I grew up attending church and believing in God
I was what some would call a “nominal” or “cultural” Christian, that is-I believed in name only, but was not really a committed follower of Jesus Christ in my heart or life. It was not until my freshman year of college that I became a Christian at the University of Nevada Las Vegas.
One fascinating aspect of how I came to faith in Christ is the role that Mormonism (Latter Day Saints) played. My exploration of Mormonism was in one sense a catalyst for me to actually consider who God is and what I would believe. Mormonism ended up being a step in the journey for me to faith in the God of the Bible-a God who I now understand to be VERY different from that which is portrayed in Mormon theology. (If you are a Mormon reading this post, thank you for reading this post. Please take the time to read it all the way to the end. For those with little understanding of the differences between Mormonism and a biblical Christianity, click here or here, and read on).
Growing Up in Nevada
I grew up in a small town in Nevada. I had lots of Mormon friends and even a few Mormon girlfriends. I deeply appreciated the friendships and connection I had with the Mormon community. In high school, some of my friends and I formed a ska band and we almost named it “Tom and the Mormons”-thankfully we settled on the much better name “Toad Repellent.” We had great times together and it was a sweet privilege to be part of their lives. read more