A Born-Again, Ordained Jewish Minister in Utah?

What are the odds of finding a born-again, ordained Jewish minister in Utah?

I am that one in a million.

Born and raised in Chicago, I left in 1984 for southwest Missouri, where I enrolled in seminary, earned a Master of Divinity, worked as a magazine managing editor for my denomination, then segued into full-time, free-lance editing and writing.

When a job offer came out of the blue from Utah in 1998, my wife and I could only chuckle and dismiss it. We had nothing against Utah, it’s just that when you’re from the Midwest, considering life in Utah seems farfetched. But when the offer came again, I responded that we would pray, and if our house sold, we would accept.

I figured we were safe because the southwest Missouri real estate market was hopelessly stagnant. The home behind us was typical—on the market for a year, with nary a nibble. So we listed ours about the same time as another neighbor.

Ours sold in one week! When our neighbor’s realtor heard the news, her jaw went slack. So off we went to Utah, where we have lived ever since.

Because our area seems like a Chicago suburb, we flowed right in. Only two adjustments were required: the presence of mountains and so many Mormon churches. It was a bit of culture shock because I never came across a Mormon church in Missouri, instead seeing a wide range of other churches. Here it was just the opposite: Mormon churches dominating, with all others in the minority.

In my younger years, I loved debating spiritual issues and went out of my way to seek encounters. I particularly enjoyed dealing with Orthodox Jews and Jehovah’s Witnesses, allowing them to stay on offense. I’d refute their arguments, then allow them to jump from topic to topic in search of an opening. While this was personally satisfying, eventually I had to conclude my approach was ineffective.

Now living in Utah, you’d think I’d relish a golden opportunity to debate spiritual truth. However, I’m older and wiser now, so have made no attempt to personally engage anyone. Only Mormon missionaries on our doorstep have had to deal with me, though I did turn the tables by going door-to-door, selling a self-published book.

In November 2003 we lost our eldest son in Iraq, and so I wrote: "Rest in Peace: How the Father of a Fallen Soldier Found Peace" (http://www.enduringpeace.com/). Its point is that when you truly know Jesus Christ, you will have supernatural peace that undergirds you through the storms of life, even the sudden loss of a child.

So I spent a year visiting maybe 3,000 homes throughout our area with this message, offering my book, stimulating conversation. Obviously I dealt with many Mormons, having many wonderful encounters, all without the divisiveness of the past. I rejoiced to see the written word penetrating homes that would not have otherwise heard my message.

While I remain circumspect in my personal dealings, I can’t help but react when I see something spiritually objectionable in print. That happened in August 2008, when our local newspaper called national Christian leaders bigoted and prejudiced for opposing Mitt Romney as John McCain’s possible running mate on religious grounds.

I never thought they would publish my guest commentary, and even if they did, I figured it would be drastically sanitized. However, I was wrong on both counts. They even ran it word-for-word. Especially astonishing was their provocative headline: "The Jesus of Mormonism is not the Jesus of Christianity."

Thus, I have created this blog to show you my commentary, the original editorial I responded to, plus the firestorm of rebuttals that followed.

In future posts I will explain more fully how the Jesus of Mormonism differs from the Jesus of Christianity. However, as time goes on, this blog will certainly not be confined to Mormonism.

I welcome you, thank you for visiting, and look forward to your input. Meanwhile, read on to learn how I found Jesus in the first place ...