Taking a Chapter from the Book of Mormon
By The Rev. Rhonda M. Lee
Last night, my husband, Wayne, and I saw “The Book of Mormon” at the Durham Performing Arts Center. As expected, we both thoroughly enjoyed this irreverent—and, at times, admittedly obscene—send-up of everything from religion to musical theater.
What we didn’t expect was the discussion about evangelism we had over a post-theater drink. Our conversation was sparked by the three-page advertisement the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS) had purchased in the Playbill. Three Mormon faces smiled out at audience members while the text invited, “You’ve seen the play. Now read the book,” and directed us to an LDS church website.
That bold move took my respect for the Mormon genius for evangelism to a new level. The LDS church didn’t picket theaters to protest a play that must offend many—maybe all— of its members. Instead, they seized the opportunity to offer their sacred story to people who might otherwise receive only an outsiders’ version written for Broadway.
The Playbill advertising campaign wasn’t the first time I had encountered Mormons’ generosity in spreading the word of God as they know it. A few years ago, intrigued by the presence of a few former Mormons in my parish and wanting to know more about the beliefs they were leaving behind, I tried to buy the Book of Mormon. I soon discovered it wasn’t for sale, but I could order a free copy at the LDS church web site.
A week after I placed the order, a pair of young missionaries dropped by our house to give me the book. When they asked about my interest in Mormonism, I replied that I was an Episcopal priest, secure in my faith and tradition, seeking to learn more about theirs. We talked for a little while and then parted ways, offering each other God’s blessing. A few days later, I received a follow-up telephone call from another missionary, asking if I had had a chance to read the book, and if I had any questions. Our conversation, like my earlier talk with his colleagues, was brief and marked by mutual respect.
The Book of Mormon still sits on a shelf in my study. It made no impact on my faith. But my encounter with those young missionaries did, and reading their church’s ads in my Playbill last night only deepened it.
Mormon evangelism has made me wonder: what if the Episcopal Church offered the Book of Common Prayer (BCP), free of charge, to anyone who asked? Not just the version you can find at bcponline.org, but the beautiful, more user-friendly, paper or Kindle version currently sold on Amazon.com. What if Episcopalians carried copies of the BCP—bound or on flash drives—wherever we went, ready to pull them from our purses, briefcases, or the glove compartments of our cars to share what they contain?
Just giving away the BCP wouldn’t be enough. If we truly want to rise to the Mormon challenge, we would offer our book in a face-to-face meeting. That personal connection is the key to inviting our neighbors into our distinctively Anglican way of worshipping God and serving his people. Non-Mormons may laugh at seemingly arcane aspects of that faith, the parts “The Book of Mormon” mocks so cleverly. But from the outside, Episcopal worship, with our varying gestures and postures, our responses learned by heart, and our calendar of feasts and fasts, can appear just as closed. People hungry for what our church has to offer need guides into this unfamiliar territory. Are we prepared to accompany them?
That’s where evangelism and formation come together. To invite others into the riches of our tradition, Episcopalians need, ourselves, to be familiar with the Book of Common Prayer. And we need to be able to speak genuinely and concisely about the difference our Anglican faith has made in our lives. We don’t want to end up like “The Book of Mormon’s” Elder Cunningham, who shamefacedly acknowledges, once he’s out in the mission field, that he’s never actually read his church’s Scriptures.
Let’s accept our bishops’ challenge to “Go Speak!” And let’s be open to inspiration from any source about the ways we might proclaim, in word and deed, the Good News of God in Christ as our church has received it.
