Two ways to become a Jewish convert? Why “Jewish Cultural Affirmation” is a bad idea

In my ward (congregation) there is a man who has come to church every Sunday for years with his wife and adult children. He and his family regularly invite missionaries and church members to his home to enjoy food from his native country, he attends church social events, and he is a wonderful father and grandfather to his children and grandchildren, all of whom are active Mormons.

However, until a few months ago, he was not a member of the church.

No matter how much he attended church, no matter how many members and missionaries he invited over for dinner, no matter how many children he and his wife raised to believe in the teachings of the LDS Church, and no matter how much he internalized the teachings of the church by being a good parent and grandparent, he was not a Mormon until he was baptized and confirmed by a church elder. He was as much of a “dry Mormon” (i.e., an unbaptized person who by all appearances is a member of the church) as you could get before this year, but he realized that if he really wanted to be a Mormon, he had to publicly accept the LDS faith.  

I had my friend in mind as I read Dr. Steven Cohen and Rabbi Kerry Olitzky’s