Aggregator

Allie Beth Stuckey debates Latter-day Saints podcaster — and asks: Was Christ’s sacrifice not enough?

1 week 5 days ago


Today, Allie Beth Stuckey, BlazeTV host of “Relatable,” debated Jacob Hansen, a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints podcaster whose channel is dedicated to exploring various worldview apologetics and comparing them to the LDS perspective.

In this fascinating 90-minute conversation, Allie and Hansen dive into important topics that differentiate creedal Christianity from the LDS faith, including the founding of the LDS Church, the Trinity, salvation, and much more.

Allie and Hansen kicked off the debate by discussing the founding of the Mormon faith.

It began in 1830 in upstate New York when a young farm boy named Joseph Smith claimed that God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared to him and directed him through the angel Moroni to translate the book of Mormon from ancient golden tablets.

“They essentially told [Smith] that the original church of Jesus Christ was not in its fullness on the Earth,” Hansen summarizes.

“What was missing was the priesthood authority and keys that were given to Peter … to effectuate the ordinances of salvation as a means by which we make covenants with our Father in heaven, and so you don’t have the fullness of the church without the fullness of the priesthood that is necessary to govern that institution, and we believe that was what needed to be restored,” he elaborates.

Allie asks Hansen a tough follow-up question: Does the Mormon church consider her — a Baptist — an apostate who lacks the fullness of truth?

“We would believe that you are a full, sincere believer in Jesus Christ, and we believe that you can reach a potential of relationship with Jesus Christ through that sincere belief that you have,” Hansen answers.

But in LDS theology, the afterlife isn’t binary as it is in the creedal Christian perspective. Heaven and hell are on a spectrum.

“The way that our faith views things is that there are different levels of light that people are willing to accept, right?” Hansen explains. “And the fullness of the light is to come into a full covenant relationship with Jesus Christ through His church, through the ordinances that put you into a covenant relationship with Jesus Christ.”

In other words, someone like Allie, who has a deep and personal relationship with Christ but rejects the tenets of Mormonism that contradict creedal Christianity, can experience “great joy and happiness” in the afterlife but not to the same level as those in the LDS Church who have both a sincere faith in Jesus Christ and fully accept the Church’s restored priesthood authority.

But Allie sees a contradiction.

“At least semantically, you would say Jesus died for our sins and that his sacrifice on the cross paid for our sins so that we could be reconciled to God,” she says.

“But it sounds like you’re saying there’s something else too — that Christ’s sacrifice wasn’t quite enough, that you also need to enter into ordinances.”

Hansen addresses Allie’s point with the analogy of a group of teenagers who ignored their parents’ warnings and decided to drive their car around a cliff.

“The brakes all of a sudden go out, and our car is heading downhill towards the cliff. … There’s nothing we can do to save ourselves; we’re going to go off that cliff, and then Jesus shows up with a helicopter, and He reaches His hand out and He says, ‘Take my hand, and I’ll get you out of this mess,' right?" says Hansen.

He explains that the teenagers in the car are not automatically rescued just because Jesus showed up. They have to “choose Jesus Christ” in order to be saved.

But choosing Christ isn’t just saying yes to being rescued, Hansen argues.

“Our view is that we have to do something to reach up to take His hand,” he says, pointing to how the crowd Peter was preaching to at Pentecost had to repent and be baptized before they received the gift of the Holy Spirit.

“So our view is that our repenting, being baptized, which is where we make this covenant with Christ, opens us up to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands by those who have authority,” he tells Allie.

To hear her response and watch the rest of the debate, check out the episode above.

Want more from Allie Beth Stuckey?

To enjoy more of Allie’s upbeat and in-depth coverage of culture, news, and theology from a Christian, conservative perspective, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

BlazeTV Staff

Newsom Blindsided as Brin Said Goodbye Over Tax

1 week 5 days ago
California Gov. Gavin Newsom was reportedly caught off guard during a private holiday gathering at the end of 2025 when Google co-founder Sergey Brin told him he planned to leave the state over a billionaire tax proposal.

Fetterman urges Democrats to 'drop the TDS' after WHCD shooting — but Pritzker and Soviet-born Democrat don't listen

1 week 5 days ago


A depraved radical opened fire at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner on Saturday night with the apparent aim of assassinating President Donald Trump and administration officials.

Following this latest attempt on his life, Trump implored all Americans to "recommit with their hearts in resolving our difference peacefully."

'A lot of this does come from the White House.'

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt expounded on the need to drop the divisive rhetoric, telling reporters on Monday that "this political violence stems from a systemic demonization of [Trump] and his supporters by commentators — yes, by elected members of the Democrat Party and even some in the media. This hateful and constant and violent rhetoric directed at President Trump, day after day after day for 11 years, has helped to legitimize this violence and bring us to this dark moment."

Like the hordes of anti-Trump leftists who sounded off online over the weekend, especially on the liberal X knockoff Bluesky, Rep. Eugene Vindman (D-Va.) made clear Monday on CNN that he would rather point fingers than build bridges.

Vindman impressed upon CNN talking head Sara Sidner the supposed need for social media censorship, which he euphemistically referred to as "better regulat[ion.]"

When Sidner asked the Democrat congressman whether toning down the rhetoric "is even possible with this political class, with the vitriol that comes out of the White House," Vindman agreed that Trump is at least partially responsible for the divisive "political climate."

"No," responded Vindman, a native of the former Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic whose twin brother attacked Trump online after the previous attempt on the president's life. "Absolutely not. And look, I think you're right. A lot of this does come from the White House."

RELATED: Suspected WHCD shooter and another would-be Trump assassin have a lot in common — and it's not just Ukraine

U.S. President Trump via Truth Social/Anadolu/Getty Images

Vindman was hardly the only Democrat who apparently felt obliged to blame Trump for the violence directed his way.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) told CNN on Monday, "Remember that it's been Donald Trump and the Republicans that have called for political violence."

After blaming suspected shooter Cole Allen's intended targets, Pritzker said that America needs to bring "peace to its politics." This sentiment was, however, short-lived, as he proceeded to defend the suggestion in his state of the state speech last year that the Trump administration is reminiscent of the Nazi regime in Germany.

Unlike Pritzker and Vindman, Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman (D) told his Democrat peers to "drop the TDS and build the White House ballroom for events exactly like these."

Fetterman further acknowledged that the hotel where the gunman attacked on Saturday "wasn't build to accommodate an event with the line of succession for the U.S. government."

Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Sunday, "What happened last night is exactly the reason that our great Military, Secret Service, Law Enforcement and, for different reasons, every President for the last 150 years, have been DEMANDING that a large, safe, and secure Ballroom be built ON THE GROUNDS OF THE WHITE HOUSE. This event would never have happened with the Militarily Top Secret Ballroom currently under construction at the White House. It cannot be built fast enough!"

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Joseph MacKinnon

Karoline Leavitt names and shames Democrats who inspired WHCD assassination attempt

1 week 5 days ago


In the aftermath of the third assassination attempt against President Donald Trump, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt took to the podium on Monday to call out specific Democrats for heightening tensions and calling for violence.

Just days after 31-year-old Cole Allen allegedly sprinted through a security checkpoint and opened fire in the lobby at the Washington Hilton, wounding a Secret Service agent, Leavitt is pointing the finger at Democrats who have inspired deranged leftists to take up arms.

'These are Democrat-elected officials calling for war.'

"It's not just the media. ... The entire Democrat Party has made their pitch to voters across the country that Donald Trump poses an existential threat to democracy, that he is a fascist, and that they compare him to Hitler," Leavitt said Monday.

"I mean, these are despicable statements that the American people have been consuming for years, and so many mentally perturbed individuals are led to believe these words are truth and then are inspired to act on it."

RELATED: Stunning new details reveal the 'depraved' motivation of the suspected WHCD shooter

Truth Social/Anadolu/Getty Images

Leavitt said those incessantly likening Trump to dictators who deserve to be met with violence inspired the three assassination attempts and countless threats waged against the president and his allies.

"Rep. Hakeem Jeffries just this April, this month, said, 'We are in an era of maximum warfare everywhere all the time,'" Leavitt said. "Governor Josh Shapiro said, 'Heads need to roll' within the administration. Senator Alex Padilla said people are 'dying because of fear and terror' caused by the Trump administration."

Leavitt went on to list several more prominent Democrats like Sens. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.), Adam Schiff (Calif.), and Ed Markey (Mass.), Gov. JB Pritzker (Ill.), Rep. Ayanna Presley (Mass.), and Rep. LaMonica McIver (N.J.), who have made similar appeals likening Trump to a fascist, dictator, or authoritarian and calling for ambiguous escalations.

"These are Democrat-elected officials calling for war against the president of the United States and his supporters," Leavitt said.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Rebeka Zeljko

GOP Senators in Wake of Shooting: Nuke Filibuster

1 week 5 days ago
In the aftermath of the shooting at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner, several Republican senators believe it's time to end the legislative filibuster to reopen the Department of Homeland Security. DHS has been shut down since Feb. 14.

Obama drops bewildering statement about motivation of WHCD shooting suspect

1 week 5 days ago


Democratic former President Barack Obama appeared to be baffled about the motivation of the suspect in the White House Correspondents' Dinner shooting, despite the rather persuasive evidence already available.

Cole Tomas Allen, a 31-year-old teacher from Torrance, California, was arrested after he allegedly opened fire at the dinner, prompting attendees to dive under their tables and the president to be evacuated from the area.

'There is no ambiguity. ... It's wrong to downplay or obscure the obvious motive.'

Allen had allegedly released a manifesto and left a massive online footprint full of Democratic anti-Trump propaganda, and yet Obama said he had no clue what could have motivated the suspect to try and assassinate the president and members of his administration.

"Although we don't yet have the details about the motives behind last night's shooting at the White House Correspondents Dinner, it's incumbent upon all us to reject the idea that violence has any place in our democracy," Obama wrote in the statement on social media Sunday.

"It's also a sobering reminder of the courage and sacrifice that U.S. Secret Service Agents show every day," he added. "I'm grateful to them — and thankful that the agent who was shot is going to be okay."

The former president was immediately assailed for the bizarre comment.

"This guy. We don't have the motives? There's a damn manifesto that details everything," NewsNation reporter Katie Pavlich responded.

"Oh, come on. The shooter left a detailed manifesto in his hotel room and sent writings to family members shortly before the attack where explicitly identified himself as the 'Friendly Federal Assassin' and said was targeting Trump administration officials — prioritized from highest-ranking to lowest," former DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said.

"There is no ambiguity. It was a politically motivated attack driven by anti-Trump and anti-Christian bile. It's wrong to downplay or obscure the obvious motive," she added.

RELATED: 'Enough is enough': Melania Trump demands ABC 'take a stand' against 'coward' Jimmy Kimmel

"You are so SICK!" responded the account for the Republican National Committee. "Law enforcement officers confirmed this radicalized Leftist was targeting President Trump and his administration last night. Why are you lying?"

Allen appeared in federal court for arraignment Monday on charges of attempted assassination of the president, interstate transportation of weapons, and discharge of a firearm during a violent crime. He is likely to face many other charges based on the information gathered from the investigation.

Allen's next scheduled court date is May 11.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Carlos Garcia

National Trust Says It Won't Drop Ballroom Lawsuit

1 week 5 days ago
The National Trust for Historic Preservation says it won't drop its lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump's White House ballroom project following a request by the Department of Justice to withdraw the complaint after shots rang out at Saturday's White House ...