Terry said:
There is a follow up book to “How Wide The Divide” called “The New Mormon Challenge.”
Terry, that’s one of my favorite books. I saw it more as a follow-up to Mormon America, but maybe I’m wrong, or maybe it’s both. In literature aimed at Mormonism, there is definitely a movement within Christianity away from vitriol and invective toward more scholarly material.
I believe there is enough error in Mormonism that there’s no need to make stuff up or sensationalize things. I didn’t read any “anti-Mormon” literature when I was in transition, and I honestly don’t think that material is effective at all.
My conversion happened as I read the Bible and compared and contrasted its message with the claims of Mormonism. I read a few “pro-Christian” books in the process. The few anti-Mormon books I skimmed through always made me feel like I was being attacked. I never had any interest in reading that. Once I found the LDS church to be false, there were a number of issues I had to grapple with, and books like The New Mormon Challenge helped me do that without making me feel insulted for what I used to believe.
It’s my opinion that Evangelicals will move forward with Mormons only through honest dialogue and a focus on the good news of Christ—but I don’t think you need to be told that. You’ve already started an even-spirited dialogue with Steve in another thread. I hope you guys both learn something.
I’m anti-anti-Mormon. If a bridge is to be built, it must be based on facts, scholarly facts, with no secret intentions or jabs behind the knowledge. This book presented the facts, leaving the “guns” relatively silent.
Terry