Ten years ago, professors Stephen Robinson and Craig Blomberg pioneered the Mormon-evangelical dialogue book with How Wide the Divide?
, in which they addressed the differences between Mormonism and evangelicalism on issues of Scripture, salvation, the nature of God and the role of Christ. Now, Millet (a professor of religious education at BYU, the flagship Mormon university) and McDermott (a Lutheran pastor and college professor) take up that gauntlet, calling upon years of friendship and conversation to present a more focused, specialized exchange between an evangelical and a Mormon. By concentrating solely on how both faiths address the identity and meaning of Jesus Christ (a topic Millet has previously discussed in A Different Jesus?
), this dialogue delves deeply into issues Robinson and Blomberg could only skim. It also means that this more scholarly and heavily footnoted book will be a challenging read for the average evangelical or Mormon who simply wants an overview of both religions' theology. The authors assume a familiarity with theological terms, Christian history and soteriological debates, and some of their explanations are highly technical. For the serious student, however, this in-depth doctrinal comparison of Mormonism and evangelical Christianity, written in a spirit of mutual respect, will be a treasure trove of information. (Nov.)
