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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
a useful guide on how to defend real Christianity from counterfeits, October 10, 2010
This review is from: Reasoning from the Scriptures with the Mormons (Paperback)
First of all, I would like to say that I am not a fan of "how to witness" handbooks, because, during many years of witnessing to cultists, I have seen quite a few people relying totally on this kind of guides and completely neglecting the most important weapons in the arsenal of a Christian witness: prayer and the power of the Holy spirit. Only the Holy Spirit can free cultists from the power of Satan and lead them to the real Jesus.
Having said that, I feel that it is essential for Christians to get as much information as possible before witnessing, and this book could just be what you need.
The book opens with a brief overview of the Mormon church today, followed by the history of the movement and a series of helpful suggestions on how to handle your witnessing encounters.
In the following chapters, Ron Rhodes examines the most important teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (including the restoration, LDS prophets, the Book of Mormon, the alleged migration to America, the Aaronic and Melchizedek priesthoods, LDS God, plurality of gods, LDS Jesus, premortality and salvation) and answers with passages of the Word of God and with logic.
The book also contains chapters on the inspiration, inerrancy and authority of the Bible, and the manuscripts supporting the Bible reliability, compared to the non-existent proofs of authenticity associated with the Book of Mormon.
The book ends with a few hints on how to make your witness experience a successful one, a practical list of do's and don'ts about dialoguing with cultists.
The highlight of the book certainly are the many thought-provoking questions present in every chapter, which will leave your LDS acquaintance glancing at you puzzled, and overtime will make a crack in their spiritual armor, forcing him or her to reconsider their religious position.
Overall, a useful resource on how to share your faith with Mormons, based primarily on the Bible, but also exposing many embarrassing aspects of the LDS history and beliefs that Mormons missionaries desperately try to hide when they knock at your door.
REMEMBER, THESE KIND OF BOOKS MIGHT BE HELPFUL TO GATHER INFORMATION, BUT WHEN IT COMES TO WITNESSING, THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL BE YOUR GUIDE. JESUS WILL GIVE YOU WORDS AND WISDOM IF YOU ASK HIM.
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61 of 87 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Witnessing to Mormons? Here's a Great Resource, September 2, 2001
This review is from: Reasoning from the Scriptures with the Mormons (Paperback)
Ron Rhodes has proven himself very helpful to modern Evangelicals. This volume contains a lot of very helpful exposition and exposing of standard Mormon doctrine, rhetoric and psychology. But probably the most helpful aspect of this volume is Rhodes' and Bodine's ability to walk the reader through "reasoning from the Scriptures with Mormons." The title itself is descriptive. Rhodes' and Bodine's recommended witnessing strategy of asking questions is not only good sense, it also provides greatly needed instruction for engaging Mormons in respectful dialog. As I have sought to witness to my Mormon friends and acquaintances, as well as teach regularly on the subject, I have returned to this helpful volume and directed others to do the same. My main reason for this, as I mentioned before, is the recommended witnessing tactic of asking questions. After all, a question ends with something shaped like a fish hook. What better tactic can we employ in seeking to persuade others of the truth?
But as one reads this wonderful volume it becomes very clear that the authors are dependant upon a host of prior publications. This is not bad in and of itself. But I would recommend that the serious Christian consider availing herself or himself of that additional literature, especially the works of Jerald and Sandra Tanner, James White, the Ostlings, and the many helpful volumes published by Signature Books (e.g., the works of D. Michael Quinn) -- as well as the recently published "The Mormon Defenders" (J.P. Holding) and the soon-to-be-published, "The New Mormon Challenge" (eds., Francis Beckwith, et al). In combination, these works supply the scholar's perceptive analysis, the insider's insight, and the evangelist's wise strategies.
Probably the one area where I would take issue with is the authors' theological persuasion: Dispensationalism. Their commitments in this area tend to weaken their case against certain Mormon arguments, especially in the area of eschatology and prophecy (which can be bolstered with reference to such volumes as "Last Days Madness," by Gary DeMar) and faith and works (which can be bolstered with reference to such volumes as "The Gospel According to Jesus," by John MacArther).
Regardless of my few criticisms, as a former Mormon regularly engaged in witnessing, I believe this volume is a worthy addition to the library of every contemporary Christian seeking to bear faithful witness to Jesus Christ in a world filled with pseudo-Christian religions.
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41 of 59 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Superb book on Mormonism!, May 20, 2003
By A Customer
This review is from: Reasoning from the Scriptures with the Mormons (Paperback)
As a former devout and temple worthy Mormon Elder, I was thrilled to find this book. The best book I've found on Mormonism that accurately and fairly represents their beliefs vs. biblical teachings...and I've read quite a few. What I found so helpful is that the authors take you scripture by scripture, showing clearly and logically the accurate meaning of biblical passages while fairly presenting the Mormon interpretation/explanation as well. For example, I'd always believed that the bible had somehow been "tampered" with over the years. And yet, the authors explain how there are nearly 24,000 (that's right...24,000) copies, fragments or quotes from other sources that verify the complete accuracy of what's written in our bibles today.Amazing! In other words, what our bibles say today is exactly and precisely what the prophets, Jesus and his apostles wrote thousands of years ago! How sad for me, then, to discover that Mormon doctrine is a complete distortion of this, a dangerous "other" or "false" gospel to what Christ and his apostles actually preached. Simply put, this book is an absolute must read for anyone investigating, questioning or otherwise wanting to know more about the Mormon church and it's completely unique teachings. If you only buy one book on Mormonism, make it this book. You won't be disappointed. I just wish I'd found this book when it was first published in 1995...
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