Utah

Traditionally, evangelicals and Mormons have regarded each other with suspicion and contact was kept at a minimum. But on Thursday, a high-profile delegation of evangelical leaders was hosted by Utah’s governor, a Mormon, at his mansion and spent time engaging with one of the top leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The event involving board members of the National Association of Evangelicals was the first time that anything close to an official evangelical council had come to Utah to listen and extend a hand of friendship to the LDS Church.

“I see the NAE coming to Utah, and not just meeting here but saying, ‘We want to meet at least one Mormon leader and extend the hand of friendship;’ I see that as a very historic and courageous act,” said Dr. Richard Mouw, president of Fuller Theological Seminary, to The Christian Post. more >>

A group of prominent evangelicals will meet with a Mormon leader Thursday in Salt Lake City, Utah, for dialogue to better understand each other's faith.

Some of the evangelical leaders involved in the dialogue are: Leith Anderson, president of the National Association of Evangelicals; Richard Mouw, president of Fuller Theological Seminary; Craig Williford, president of Trinity International University; and David Neff, editor-in-chief of Christianity Today; among others.

"We hope this time of dialogue with LDS leaders will deepen our understanding of the Mormon faith and contribute to the ongoing work of evangelicals in Utah," said Leith Anderson, NAE President. "For the sake of Christ and his kingdom, we seek to represent biblical evangelicalism to those who wouldn't hear or know. We also look for common ground on issues where we can work together." more >>

No stranger to conservative religious values, Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow proposed the idea of giving Brigham Young University’s basketball player Brandon Davies a second chance despite his violating the school’s honor code.

Tebow, while acknowledging that he does not know details of the incident, said, “I do always think that people definitely deserve second chances because no one is perfect and we mess up every day,” in a video interview with the Orlando Sentinel posted Saturday.

“There should be a punishment, but I don’t know that he should maybe … I don’t know. I don’t even know the situation, but I just always think about giving people a second chance. Maybe he deserves one, but I don’t know the situation,” the outspoken evangelical football star said about Davies’ situation. more >>

This week, Park City welcomed a flurry of starved audiences in need of their yearly indie film fix – 115 features to be exact – that would inspire, touch, and propel them through the slew of mind-numbing mainstream blockbusters sure to bombard the screens in 2011.

The Sundance Film Festival, a program of the Sundance Institute, introduces audiences to the most innovative and unique stories, giving filmmakers a chance to get their work out to a greater public and get noticed.

Robert Redford, founder and president of the institute, has been spearheading the movement for 30 years. He was recently joined by Festival Director John Cooper who saw the creation of the NEXT section, highlighting low to no-budget films and the inauguration of Sundance Film Festival U.S.A., where filmmakers traveled to eight cities around the country to present their films, according to the festival’s website. more >>

Utah church leaders expressed their distress Wednesday in a letter written by a county sheriff asserting that God is OK with the death penalty.

Pastors from two different denominations in the state said that Weber County Sheriff Terry Thompson was misguided when he sent a letter to state law enforcement officers declaring that God is “OK” with capital punishment.

Bruce Davis Sr., pastor of New Zion Baptist Church, told the local paper the Standard-Examiner that Thompson likely does not realize the difference between the biblical teachings of the Old Testament and those of the New Testament. more >>

It's easy to make ministry a "clock in and clock out" kind of job.

But a pastor in Utah is challenging that habit and trying to be on mission wherever he is – that means, not only inviting people to his newly planted church but also befriending neighbors and establishing relationships.

"We live in a 'drive in your garage and shut it quick and maybe give a quick wave' kind of place," said Pastor Charles Hill, who moved to South Jordan, Utah, in 2009, to start a church in a predominantly Mormon community. more >>