Christ like love from an Evangelical Protestant
I am changing my mind about evangelical protestants. Judging less and loving more. I am coming to love and accept them. nobody is more surprised at this than I am.
Preamble
My profound disdain for Evangelical Protestants has never been a well-kept secret. It has never been a mere dislike; for most of my adult life, since encountering them as a young Mormon missionary in Arizona, it's been a visceral, gut-wrenching revulsion born from specific encounters where their self-proclaimed piety curdled into outright malice and even demonic behavior. Here are the scenarios where those feelings peaked, solidifying my conviction that their actions were utterly depraved (calvinist pun intended. I’m going into this detail so you can understand my previous feelings and the reasons behind them. This might help you understand how far I had to move the needle.):
As a young Mormon missionary, we weren't just 'harassed'; we were relentlessly targeted, ambushed, and verbally bludgeoned by self-anointed "Concerned Christians"—a deceptive moniker for what felt like a roving pack of demonically oppressed theological hyenas. Their rhetoric wasn't reasoned debate; it was a constant, hateful barrage, designed to shatter spirits and instill doubt, echoing in every public space we entered. Their eyes gleamed with a chilling certainty, their mouths twisted with glee at the prospect of spewing their poisonous hate at us, their voices always sharp with condemnation. (And sometimes they even brought megaphones so they could drown us out with volume while publicly denigrating us.) Truly “Christian” behavior. These were primarily American evangelical protestants. It was my first introduction/exposure to them and their levels of intolerance.
By the time my mission ended, I had become quite skilled at recognizing them and their tactics. I had evangelical radar. I could spot their slithering sliminess from a distance. One tactic often used was for a lone individual to approach us on the street, pretending to need help with a religious issue or wanting to ask us a faith-based question because they were “confused.” Of course, they weren’t confused; they were liars and deceivers, and as soon as you engaged with them, they would pounce on you as hard as they could. At one point, I had a missionary companion who had read their literature and, as a result, struggled with his LDS testimony. However, he then went through the Bible in great detail and memorized all the scriptures to counter their arguments. When they tried to bash us, he would pounce on them and destroy their arguments. Usually, they were about topics like Sola Fide, i.e., works-based salvation. I very much enjoyed watching him dismantle them piece by piece and send them away defeated. I was wholly unprepared at the time to deal with these situations, but I gained a few takeaways:
1. Your average Mormon doesn’t know the bible very well at all. In my mission, on average, we knew a small handful of verses that supported the Mormon thesis. There was one missionary I knew in the MTC (Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah) with whom I shared a room. He had a very good command of the bible, but he was also a convert from a mainline protestant denomination, and IIRC, his father was a pastor.
2. These “Christians” didn’t know the bible much better than we did. They knew a handful of verses that supported their arguments and were often completely blind to the rest of the text. We would typically use the book of James to browbeat them.
3. Jehovah’s Witnesses knew the bible even less than Mormons or Evangelicals. They knew some verses that supported their positions, and I recall having the impression that their “reading” of the bible was…. er, creative. But that was it. Unlike evangelicals, however, they usually shied away from direct confrontations with us. A few bold ones would sometimes have a go at us, but my bible warrior companion would beat them senseless with the New Testament (scripturally speaking, of course.)
Years later, that simmering resentment boiled over into raw fury at the annual Hill Cumorah pageant in Palmyra. What should have been a cherished, spiritual outing with my young, impressionable children became a gauntlet of grotesque fanaticism. Before we even reached the entrance, these self-appointed crusaders, their faces contorted with self-righteous fervor and spittle-flecked conviction, descended upon my pre-teen kids. They bypassed me, the parent, entirely, attempting to infect my children’s young minds with their poison–shrill condemnations of 'Mormon evil,' calculated to implant fear, uncertainty, and doubt. The sheer audacity, the predatory disregard for parental consent, was nauseating, and had I been carrying a weapon. I’d likely be in jail.. Thankfully, my children's innocence shielded them, leaving them only baffled by the venomous tirades. I used it as a lesson for them on how infected with evil these anti-Mormon “evangelical Christians” were, and they thoroughly believed me. The air was thick with their palpable hatred, turning what should have been a sacred, uplifting experience into an Allied soldiers’ run through hostile Nazi held territory. The first day was enough to confirm the danger; after that, re-entry was an act of defiant protection. I scooped up my children, cradling their small bodies, and became a furious, charging fullback, barreling through the frothing, hateful throng. They were no longer 'stinging pests' but a venomous human tide full of WASPS (pun intended) and serpents, and with every determined leap forward, I made sure my middle finger was a silent, defiant testament to my utter contempt for these vile creatures.
But the nadir of my tolerance was reached trying to attend LDS General Conference in downtown Salt Lake City as a family. This was meant to be a moment of spiritual communion, a cherished privilege; instead, it was hijacked, defiled, and poisoned by the grotesque spectacle of self-proclaimed "Christians"—a misnomer for the snarling, hateful mob that laid siege to the Conference Center. We weren't merely 'wading' through; we were forced to navigate a gauntlet of human bile, our children clutching our hands as their venomous screeches and guttural obscenities assaulted us. Their signs weren't just 'offensive'; they were purposely calibrated instruments of psychological warfare, thrust aggressively into our faces, adorned with vile caricatures and chilling condemnations. And then, the ultimate act of premeditated depravity: the public desecration of sacred temple garments. They didn't just 'burn' them; they ignited them in a nauseating pyre of blasphemy, their smoke polluting the air with an acrid stench of contempt, then stomped on the smoldering ashes with maniacal glee, their twisted smiles proclaiming victory. This wasn't ignorance; it was calculated cruelty, a deliberate, contemptuous act designed to inflict maximum pain and psychological torment upon believing Mormons. Every twisted smile, every hateful shriek, every stomp was a dagger aimed at the very heart of our faith, leaving an indelible stain of their malice upon what should have been a hallowed day.
And where were the media cries of condemnation of this hateful, intolerant, and bigoted behavior? Nowhere to be found. If in this situation, the Mormons were Muslims, there would have been an international outcry, and antifa would be there cracking the heads of supposed “far right nazi white nationalists” (and deservedly so.) In my estimation, those people were pure and utter trash, animalistic demagogues infected with the spirit of hate. And they didn’t go through great lengths to hide their identity. They proudly displayed their affiliations on the pamphlets and placards they wielded. They were usually from Baptist, Pentecostal, Non-denominational, and Christian Science churches. Basically, all were “Christian” fundamentalists of some sort.
I was left with the distinct impression that if that was what normative “Christianity” was, I wanted absolutely *nothing* to do with it. When I eventually turned back to Christ, I immediately and without hesitation ruled out all protestantism, particularly any Evangelical church (especially Southern Baptists). I didn’t give them a chance, nor did I bother to look into beliefs or religious life in detail, nor did I visit any of their churches. In my mind, “those people” were closer to satan worshippers than actual Christians, and going to one of their churches would have been akin to descending into Hades. In my mind, I might as well visit a mosque.
A will to change
However, now that I’m an Orthodox Christian and, on the admonishment of the Lord’s words in scripture as well as those of my spiritual fathers and saints whom I respect, I have been working very hard to change my feelings on this matter.
35 But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. Then one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question, testing test him, and saying.
36 'Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?'"
37Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’
38 “This is the first and great commandment.
39 “And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
40 “On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
Mathew 22:35-40
My understanding now is that one cannot be a Christian while harboring malice and judgment in one's heart. My priest said in a homily that you should not approach for holy communion if you bear anger, hatred, or condemnation towards anyone in your heart. As a result, I’ve been working hard on all of these, and I feel like I’m making at least some progress.
After baptism, I realized just how much of a sinner I am. Since then, I’ve been working on those parts of me that I felt were the most egregious, including egoism, pridefulness, judgmentalism, and hatred of groups like evangelicals, liberals (not necessarily people individually - although I indeed judge them, but specifically the ideologies), and Islam (not necessarily individuals, but more the religion itself - though I certainly do judge them). Since leaving the LDS church, I would have to add the LDS organization and top leadership to that list. Despite the good things they do, I am sometimes horrified by some of the things they do and say, and I have tremendous concern for the salvation of my family and loved ones. False doctrines and heresies cannot lead you to salvation.
A new Brother
This article is really about a friend - let’s call him Morgan (sorry mate if you’re reading this. I know it’s random, but I don’t use real names in public on the internet) - who is also formerly LDS, so we share that commonality in our past. He left the LDS church much earlier in his life than I did (he’s obviously much smarter than I), and then eventually the Lord brought him back to him through Evangelical Protestantism (I’m assuming that’s where he’s at, based on our topics of conversation and identification with a non-denominational church. Non-denoms, are typically theologically aligned with Baptist theology, which is essentially evangelical fundamentalist.)
I’ve been going through difficult times in my personal life, post-stroke. Morgan has experienced similar trials and tribulations, and in my pain and suffering, he reached out to express his brotherly love and care, and to be here to support me in any way I needed, including being a shoulder to cry on (within reasonable masculine limits).
That, my friends, is for me the mark of a true Christian man. Being willing to be your brother’s keeper, and to show up emotionally for another brother, does NOT mean that he doesn’t have a high degree of masculinity, because he’s a tough, fit dude who works out, practices martial arts, and I‘m sure can hold his own in a scrap.
What it does mean is that he has not fallen prey to the false machismo that the servants of secular and demonic influences often peddle. (Guys like Andrew Tate.) Instead, he’s a Christian who has found a way to be an authentic Man in today’s world, while also being true to his Christian faith. He not only talks the talk, but walks the walk. He’s an example of how one can be a strong, tough man, but also a real human being and a disciple of Christ at the same time. i.e., You can indeed be an Alpha, and a follower of Christ at the same time. And for any tater-tots (I’m so punny) out there reading this, if you can do the above, you will attract the right kind of woman.
My progress in coming to love my Evangelical and Protestant brothers and sisters first began with a lot of prayer and personal character development. I asked first for Humility and was hit with a massive stroke that knocked me on my rear end. (Be careful what you ask for!) In the hospital, I binge-watched and fell in love with The Chosen. The show’s creator, Dallas Jenkins, does a fantastic job, so much so that it is impossible for me to feel anything but love, gratitude, and appreciation for him. This was a big opening of the door for me. Second, I recently sponsored two young men into the church, which makes them my Godsons. Both of them come from an evangelical Christian background and still have friends within those communities. I must acknowledge and be grateful for the work done by previous Christian leaders and faith communities in shaping such fine gentlemen.
Finally, via his demonstration of authentic Christ-like behavior (Not to mention willingness to listen to me prattle on through endless ADHD/ASD tangents), Morgan has torn down the last piece of this satanic edifice, helping me finally slay this dragon. Praise God! He can do amazing things! Including taking a fallen P.O.S. like me and giving me the desire to become a disciple of Christ, and then providing good examples for me to follow (looking at you, Fr. V and Fr. G, and of course, Morgan)
This doesn’t mean that when I encounter them bashing orthodox, roman catholics, or even Mormons on the internet (I’m mainly on YouTube or Substack these days) that I won’t take a pause. But now, instead of feeling hatred and judgment towards them, I will take a breath and hold grace for them and hope that the Lord leads those individuals to a fuller understanding of what it means to be a Christian.
So, thank you, Morgan, you have blessed me with your outreach and friendship. I hope that I can reciprocate and be as good a friend to you.
Now, onwards to being able to do the same for Liberals and Muslims. The latter will be easier for me because I’d have many good muslim friends in my life. The former will be quite difficult, but I need to do it. I’ve already started to work on it. Please pray for me.
Shameless Plug
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