The first time I prayed with a group of evangelical Christians was nearly 40 years ago. My wife and I had been living in Japan, and were on our way back to our native England via Taiwan, when our one-year-old baby daughter fell sick. Unable to find an English-speaking doctor, we ended up at a U.S. military base, where the doctor on duty prescribed rest for the baby and promptly invited us to stay with him and his family for a few days at his home in the mountains. I have never forgotten that kindness. One evening he invited us to join him as he taught his evangelical church youth group in his home. The kids sat in a circle on the floor and, when they prayed, we all held hands. I admit to a moment of self-consciousness -- Mormons typically don’t pray like that in a group setting. But the overwhelming impression was the evident goodness of these people, and while we had doctrinal differences it was obvious we were praying to God in the name of the same Jesus.
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