Growing up in Utah and not being LDS is, shall we say, an interesting experience. If you're not familiar with the term "LDS," I'm referring to members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, or as they are sometimes known, Mormons. Now, I know where you think I'm going here. You're thinking I'm going to setup the "Are Mormons actually Christians" debate (yawn) or you think I'm just going to trash the LDS Church. I promise, I'm not going to do either.
However, when you're a kid, it doesn't matter that much. You play with the kids in the neighborhood. You ride bikes, play army men or whatever and the thought of "this kid doesn't go to the same church as me" doesn't generally come into play, at least until the adults become aware. I remember I must have been in my early grade school years when I asked one of my friends if he wanted to come to my house and play after school. His response was "My mom says I can't come to your house anymore because you're not Mormon." He was as baffled as I was.
It cuts the other way as well though. Many Protestant and Catholic churches, ok mostly Protestant churches, in the State of Utah feel like they need to "witness to Mormons." This generally involves teaching members of the congregation the differences between LDS theology and what we'll call "classical Christian theology." Once you're armed with the knowledge of these differences, you're told to go hit the street and smack your Mormon friends over the head with Bible and tell them that they're going to hell unless they renounce their "cult" and then preferably convert to whatever your brand of Christianity might be. It's just as divisive as what other folks accuse Mormons of doing.
I was, however, strangely fortunate growing up. "Winning souls for Christ" was never really a huge part of the church I was raised in. My pastor was a very kind-hearted man who loved to talk about ancient and biblical history. He also loved Mormons. Not the kind of condescending "love" that says "I love you, so accept my message and my faith or burn in hell," but actual love. He was always willing, and thrilled, to sit down with any Mormon individual and talk about their faith and ask them what they thought about the things he believed.
Not everybody in our church was thrilled with his approach, but he became a force in the community trying to unite, instead of divide, it's residents. He was even a featured writer in the local newspaper's religion section for awhile. He was ahead of his time. At one point some Muslim residents asked if they could use some of the facilities on the church property as kind of a makeshift mosque. He welcomed them with open arms.
He and I had our differences later on, differences that were so steep that they caused me to abandon my desire to join the clergy and leave the church altogether. These differences were personal, and had nothing to do with the way he treated people of other faiths. However, now I look back on it and I see that I probably didn't give him enough credit for what he was trying to accomplish in the community.
So let's say you're a Christian. Where do you sit? When you bump into a Muslim, a Mormon, a Jewish person, a Buddhist, or even an atheist, what is your thought process? How do you want your relationship with this individual to develop? Do you see this person as a target for a religious conversion, or as a chance for you to make a new friend and learn about their traditions, or even their lack of traditions? I would contend that the way most people would answer this question is the source of a lot of conflict in our world.
We've all been there. You're sitting down to watch TV and the doorbell rings. You get up and answer the door to find missionaries from another faith at your door and what happens? You get instantly annoyed. You may be polite enough as you decline their advances, but generally speaking, that sense of annoyance wins out. Now, do you not think that other people see you that way when you try to smack them on the head with your Bible? Spoiler alert: that's exactly how they see you.
Writers and leaders in the Emergent Church movement have suggested an entirely different way to view "missions." What if, instead of the divisive "accept my faith or rot in hell" approach, we take an approach more like Jesus might have. Instead of Bible thumping, maybe we could say "Oh, you're a Muslim/atheist/Mormon/Buddhist or whatever? Great! Let's catch a bite to eat sometime, I'd love to hear more about how you look at the world."
Now perhaps once your prospective new friend overcomes the shock of not being Bible-thumped, they may actually take you up on it! If they do, keep the commitment, and LISTEN. They'll probably expect a point by point rebuttal, but surprise them! Ask them questions, seek to deepen your understanding of their worldview without having to insert your own. Nobody's asking you to agree with everything they say, but just maybe you'll make a new friend instead of a convert, and when you make a new friend, you can grow together. Can you imagine what might happen in our world, the change that could be brought about by being friends as opposed to adversaries?
In the end Christians are ultimately called to live like Christ, and that means seeking peace and understanding. That means breaking down barriers and serving others, even those folks who are of a different faith than you might be. Think about that next time you start to roll your eyes at someone who is of a different belief or culture.
In the end, I love the way Brian McLaren talks about this. He says that oftentimes when you meet someone of a different faith, the desire is to walk along the path with them and to bring them to YOUR PLACE. That is somewhere you've been, somewhere you feel comfortable, your turf so to speak. Well guess what? Your companion on the path probably isn't going to find that as appealing as you do. Instead, being genuine companions on a journey should take you both to a place where neither of you have been, and maybe where neither of you feel comfortable at first, but it's in that place where you both learn so much about each other and the world as a whole. By undertaking these journeys and seeking to make friends instead of win converts, we just might have a chance to forge a unity never before seen that could be great for all of us!
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