What’s In a Name?

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the announcement that was made encouraging members and the media to use the proper name of The Church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, instead of the common nickname Mormon Church or LDS Church. (It’s Not Mormon’s Church) Since that time, I have tried to use the proper name of the church when talking to people I meet, but I have to admit that I am still guilty of using the “Mormon Church” because it is easier to say it and people know the name. After general conference last weekend, I now understand the importance of using the full name and not shortening it. President Nelson explained why it is important:

“What’s in a name or, in this case, a nickname? When it comes to nicknames of the Church, such as the “LDS Church,” the “Mormon Church,” or the “Church of the Latter-day Saints,” the most important thing in those names is the absence of the Savior’s name. To remove the Lord’s name from the Lord’s Church is a major victory for Satan. When we discard the Savior’s name, we are subtly disregarding all that Jesus Christ did for us—even His Atonement.

“After all He had endured—and after all He had done for humankind—I realize with profound regret that we have unwittingly acquiesced in the Lord’s restored Church being called by other names, each of which expunges the sacred name of Jesus Christ!

“When we omit His name from His Church, we are inadvertently removing Him as the central focus of our lives. names, each of which expunges the sacred name of Jesus Christ (emphasis added)” (The Correct Name of the Church).

I had never thought of it this way that we are removing the name of the Savior from His Church when we shorten the name or use a nickname. This was a wake-up call for me, I am serving as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I represent the Lord and His Church. If I really am his representative, how can I eliminate his name when I speak of His Church?

This past week while standing in a checkout line at a grocery store a woman behind me looked at my name tag and said: “I love Jesus, I wish I had a badge like that”. When I asked if she knew much about our church she took another look at the badge and admitted she did not know anything. When I said: “you might know us as the Mormon Church” and she said is that the same church? When I said yes, she was surprised. This is what President Nelson is talking about; the world know the Mormon Church and they know The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but they don’t know it is the same church.

I had another experience while on a bike ride with a group here in Fishers, Indiana. One of the riders is a minister for a local Christian Church and we were talking about how the church has changed the name of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir to The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square. Ron, the minister, asked why. I told him that we are trying to get away from the name Mormon Church and use the real name as directed by the Lord. I told him that we are trying to help people understand that we are Christians and that Christ is central to our worship and is the head of our church. Ron did not respond but at least he knows how I feel and that we want the world to know we believe in Jesus Christ.

President Nelson concluded his talk with these words:

“My dear brothers and sisters, I promise you that if we will do our best to restore the correct name of the Lord’s Church, He whose Church this is will pour down His power and blessings upon the heads of the Latter-day Saints,¹⁷ the likes of which we have never seen. We will have the knowledge and power of God to help us take the blessings of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people and to prepare the world for the Second Coming of the Lord.

“So, what’s in a name? When it comes to the name of the Lord’s Church, the answer is “Everything!” Jesus Christ directed us to call the Church by His name because it is His Church, filled with His power.” (The Correct Name of the Church)

I am interested in the blessings that President Nelson promised so I will do all I can to use His name and the full name of His Church when speaking to those I come in contact with. I am proud to be His representative and bear witness that he lives and that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is His Church here on the earth.

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It’s Not Mormon’s Church

This week President Russell M. Nelson, President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints asked the members of the church and the media to no longer refer to the church as the Mormon Church or LDS. In the new Style Guide – The Name of the Church it states:

While the term "Mormon Church" has long been publicly applied to the Church as a nickname, it is not an authorized title, and the Church discourages its use. Thus, please avoid using the abbreviation "LDS" or the nickname "Mormon" as substitutes for the name of the Church, as in "Mormon Church," "LDS Church," or "Church of the Latter-day Saints."

People inside and outside The Church have used the terms Mormon Church or LDS Church since the beginning of the church so why the change now? Individuals that were not members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints started calling it the Mormon church because of Joseph Smith and The Book of Mormon. It did not take long for the members of the church to adopt the term as well. Many people believe that The Mormon Church and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are two different churches, not the same church.

After Christ’s death and resurrection he appeared to the people living in the Americas and established his church there just as he did in the old world. When the people asked Jesus what they should call the church he answered:

Have they not read the scriptures, which say ye must take upon you the name of Christ, which is my name? For by this name shall ye be called at the last day;

And whoso taketh upon him my name, and endureth to the end, the same shall be saved at the last day.

Therefore, whatsoever ye shall do, ye shall do it in my name; therefore ye shall call the church in my name; and ye shall call upon the Father in my name that he will bless the church for my sake.

And how be it my church save it be called in my name? For if a church be called in Moses’ name then it be Moses’ church; or if it be called in the name of a man then it be the church of a man; but if it be called in my name then it is my church, if it so be that they are built upon my gospel. (3 Nephi 27:5-8)

And in a revelation given to Joseph Smith the Lord said: “for thus shall my church be called in the last days, even The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints” (Doctrine and Covenants 115:4)

The Savior made it clear that there would be two things that would distinguish His Church from all others; first – it would be called the Church of Jesus Christ. The true Church of Jesus Christ would not bear a man’s name like Lutheran, Calvinism, St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, St. Teresa of Calcutta, or Mormon. It would not be called by the name of the country like Greek Orthodox, Roman Orthodox, the Church of England, etc. Some churches are called after an event such as the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church.

The second way we would know if it is the true Church of Jesus Christ is that it would be built on His Gospel and have his authority. In other words it would teach the same things that the ancient apostles taught, have the same organization as they did, and have the priesthood authority to administer the saving ordinances of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Speaking the members of the Church of Jesus Christ in his day, the Apostle Paul stated that they

are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;

And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; (Ephesians 2:19-20)

When Christ established his church in the meridian of times he called 12 Apostles and gave them the priesthood authority to cast out devils, heal the sick, baptize, and preach the kingdom of God (Luke 9:1-2 and Mark 3:14). After Christ’s death, resurrection, and assentation into Heaven, the remaining eleven Apostles needed to fill the vacancy left by the apostacy and death of Judas. One of the qualifying characteristics was that the new Apostle needed to be a witness of Christ’s ministry and resurrection (Acts 1:22). The authority to act in the name of Jesus Christ can be traced from the head of the Meridian Church which was Peter, James, and John to Jesus Christ who called them and ordained them

As already established in an earlier post (“Why Do Mormons Believe in a Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ?”) – see even I am guilty of using the word Mormon to describe The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and I need to repent and change as our prophet has asked, the priesthood of God that was given to the ancient apostles was lost due to apostacy. There was no continuation of that authority once the apostles were no longer on the earth. The Catholic church claims that there was a continuation of the priesthood from the Apostle Peter to the Pope; however due to the facts already established The Catholic Church does not bear the name of Jesus Christ nor is it built on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. No other church (that I am aware of) claims to have a restoration of the priesthood of God except The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day saints.

On May 15^th 1829, John the Baptist appeared to the prophet Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery and gave them the Aaronic Priesthood (Doctrine and Covenants 13), later that month Peter, James, and John appeared to Joseph and Oliver and ordained them to the Melchizedek Priesthood (Doctrine and Covenants 27:12), and again on April 3, 1836 Moses, Elias, and Elijah all give Joseph and Oliver other priesthood keys for the gathering of Israel and the sealing ordinances of the temple.

Since the calling and ordination of the Prophet Joseph Smith, there has not been a break in the priesthood authority of each of the succeeding prophets to President Russell M. Nelson, the Lord’s prophet and mouth piece to the world today.

The Lord through his prophet has asked the members of his church to refer to his church as outlined in the Scriptures and according to his commandments. We are not the church of Mormon, nor are was the LDS Church; we are The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Lord himself has stated that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth (Doctrine and Covenants 1:30). You can recognized it is the true church because we have the same foundation of apostles and prophets as the church that Jesus Christ established, we have the restored priesthood of God, and we teach the same Gospel of Jesus Christ that has been established since before the foundations of this earth.

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