Romney garnering coveted evangelical endorsements
Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney seems to be gaining ground with the much sought-after evangelical community as he adds more Christian leaders to his growing list of supporters.
by Michelle Vu, Christian Post Correspondent
Posted: Friday, October 26, 2007, 9:36 (BST)
Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney seems to be gaining ground with the much sought-after evangelical community as he adds more Christian leaders to his growing list of supporters.
The former governor of Massachusetts picked up support among evangelicals and social conservatives while campaigning in South Carolina.
Among his new supporters are the heads of Bob Jones University, an influential conservative Christian college that teaches the Mormon Church as a cult. Romney gained the endorsements of Bob Jones III and Robert Taylor, the grandson of the university's founder and a top dean at the school, respectively, according to The Associated Press.
Megachurch pastor Don Wilton, former president of the South Carolina Baptist Convention, and Dr. John Willke, a founder and past president of the National Right to Life Committee, had also signed onto the Romney bandwagon.
Wilton, however, retracted his endorsement Tuesday, saying it was a "mistake" and a "personal error," noting he has never endorsed a candidate for any elected office.
"It's hard to see, but I think that they just realized that he (Romney)'s the best of a bad lot. I hate to say it that way," said Dave Woodard, a GOP activist and political science professor at Clemson University, according to AP.
Oddly enough, many of these evangelical pro-Romney leaders believe the Mormon Church - which the presidential hopeful is a proud member of - is a cult or at least not part of historic orthodox Christianity. Yet a growing number of evangelicals are putting aside their theological conflict with the Mormon faith and focusing on Romney's conservative and ultra pro-family stance.
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Added: Monday, October 29, 2007, 9:12 (GMT)
Mitt’s church, the Church of Jesus Christ (LDS) has been often misunderstood by Evangelical preachers in the past . . Some accused the Church of not believing in Christ and, therefore, not being a Christian religion . .
http://MormonsAreChristian.blogspot.com/ helps to clarify such misconceptions by examining early (First Century) Christianity's theology relating to baptism, the Godhead, the deity of Jesus Christ and His Atonement. Mitt’s church believes in the Jesus of the New Testament, who prayed to His Father in Heaven in the Garden of Gethsemane, not the Jesus portrayed in the creeds of the 4th Century.
The Church of Jesus Christ (LDS) adheres to Early Christian (New Testament) theology more closely than other Christian denominations. . Perhaps the reason Evangelical preachers such as Dr Jeffress of Dallas promote this mis-representation is to protect their flock (and their livlihood). It is encouraging to note that Evangelical preachers such as Bob Jones III (along with Jay Sekulow and Mark DeMoss) have dis-avowed bigotry and appear now to have a moral and competent president as a priority..
Bot, Cambridge, Massachusetts
