Title: How and What You Worship: Christology and Praxis in the Revelations of Joseph Smith (Sidney B. Sperry Symposium #49)
Editors: Rachel Cope, Carter Charles, Jordan T. Watkins
Publisher: Deseret Book
Genre: Theology
Year Published: 2020
Number of Pages: 360
Binding: Hardcover
ISBN: 978-1-9443-9499-8
Price: 27.95
Reviewed by Conor Hilton or the Association for Mormon Letters
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from this collection of essays, adapted from papers presented at the 49th Sidney B. Sperry Symposium, but I was quite impressed with the collection as a whole. Practically every essay is characterized by a close and careful reading of a specific passage or selection of passages from Joseph Smith’s revelations (as the title suggests). I did not always agree with the conclusions that the authors came to, I nonetheless found their readings engaging and insightful.
Rather than talk broadly and somewhat vaguely about the collection as a whole, here are some thoughts on three essays that I found particularly insightful.
- “Christology and Theosis in the Revelations and Teachings of Joseph Smith”, Jordan T. Watkins and Christopher James Blythe
Theosis is one of my personal favorite Mormon teachings, so I was naturally drawn to this piece exploring it in some detail. Watkins and Blythe emphasize that theosis for Joseph Smith was dependent on a robust Christology—essentially that Christ is the means by which people are transformed to be like God. I am intrigued by this argument and for what it means for the ordering of the Mormon cosmos and am grateful for Watkins and Blythe for articulating it.
- “‘A Revelation I Give unto You’: The Revelation of Jesus Christ to Emma Smith”, Joseph M. Spencer
Spencer is a great reader and thinker and his insight here to Section 25 of the Doctrine and Covenants is no exception. I love the way that he pays particular attention to the shifts in the revelation over time, as well as looking at the language used in other revelations to properly weigh the language here. I was particularly interested in the corrective to things that I had heard about Emma Smith being rebuked in the revelation, where Spencer makes clear that if so, the rebuke is much softer than the rebukes that Joseph receives on several occasions. Lots to use here to build a more robust place for Emma (and women) in the early church and the church today.
- “Zionic Nonviolence as Christian Worship and Praxis”, Patrick Q. Mason
This essay is remarkable. Mason offers a compelling reading of scriptural passages that suggest that Zion, in Joseph Smith’s revelations, is founded on principles of nonviolence and that the Saints’ actions in the face of violence in Missouri and elsewhere led to their inability to establish Zion. I am compelled and fascinated by Mason’s argument here and love to see this engagement with ideas of nonviolence and pacifism within a Mormon-specific context. This essay changed how I will think about the early days of the Church forever.
A thoughtful collection of essays, great for people interested in a faithful, mildly academic engagement with some of the revelations of Joseph Smith. Strikes me as a great complement to the Doctrine and Covenants discussions that will be happening with Come Follow Me in 2021.