On the heels of Brian’s post about avoiding contention, I am reminded of Eccl. 3: 1 which tells us that “[t]o every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.” I would contend that there is a time to contend and a time not to contend. FAIR president Scott Gordon’s recent appearance on the Alan Colmes Show to counter Bill Keller’s (no relation!) diatribe that a vote for Romney is a vote for Satan seemed to me to be appropriate.

I appreciate, for the most part, how Rev. Keller uses his influence to help bring his 2.4 million followers to Christ. I can also admire someone willing to stand up for his convictions, even if unpopular. I can appreciate the work that countercult ministries to help maintain the boundaries of creedal and evangelical Christianity. I would plead with those influenced primarily by such literature to become better informed and to engage in respectful dialog with their Mormon neighbors.

Rev. Keller’s distrust for Mormonism probably stems from many factors such as the curriculum used in his theological training. No doubt that a recent financial deal falling through has increased Keller’s suspicions that Romney’s presidential run is primarily a move by the LDS Church to improve its mainstream acceptability:

I remember last year being excited about a wonderful deal we had put together with Larry Jones’ Feed the Children organization that would have meant millions of dollars a year to Liveprayer and been a big part of the answer to giving us all the resources we needed to do what God has called us to do in reaching the lost through secular television. I’ll never forget getting the phone call that Jones was bought and used by the Mormon cult as part of their overall strategy to appear as “just another Christian church.”

I recommend listening to Gordon’s responses as a model of good communication skills. He was very courteous in allowing the moderator and his opponent to speak without interruption or snickering. I estimated that Keller had about 50% more speaking time than Gordon, although some of that includes exchanges with Colmes over whether Keller’s condemnations to hell applied to Jews as well and what the political implications of Keller’s diatribe were. I think Gordon did well to maintain his cool despite being accused of being a liar, non-Christian, and a member of a satanic cult.

I was very impressed with Gordon fielding questions without hesitation, evasiveness, or trying to change the subject. While I imagine my responses to the same questions would be different, I would probably want all day to review them first. I really admire the ability to articulate ideas spontaneously, clearly, and under pressure. Rev. Keller also seemed to be polished in this respect, however he may want to learn from his Mormon opponent on how to come across as credible to a wider audience than his immediate flock.

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