Authority, Ordinances, and Preparation (Dallin H. Oaks) Part 2

Answering questions by Bill McKeever Gary Johnson deals with 36 commonly asked questions by your LDS friends and neighbors. It's a great resource for Christians want to share their faith with friends and loved ones. Be sure to pick up your copy today at your favorite Christian bookstore viewpoint on Mormonism is a program that examines the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints from a biblical perspective viewpoint: Mormonism is sponsored by Mormonism research ministry since 1979 is a research ministry has been dedicated to equipping the body of Christ with answers regarding the Christian faith in a manner that expresses gentleness and respect. And now, your host for today's viewpoint on Mormonism. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the only true church does that say about your church. Welcome to this edition of viewpoint on Mormonism on your host, Bill McKeever, founder and director Mormonism research ministry and with me today is Eric Johnson. My colleague at MRM we are looking at an article in the August 2021 edition of the Leo holdup magazine. It is the magazine for adult members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

It's titled authority ordinances and preparation. It is by Pres. Dallen H. Oaks, who is a member of the first presidency.

He's the first counselor to Russell M. Nelson, the 17th president of the LDS church and obviously this article is encouraging members of the LDS church to make sure that they are prepared for when Jesus returns. Or you could even say be prepared should they die before he returns that authority ordinances and preparation in yesterday show. We were talking about how he's encouraging members to be prepared, how are they to be prepared they are to keep their covenants faithfully. They are to seek the ordinances required for exultation and eternal life.

It's all about covenant keeping it's all about commandment keeping and this is what he emphasizes in this article will then he kinda switches gears here on page 7 where this article starts under the subheading of priesthood authority in the restored church and perhaps we should explain what that means to a member of the LDS church, you will often hear them use the word restored or the word restoration and as we've often emphasized here. They believe that their church being the only true church is based on this idea that they believe and practice like they believe the early Christian church, the one that Christ established, believed, and practice, not proving that as a whole.

Another issue that that's why they use the word restored when they speak of the restored church or the restored gospel. The restoration there all tied together. What is the have to say about a story that he said took place 30 years ago. 30 years ago I had an experience with how priesthood authority in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints differs from other kinds of authority, the wife of a prominent Protestant minister came to my office for many years she and her husband had served the Lord with great diligence in a Christian ministry.

Now she wanted to join the restored church, but she had a reservation.

She came to asked me why she had to be baptized.

When she had already been baptized a Christian by her minister husband, who had baptized many people in his congregation. She asked are you telling me that my husband didn't have any authority to baptize all those people he baptized the spirit came to my aid as we pray for in these situations. No, I am sure your husband had authority for those baptisms.

I replied he had all the authority his church, his congregation, and the laws of the land could give him. He use that authority in baptizing performing marriages, employing persons for the physical needs of his church building and appointing persons to participate in its worship services, we don't question that authority but we want you to know the different kind of authority, the power God delegates to mortals. She came to me and asked why she had to be baptized, and she had already been baptized a Christian by her minister husband would baptize many people in his congregation. She asked are you telling me that my husband didn't have any authority to baptize all those people he baptized. I have to assume her asking that question had nothing to do with authority. Merely when it comes to his denomination or his church or his congregation or even the laws of the land.

And yet, what does Oaks say he answers it. No, I'm sure your husband had authority for those baptisms, but in his mind. It has everything to do with the authority his churches congregation and the laws of the land.

That's not what she asked. He's not answering properly. The question that is being asked, but here's another problem I have with the story he starts it off by saying the wife of a prominent Protestant minister came to my office now. He doesn't mention who this prominent Protestant minister is all we know from the rest of the story as we read on is that this couple ends up joining the LDS church. But when you say prominent here's here's the problem I have with this. What Christian pastor worth his salt could abandon his Christian principles is biblical principles that have made Christians what they are to join this group which denies or distorts all of those doctrines and principles. See, I don't have a lot of respect for any minister, whoever they might be, who joins the LDS church knowing what they have to give up what they have to deny what they have to do melts in order to become a member of the LDS church now how good were they at being a minister. I have no idea is we don't know who he's talking about.

But here's what's interesting for many years.

He says she and her husband had served the Lord with great diligence in a Christian ministry really served the Lord were they serving the Lord, that Dallen Oaks claims he serves.

Because remember Mormon leaders not only have made it clear that the one they referred to as God the father is different from the God the father that New Testament Christians believe, but their leaders have also made it clear that the Jesus they claim to serve is a different Jesus than the one that we believe so how can Dallen Oaks say that she and her husband had served the Lord with great diligence in a Christian ministry.

If Dylan Oaks was being honest, he would have to clarify what he means by that. And he wouldn't use the phrase serve the Lord, he would have to say something like served a version of their Lord and Christian ministry, but it's not the Lord. Dallen Oaks is talking about. That language is veiled, there's no doubt about it, because what he is telling her is perhaps maybe appeasing to her that she's going to accept it, but when he says we don't question that authority but we want you to know of a different kind of authority, the power God delegates to mortals.

Now he doesn't really come out flat out and say well there's this thing called the great apostasy you really had no real authority. Your husband had no authority be able to baptize, but you have the authority of your church as you said Bill, your denomination, and even the laws of the land, but Mormonism teaches that the authority of Christianity of the biblical Christianity that you and I believe Bill is not God's authority. We do not have God's authority. And so he's he's moving his way around here to be able to talk to this woman and hopefully in it seem like at work. She ends up converting along with her husband to the LDS church.

We have looked at quote unquote pastors who have converted to the LDS church and we've done this on the show to show that well the Christian ministry that they had was not as grand and glorious as the Mormons would want you to think that this was a faithful Christian pastor who all of a sudden decided Mormonism was true. I love to have the name of this person that's been talked about this prominent minister I love to do a little bit of research and often times I have found there's not a whole lot to their previous ministry where they come from a very liberal Christian denomination that may not believe in salvation by grace through faith alone, and the other essential issues of the Christian church. I have a problem because I know what's being said between the lines. How many people are not seen between lines.

What we would hope that a member of the LDS church is seen between the lines because they know the language will easily go on and explain a little deeper what he's referring to when he starts off by saying I explained that what causes us to require baptism for persons converted to the restored Church of Jesus Christ is the need for baptism by the divine authority Jesus gave to Peter and the other apostles. He continues without authority. He told them whatsoever. They mount on earth would be bound in heaven, see Matthew 1619 and 1818, in other words, it would be valid and effective beyond the veil of death to satisfy the requirements of heaven. I testified to her that this authority has been restored and now exists only in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints sometime later both this woman and her husband were baptized. I have known them for many years as faithful members. I appreciate at least the honesty in that sentence were Oaks says. I testified to her that this authority has been restored and now exist only in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. What is he saying he saying that there really is no authority outside the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

If you have any authority at all. It's got to be with in the boundaries of the church, started by Joseph Smith. It alone has that authority ends going back to doctrine and covenants section 1. If the only church with which God is well pleased. Mormon leaders have made that very clear to its membership when they're speaking to their membership but yet we find that when we're talking with Latter Day Saints on the streets or sometimes even in emails. They are very reluctant to be so blunt as Dallen Oaks has been blunt here now. Really, I don't know this story the way he's telling that I don't know if this couple was already going to be committed to joining the church and she just had some lingering questions or was this the dealbreaker for her. We don't know but that kind of honesty I don't often find in talking with your average LDS member, you usually trying very hard to make it sound like were similar in a lot of ways and and that's what I think can be very deceptive and we need to remember this when were talking with her Mormon acquaintances. I think at this point what needs to be discussed is what is it exactly that.

Leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints have said regarding those who are outside of their church because if we want to understand what the position of the LDS church is it's best to cite their own leaders. The ones who have authority since that's the word were using the ones who have authority to speak on behalf of the church know who would that be will, of course, it would be the prophet's ear and revel later, the president of the church.

He certainly has that authority. But even below him you have the first presidency, of which Dallen Oaks is a member. So when he makes this statement that I testified to her that this authority has been restored and now exists only in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Oaks has authority to say that as all members really do because that is an official teaching of the church and the only reason that they have the authority of God today according to Mormonism is the great apostasy and I think if we are going to accept Mormons as Christians there in the first have to get rid of the great apostasy because that keeps us apart from being able to have any kind of fellowship and that story allegedly becomes a part of the LDS movement at the very beginning. If you believe that the first vision really took place in the spring of 1820, but certainly that has become a part of the Mormon narrative all the churches are wrong. Their creeds are an abomination and their professors are corrupt, will going to talk more about this in tomorrow's show. Thank you for listening. If you would like more information regarding his research ministry. We encourage you to visit our website at www.mrm.org you can request your free newsletter is a research we hope you will join us again as we look at another viewpoint on Mormonism