A Note On Terminology: “Mormon” and “Christian”

This blog is not the place for sectarian arguments; the authors’ goal is to avoid such battles here. Toward that end, we need to explain one rule of usage we will follow: The meaning of the words “Mormon” and “Christian,” at least on this blog. Our goal is to promote clarity and keep misunderstandings to a minimum.

There are two definitions of the word “Christian” that are important to this discussion:

1. One common definition is that a Christian is simply one who believes in the divinity of Jesus Christ as one’s personal Savior and the Savior of all mankind. Arguably, that is the commonly-understood meaning of the word. (A much simpler and broader variation appears in most dictionaries: “One who professes belief in the teachings of Jesus Christ.”) Using either the common definition or its broader variation, there is no doubt that Mormons are Christians.

2. A second definition is important to many people, perhaps especially those who pay close attention to certain doctrinal differences: To be truly Christian one must believe in a particular written creed or declaration of belief, such as the Apostles’ Creed or The Lausanne Covenant. Mormons do not accept everything in both of those declarations. (The difference of views centers on the nature of the Godhead.) That has led many to take the position that Mormons are not Christians.

Mormons find that conclusion deeply hurtful, because their belief in Christ is at the center of their faith. When casual observers hear or read that a particular church is not Christian, to them that means the church does not teach belief in Christ– like Buddhism or Islam. To Mormons, that is a terrible misconception of their deepest and most cherished belief. In this blog’s view, when many other Christians, whether or not evangelicals, describe Mormons as non-Christians, they do not mean to offend. They are simply using definition no. 2 above, and their terminology is accurate.

The problem is this: Many, if not most, people do not make the fine distinction between Christians as believers in Christ and Christians as believers in certain doctrines of creedal Christianity. They think “non-Christian” means “non-believer.” On this blog, we will try avoid falling into the trap of imprecision by using the terms “Mormon,” “non-creedal Christian,” and “Latter-day Saint” to describe members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or “CJCLDS.” We’ll use “creedal Christians“ to describe members of those other denominations who accept a Christian creed. We won’t refer simply to “Mormons and Christians” as two separate groups.

We think this is approach is accurate and inoffensive to all interested in the discussion. On one side, Mormons freely acknowledge that they are not in doctrinal agreement with most of creedal Christianity on certain points– after all, that’s a fundamental characteristic of Mormonism. On the other side, informed creedal Christians do not dispute that Mormons believe in Jesus Christ, and surely do not want to leave an erroneous impression in the minds of casual observers. If you have questions about this rule of usage, please let us know using the “e-mail us” button above.

[tags]evangelicals, Mormons, Mormonism, Christians, Christianity defined, Apostles’ Creed, Lausanne Covenant [/tags]