A Constellation of Christian Faith
Book Review: "Latter-day Saint Theology Among Christian Theologies" by Grant Underwood
Grant Underwood, Latter-Day Saint Theology Among Christian Theologies. Wm B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2025, 609pp.
As a historian of the German Reformation and an active Mormon, I frequently field questions from scholars, pastors, and practicing Christians who want to understand The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints but have no interest in being proselytized. As a group, we are not very good at these kinds of conversations. Members of the church tend to be deeply knowledgeable about our own scriptures and beliefs, especially Seminary/Institute/BYU graduates and missionaries, who have studied Church doctrines for years. But we often struggle to explain these concepts in ways that make sense to other Christians, especially when the goal is connection rather than conversion. Our lay ministry model and relatively new faith means that we tend to lack the robust interpretive traditions and systematic approaches to principles of faith common in other Christian sects: The Mormon world has yet to find its St. Augustine or Thomas Aquinas, or its Luther or Calvin, or even its Dietrich Bonhoeffer or Martin Marty. Our open canon means that the Bruce R. McConkies of the past can be superseded by the Dieter F. Uchtdorfs of the present. That can be a good thing, but it makes it difficult for non-Mormons to identify authoritative sources that present an accurate and coherent picture of LDS beliefs and practices.
Building on decades of interfaith discussions, BYU professor of history Grant Underwood has courageously stepped into the breach with Latter-Day Saint Theology Among Christian Theologies, which “systematically brings Mormon thought into conversation with the main currents of Christian theology” (5). Underwood’s stated purpose is to “translate LDS theology into the idiom and conceptual universe of historical Christianity” (7) primarily for the benefit of non-LDS readers. Underwood looks at the writings and conference talks of modern apostles and prophets that form the core of mainstream belief within the Church, then structures these doctrines into systematic theological categories with chapter titles like “God: Divinity and Trinity” and “Soteriology: Dimensions of Salvation,” and “Sacraments: Theory and Application.”
In each chapter, Underwood explores points of comparison with other Christian theological traditions, but he does not shy away from identifying where LDS doctrines constitute a radical departure from the norm and a unique contribution to the collection of theological beliefs on each topic. He resists an urge toward apologetics. While attempting to cast LDS beliefs in the best possible light, he does not make false equivalences or conceal doctrines some Christians may find controversial. Underwood presents Mormon theology as Church members understand it: a new form of an ancient religion restored through Joseph Smith and subject to ongoing revelation. But Underwood also shows how LDS doctrines address the same kinds of questions that have interested Christian theologians for centuries and identifies points of convergence and divergence with other Christian beliefs.
Though Underwood’s intended audience is non-LDS, this book has a lot to offer members of the Church. Underwood implicitly invites LDS readers to engage our own doctrines as theology and seek to understand the beliefs of our fellow Christians. Too often, Mormons dismiss centuries of Christian tradition as part of the “great apostasy” and thus miss the richness it has to offer our own faith. For example, Underwood’s exploration of divine mysteries about the nature of God and the subtleties of trinitarian doctrine open up the ongoing Christian conversation about the roles of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Understanding other Christian theological positions can enhance our understanding of the significance and power of Joseph Smith’s First Vision narratives by presenting the landscape of theological possibilities Joseph was responding to and offering deeply considered reflections on relationships among and within the Godhead.
Grant Underwood must be a great teacher. His seamless in-text definitions of theological and philosophical terms makes the meaning of these concepts remarkably clear, and thus the book is approachable for casual readers who are not fluent in this specialized language. With Underwood’s explanations, readers will realize that we already know these concepts, even if we do not tend to use these words to describe them. And I have to give Underwood credit for excellent explanations of complex Christian doctrines, such as the divergent approaches to the meaning of the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. Every semester I attempt to explain to my own university students the Catholic concept of transubstantiation and how it compares with Luther’s beliefs that developed into consubstantiation and the Calvinist views of spiritual presence. Kudos to Professor Underwood, who has explained this complicated topic in a clear and comprehensible way.
There are, of course, things that I wish the book had done differently. Placing LDS beliefs “among” a mix of various other Christian theologies makes it difficult to identify which Christian sects adhere to which beliefs. So while Underwood’s intended non-LDS audience may come away with a richer sense of how LDS beliefs fit within a broad constellation of Christian beliefs, the book is not particularly useful for Mormon readers seeking to better understand their faith in relation to the specific belief systems of their Catholic co-worker or Evangelical neighbor. Admittedly, this was not Underwood’s goal, and effectively tracing the dogmas of specific Christian traditions would have required a much longer book, but perhaps someone will take up this challenge in the future. Mormons need more effective tools for connecting with our family and friends of different faiths: both to be able to identify points of common belief and to respectfully understand the nature of our differences.
I can’t help feeling that an opportunity was missed by Underwood in limiting his LDS source material to the pronouncements of prophets and apostles and talks in general conference. This excludes almost any possibility for Mormon women’s voices to be part of the conversation. The fact that Underwood frequently quotes from female theologians in other Christian faith traditions only emphasizes the dearth of female contributions on the LDS side. I understand Underwood’s reasoning: He is seeking sources that are authoritative and mainstream. But this limits his ability to explore some of the implications of LDS theologies, especially those that tend to matter a lot to women and gender minorities. For example, his discussion of the LDS doctrine of an embodied God in Chapter One simply begs for an exploration of Mormon beliefs about what this means for the female body, and for the relationship of the physical body to social concepts of gender and sexuality. The LDS belief in the procreation of spirits implies the existence of a Mother as well as a Father in heaven, but discussions of a feminine divine do not come up except for a brief section in Chapter Five.
These quibbles aside, Grant Underwood’s book is a valuable and unique contribution to dialogue between Latter-Day Saints and Christians of other faiths. It is clear that Underwood has deep respect for non-LDS faith traditions and wants to represent their beliefs as generously and accurately as possible. And for Church members, seeing our beliefs represented in theological categories and embedded within the rich tradition of Christian theology gives us opportunities to think more expansively and deeply about what we believe, and obtain a better vocabulary for conversations with our Christian colleagues, friends, and neighbors.
Emily Fisher Gray is a professor of history at Norwich University in Vermont. Her academic work focuses the German Reformations, Lutheran-Catholic co-existence, and Lutheran architecture. She also writes role-immersion history games and frequently contributes to Exponent II.
Art from the Catacomb of Priscilla, “The Good Shepherd,” Rome, late 2nd–4th century C.E.