KBYU

I have this thought that I'm still fleshing out... so be patient.

Earlier this week I had the privilege of traveling to Salt Lake City. I was blessed to sit with a mom and dad while their son endured back surgery to correct a spinal curve. (I don't appreciate this like I should because I have never had to wait through a 7 hour surgery for one of my children.)

On Tuesday morning before returning home I spent about an hour in our UISBC state convention office with the state staff during their weekly chapel time. I was encouraged to listen to those serving the churches of Utah and Idaho. I'm thankful for them all.

This is not the reason for my post this week though. I'm posting because of what God showed me during the 4 hour trip to SLC and the 4 hour trip home. In the eight hours of trave,l I listened to KBYU radio (Mormon radio). This was an eye opening experience even though I would never encourage any follower of Christ to make KBYU a main investment for your ears, nor should this be interpreted by anyone as me endorsing KBYU radio (because I'm not.)

This is the short of what I heard.

• nearly 4 hours of complete 'talks' (I don't know if they are called sermons or not, I don't use the word 'talk' to belittle the sermon, I just honestly don't know what to call it.)
• nearly 3 hours of Christmas music (just like the ones you and I sing in church.)
• an hour or so of miscellaneous talk and advertisement (all conservative and family friendly related topics.)

The LDS church has been attempting to look and sound more evangelical over the past 20 years, but especially the last 12, should come as no surprise to anyone in the Utah/Idaho region. What caught me off guard (other than the fact that there was no expository teaching going on at all, it was all topical and on very interesting topics) was that it wasn't until I heard the call letters of the radio station before I knew that I was not listening to an LDS radio station. After this moment I continued listening, expecting to hear something that I might be in disagreement with - imagine a long moment of awkward silence here - there was not one thing in the 8 hours of that I could disagree with in what I heard on the radio.

At this moment I may have many readers concerned about where I'm going with this. Stay with me. I'm not endorsing or am I suggesting that I am in agreement with Mormon doctrine. This is not a post about this kind of topic. In fact, let me state clearly for the record; there is no common foundational ground with Mormonism and (true) Christianity.

Back to the reason for this posting...

If pastors don't preach biblical doctrine and churches don't hold their pastor accountable to preach biblical doctrine then we sound just like the cultic teachers I heard on the radio who sounded just like preachers I've heard preach in 'evangelical' churches. This should cause great concern.

This posting is a call to the pastor to preach doctrine (the things that prove we are not building on the same foundation.) This posting is a call to the church to not settle for a motivational speaker. Preach the Word in season and out of season. Preach the Word when it's popular and especially when it's not popular. Preach the Word of God!

Flesh this out with me will you? What is going on in the American church that an LDS 'talk' sounds just like so many 'evangelical' sermons?