"Between two worlds"

Between Two Worlds consistently has some of the most interesting commentary and links to some of the most interesting material. Today, among much else, it refers to an important question evangelicals will have to address as the next Presidential election approaches. Can evangelicals support a Mormon?

The discussions about Mormonism and Christianity are going to intensify rapidly in the next couple of years, especially if - as I suspect - Gov. Mitt Romney will be the GOP presidential nominee in 2008. Now is the time for Christian pastors, leaders, and teachers to bone up on the subject with a view toward instructing the church in answer to the inevitable questions that are going to arise. (This topic was a significant part of Hugh Hewitt's plenary address at ETS, where he suggested to the evangelical scholars in attendance that it would be a serious mistake for evangelicals to reject Romney because he is a Mormon--in part because the exact same premises will be used in arguments to exclude evangelicals from the public square. Hewitt also revealed that he is almost done writing a book on Romney.)

For an introduction to the history and beliefs of Mormonism, a helpful place to start reading might be Richard and Joan Ostling's Mormon America: The Power and the Promise. Richard John Neuhaus recently reviewed it, and along the way he provides a helpful primer in his own right.

My own view is that the candidate's theology probably doesn't matter much. The important question is what the candidate will do when in office. Would a Mitt Romney advance policies with which I agree? His Mormonism is no more important in that regard than would be the religious commitments of any other candidate.

There are other posts today at Between Two Worlds about fearing God, not man, a video starring John Piper, Benny Hinn's behavior, a biography of Roger Nicole, a new book about Martin Luther, a new paper about the "emerging church," and so on. If you take the time to look in at it the site is very rewarding.