Baptist Book of Mormon?

[Swart]

I was sent the following link:

http://www.centerplace.org/library/bofm/baptistversionofbofm.htm

I'm curious to know what our OC posters think of this. A practicing Baptist Minister using the Book of Mormon? Is this true or is it fake?

I'd like to limit responses to non-LDS posters if that is okay. I am not advocating anything here, I just wanted to find out what OCs would think about their minister preaching from the BoM.

 

[skylark1]

I was sent the following link:

http://www.centerplace.org/library/bofm/baptistversionofbofm.htm

I'm curious to know what our OC posters think of this. A practicing Baptist Minister using the Book of Mormon? Is this true or is it fake?

I'd like to limit responses to non-LDS posters if that is okay. I am not advocating anything here, I just wanted to find out what OCs would think about their minister preaching from the BoM.

Hi Swart,

Some time ago, someone mentioned Lynn Ridenhour to me. When I learned that he had been a member of the LDS Church, but left because he felt that he could lead others better to the BoM and restoration gospel from outside the LDS church, I felt that promoting him as a Baptist minister was a little disingenuous. His own website labels him as "39 year Baptist minister turned Charismatic Mormon remnant gatherer."

 

[Swart]

Some time ago, someone mentioned Lynn Ridenhour to me. When I learned that he had been a member of the LDS Church, but left because he felt that he could lead others better to the BoM and restoration gospel from outside the LDS church, I felt that promoting him as a Baptist minister was a little disingenuous. His own website labels him as "39 year Baptist minister turned Charismatic Mormon remnant gatherer."

You're right. If that is true, then it is disingenuous.

 

[skylark1]

You're right. If that is true, then it is disingenuous.

If you would like, I could pm you a link to his website. I suspect that if I posted the link, that it would be deleted.

 

[Swart]

If you would like, I could pm you a link to his website. I suspect that if I posted the link, that it would be deleted.

Thanks, please do so.

 

[Serapha]

I was sent the following link:

http://www.centerplace.org/library/bofm/baptistversionofbofm.htm

I'm curious to know what our OC posters think of this. A practicing Baptist Minister using the Book of Mormon? Is this true or is it fake?

I'd like to limit responses to non-LDS posters if that is okay. I am not advocating anything here, I just wanted to find out what OCs would think about their minister preaching from the BoM.

Hi Swart...



I've been looking for the previous posting on this subject because each of his claims were addressed proof by proof... check your email... I can attach my notes as a file...

He doesn't represent "southern Baptists"...


or me.


~serapha~

 

[Swart]

He doesn't represent "southern Baptists"...


or me.

Of course. I understand it's not 'Official Doctrine'.

 

[Alma]

Hi Swart,

Some time ago, someone mentioned Lynn Ridenhour to me. When I learned that he had been a member of the LDS Church, but left because he felt that he could lead others better to the BoM and restoration gospel from outside the LDS church, I felt that promoting him as a Baptist minister was a little disingenuous. His own website labels him as "39 year Baptist minister turned Charismatic Mormon remnant gatherer."

I understand that he is of the "Reorganized" persuasion never LDS. If you read his publications carefully, that becomes very obvious.

Alma

 

[Rescued One]

He says he never joined any RLDS or other LDS groups. I think he's just started his own church or something but calls himself a Charismatic Baptist.

 

[A New Dawn]

I understand that he is of the "Reorganized" persuasion never LDS. If you read his publications carefully, that becomes very obvious.

Alma

He was LDS at one time because they told him he had to be. But he pulled away from them. Then became RLDS when he fell in with a Contemporary Christian Center ministry. Then he pulled away from that group, also, when they pressed him in some way, forget what it was..... (He admitted this on a discussion board we both post on.) Now he has his own charismatic group, and there is a very large following in Georgia (or some place in the south) that the founder of that group (I believe it comprises about 23 congregations) affirms the BoM.

(I can find out that information fairly easily if anyone is interested.)

 

[skylark1]

I understand that he is of the "Reorganized" persuasion never LDS. If you read his publications carefully, that becomes very obvious.

Alma

Hi Alma,

On his site he wrote:

Yes, in 1996 we became baptized members in the LDS church, but no, we’re not members.
​

I'm not sure how someone could be baptized in the CoJCoLDS, but not be considered a member, but I agree that it is obvious from reading his site that he is affiliated with RLDS, rather than LDS.

 

[skylark1]

He was LDS at one time because they told him he had to be. But he pulled away from them. Then became RLDS when he fell in with a Contemporary Christian Center ministry. Then he pulled away from that group, also, when they pressed him in some way, forget what it was..... (He admitted this on a discussion board we both post on.) Now he has his own charismatic group, and there is a very large following in Georgia (or some place in the south) that the founder of that group (I believe it comprises about 23 congregations) affirms the BoM.

(I can find out that information fairly easily if anyone is interested.)

I'm interested. Is his charismatic group a Southern Baptist church, or is he only considered to be a Southern Baptist minister because he is an ordained SB minister?

Thanks.

 

[A New Dawn]

I'm interested. Is his charismatic group a Southern Baptist church, or is he only considered to be a Southern Baptist minister because he is an ordained SB minister?

Thanks.

What he has now, I believe, is a non-denominational type of group. I can see what type of group his friend has, though, that has so many members.

 

[skylark1]

What he has now, I believe, is a non-denominational type of group. I can see what type of group his friend has, though, that has so many members.

Thanks. That is the impression that I had from reading his site, but I wasn't certain.

I have never heard of his friend or his friend's group before. Who is he?

 

[A New Dawn]

Thanks. That is the impression that I had from reading his site, but I wasn't certain.

I have never heard of his friend or his friend's group before. Who is he?

Dr. Paul Richardson, a Pentecostal minister from Richmond, VA.

That is all the info I could find, I think that the threads that dealt with his group of churches was getting old and is no longer on the board. The board says they posts only remain for 2 months, but they really go back a few more than 2, but that one must be beyond the cutoff.

I will continue looking, maybe it is mentioned in another thread I haven't checked yet.

 

[Rescued One]

I’m a licensed Southern Baptist minister who for these past sixteen years has been preaching out of both the Book of Mormon and the Bible. No, I’m not a convert to the Mormon faith, nor am I a member of any particular "spin off" group such as the RLDS (The Community of Christ) or the Restoration Branch. I’m still a Baptist minister. To be exact, I’m "charismatic Baptist," for my wife and I embrace and practice the spiritual gifts as recorded in I Corinthians 12.
- Lynn Ridenhour

Down through the years I have remained true to my Baptist roots. I still embrace those cardinal Protestant/Baptist doctrines; i.e., the born again experience, salvation through grace by faith, salvation by the finished work of Calvary, and faith in his shed blood. - Lynn Ridenhour

 

[skylark1]

I’m a licensed Southern Baptist minister who for these past sixteen years has been preaching out of both the Book of Mormon and the Bible. No, I’m not a convert to the Mormon faith, nor am I a member of any particular "spin off" group such as the RLDS (The Community of Christ) or the Restoration Branch. I’m still a Baptist minister. To be exact, I’m "charismatic Baptist," for my wife and I embrace and practice the spiritual gifts as recorded in I Corinthians 12.
- Lynn Ridenhour

Down through the years I have remained true to my Baptist roots. I still embrace those cardinal Protestant/Baptist doctrines; i.e., the born again experience, salvation through grace by faith, salvation by the finished work of Calvary, and faith in his shed blood. - Lynn Ridenhour

He might not be a member of the RLDS, but there were numerous references that indicate that he was affiliated with RLDS in an effect to evangelize Protestant/Pentecostal Christians..



I came across the following, which explains some of his claims in the article in the OP. He had not yet been baptized LDS when it was written in 1990.

"I had a lot of fun writing The Baptist Version of the Book of Mormon: Protestant Doctrines Found Within the Book of Mormon. Though the title is somewhat tongue-'n-cheek, my thesis is not. Written in 1990, I was still not baptized. I call these my "wasteland years." I don't mean, these were wasted years. I mean, I was struggling to find the way.

In 1996, with a triumph in my soul, I write Why I Became A Mormon: My Journey into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints."

​

 

[A New Dawn]

He might not be a member of the RLDS, but there were numerous references that indicate that he was affiliated with RLDS in an effect to evangelize Protestant/Pentecostal Christians..



I came across the following, which explains some of his claims in the article in the OP. He had not yet been baptized LDS when it was written in 1990.

"I had a lot of fun writing The Baptist Version of the Book of Mormon: Protestant Doctrines Found Within the Book of Mormon. Though the title is somewhat tongue-'n-cheek, my thesis is not. Written in 1990, I was still not baptized. I call these my "wasteland years." I don't mean, these were wasted years. I mean, I was struggling to find the way.

In 1996, with a triumph in my soul, I write Why I Became A Mormon: My Journey into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints."

​

It was in the mid-70's that he became RLDS.

 

[skylark1]

It was in the mid-70's that he became RLDS.

I'm not questioning your statement. However, if he had actually previously joined the RLDS, it does make this comment from the article from the OP seem even more disingenuous:

"No, I’m not a convert to the Mormon faith, nor am I a member of any particular "spin-off" restoration group such as the RLDS (Reorganized Latter-day Saints), Hedrikites, or Strangites."


​

 

[A New Dawn]

I'm not questioning your statement. However, if he had actually previously joined the RLDS, it does make this comment from the article from the OP seem even more disingeniuous:

"No, I’m not a convert to the Mormon faith, nor am I a member of any particular "spin-off" restoration group such as the RLDS (Reorganized Latter-day Saints), Hedrikites, or Strangites."
​

I wasn't meaning to imply that you were questioning my statement, I just wanted to offer the time frame that this occurred.