How should a Christian view the LDS's Light the World during Christmas?

from the old testament

• The Old Testament calls us to guard the truth carefully. Deuteronomy 4:2 warns about adding or taking away from God’s Word. Isaiah 8:20 states that truth must be tested by Scripture. Any movement—even one that promotes kindness—must be evaluated by whether it aligns with God’s revealed truth.
• Good actions don’t override incorrect doctrine about who God is. Deuteronomy 13:1-3 warns against following any prophet or dreamer, even if they perform signs or wonders, no matter how good they are.
  

from the new testament

• Believers are to protect the true gospel. The central issue of the Light the World campaign is not kindness—it’s whether the message of salvation is biblically true. Galatians 1:6–9 warns that a different gospel than what the Bible teaches is to be rejected, and 2 Corinthians 11:4 tells us that we are to reject anyone who preaches “another Jesus,” which the Mormons do.
• We can affirm that the actions the Mormons seek to do during the Light the World campaign are good. However, we must also test the spirits behind what they do (1 Thessalonians 5:21).
• A Christian should view “Light the World” with discernment and clarity. We can affirm that acts of kindness, generosity, and service to others reflect God’s heart (Matthew 5:16), but we must also reject the unbiblical theology behind it, since Mormonism teaches a fundamentally different view of God, Jesus, and salvation from Scripture (Galatians 1:6–9).
  
• Participating in the Light the World campaign as an evangelical Christian can unintentionally affirm a false gospel (2 John 10–11 principle).
• Conversations about doing good can open doors to explain why we do good—because of Christ’s finished work, not to earn favor (Ephesians 2:8–10). These conversations could lead to us sharing the true gospel.

implications for today

Throughout December, participants are often given daily or weekly service prompts (like an advent calendar of good deeds). People are encouraged to share or live out these acts—sometimes using the hashtag #LightTheWorld. There’s also a strong emphasis on inviting others to focus on Jesus Christ during Christmas.

There’s just one problem: the Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints is not the same Jesus revealed in the Bible. That means we can’t simply assume shared language (“Jesus,” “gospel,” “salvation”) equals shared truth. Scripture calls us to be both discerning and grounded—testing teachings against the true Gospel (Galatians 1:6–9) and measuring everything by God’s Word rather than religious branding or even outward good works.

At the same time, the Christian response is not hostility or dismissal. We can recognize and affirm the acts of service and compassion during this time while also clearly holding fast to the biblical message of who Jesus is and how He saves. We can appreciate outward generosity while still lovingly pointing people to the real Jesus—fully God, fully man, who saves by grace through faith alone (Ephesians 2:8–9; John 14:6).

Practically, we shouldn't uncritically endorse or blur theological differences for the sake of shared holiday sentiment, nor should we completely condemn the expression of kindness and generosity. Instead, we should use moments like this as opportunities: to engage conversations, to clarify the gospel, and to let our own lives reflect Christ’s truth with both humility and conviction. Christmas is not about receiving but about giving. We as Christians should, of all people, be the most generous and uphold the true meaning of Christmas: the coming of Jesus, who was the greatest gift of all, the true Light of the world.