THE CROSS
February 2026
by D A Hydrick
Romans 3:9-10 (KJV): What then? Are we better than they?
No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles,
that they are all under sin; As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one.
Please click/tap on the book graphic for more information.
(Excerpts printed with expressed written permission
by Mr. Hydrick)
My childhood and teenage years in South Lake Tahoe, California, were largely happy, and I had no reason to doubt the teachings I received as a member of the Mormon faith. The primary focus was on living a good, moral life and caring for those in need.
As I matured, I knew I lacked a spiritual witness of specific Mormon doctrines - a spiritual witness is defined in Mormonism as knowing something to be true through a “burning in your bosom” from the Holy Ghost — I was told that my testimony of individual LDS doctrines would develop as I served the Lord. I felt strongly enough about the LDS faith to serve as a missionary.
In 1978, at the ripe old age of nineteen, I was sent to the Arkansas Little Rock Mission. Looking back, I know that God had a plan for me - a plan initiated in the heart of the Bible Belt.
The Christians of the Deep South impressed me with their simple focus on Jesus Christ. It was refreshing. I remember thinking then, and I still believe now, that this is how it should be. The focus should always be on Christ, first and foremost.
Under Mormonism, I felt a “doctrine overload.” The LDS believe in ongoing revelation, which results in the introduction of new doctrines. This additional doctrine, they would say, brings a deeper and clearer understanding. To me, the additional doctrine created complications and contradictions. I want to be clear that the LDS faith does teach Jesus Christ as our Savior, but with so many doctrines and beliefs, it is easy to lose the focus on Christ.
During my LDS mission, I served several months in the small town of Clarksdale, Mississippi. On one occasion, my missionary companion and I were invited to attend a Baptist church. I didn’t expect to experience the Holy Spirit in that church, but I did. I knew God was in that church. This was confusing to me because I was taught that we Mormons had the “whole” truth. It shocked me to experience the Holy Spirit dwelling so strongly in what I had been taught was a “lesser” church (the sensation of the Holy Spirit was the same as I remembered from my baptism at age 8). Could it be that the Christian denomination you belong to does not matter as much as the simple act of accepting Jesus Christ as your Savior?
I am not proud that I waited many years before admitting I felt the Spirit in that Baptist church. I succumbed to pressure. When you are a Mormon, and especially a missionary, there is a lot of pressure to hold your ground and do the church proud. It is also a matter of family pride to serve your mission with honor.
If we have faith in Jesus Christ and accept Him as our Savior, trusting in Him, His gift is mercy, which is the forgiveness of our sins through His previous suffering for our sins, leading to salvation. I learned a new concept of Grace through Christ:
1. This gift of grace and our salvation through it, we
2. naturally become filled with deep gratitude and love towards God as we accept Him, which
3. manifests itself as good works in us
Note the order here:
As a Mormon, I was taught about grace and works in the opposite order. I was taught that if we:
1. are obedient and work hard enough to do the right things (good works), then
2. after our death, God’s grace will kick in and make up the difference between where we were and where we needed to be, to
3. receive salvation
The Gospel of Grace in Christianity teaches that grace is a gift. It is the first step in the process of salvation. Mormonism teaches that grace is earned through good works and is the final step in the process of salvation (see Chapter 3 "More on Grace").
Some might argue that the Mormon view of grace appears fairer. After all, we get ahead in life through hard work and dedication. We are taught from our youth to work hard for what we want so that we will be rewarded. This is good advice, as far as earthly matters are concerned. But do we want salvation to be based on how hard we work? Think carefully about that. If God were to treat us “fairly,” based on what we have “earned,” we would surely all be on our way to Hell. None of us would be saved.
Finally, my motivations for sharing my story include:
Overcoming my fear. The Lord does not want us to be passive in living out the gospel (or lukewarm - Rev. 3:16). Rather, He wants us to live meaningful lives that positively impact others. The Spirit has been urging me to write about my experiences. I have a strong natural tendency to be passive, but on this matter, I cannot afford to be passive.
Gratitude. God has shown me His great love and mercy in a peculiar way. He took me through some dark and lonely times. Although the journey has not been fun, I am grateful to God every moment for the changes He has made and continues to make in me.
Desire to share the Truth. The Holy Spirit teaches us truth and testifies to truth. I have discovered a tremendous, liberating freedom in truth and want others to experience it. The truth leads to a less stressful and more joy-filled life. If I do not share what I know to be the truth, I am wasting a valuable opportunity.
Ephesians 4:15 (NASB) – But speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into him, who is the head, even Christ.
Do you have an LDS background or LDS family connections?
The LDS Care Group is a safe space for both former and current Mormons to share, encourage, wrestle, and grow in their faith journeys with others who have similar life experiences, challenges, and culture. Our next get-together will be Sunday, February 22 at 5:00-7:00 pm via Zoom. Sometimes we meet in Mesa or Chandler as well. Please reach out for details.
Please email Kristine at kreeintempe@cox.net or call/text 480-313-0399 for details.
Titus 3:5 He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.
by Lori Lauber
Last Fall, we began a four-part series on the accuracy and authenticity of the Bible. Below are the first two parts for review from previous newsletters. We thank Lori Lauber, a local guest writer and Christian with a heart for the LDS people, for contributing these outstanding articles to The Cross Newsletter.
Manuscript Evidence for the Reliability of the Old Testament
The Dead Sea Scrolls
The bulk of the Dead Sea Scrolls (dating from the third century B.C. to the first century A.D.) were discovered in 1947 and contained 200 Biblical documents. The documents have text from every Old Testament book, except Esther. There were vast quantities of documentation. The book of Isaiah, for example, is 24 feet long.
One of the greatest contributions of the Dead Sea Scrolls is its witness to the precision in the transmission of the Biblical text by the implementation of the Masoretic regulations we just discussed. When the scientific methods of textual criticism are used to compare the Dead Sea Scrolls to various Biblical texts produced a thousand years later, the differences, which were mostly slight spelling variations, are considered exceptionally minor and the meaning of the text itself is no way affected by the minor differences, according to Dr. John D. Currid, who is the adjunct faculty member at the Jerusalem Center for Biblical studies in Israel. Millar Burrows, an American Hebrew scholar, a leading authority on the Dead Sea Scrolls, professor emeritus at Yale Divinity School, and director of the William F. Albright School of Archaeological Research in Jerusalem wrote, “It is a matter of wonder that through something like one thousand years the text of the Dead Sea Scrolls underwent so little alteration. Herein lies its chief importance, supporting the fidelity of the Masoretic tradition.”
The Cairo Geniza Documents
When the Ben Ezra Synagogue was renovated in 1892, a secret chamber was found that held 400,000 ancient documents. 10,000 of them were Old Testament manuscripts, the earliest of which are dated 870 A. D. The manuscripts, 1,000 years older than the Dead Sea Scrolls, confirmed that there had been a continued, accurate transmission of the Old Testament writings.
The Ein-Gedi Scroll
In 1970, an archaeologist discovered a scroll in the ruins of an ancient settlement built near the Dead Sea. As a primitive synagogue was excavated at the site, the scroll was found inside what is known as a “Torah” ark. The scroll was so fragile that the scientist decided not to risk unrolling it, for fear it would crumble to pieces. So, the scroll was stored by the Israel Antiquities Authority. In 2015, however, a computer scientist announced that his team found a way to “unroll” the scroll virtually. Working off x-ray scans of the artifact, specialized software detected the layers of parchment and was able to digitally unwind them. By virtually unwrapping the scroll, the earliest copy ever of a Pentateuchal book was found. As the software was able to recreate the pages, revealed inside was the book of Leviticus dating to the 3rd century B.C. Michael Segal, head of the School of Philosophy and Religions at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem stated, “We were amazed at the quality of the images. We were immediately struck by the fact that in the passages, the En-Gedi Leviticus scroll is identical in all of its details both regarding its letter and section division to what we call the Masoretic text. We have never found something as striking as this, this is quite amazing for us that in 2,000 years this text has not changed.”
Another reason for the reliability of the Old Testament is the fact that the Old Testament canon was completed by the time of Jesus’ incarnation. In other words, the Old Testament as a complete collection of books, has not gone through centuries of alterations of content. We have the same books in our Old Testament now as was in Jesus’ time.
In ancient texts, we find evidence outside of the Bible to confirm this:
Philo Judaeus (25-50 A.D.)
This Alexandrian philosopher, writing at around 40 A.D., referred to the Law, Prophets and Writings of the Hebrew Bible indicating all the same books we have in the Old Testament today.
Flavius Josephus (37-100 A.D.)
A well-known Roman-Jewish historian wrote that the Jews held 22 books as sacred.
Jamnia Rabinical Academy (A.D. 70)
This early council taught that the 22 books of the Old Testament had been established for a long time.
Further evidence for the reliability of the Old Testament text is in the fact that its words are quoted over 300 times in the New Testament by Jesus and the people inspired by God to pen the New Testament scriptures. We see in the New Testament repeatedly the words “It is written” and “Have you not heard what was said in the Scriptures?”
Luke 24:44-46 Jesus is speaking, “He said to them, ‘This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about Me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”
The New Testament speaks to the reliability of the Old by referencing people, places, and historical events that occurred during Old Testament times.
We have strong proof in reliable, original text that there are fulfilled prophecies from the Old Testament which rely entirely on the precision and accuracy of that text. If the words are wrong, then the prophecy is destroyed!
Dr. Hugh Ross, astrophysicist and Christian, calculated that from the Old Testament into the New Testament, there are 2,500 prophecies, and about 2,000 have been fulfilled so far.
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Part 4 - Coming in March 2026 The final piece of evidence for the unsurpassed reliability and truth of the Old Testament text will be shared - The abundance of corroborating archeological findings.
by Gary Keating
General Manager
Over the past seven years as General Manager, I have often been asked about the history of this ministry.
The history of Concerned Christians of Arizona began in 1979. In the late 1960s, Jim and Judy Robertson were approached by Mormon friends and colleagues and invited to join The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly referred to as the Latter Day Saints or Mormons. The Robertsons considered themselves Christians, but they were intrigued by the wholesome appeal and discipline of Mormon families. After attending missionary lessons, Jim and Judy, along with their young family, converted to Mormonism.
Over the next ten years, the Robertsons gradually learned through their experience within the LDS Church that official church history often appeared sanitized and conflicted with independent historical accounts they encountered. They also discovered that becoming Temple Mormons was required to be considered true Latter-day Saints. While participating in the temple ceremonies, they experienced practices that did not align with biblical beliefs. This raised serious concerns and prompted deep questions for both of them. As a result, the Robertsons, together with other Christian ministries, began researching LDS doctrine and church history.
In 1980, Concerned Christians of Mesa, Inc. (CCM), a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, was formed. The purpose of CCM was to encourage Bible study, develop reading materials which compared the Bible to LDS literature, offer counseling to those who were searching, provide meetings for former LDS believers, and supply educational materials to those seeking truth.
From 1980 through 2000, core Bible-based materials were developed, and additional resources relevant to the mission were made available at no cost. From 2000 through 2019, a building in Mesa was secured for meetings and counseling. In 2015, Jim Robertson passed away. From 2019 through 2026, the meeting building was sold, Judy Robertson retired from CCM, and the organization officially changed its name to Concerned Christians of Arizona, Inc. In 2025 and 2026, members from the core group active between 2003 and 2007 established new goals in cooperation with the board.
Concerned Christians of Arizona is entering a new era in 2026. The newsletter is being upgraded, and our personal support ministry is now able to assist individuals worldwide through online platforms. We are also upgrading our technology for greater convenience. God continues to bless this ministry through the generosity and faithfulness of our contributors.
