tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-331457042024-03-21T08:11:15.558-07:00Life In UtahThis is a blog about my personal experiences in Utah. My family and I moved here in June 2010. I also teach online classes and led a youth trip to Israel in April 2011. I'll write weekly and respond to comments in a reasonable fashion.Eric Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08536344370124718654noreply@blogger.comBlogger58125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33145704.post-70347504187605121042013-02-16T07:51:00.003-08:002013-02-16T07:53:20.485-08:00Should evangelism always suit a 21st century culture?
On Ash Wednesday, several Episcopalian priests from the San
Diego, CA area went onto local street corners, putting ashes onto the heads of pedestrians.
According to the article I read, this event was created so people who were too
busy to go to church could participate in this rite. Some even stuck their heads
out of car windows while waiting at the red light to have the service done! Eric Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08536344370124718654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33145704.post-36541849799176788922013-01-14T09:36:00.004-08:002013-01-14T09:36:44.526-08:00Why Can't They See?
If you are like me, one of the most frustrating things in
sharing your Christian faith is having the message rejected, sometimes even “in
your face.” Recently I had a pair of Mormon missionaries come over to my house,
unannounced. We had a very good one-hour conversation. The elder who had been
on the field longer wanted to leave after 15 minutes, but the new elder expressed
his desire of Eric Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08536344370124718654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33145704.post-43423376121236404952012-09-14T09:41:00.002-07:002012-09-14T12:23:21.371-07:00Responding to Negative Comments: Brigham City Outreach<!--[if gte mso 9]>
<![endif]-->
On Wednesday, September 12, 2012, I was interviewed by
two different television stations in front of the Mormon temple. (If you would
like to see the stories, you can see them here.)
http://www.ksl.com/index.php?sid=22120600&nid=148&title=2nd-lawsuit-filed-over-flier-ban-at-lds-temple-open-house&s_cid=queue-1
http://Eric Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08536344370124718654noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33145704.post-5890559745544385652012-08-19T16:31:00.000-07:002012-08-19T16:35:37.483-07:00A Case of Not Willing to Listen
Richard Mouw is probably best known for his seven-minute
speech at the Mormon Tabernacle a few years ago that preceded a talk by
Christian apologist Ravi Zacharias. Using half of his fifteen minutes of fame,
Mouw apologized to the Mormons for ill treatment over the years by the
Christian community. Meanwhile, his words upstaged the main speaker, as the
media led off their broadcasts and Eric Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08536344370124718654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33145704.post-40223564402110128932012-08-03T08:08:00.001-07:002012-08-03T08:26:58.603-07:00Thoughts on turning 50
I turned 50 last week. Typical, I was too busy to sit down
and write a piece that’s been ruminating in my mind for the past few weeks. I
don’t want to write a novel, but I do want to say a few things. First, I want
to thank my wife for making my birthday very special. She put on a party at the
local park and invited many friends to attend. In addition, she quietly collected
more than 50 cards Eric Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08536344370124718654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33145704.post-26547068506551088282012-06-20T17:13:00.002-07:002012-06-20T18:19:30.465-07:00A Rejoinder to an Amazon.com Review
On June 7, 2012,
having finished reading a book titled Talking withe Mormons: An Invitation to Evangelicals written by former Fuller Seminary President
Richard J. Mouw, I decided to post a review on Amazon.com, a site where I have
written 341 reviews for more than a decade and am currently ranked just under 4,000
for Top Reviewers. Let it be said that I only review books that I have actually
Eric Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08536344370124718654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33145704.post-42439878673969736112012-05-11T20:56:00.000-07:002012-05-12T06:19:37.923-07:00An Unwise Decision: Romney Allowed to Speak at LibertyOpen letter to the Liberty “Kens” (Ken Blackwell and Ken
Klukowski, professors at Liberty University).
In a Huffington Post
article from 5/11, two professors from Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA, wrote
an article (“Evangelicals will Rally for Romney”). They wrote in support of
Liberty hosting Romney in today’s commencement exercise. In my blog, I am
including their article in full (Eric Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08536344370124718654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33145704.post-9898841022274232432012-05-03T15:43:00.002-07:002012-05-03T15:44:31.164-07:00Mormonism's growth figures--what can you believe?
Screaming front page headline in Wednesday, May 2, 2012’s
Salt Lake Tribune (in bold, no less):
“Multiplying Mormons expand into
new turf”
Subhead 1: “2010 census: LDS
Church is fastest-growth Christian faith in 30 states, report shows.
Subhead 2: “Only Muslims, with
67% jump from 2000-2010, outpaces 45% LDS increase.”
Anyone picking up the paper on Wednesday received several
messages:
Eric Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08536344370124718654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33145704.post-57666759884032940792012-04-24T12:43:00.001-07:002012-04-24T12:53:04.255-07:00Carissa's Letter to Liberty
My daughter Carissa is planning to attend Liberty University next fall as a junior transfer student. Last week, the university announced that it is having Mitt Romney come address its graduates in the commencement. Here is her open letter to the school (which has not yet responded to her three days after she originally sent this).
To whom it may concern:
I will be transferring to Liberty Eric Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08536344370124718654noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33145704.post-85469270881904987802012-03-28T09:49:00.002-07:002012-03-28T09:49:58.881-07:00GOP candidate is drawing a varied Christian response<!--[if gte mso 9]> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]>Eric Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08536344370124718654noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33145704.post-71479534938992004192012-03-16T19:38:00.000-07:002012-03-16T19:38:10.154-07:00Blacks and the LDS ChurchBefore June 8, 1978, LDS males with black skin were not allowed to obtain the priesthood necessary to qualify for the Celestial Kingdom, a place where Mormons believe people will be able to progress to godhood. The very best they could hope for before this time was the bottom level of the Celestial Kingdom, where they could be servants for those on the top level.
After the First Presidency Eric Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08536344370124718654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33145704.post-70444299804509494252012-03-02T10:02:00.000-08:002012-03-02T10:02:21.245-08:00Letter to the 820-AM Station ManagerThe other day we received an email from the station manager at KUTR-820 AM, the Christian talk radio station in Utah. He had received the following letter that he wanted to share with us:
TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:
I absolutely love your radio station here in Utah. I especially enjoy listening to Dr. David Jeremiah. Many of your preachers are so inspiring and uplifting. I Eric Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08536344370124718654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33145704.post-12352207167865441682012-01-31T09:57:00.000-08:002012-01-31T09:57:23.382-08:00A real crisis<!--[if gte mso 9]> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]>Eric Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08536344370124718654noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33145704.post-78731359089099290102012-01-09T10:57:00.000-08:002012-01-09T10:57:12.060-08:00Time on Tebow<!--[if gte mso 9]> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]>Eric Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08536344370124718654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33145704.post-50202577030232064512011-12-24T13:08:00.000-08:002011-12-24T13:08:35.443-08:00Happy Holydays, Merry Xmas<!--[if gte mso 9]> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]>Eric Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08536344370124718654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33145704.post-36761575056644030982011-12-15T15:55:00.000-08:002011-12-15T15:55:59.077-08:00Two men for every three women?
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:swiss;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-520092929 1073786111 9 0 415 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin-top:0in;
margin-right:Eric Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08536344370124718654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33145704.post-67434613705806597782011-12-08T19:49:00.000-08:002011-12-08T19:49:07.970-08:00Stories that make the heart ache<!--[if gte mso 9]> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]>Eric Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08536344370124718654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33145704.post-92080149904529855882011-10-12T14:22:00.000-07:002011-10-12T14:22:57.670-07:00Should I as an Evangelical Christian vote for a Mormon?
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:swiss;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-520092929 1073786111 9 0 415 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin-top:0in;
margin-right:Eric Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08536344370124718654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33145704.post-40224504449446342902011-09-18T18:52:00.000-07:002011-09-18T18:58:53.500-07:00Harassment? Or intimidation?Last night (Sat., 9/17), I went to the BYU/Utah rivalry game in Provo, UT, home of Brigham Young University, with two friends I had devised a trivia sports-sized card to hand out at BYU football games. On the one side are four Cougar football trivia questions, with the gospel message written specifically for Mormons on the back. Obviously, 90%+ of all BYU fans are LDS, so this type of card is Eric Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08536344370124718654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33145704.post-83934963264078530262011-09-03T16:04:00.000-07:002011-09-03T16:04:54.362-07:00Responding to a BYU professor.<!--[if gte mso 9]> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]>Eric Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08536344370124718654noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33145704.post-57075709443159227772011-08-27T06:35:00.000-07:002011-08-27T06:36:18.185-07:00Myths About MormonismAn op-ed I wrote in the Salt Lake Tribune on Saturday, 8/27.
In an Aug. 21 opinion piece in The Tribune, “Five persistent myths about Mormonism,” English professor/blogger Joanna Brooks claims that the presidential campaigns of two Mormons, as well as the popular “Book of Mormon” musical on Broadway, have created “common caricatures,” leading to “confusion” within the general public about The Eric Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08536344370124718654noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33145704.post-47507318101760634862011-08-06T15:08:00.000-07:002011-08-06T15:08:39.376-07:00A nightmare not in realityI had a nightmare the other night, one where you wake up and wonder, "Was that real?"
Somehow it was two years in the future. I couldn't believe how quickly time had gone. I was being judged for the past three years of how I had lived my life. "You've wasted your time, Eric," I remember being told. "You could have done so much better."
I knew what was meant. Some background may be needed. Last Eric Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08536344370124718654noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33145704.post-59990052577255798502011-07-23T23:47:00.000-07:002011-07-23T23:47:41.911-07:00Bees win, Bees win...or do they?I just returned from a Salt Lake Bees victory, 18-9 over Tacoma in AAA baseball. The Bees scored 10 runs in the first inning that featured a grand slam and a 3-run homer. The outcome was never in doubt. I know all of you must be excited. And the fireworks afterward were pretty cool too--the kids enjoyed the wonderful show that was put on.
But that's not why I write. During the last couple of Eric Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08536344370124718654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33145704.post-64187781217002005692011-07-09T08:23:00.000-07:002011-07-09T09:31:15.769-07:00Illogical reasoning"It means we are able to be called human beings with all the rights of everyone else."
--Debbie Strom, New York resident, celebrating the state's legalization of same-sex marriages; she and her partner plan to marry (as reported in Time magazine, July 11, 2011, p. 9)
The above quote is so deeply misleading that I need to comment on it. And my point should be Eric Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08536344370124718654noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33145704.post-80999375962754328152011-06-28T20:02:00.000-07:002011-06-28T20:07:10.195-07:00Did you know Santa doesn't exist?Over the years I've been interested in the atheism/theism debate. I've read the articles, watched the videos, perused the blogs, and just kept informed on the issues. In January, I ended up getting into a written debate in the largest newspaper in our state. A University of Utah scientist even got involved in the publishing fray. Needless to say, I was quite unimpressed.
I have come to a Eric Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08536344370124718654noreply@blogger.com1