Review
Title: The Expanded Canon: Perspectives on Mormonism and Sacred Texts
Editors: Blair G. Van Dyke, Brian D. Birch, Boyd J. Petersen.
Publisher: Greg Kofford Books
Genre: Religious Non-Fiction
Year Published: 2018
Number of Pages:258
Binding: Paperback
ISBN: 9781589586383
Price: $25.95
Reviewed by Kevin Folkman for the Association for Mormon Letters
In October of 1918, President Joseph F. Smith, while preparing for General Conference, was pondering the scriptures, and received what we called for many years the “Vision of the Redemption of the Dead,” now canonized in the Doctrine and Covenants as Section 138. The text that President Smith wrote was accepted as an official revelation by the 1st Presidency and Quorum of Twelve in November of that year, and was published in a couple of church periodicals in the next year or two. However, no effort was made at the time to canonize the revelation and include it in our published scriptures. It was republished both in Joseph Fielding Smith’s biography of his father, and in the three-volume series Gospel Doctrine, a compilation of the sermons and writings of Joseph F. Smith, edited again by his son, but still not canonized. It was not regularly referred to by other general authorities in general conference until some forty years later, and then in 1975, was presented to the general church membership for a sustaining vote to include it as scripture. In other words, the body of Church membership had the final say.[fn1]
That story does not come from this volume, but is emblematic of much of what Van Dyke, Birch, and Petersen, editors of The Expanded Canon: Perspectives on Mormonism and Sacred Texts, are getting at in this title. It is the first of four volumes in a series on comparative Mormon studies at Utah Valley University, and is composed of fourteen chapters by various scholars of Mormon studies. I anticipated from the title that it was about the idea of having an open canon of Christian scriptures that extend beyond the traditional Protestant Christian view of the Bible as sola scriptura, meaning the Bible as written is complete and sufficient for delivering God’s word to his people. I find that idea was enough to draw me to this volume. But the book is about more than that.
The first chapter, by David Frank Holland, is about the central idea of the expanded canon of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He uses the stability of a tripod, or the three legs of a stool, as metaphor for how we define and relate to God’s communications to us. He points out that we revere our scriptural works as other Christian churches revere the Bible, but we also lean heavily on two other forms of communication from God, spiritual promptings as personal revelation, and prophetic leadership and utterances. We are reminded as members of the LDS Church to read the scriptures, pray for personal revelation, and listen to the guidance of our modern prophets as given in general conference.
But, as Holland in his chapter and Brian Birch in the second point out, these different sources all have differences of sovereignty (authority) and scope. We are reminded that we are to gain our own spiritual confirmation of the truth of scriptures and the counsel of our leaders, but we also recognize the limits of that approach. Holland clearly identifies the tensions that result, but also the harmony and security in doctrine and practice that can follow.
This combination of scripture, prophetic leadership, and individual revelation provides a stability that has worked for almost 200 years. Birch, in his chapter, writes about this threefold approach more directly in terms of authority, and compares it to the hierarchical authority of the Catholic Church. While the Pope can speak ex cathedra and be recognized as infallible, weight is also given to councils and bishops in what is called the “ordinary and universal magisterium,” as long as it draws on the depositum fidei, or reservoir of tradition and faith, handed down from the apostles and early church fathers. They are not creating new scripture, but drawing on centuries old tradition to clarify doctrine. There is also the “sensus fidei,” or the “body of the church faithful.” God not only gives his word to the Pope and his councils, Birch says, but also to the laity of the church, who faithfully act as witnesses for Christ, and perform Christian service for others, consistent with that deposit of faith. It compares somewhat with our LDS concept of “common consent.”
The idea of an expanded canon also is given an imaginative turn by Claudia Bushman as she points out the obvious lack of scripture in the Church written by women. She makes a list of particular items written by our sister saints that might be considered scripture. Lucy Mack Smith’s Biographical Sketches of the Prophet, Joseph Smith, is one. It is an important primary source of historical information about our founding prophet, and the beginnings of the LDS Church. She also suggests some of the poetry of Eliza R. Snow, especially the poem-turned-hymn “Oh My Father,” that contains most of what we know about the reality of our Heavenly Mother. It is only imaginative in the sense that she is imagining what such a volume would look like. But she also is asking for additional ideas for what should be included in that work. If the Book of Mormon starts with a narrative about a family, how is that different than a narrative account of the founding prophet of our church and his family by his mother?
Richard Bushman articulates an idea that I had not seriously considered previously. He writes, “The fabulous gold plates, so unlike anything else in recorded history, so unlikely to fall into the hands of Joseph Smith, cast doubts on the whole enterprise.” In other words, the materiality of the gold plates becomes problematic in the eyes of church critics when we say we no longer have them. Also, Ann Taves attempts to bridge the gap between faithful narratives about the gold plates, and the academic narratives that reject such supernatural experiences. She provides a potential middle way that calls on academic treatments to recognize that the circle of closest family and friends of Joseph Smith who witnessed to the materiality of the gold plates were sincere in their belief, even as no verifiable evidence can be found that the plates really existed outside the witnesses of Joseph Smith’s family and close friends. I may not agree with all her conclusions, but they are solidly advanced and fascinating to read.
There are too many chapters here to completely review. I found that I was drawn to certain topics more than others, but that reflects what I as a reader bring to the reading. Overall, I liked the book, and recommend it for readers who are interested in examing what it means for the LDS Church to publish and promote as scripture additional texts that supplement, but not supersede, the Bible. It is not a unique idea, but certainly few if any other major Christian denominations make such claims. This volume is a timely and thoughtful exploration of both the perils and the rewards of extending the Christian canon beyond the Bible, and the role that such extended scripture plays in the beliefs and lives of its readers.
[fn1] Mary Jane Woodger, “From Obscurity to Scripture: The Historical Process of Joseph F. Smith’s Vision of the Redemption of the Dead,” in You Shall Have My Word: Exploring the Text of the Doctrine and Covenants, ed. Scott C. Esplin, Richard O. Cowan, and Rachel Cope (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center; Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2012), 234-54.