The Institute for Religious Research (IRR) is an American Christian apologetics and counter-cult organization based in Cedar Springs, Michigan. It declares itself to be a

non-denominational A non-denominational person or organization is one that does not follow (or is not restricted to) any particular or specific religious denomination. Overview The term has been used in the context of various faiths including Jainism, Baháʼí Fait ...

, non-profit

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

foundation for the study of religious claims, and was formerly known as Gospel Truths Ministries. IRR is a member of

Evangelical Ministries to New Religions Evangelical Ministries to New Religions (EMNR) is a coalition of Christian countercult organizations. It was founded by Gordon Lewis, James Bjornstad, Ronald Enroth, and Walter Ralston Martin in 1982. Purpose and activities The organization brin ...

and was headed by Luke P. Wilson until his death in 2007. IRR's current staff includes

Robert M. Bowman Jr. Robert M. Bowman Jr. (born 1957) is an American Evangelicalism, Evangelical Christian theologian specializing in the study of apologetics. Biography Bowman received the Master of Arts, M.A. in Biblical studies, Biblical Studies and Theology fr ...

as executive director. Concurrent with the release of a

film adaptation A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dial ...

of Dan Brown's novel '' The Da Vinci Code'', the Baptist Press noted IRR's Ronald V. Huggins and his apologetic analysis of the film.

Controversy and Mormonism

Peggy Fletcher Stack Peggy Fletcher Stack is an American journalist, editor, and author. Stack has been the lead religion writer for ''The Salt Lake Tribune'' since 1991. She and five other journalists at the ''Salt Lake Tribune'' won the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Local ...

, religion columnist for the '' Salt Lake Tribune'' discussed IRR and its documentary critique of the Book of Abraham, a document that devout

Mormons Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into several ...

believe is a divinely inspired sacred text but critics like the IRR contend has prosaic origins. The IRR's documentary was entitled ''The Lost Book of Abraham: Investigating a Remarkable Mormon Claim''. The University of Utah's student newspaper observed the absence of opportunity for

Latter Day Saint The Latter Day Saint movement (also called the LDS movement, LDS restorationist movement, or Smith–Rigdon movement) is the collection of independent church groups that trace their origins to a Christian Restorationist movement founded by Jo ...

s to respond in the film. In an article for a journal published by Brigham Young University's

Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies The Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies (FARMS) was an informal collaboration of academics devoted to Latter-day Saint historical scholarship. ThFoundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies (FARMS)was established in 1979 as a ...

John Gee John Laurence Gee (born 1964) is an American Latter-day Saint scholar, apologist and an Egyptologist. He currently teaches at Brigham Young University (BYU) and serves in the Department of Near Eastern Languages. He is known for his writings in ...

considered IRR's publication ''By His Own Hand Upon Papyrus: A New Look at the Joseph Smith Papyri'' by Charles M. Larson, also regarding the Book of Abraham to be a "deliberate deception". Additionally, the ''

Deseret News The ''Deseret News'' () is the oldest continuously operating publication in the American west. Its multi-platform products feature journalism and commentary across the fields of politics, culture, family life, faith, sports, and entertainment. Th ...

'' in Salt Lake City pointed out IRR's criticism of the efforts of Richard Mouw of Fuller Seminary to apologize for the actions of some evangelicals towards Mormons, which he characterizes as divisive and sinful.

References

External links

Official website
Christian countercult organizations Critics of Mormonism Evangelical Ministries to New Religions Latter Day Saint movement in Michigan Christian charities based in the United States Organizations based in Grand Rapids, Michigan Charities based in Michigan {{LDS-stub