A Sobering Encounter

I met him at the book table on the campus of Utah State University where I stood talking with students about philosophies of life and faith as well as promoting my speaking event on campus that night. He was an older student with whom my new book table friend had enjoyed countless conversations about God, Mormonism, and Christianity over the years. After talking with them for a few minutes, I could see they had forged a friendship through their dialogue and possessed mutual respect for one another. 

As we talked, I found him to be unusually well-read and well-versed in the area of historical Christian Church history. I’ve never dialogued with an LDS man who was so curious about church history outside of Mormon Church history. He intrigued me. As we talked, I learned he lives in Manti, Utah where the Mormon Church has hosted an annual pageant representing LDS Church history since 1967. It has been the largest attended theatre performance in the United States. 

Because of this, good-hearted evangelicals trek to Manti during the weeks of the pageant to converse with Mormons who are there to enjoy the show. As I talked with my new acquaintance, it seemed the answer to any of my questions circled back to the Christians he’d interacted with over the years and their arguments. His experience of these people had soured him toward Christianity to such an extreme that we couldn’t move beyond the people to talk about Jesus. Every trailhead seemed to converge into the same place— argumentative Christians make Christianity unappealing to consider.

A PARADIGM SHIFT

One of my Renovaré Institute teachers painted the most beautiful vision of joining others on their spiritual journeys when he said, “Each morning I ask God to allow me to join in the conversation He is having with another.” Exhale. No pressure. Just an invitational picture I was stirred to enter and explore.

When I think about the kind of person I would invite into a conversation in which I’m already engaged with another, it would be someone who is curious, a good listener, thought-filled and not there to fix the one I’m with, but rather to bring their true self to the conversation. To be with us. I would steer clear of someone who came with their arsenal of what’s wrong with my friend’s belief system and determined to argue her/him into right thinking. Yet I would welcome someone who is wise with knowledge and his/her use of it, able to rest in his/her desire to care for my friend while engaging in a delicious worldview conversation.

I doubt the intention of the Christians who have shown up in Manti over the years to converse with Mormons was to leave behind an undesirable flavor. But this has been the flavor which has seasoned his experience to such an extent that all I could do was hold his story for him, and apologize for the ways and means of people who long to communicate that our worthiness is a radical grace given by Jesus alone but seem to instead leave behind an unpleasant taste. 

In one of my favorite Bible passages, Jesus says, “Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness?... You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world.” (Matthew 5:14-15 MSG). 

Rather than an invitation, the man I was blessed to encounter at the book table has obviously felt assaulted and he was skilled at firing back. I empathize with people on all sides of this fence. I know the discomfort or annoyance of being challenged by someone on the other side of the fence. I have been guilty of sprinkling unpleasant flavors as well. I’ve also tasted the pleasure of stimulating conversations about worldview that nourish the soul as well as connectedness.

How might asking God to allow you to join the conversation He’s already having with another shift your vision of joining another on his/her spiritual journey?