The Voice Of One Crying Out In Suburbia

The passing of a "prophet"

Gordon B. Hinckley, President and "Prophet, seer and revelator" of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints died yesterday at the age of 97. Hinckley was the president of the mormon church when we became mormons and is the only mormon president we have known. A kindly and jovial fellow, Hinckley will likely be remembered as the man who led the explosion in the number of mormon temples. When we first joined the mormon church, the number of temples was very limited especially in the Eastern United States. There were around 45 or so temples, mostly in the West and overseas. Today there are 124 with a dozen more in the works. For mormons that will be his legacy, making the temple more accessible than ever before. Hinckley led a church that in his 13 years at the helm underwent a lot of changes. He was very visible, appearing on Larry King Live a number of times, often being less than honest about mormon beliefs but being the public face of his faith in a way unlike any of his predecessors. During his tenure, the Olympics came to Salt Lake City, mormonism spread outside of the borders of Utah and other western states to become a national religion and underwent increased scrutiny, especially with the Presidential campaign of Mitt Romney. Hinckley will be replaced by Thomas Monson, "called" to be prophet by being the oldest of the mormon apostles. It will be interesting to see what kind of President Monson will make.

There is a knee-jerk reaction when someone dies, especially religious folks, to arbitrarily declare them to be in heaven (case in point the evangelical church leaders falling over themselves declaring Pope John Paul II to be heaven bound). It is inappropriate in most cases to make that sort of sweeping generalization, and especially in this case. It may seem unseemly to speak thus of one who has just died, but it is necessary. If Hinckley died as he lived, he died outside of Christ no differently than a Muslim or an atheist, and his eternal destiny is the same. The Bible is clear on his fate. It doesn't matter how nice he was, or how many kind works he performed or oversaw, or how sincere his faith was. He believed in a false god, and stood unreconciled with the God of the Bible. Because of that he remains in his sins and is condemned. How can I say that about a man who spoke so often and so reverently the name Jesus Christ? Because he, and all mormons, revere a different Jesus and a different gospel. They worship a Christ who is not God, who is a created, perfected being. They add to and subtract from the Gospel and Word of Christ. They denigrate Him by seeking to add their own righteousness and works to His Grace. Simply invoking the name Jesus Christ in conversation is inadequate to be called a Christian. When Christ asked Peter "But who do you say that I am?", He asked the big question and that question has only one answer. Answer that question incorrectly, fail to see and give glory to Christ for who He is and revealed Himself to be, and it matters not how reverently or often you speak the name of Jesus Christ. Gordon B. Hinckley failed that simple test, as so many others have throughout the centuries.

My ongoing concern is not for him, as he has passed from this life to await judgment. My concern is for those who are still alive in mormonism, who believe wholeheartedly in a lie, who believe in a false prophet, who wrote false Scriptures and worships a false god. It is too late for Gordon Hinckley, but it is not too late for those who followed him. I pray that mormons around the world will have the opportunity to examine what their church teaches in the days following Hinckley's death and come to see how they diverge from Christianity.