FreedomQuest A Nondenominational
Counter-cult Ministry
Dear Tom Minnery,
- I received a copy of your position statement as to why Focus
on the Family has formed an Alliance with Mormons, Muslims and
Hindus, and felt that I should respond. Even though I am convinced
that you are sincere in your belief that you are doing what is
right, I also believe that you are sincerely wrong. Sincerity
is not the standard of righteousness... God's Word is. The Apostle
Paul was very sincere in his efforts to persecute the Church
before his conversion to Christianity, but his sincerity did
not make his actions right before God. One of manâ's greatest
propensities for failure is in the arena of "doing what
is right in his own eyes," rather than obeying God's clearly
revealed written Word. I found six major errors or inconsistencies
in your position statement. Please do not take this as a personal
attack. I am aware that, although you authored the position statement,
each
and every word was approved by Dr. Dobson and the entire cabinet.
1) No "alliance?" In your cover letter you refer
to your involvement with the World Congress
of Families as a "supposed alliance." The inference
is crystal clear. You are insinuating that
you have NOT formed an Alliance, when in actuality, the opposite
is true. Please, Tom, the
employees and supporters of Focus on the Family deserve to know
the TRUTH. Why deny the
Alliance? You told me personally that, "Focus has aligned
themselves with Mormons, Muslims and
Hindus." By definition that is an alliance. The term "congress"
means a FORMAL assembly of
representatives.
For Pete's sake Tom, YOU ARE ON THE PLANNING COMMITTEE of
the World Congress of Families (WCOF), and even held a conference
on the Focus campus with your fellow
WCOF members! Please be more forthright, and call a spade a spade.
Why are you ashamed or
afraid to admit that you have formed a formal Alliance with Mormons,
Muslims and Hindus? I
believe that you are afraid that it may cost Focus financially.
That is probably why you
specifically refer to Mormons and Muslims in your cover letter
(which went out ONLY to
employees), but "Mormons and Muslims" are NOT mentioned
anywhere in the position statement
(which goes out to supporters). Many people would not support
Focus if they knew that Focus
had become the FIRST Evangelical organization to form a formal
Alliance with the Mormons, in
the entire history of the LDS Church. I had the opportunity to
speak with some of the members
of the WCOF, and they definitely consider it to be a formal Alliance.
2) Non-evangelicals? Your next misleading statement seems
a bit more devious. Throughout the
position statement, you refer to working with "non-Evangelicals."
The statement itself is even
titled "FOF Involvement with Non-Evangelicals." Tom,
I don't believe that most people are as
concerned about Focus working with "non-Evangelicals"
as they are Focus working with NON-
CHRISTIANS. Mormons, Muslims and Hindus are NON-CHRISTIANS, Tom...
not non-Evangelicals.
This comes across as being deliberately misleading. Maybe
that was not your intention. A good way to prove that your intentions
are righteous would be to rename the position statement: "FOF
Involvement with Non-Christians." You also use the term
"denominational differences." The
Mormons are not just another "denomination," no matter
what their TV commercials say to the
contrary. You say that it is important to "cooperate with
friends who are defending truth
wherever we can find them." Mormons, Muslims, and Hindus
do not adhere to ANY Biblical truth.
Just because you share the same political and moral agenda, does
not justify calling them
"friends."
As you know, the Muslims are the number one killers of Jews
and Christians around
the world. Muslim officials have killed over two million Christians
in the Sudan in the last
eight years alone. Friends they are not. The Mormons teach some
of the most bizarre and
blasphemous doctrines that one could ever imagine. They do not
adhere to one single essential
Christian doctrine. They desperately want to be perceived as
"just another Christian
denomination."
Now, by aligning yourself with them, you are helping them
to achieve this allusive goal. Their 60,000 Missionaries will
now be using the name of Focus on the Family to get their unsuspecting
prey to drop their guard, by convincing the poor souls that they
are orthodox because they "work with Focus on the Family."
You even say in your statement that Dr. Dobson will not allow
cultic groups (such as the Mormons) into the recording studio
because of the "deceit in their message, and in All of their
dealings with the orthodox Christian community." If the
Mormons are "deceitful in All their dealings with the orthodox
Christian community," wouldnât that "All
" include this Alliance? You won't allow them in the recording
studio, but you will form a political Alliance with them? Why
be so double minded?
James 1:8 says that a double minded man is unstable in all
his ways. Your standards for Truth
should always be the same. For your information, these are just
some of the official pillars
of Mormon theology:
A) God is just an exalted man! ("As man is, God once
was... As God is, man may become")
B) God had sex with the Virgin Mary to "sire" His
one and only Son in the flesh! (Mormon Doctrine, Pg. 546-547)
C) There are many Gods! (History of the Church, Vol. 6, Pg.
305-306)
D) Jesus killed people by the thousands! (III Nephi 9:1-15)
E) Black skin is a curse
from God! (II Nephi 5:21) F) Salvation by works! (Article of
Faith #3)
G) Baptism for the dead! (Doctrine and Covenants, 124:28-36)
H) All other churches are of the Devil! (I Nephi 14: 10)
I) God said: All other churches beliefs are an abomination
to Him! (Pearl of Great Price / History of Joseph Smith, Pg.
49) I trust that you understand that these beliefs are a stench
in the nostrils of our Creator. 3) No Scriptural basis? One major
item that seems to be lacking in the position statement is your
Scriptural basis for the Alliance. You only quote God's Word
on two occasions: once to say that we must be "wise as serpents
and harmless as doves" (Matthew 10:16) and lastly you quote
three verses to justify that other religions have some Truth,
too. But what you do NOT state is the scriptural basis for the
Alliance. Yes, we need to be wise and harmless, but that has
NOTHING to do with forming an Alliance with the enemies of God.
As a matter of fact, forming an Alliance with God's enemies is
about as UNwise as I can imagine. In your position statement
you never seem to get around to the core issue, which is: "Is
the Alliance Biblical?"
The obvious reason that you do not quote God's Word to justify
the Alliance, is because the Alliance militates against God's
Word. II John 1:9-11, says, "Anyone who goes too far and
does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God;
the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and
the Son. 10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching,
do not receive him into your house, and do not give him a greeting;
11 for the one who gives him a greeting participates in his evil
deeds." Therefore, by welcoming the Mormons, Muslims and
Hindus onto the Focus campus and aligning yourself with them
in the World Congress of Families, you now "participate
in their evil deeds" that they commit outside of the Alliance.
James 4:4, says, "You (spiritual) adulteresses, do you
not know that friendship with the world
is hostility toward God? Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend
of the world makes himself
an enemy of God."
II Corinthians 6:14-17, says, "Do not be bound together
with unbelievers; for what
partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship
has light with darkness? 15
Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer
in common with an unbeliever?
... 17 "Therefore, Come out from their midst and be seperate,"
says the Lord."
Ephesians 5:6-11, says, "Let no one deceive you with
empty words, for because of these things
the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore
do not be partakers with
them... 11 Do not participate in their unfruitful deeds of darkness,
but instead even expose
them."
4) Unity in the Fundamentals? This is by far, the most confusing
and convoluted statement in
your letter. You state that we must have "Unity in the Fundamentals."
What fundamental
doctrines of God's Word do we share with the Mormons? The Muslims?
The Hindus? The two most basic fundamentals are: "The Nature
of God" and "What Must I Do To Be Saved." Do you
have "unity" with your Alliance on these basic fundamentals?
NO! You only have political unity, not
unity in the Spirit.
5) Truth is the banner? This is actually a continuation of
point four, stated in a different
way. You say that, "Truth is the banner around which we
will rally any and all who are willing
to come to her defense." Is that what this Alliance is all
about? Defending the Truth? Whose
Truth? Yours or God's? Mormons, Muslims and Hindus are all working
to earn their salvation.
Do they believe in salvation by God's Grace? NO! Is Jesus their
Way, their Truth, and their
Life? NO! This is a slippery slope, Tom. Where do you draw the
line? I guess there is no line,
as you said you would rally "any and all" as long as
they share your political agenda, because
they certainly don't share a belief in God's Word. Some Focus
employees have also
erroneously assumed that maybe you are trying to witness to the
members of the World Congress
of Families, but as you know, their mission statement says in
order to be a member, you must
"set your theological beliefs aside." To verify, go
to : www.worldcongress.org
6) Double Vision? Lastly, you say that you are trying to "keep
one eye on the fundamentals of
the faith and another on our practical goals." You should
be keeping both eyes on the Cross,
instead of being cross-eyed! Matthew 6:23-24 says, "If your
eye is bad, your whole body will
be full of darkness... 24 No one can serve two Masters..."
We cannot serve the Lord and our
own personal political agendas. II Peter 2:20-21 warns, "If
after they have escaped the
defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ, but then they
are again entangled in them and are overcome, their last state
has become worse than their
first. 21 For it would be better for them not to have known the
way of righteousness, than
having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment delivered
to them." If you have read
all of the scriptures quoted in this letter, then I admonish
you to not "turn away from the
holy commandment delivered to you." Peter warns that if
you continue to disobey God at this
point... you will be without excuse. Please do not allow yourselves
to become entangled again
in the defilements of this world. We are to be in the world,
but not of the world.
Tom Minnery, Dr. Dobson, Del Tackett, Diane Passno, and Tom
Mason, PLEASE listen to those who are warning you of the dangers
of this Alliance. This is not a game... there are potentially
millions of souls at stake. The Board of Focus on the Family
is mainly made up of wealthy
supporters, but there is one Biblical scholar, Adrian Rogers.
He stated that he believes that
this Alliance is unbiblical and WRONG! He is God's mouthpiece
to you at this time.
Adrianâ's personal opinion is no better than yours or mine,
but when he quotes God's
Word... then every ear should be open to hear from the Spirit
of God. And God is saying, loud
and clear: "Do not be bound together with unbelievers in
the World Congress of Families!"
In Jesus, Brian V. Cooper
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