But for evangelical Christians, there are larger concerns. A Romney presidency would have the effect of actively promoting a false religion in the world. Again, there will be those who don’t care. But if you have any regard for the Gospel of Christ, you should care.

The prevailing wisdom of polls and pundits is that Mitt Romney is one of the “top tier” candidates for the Republican nomination for president. He consistently polls at or near the top of possible candidates. The prevailing wisdom also says that Romney’s Mormonism will not be a factor in the election. They say that Romney’s Mormonism is like Kennedy’s Catholicism — interesting, and perhaps even troubling from a theological point of view, but irrelevant to his governing philosophy.

My position is that this prevailing wisdom is all wrong. His religious worldview will be vital to his governing philosophy, and that it will ultimately be the issue that undermines his candidacy. Let me tell you why I believe this to be so.

Let’s begin by noting that during the last election cycle, several prominent social conservatives supported Romney. Conservative icon Paul Weyrich said about Romney during the last election cycle.: “If we were endorsing Mr. Romney for head of the Southern Baptist Convention…the objections of these Evangelical Christians [to Romney’s Mormon faith] would be wholly appropriate. But we are not.” Fundamentalist Bob Jones III and Reformed theologian Dr. Wayne Grudem also supported Romney in 2008, using much the same argument. Such defenders often say that while the theology of Mormonism is very different from orthodox Christian theology, its social teachings on abortion, same-sex marriage, and a range of other issues is very similar. They sometimes cite Frances Schaeffer who introduced to evangelicals the idea of “co-belligerents.” In pro-life battles and other battles, Schaeffer said, evangelicals can safely fight alongside Catholics, Mormons, and others who share our positions on these issues, even if not our theology.

Before unpacking this argument, it is worth noting that Weyrich ultimately repented of this view. Indeed, one of Weyrich’s last public appearances before he died in 2008 was to a small group of influential conservative leaders who were discussing whether to endorse John McCain for president after it became obvious that he would be the GOP nominee. Weyrich was frail and bound to a wheelchair, but he said clearly and strongly that day that he had made a grave mistake endorsing Romney, and essentially asked the social conservatives in the room to forgive him. For many of us, it was the last time we saw Weyrich alive.

What Weyrich understood was that you can’t have it “both ways” when it comes to Romney’s faith. You can’t say that his religious beliefs don’t matter, but that his “values” do matter. The Christian worldview teaches that there is a short tether binding beliefs and the values and behaviors that flow from them. If beliefs are false, then behavior will eventually — but inevitably — be warped. Mormonism is particularly troubling on this point because Mormons believe in the idea of “continuing revelation.” They may believe one thing today, and something different tomorrow. This is why Mormons have changed their views, for example, on marriage and race. Polygamy was once a key distinctive of the religion. Now it is not, of course. Regarding race: Mormons would not allow blacks in leadership roles until the 1970s.

The idea of “continuing revelation” means that even if a Mormon social teaching happens to agree with orthodox Christianity, it is unreliable and subject to change. This idea of “continuing revelation” has virtually defined Romney’s career, who has changed his view on same-sex marriage and abortion just about every major “culture war” position.

For evangelical Christians, Romney has some additional explaining to do. On such essential doctrines as the Trinity and the role of Jesus in salvation, there are major differences between orthodox (biblical) Christianity and Mormonism. But the problems are not just theological, they are historical. Mormons believe and teach an American history that is in many particulars completely unsubstantiated and in others demonstrably false. Mormons believe that the “lost tribes” of Israel actually ended up in America, and that Jesus visited America and these tribes during his incarnation. These are just a few of Mormonism’s highly idiosyncratic views of history.

Does Mitt Romney believe these views? If he doesn’t, why not? Does he believe that historical facts are matters of personal opinion? More to the point, does he really believe that if he becomes the GOP nominee that he will not have to answer these questions before the world? Romney will be faced with a Hobson’s choice. He will either say he believes key ideas about reality and American history that most Americans will find false or wacky, or he will say that he doesn’t believe them and will be thereby “outed” as a hypocrite or traitor to his own belief system.

The vast majority of Americans won’t care about these theological implications. Indeed, Americans are generally tone-deaf to theological nuances. But to all American voters — religious or not — I would ask this question: Do we want a guy who believes in that history is something you can “make up as you go along” negotiating the outcome of conflicts with REAL histories that go back thousands of years? Conflicts in the Middle East, in Asia, and elsewhere require an understanding of history and human nature that are not fabricated out of whole cloth.

Again, I do not want to diagnose Mormonism book, chapter, and verse. But let me be plain on this point: At its core, Mormonism is — by Christian standards or by reasonable secular standards — an a-historical (and at times anti-historical) worldview. Evangelicals and others who argue that you can’t dismiss Romney based on his religion either miss or ignore this critical point. The boat of Mormonism is not tied to the anchor of either historical Christianity or even commonly accepted historical facts. Because the boat of Mormonism has been cut loose from that anchor, and is in fact adrift in a sea of philosophies and ideas, any similarity between Christian and Mormon is historically temporary and not a reliable gauge of how Romney will govern.

Let Me Tell You About Our President

Let me make one more point that is perhaps minor to most Americans, but which I think should make a significant difference to many evangelical Christians: As Theodore Roosevelt said, the presidency is a “bully pulpit.” Indeed, it has become the bulliest pulpit in the world. The entire planet hangs on what the occupant of that pulpit says and does. All of which is why a Mormon in that pulpit would be a source of pride and a shot in the arm to the LDS church. It would serve to normalize the false teachings of Mormonism the world over. It would also provide an opening to Mormon missionaries around the world, who could start every conversation: “Let me tell you about the American president.”

Non-Christians likely don’t care much about this point one way or the other. But for the Christian, this is a vital issue. One of the strongest warnings Jesus issues is to those who “lead little ones astray.” He said it would be better for that person if a millstone is put around his neck and he is cast into the sea. The validation of the false religion of Mormonism would almost certainly have the effect of leading many astray. Evangelical Christians should have no part of that effort.
Unfit to Serve?

No person is perfect. That’s a theological reality. No candidate perfectly represents the people, or even his core constituency. That’s a political reality. But certain qualifications make a candidate unfit to serve. I believe a candidate who either by intent or effect promotes a false and dangerous religion is unfit to serve. Mitt Romney has said it is not his intent to promote Mormonism. Even if you’re willing to take him at his word on that, there can be little doubt that the effect of his candidacy will be to promote Mormonism. There’s a lot about Romney I like. He seems to be a competent manager, he’s a fiscal conservative, and his positions on some social issues – while problematic in the past – seem to have genuinely changed.

But for evangelical Christians, there are larger concerns. A Romney presidency would have the effect of actively promoting a false religion in the world. Again, there will be those who don’t care. But if you have any regard for the Gospel of Christ, you should care.

For me, that alone, disqualifies him from my vote. Because Mormons believe in continuing revelation, it is possible that in the future the LDS church will renounce its heretical beliefs and come fully into the fold of orthodox Christianity. Many theologians and church historians believe the church is on such a trajectory. But if that happens, it is an event still well in the future. The Mormon Church of today is, by the lights of biblical evangelical Christianity, a false religion. If Mitt Romney believes what the Mormon Church teaches about the world and how it operates, he is unfit to serve. We make such a man our leader at great peril to the intellectual and spiritual health of our nation.

Warren Cole Smith is the Associate Publisher of WORLD Magazine and the editor of WORLD News Service. @Copyright 2011 World News Service – used with Permission