an Orthodox friend wrote in message . > On Thu, 25 Oct 2001 04:32:20 +1000, "Rowland Croucher"

> <> wrote:

>

> >I know one or two Mormons who I'd consider to be in the faith. God is

> >merciful with all our ignorances, I believe!

>

> Peace Rowland,

> Interesting statement. Do you consider them to be 'in

> the faith' due to good works/niceness of their personhood or perhaps

> 'genuineness' in what they believe perhaps?

>

> When you say 'in the faith', do you mean in the

> Christian faith? If so, how?

>

> Finally also, does that mean you do -not- consider the

> teachings of the Holy Trinity of God's Divine Nature along with the

> Incarnation of Jesus Christ as -essentials-?

>

> These are genuine questions.

>

> Peace and grace.

>

In principle (see 1 John) there are three 'marks of a Christian':

1. Moral - a desire to obey the Lord

2. Social - a desire to love others

3. Theological - a desire to follow the 'truth' (particularly - for us - as it relates to the person of Christ)...

Now, given all these, I have to ask 'How did Jesus respond to people who had two out of three of these (the Pharisees)...' ?

I believe 'grace' means we are not 'in the kingdom' on the basis of our attainments in any of these three respects but purely through the merits of Christ - God's acceptance of us _in spite of_ our faults and failings...

And I see in the life of one Mormon I know (a relative) the love and purity of Jesus. I don't witness that in some 'orthodox' (small 'o') people I meet :-)

Rowland Croucher