and practical. This book helps Christian understand how to have good conversation with Mormons. It also helps you talk about the hard things without being mean and rude. This is must read for all Christians.

[Marc Sims · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brief, practical book on the best methods for evangelizing Mormons. It isn’t a deep dive into Mormon theology, but leans more into the major differences and how to most effectively communicate and persuade. Loved it.

[Benaiah Neetz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I used this book to lead our small group on a brief and practical way to engage our Mormon neighbors with the Gospel. It is super accessible that almost anyone can pick it up and find it profitable, but also easy to read.

[Bridget · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are looking for a short, concise book that provides some verbiage to use, this is your book. If you are looking for more, this is not your book. That is all.

[Adam Bloch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very quick, easily understood primer on how Christians can speak to Mormons/Latter-Day-Saints about the truth of Christianity.

[Nancy Kendall]

Hoopla (2.5 hrs)