Nearly early every morning of these Games, on my way into the Main Media Center, I have been offered eternal victory. On the corner of 200 South and West Temple, somebody who is already a winner forever will hand me a leaflet. On the cover, as if it’s being lowered from heaven, is a gold medal hovering over a well-greened mountain range. “The Truth Is Coming!” it says. “You have come to a place in your life where you must now make a decision. If you choose to accept the payment made by the Lord Jesus Christ for your sin, then you simply need to bow your head and pray. Tell Jesus, in your own words, that you are sorry for your sin and ask Him to forgive you and save you from hell.”
These eternal victors–a Salt Lake-based organization of six Baptist churches–aren’t the only game in town, however. Bible Broadcasting Network International wants me to tune into all-Christian radio, available, says their leaflet, on 95.5 and 92.7 FM for my listening pleasure. (If you’re in Bermuda, that’s 1280 AM; in Uruguay it’s 1370.) According to the BBN, you can “win the Gold and lose the Crown.” If you want to win the Crown, there’s a pretty handy questionnaire to help you: “If I die tonight my soul will be in H_____ tomorrow morning!”
Gordon B. Hinckley, president of the Latter Day Saints Church, told organizers after Salt Lake City won the 2002 Games that Mormons wouldn’t proselytize during the Olympics nor would missionaries go trolling for converts. And they haven’t. In fact, they’ve been such a non-issue that even the Salt Lake City Weekly–a leftie freebie that, as far as I can tell, isn’t particularly pro-Mormon–commended the church this week for having “melted into the background.” According to the editorial, the church’s presence, “compared to some loutish evangelicals, has appeared stately and refined.”
That can’t be said for some of the displays downtown. The evangelicals who swept in to fill the void the Mormons vacated have bought with them placards that read “Mormon Jesus Is Devil’s Brother.” A “Temple Square Visitor’s Guide” points out that, during a visit to the “silver-domed Tabernacle in the center of Temple Square,” you will be “treated to its unique acoustics. Tour guides demonstrate how even a dropped pin can be heard with relative ease. But dropping pins are not the only sounds that have been heard in the building: For years members of the LDS Church have sat and listened to messages that certainly do not fall under the classification of Christian teaching.” The guide is full of refutations of LDS theology.
Mormons who would be offended by this have, for sure, been handed a copy of “The Supreme Hope,” a free contemporary English version of the good book courtesy of the American Bible Society. Hopefully, Mormons can find some solace in the bible’s preamble, titled “More Than Gold.” It reminds that “the next time a competitor begins to taunt you and embarrass you, do not fall prey to his or her tactics.”
For the more visually oriented Mormon, Bibles for America offers a version complete with “charts of important truths and maps of the New Testament lands.” Just pick one up at their Biblemobile. Then, if it so moves you, go grab “A Time To Hope,” an interactive CD featuring Christian musicians Jars of Clay, Out of Eden, and Rebecca St. James and athletes like soccer player Michelle Akers. “In addition to the great music cuts,” read the liner notes, “you can access over 20 short movie clips and major portions of life-transforming Scripture.”
That’s a lot of material to get through. I took some of mine to dinner at Chick-fil-A last night, a chain whose mission statement is “To glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us.” Apparently this glorification is done by selling chicken sandwiches. (I asked for mine with lettuce and tomato; it only came with pickles. The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away, I guess.) It’s tempting to plow through all of the handouts you get as you walk around town just to save time. But then you wouldn’t be competing in one of the more popular sports here: listening to all of the people who want to help you.
