Evangelical apologist Ravi Zacharias delivered a series of messages at Salt Lake City area campuses, and at the Mormon Tabernacle, with the theme “The Pursuit of Truth.” He was the first evangelical Christian to speak at the Tabernacle in over 100 years.
“A door has been opened” for Christian ministry among Mormons in Salt Lake City, said InterVarsity Area Director Brad Bertelson. Standing Together, a network of Christian ministries working to improve relations with Mormons (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints), sponsored the meetings.
Ravi spoke on “The Basis for Truth: Defending the Notion of Absolute Truth,” on Saturday evening, November 13, to a crowd of about 1,500 at the University of Utah. About 70 attendees responded to an invitation for an after-lecture discussion at the InterVarsity campus house across the street from the lecture hall.
The crowd was about four times as large the next night at the Mormon Tabernacle, where the theme was “Who Is Jesus? Defending Jesus Christ as the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” The Salt Lake Tribune reported Ravi “acknowledged there are doctrinal differences—including some that are deep—between traditional Christianity and the LDS faith. His hour-long sermon emphasized aspects of Christian doctrine for which Mormons have a different understanding, such as sin, salvation through the Cross, and the Trinity. But his overarching message—that Jesus Christ is the answer to the longing in all human hearts—was one that resonated with both evangelical Christians and Mormons.”
The series of talks concluded on Monday, November 15, on the campus of Weber State University in Ogden. Ravi spoke on “The Loss of Truth: The Crumbling Moral Foundation.” As at the earlier forums, it was followed by a standing ovation and a time for questions and answers.
“I am anxious to talk more with my LDS friends about what they thought, seeing how they do not typically adhere to the idea of ‘total depravity’ or ‘original sin,’ said InterVarsity Campus Staff Member Dave Brown. “Ravi was very convincing and powerful.”
“The Gospel went forward clearly, the people seemed open,” said Brad Bertelson. “My take is that a door has been opened and I anticipate will remain open. I pray that there will be many more such meetings in the years to come.”
InterVarsity Campus Intern Seth Neal reported, “We have been contacted by some faculty at the University of Utah who would like to [talk further] on issues of absolute truth and teaching at the university.”
For more information on conversations between evangelicals and Mormons, see How Wide the Divide, an InterVarsity Press book by Craig Blomberg & Stephen Robinson.
Tabernacle photo by Seth Neal.
