Evangelical leaders in Utah; will meet with an LDS leader

SALT LAKE CITY — Evangelical leaders from across the country will be here Thursday for their first ever board meeting in predominantly Mormon Utah, and experts say the significance extends beyond the religious divide.

Chief executive officers of 40 denominations will be in Salt Lake City and Park City for the semiannual meeting of the National Association of Evangelicals. In addition to that gathering, the group said in a statement that it plans to meet with a leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as well as Gov. Gary Herbert.

“We’ve never met in Utah and the organization started in 1942, so that’s kind of a long spell of time to specifically avoid Utah,” Rev. Greg Johnson said. “I think the tensions between historic Mormonism and historic evangelicalism probably set the stage for that kind of scenario.”

The hope of Rev. Greg Johnson, founder of the Standing Together ministry in Salt Lake City, is that the meetings will further help to resolve tensions and differences between the faiths.

“That tension is real — I don’t want to understate it or under-acknowledge it,” Johnson said. “(The meeting) enables us to dialogue and communicate, build some relationships, begin some new interactions.”

Whether in fundamental doctrine or simple flair, the differences between Mormons and evangelicals have been readily apparent. They have also played out in the political arena — most famously in 2008, when Evangelicals raised concerns about Mitt Romney becoming president. Many supported his rival and Baptist Mike Huckabee.

A recent poll from the Wall Street Journal and NBC showed Huckabee leading Romney by four points as a 2012 favorite among likely GOP primary voters.

Jon Huntsman Jr., another potential LDS presidential candidate and outgoing U.S. ambassador, lags distantly in polling behind those two men.

University of Utah political science professor Tim Chambless says what takes place in Salt Lake City with the politically-charged NAE board could ultimately have some bearing on Romney’s 2012 chances.

“The evangelicals, if they are active as they were before, constitute at the Republican National Convention as much as 40 percent of the delegate vote,” Chambless said. “On a political level, it’s really essential for success — for victory — for Mitt Romney.”