Before delving into this topic, I do have a point of agreement with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We agree that God’s church is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ being the chief cornerstone. Paul takes it a step further. “For other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” [1]

But our agreement has to end there. Paul’s description of the foundation of the New Testament church neither indicates nor requires a perpetual, unbroken quorum of apostles since its founding. The fact that the LDS church has maintained a quorum of apostles in no way lends any credence to the claim that Joseph Smith restored the true church to the earth. You can call a dog’s tail a leg, but that doesn’t mean the dog has five legs.  

After more than 20 years of ministry in Utah, I’ve lost track of how often I have been asked whether I believe in living prophets or if our church has apostles. These are sham questions, juicy red herrings designed to occupy the hounds while the hunters kick back at the manor house. A living prophet and a quorum of apostles don’t make the case for a “restored” church. As the foundation of the prophets and apostles has already been laid and the cornerstone is set, there is no need to lay that foundation perpetually. Joseph Smith’s attempt to lay another foundation proves that Mormonism is a radical departure from orthodox Christianity.

Continue reading “True Apostles v False Apostles of Mormonism” →