Berean Christian Ministries
Name: Berean Christian Ministries
Group or Owner: John Farkas
Education: B.Sc. (Mech.Eng.); Licensed Professional Engineer
Position: Project engineer/manager, Xerox Corporation (1962-1991)
Date Started: Last Date Accessed: 21 October 1999 Total Hits: 21,070
Religious Affiliation: Evangelical (specific denomination unknown)
501(c)3: Unknown
Statement of Faith:
BCM's statement of faith page notes:
1) We believe the Bible to be the inspired eternal word of God, without error (in the original writings) and the yardstick by which we measure doctrinal truth and error. 2) We believe that within the one true God there are three eternal persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, each of the same nature. 3) We believe that God has always been God in eternity past, is now God, and will always be God. The Father is God, the Son Jesus Christ is God and the Holy Ghost is God. Jesus Christ came to earth to redeem mankind from its sinful condition. He died for our sins on the cross, was bodily resurrected (1 Cor. 15:3-4) and is alive today. Our salvation is dependent upon his grace alone (Eph. 2:8-9) through our faith in him (Rom 10:9). This same Jesus will return to earth again. We believe in good works as a result of, rather than the means for salvation. 4) We believe and preach the same gospel that the Apostle Paul taught (1 Cor 15:1-4). Unless one has put his or her faith in the biblical Jesus Christ that faith is in vain (1 Cor 15:2, 17) and if you have the wrong Jesus and wrong gospel you do NOT have the Life that the real Jesus Christ gives (2 Cor.11:4, Gal 1:8-9).
Statement of Purpose:
According to the frontpage of the site, "Mormon Studies" is operated as "an outreach of Berean Christian Ministries. Our purpose is to examine the unique non-Christian teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also called the Mormons or LDS, headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah."
Under "Who are we?" BCM notes: "We are concerned Christians, some of us formerly involved in cults, who feel the call of God to compare and contrast the real Lord Jesus Christ and his gospel to the "Jesus" and "gospel" of the cults. Our staff consists of born-again Christians who are active in their local churches and share a common desire to reach out to those in the cults. All of us are volunteers. No one is paid, unlike the top leadership of the Mormon Church who have paid positions."
Religious Groups Considered:
The site is devoted mainly to a countercult consideration of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Though not nearly so elaborate, there is also a sister site concerned with a similar consideration of Jehovah's Witnesses.
History:
To be completed.
Discussion:
The BCM site is straightforward and text-based. Essays linked to the frontpage cover a fairly standard array of counter-Mormon topics:
- (a) Why do we do this? including:
- "Why do we oppose Mormonism?" and "Why the Bible is Reliable."
- (b) Background on Mormonism, including:
- Mormon teachings and terminology, the process of Mormon missionising, and "What the Mormons Don't Say."
- (c) Witnessing to Mormons
- (d) Changes in Mormon Teaching
- (e) Mormon Apologists--The Work of the Anti-Anti-Mormons
- (f) Become a God? which compares the "attributes of God and man" according to "the Biblical view."
- (g) Miscellaneous Topics, including
- "Archeology and the Book of Mormon"; Evidence that Joseph Smith was not a True Prophet";
Baptism for the Dead"; and "Automatic Writing and the Book of Mormon."- (h) Strange Mormon Teachings
When one gets beyond the frontpage, however, many of the essays, especially those which deal with problems in Mormon history and theology, devolve into little more than lists of references to different editions of LDS scripture with annotations pointing out changes and emendations. Unless one has the relevant books at hand and is willing to spend the time checking references, the information contained in the BCM pages must be taken at face value.
Most of the essays fit a standard counter-Mormon protocol and well-known pattern of apostasy and antagonism. According to his testimony, the site coordinator, John Farkas, is a former "elders quorum president," now a born-again Christian. Under "Why do we oppose Mormonism", Farkas notes several teachings and claims made by Latter-day Saints which "offend" him now that he has become a true Christian. His purpose, then, is similar to other counter-Mormon apologists--to effect their conversion from Mormonism to evangelical Christianity. While he makes similar claims to innocent intent as other counter-Mormons--i.e., that BCM has "nothing but warm regard for most of the Mormon people" and that "we do support the right of Mormons (and non Mormons) to have their own belief system"--Farkas does insist that the religious house in which Mormons live is on fire, and that "where they will spend eternity is at stake." In his witnessing tips, Farkas notes: "Our ultimate goal is to lead Mormons to a personal relationship with the one true God of the Bible."
Farkas' essay on the reliability of the Bible is a case in point. "One of the first things I (John Farkas) did after I realized Mormonism was false was to examine the reliability of the Bible by studying books on its history and how we received it." Farkas then lists a number of common evangelical reasons for the reliability of the Bible over other scriptures; among these are: "It is logical that God would give us something written"; "The Bible is inspirational and intrinsically correct and good..."; "There is good evidence that it was transmitted and handed down to us with only very minor errors, none of which significantly affect meaning"; and "The personal witness and testimony of some of its writers, along with what Jesus' followers did after he died, rose from the grave, and ascended to heaven, speaks clearly of its divine source."
Despite the Statement of Purpose, which suggests a collaborative group of individuals working on the BCM project, most of the essays are written by John Farkas. With David A. Reed, Farkas has published at least three counter-Mormon books:
- Mormons Answered Verse by Verse (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1992).
- How to Rescue Your Loved Ones from Mormonism (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1994).
- Mormonism: Changes, Contradictions, and Errors (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1995).
Douglas E. Cowan, Phd
The University of Calgary
Copyright © Douglas E. Cowan