Association for Mormon Letters Special Award in Religious Nonfiction, 2020, will be presented to:
The Book of Mormon: Brief Theological Introductions
The Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
General editors: Spencer Fluhman and Philip Barlow
Series editors: D. Morgan Davis, James E. Faulconer, Kristine Haglund, Joseph M. Spencer, Rosalynde Welch
Authors: Joseph M. Spencer, Terryl L. Givens, Deidre Nicole Green, Sharon J. Harris, James E. Faulconer, Kylie Turley, Mark Wrathall, Kimberly Berkey, Daniel Becerra, Adam S. Miller, Rosalynde Frandsen Welch, David F. Holland
Illustrator: Brian Kershisnik
The Book of Mormon: Brief Theological Introductions series is a treasure. Twelve books provide accessible, thoughtful, and above all, incredibly engaging theological introductions to the books of the Book of Mormon. In the context of this series, “theology” designates the project of talking about God’s work in the world, specifically here through carefully thinking about scripture. It is not doctrinal nor dogmatic. While the authors are trained in the academy, their positions are widely varied, and that variety of experience and perspective brings an unexpected richness to this project. Each volume not only provides new insights into the Book of Mormon itself, but also into the concept of what it means to be a scripture-reading people. As stated in the series introduction: “individual series authors offer unique approaches but, taken together, they model a joint invitation to readers to engage scripture in his or her own way. […] No volume pretends to be the final word on theological reflection for its part of the Book of Mormon. Varied perspectives and methodologies are evident throughout. This is intentional” (ix). This intentional commitment to community produces a series that is, at heart, invitational. The Maxwell Institute is to be commended for this exceptional project—thoughtful yet accessible scholarship, beautifully produced (the physical volumes are truly gorgeous), all designed to invite us to continue, seeking Christ together again and again throughout the Book of Mormon.
The awards ceremony will be held June 5, 6:00 pm MDT. The ceremony and all of the AML Online Conference sessions may be viewed live, as well as archived for later watching, on our YouTube channel.
