MACKS CREEK – To stand for truth and share Christ with people who embrace counterfeit forms of Christianity is a challenge. Colten Wright, pastor of Linn Creek Baptist Church and a member of the Missouri Baptist Apologetics Network, relishes this challenge as he shares the gospel with people in his Lake of the Ozarks community.
Wright often asks questions to clarify other people’s beliefs and gently point them to the truth of Jesus Christ. In particular, he specializes in witnessing to Jehovah’s Witnesses, Latter-day Saints (Mormons), and Oneness Pentecostals – three errant Christian organizations.
Colton Wright
Wright describes his approach as presuppositional. That is, he defends historic Christianity by assuming it is true and reasons from that foundation.
“Everyone presupposes things,” he says. “When an atheist talks to a Christian about his beliefs but says he doesn’t want to consider the Bible, he’s presupposing his atheism. Why would I want to drop my shield of faith by excluding God’s Word from our conversation? So, I begin with Scripture and take my stand on it.”
Latter-day Saints (Mormonism)
As Wright interacts with Latter-day Saints (LDS; also often called Mormons), he tries to focus on the question, “Who is Jesus Christ?” He explained that the LDS Church see Jesus differently than Christians. They believe he came into existence through sexual relations between Elohim, the god of this world, and a heavenly mother and then earned his deity before coming to earth. He’s also the spirit brother of Lucifer and, in the same way, our spiritual brother.
In addition, the LDS view of the Trinity is flawed, as are the doctrines of the virgin birth, salvation and the future judgment. Wright said when he shares the gospel with a Latter-day Saint, he points out their view of “many gods” contradicts Scripture, for example Isaiah 43:10: “No god was formed before me, and there will be none after me. I — I am the Lord. Besides me, there is no Savior.”
Wright has an LDS family member, and they have talked about these matters several times.
Jehovah’s Witnesses
Wright also studies the beliefs of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, who have no certainty of their salvation and hope to live on a restored earth one day while Jesus rules in heaven, but only if they earn it. He shares with them passages of Scripture like Eph 2:8-9: “For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift – not from works, so that no one can boast.”
Wright said the Jehovah’s Witnesses have a distorted view of Jesus, thinking him to be an iteration of Michael the Archangel. They deny His deity. They also deny the Trinity and believe in levels of salvation with only 144,000 being in heaven and the rest being in a “great crowd” on earth.
Wright’s response is to help Jehovah’s Witnesses understand that Jesus Christ is God incarnate, and that salvation is for all who believe in him.
Oneness Pentecostals
Another area of belief to which Wright has given attention is the Oneness Pentecostal movement. He understands that their view of the Trinity is that of modalism. Modalism is defined as God existing in three forms – Father, Son and Spirit – only at different times.
Christian theologian Norman Geisler writes, “Modalism is an unorthodox or heretical view of God that denies the orthodox trinitarian view that there are three distinct, co-eternal persons in the godhead…. Modalists claim that God simply manifests himself in different modes or forms at different times.”
Wright says the United Pentecostal Church International is based in St. Louis and boasts 9 million adherents. They are a major proponent of modalist theology.
When engaging with Oneness Pentecostals, Wright helps them understand the biblical teaching of the Trinity and who Jesus is so they might trust in Jesus for salvation.
Wright says that counterfeit forms of Christianity are “the unpaid bills of the church. People are hurting, looking for answers. And we shouldn’t shut the doors on them.”
Colten Wright and his wife Crystal have two children and live in Macks Creek. Wright serves as pastor of Linn Creek Baptist Church. He is available for speaking engagements, Bible conferences and classes. Contact him through the MBC Apologetics Network: https://mobaptist.org/apologetics/mban/.