How Wide the Divide?: A Mormon & an Evangelical in Conversation

by Stephen E. Robinson, Craig L. Blomberg

Voted one of Christianity Today's 1998 Books of the Year! Mormons and evangelicals don't often get along very well, at least not once they begin to discuss their religious beliefs. They often set about trying to convert one another, considering the faith the other holds as defective in some critical way. Unfortunately, much of what they say about one another simply isn't true. False stereotypes abound on both sides, preventing genuine and helpful communication. Having discovered this sad state of affairs, Craig Blomberg, a committed evangelical scholar, and Stephen Robinson, a committed Mormon scholar, set out to listen to one another and to ferret out the real agreements and disagreements between them. In the conversation that develops, you will read what each believes about key theological issues--the nature and bounds of Scripture, the nature of God and deification, the person of Christ and the Trinity, and the essentials of salvation--and see how they interact with one another. What they agree on may surprise you. Though this book does not sweep differences under the rug, it is meant to help Mormons and evangelicals know and tell the truth about one another. It does not expect to end evangelistic efforts from either side. In fact, it may help to promote more effective communication because it can help to get rid of misrepresentations from both sides. In the end, however, you will be able to judge for yourself just how wide the divide between them is.

Genres: Religion, Theology, Nonfiction, Mormonism, Christian, Lds, Christianity

228 pages, Paperback

First published March 31, 1997

About the author

Stephen E. Robinson has taught at Brigham Young University since 1986. He received a B.A. from Brigham Young University in 1971 in English Literature and a PhD from Duke University in 1978 in Biblical Studies. He and his wife, Janet, have six children.

Reviews

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

“How Wide the Divide” is a superb debate between BYU Professor Stephen Robinson, and Evangelical scholar Craig Blomberg concerning Scripture, God & Deification, Christ & the Trinity, and Salvation. Each of these four chapters contains initial statements of belief, comments upon each other’s position, and a jointly written conclusion. The authors are respectful in their disagreement, and are often surprised to find agreement where they thought they had none. The format served well to expose misunderstandings based upon vocabulary rather than scriptural interpretation. It also exposed misinformation derived from polemical literature written by antagonists on both sides. Robinson and Blomberg developed a good friendship despite their serious reservations about each other’s religious beliefs, and gained a greater appreciation of how much they truly had in common as disciples of Jesus Christ. This type of dialogue is a wonderful example to all of us on how to be civil, and fair in our disagreement about religious matters. In an increasingly wicked world, it is all the more important that we ally ourselves with those attempting to follow the Lord and do his will. I wish more Evangelicals and more LDS would engage in such constructive dialogue. I am sure it would reduce the distrust and animosity that too frequently besets us.

[Matthew Carlson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unfortunately interactions between Latter-day Saints and their Evangelical counterparts have not been all fluffy white clouds and sunshine. Rather the looming darkness of the atypical Utah thunder storm might be a better weather metaphor to employ. This book is a refreshing break. Although, in the words of one reviewer (Blake T. Ostler):

“Judging from evangelical responses on the Internet and the refusal of several fundamentalist Christian bookstores to carry How Wide the Divide? one would think that Stephen Robinson ate Blomberg's proverbial lunch, creamed him, got away with several low punches, and basically wiped him out without giving him a fair chance to make a statement.”

This is not the case. Both Robinson and Blomberg are very able spokesmen for their respective traditions and neither could be declared the victor in any sense of the word. The intent of both authors is not victory but dialogue and understanding.

Some have of course accused them of being too conciliatory and of sacrificing too much in order to come to a consensus on some matters (they author a joint conclusion to each section). However, I found this not to be the case. There are points of commonality on each matter that the authors are willing to admit to. Perhaps more than other individuals within their given traditions might be willing to concede but they both admit that they are speaking of their own particular position and do not represent in any official capacity their respective traditions.

I think the book is superb. It is a credit to each of them that they were willing to enter into this cordial dialogue and to InterVarity Press for having the gumption to publish it. I heartily suggest a read.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is going to be a very long review. I'm really glad I read this book. I learned a lot. Some of things I enjoyed were:

1. the definition of historical Christianity. I've heard it a lot in the media and now I finally understand why all those Evangelicals are telling me that I am not a Christian.

2. the explanation that Mormons and Evangelicals often misunderstand each other because of our vocabulary. They also defined a lot of things nicely I appreciate that a lot.

3. the direct, but tactful way in which Blomberg and Robinson were willing to disagree. They really didn't hold back in their disagreements, but somehow I still felt okay about it.

I give this book 3 stars because I had these misgivings.

1. As a Mormon, I was not completely satisfied with Robinson's explanations. I felt that he downplayed the role of modern day prophets and ordinances in our belief system. I am usually very impressed with Robinson's writing, but thought that this was a little lacking.

2. Sometimes, both Robinson and Blomberg made arguments in support of their beliefs or in opposition to the other's beliefs that were flimsy at best. I may have agreed with the point, but found that the way they were defending it lacked strength.

3. I had difficulties with their overall audience as well. They wanted this book to have a wide readership among Mormons and Evangelicals, but I felt that it was too scholarly to do that. (I realize they are both scholars.) The book assumes that the reader has extensive knowledge of scripture, early Christian history, and Greek and Christian philosophy. Often they both cited scripture references without summarizing or quoting the text. This was frustrating.

[Enrique J. Rojas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this in one night in the process of researching for a paper. Very accessible and helpful book. It really helped me understand LSD theology as they understand it versus how Protestants typically do. While I recognize there is a lot of misunderstanding and LSD tradition is closer to Orthodoxy than previously thought, they are still quite a bit too far to be considered brothers in the faith. It is however, a great tool for equipping to evangelize and defend the faith. It probably does the same for LSD readers.

[Rod Horncastle · Rating 2 out of 5]

What a strange book.
A fairly heavy theological tussle between a Mormon and an Evangelical Christian. Some good stuff got put on the table but I think they may have both failed to be fair to the core of their religions. I cheered on Craig Blomberg of course - but i'm not convinced he really rose to the full challenge. But that was part of the agreement going in, they kept this discussion very focused and stayed out of some of the mud. For instance they didn't discuss polygamy or the chaos of early Mormonism through Joseph Smith. But then this book would not have happened at all if they had. So fair enough.

By the end of the book I was continually comparing this book to Elijah battling the 450 prophets of Baal. A bit extreme of course - but when am I not?
Should Elijah have had some pleasant theological discussions with those prophets? Maybe shared some personal stories and found some common points of interests in their two religions? Hell no. And to take it to the next level: would the Apostle Paul be sharing a worship service or prayer meeting with foreign religions? Definitely not. A real prophet does not tolerate any false beliefs about the King of Kings or our Savior. But that's just me...and Paul.

But in this day and age there's no reason we can't meet in a coffee shop and poke at each other with a sharp stick. AS long as it's a stick of truth.

We did learn some of the dangers of Arminianism in this account. Mormons seem to have a great deal of desperate theology invested in this way of thinking. This somewhat liberal understanding of God allows Mormons to cuddle up with us and pretend to be long lost brothers from another Mother. I'm glad I lean ever more heavily towards Calvinism and predestination. Mormons seem somewhat confused and shaken up by this absolute core doctrine - lets keep it that way.

So here's my end thoughts (we'll see if anyone else agrees):
Mormon's like Robinson claim we are basically the same religion, we both love and embrace the same Bible. Okay lets roll with that and see what happens. Does this play out with the thief on the cross setting. Luke 23
40But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” 42And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

The same Bible Robinson says? I don't think so. Here's the test:
If I do exactly what the thief next to Jesus did, do I get to go to Mormon heaven? Why the Hell NOT? (and yes, I mean hell - this is a very serious issue.)
My Christian belief, and Bible, says that the thief was a perfect example of salvation through Jesus. In Christianity this is ALL WE NEED. I doubt any Mormon could honestly accept this, the same goes for J.W.'s, Liberals, Muslims, and some other freaky sects of the Christian church - but this is exactly what my Bible says.
Many people will endlessly try to adjust the Thief's verses to comply with their heresy, you are free to do that. But any real Christian will see how easily God works through his chosen people. Salvation is not complicated - God has done all the work!

Just for fun, i'm also reading a book right now called AMERICAN CRUCIFIXION by Alex Beam. It's a wonderfully detailed account of all of Joseph Smith's early shenanigans and wife stealing debauchery. You would think this alone would stop any wannabe Mormon in their tracks and cause them to hesitate and do some general investigations... but no. People believe exactly what their nasty little hearts desire - although sometimes that's out of fear and abuse. But to find the truth: just follow the sex, the money, and the power. Now compare Jesus with Joseph Smith. Did we really need a prophet like that in the 1840's? Hell no.

I'm almost finished reading the Book of Mormon. What a ludicrous piece of crap. Here's a fun quote by Mark Twain, "...stupid and tiresome to read. It's smooched from the New Testament and no credit given. It is such a pretentious affair and yet so slow, so sleepy, such an insipid mess of inspiration. It is chloroform in print."

I'll just stick with the Bible.

[Lisa Reising · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was at once enlightening and a bit frustrating. Get out your dictionary and prepare to reread sentences a few times to really understand the intricacies of the dialogue! Being a member of the LDS Church, and having recently had a personally unnerving encounter with a Christian Evangelical I was motivated to understand and internalize what this book had to offer. The two lists at the very end - 12 points we agree on and 11 points we part ways on - were a helpful condensing of all the things discussed at length in the 4 main chapters.

Although Stephen Robinson very intelligently and ably handled the LDS perspective, I often wanted to elaborate a bit. And he sometimes was a bit liberal in giving out "passes to celestial glory" in my mind. I do believe in the necessity of covenants, and ordinances to seal them. Perhaps this was under-emphasized out of necessity - not all points of discussion could be included in one book - but this one is kind of big for us. I do appreciate that they both stuck, pretty much, to 4 main areas of doctrine. Although the tenor of the whole book was respectful and careful (the main point!) there was definitely tension in some of the "misgivings" and "avoiding misconceptions" sections of each chapter. Much of it created tension for ME - I wrote a lot of notes in the margins!

One of the last statements by Blomberg made me want to explain something further to him. He said, "Why should I ever consider the risk of converting to Mormonism? If I stay as I am, and Mormonism is right, I will receive, they tell me, eternal, resurrected happiness with my Savior Jesus and perhaps even something much better. But should I convert to Mormonism and to my horror discover too late that traditional Christian fears about the LDS Church are correct, then I am damned for all eternity. Surely that risk is too great to take simply for the possibility of progressing into a somewhat nicer paradise."

I wanted to ask him then if he wants to live alone or with his family?? This point was never addressed. It can be a kind of important incentive when searching for truth and weighing the "risk" factors!

I so appreciated the point made about not wanting others to define for us what we ourselves believe (thank you!) - and that we need to honestly listen and assess before getting defensive. Understanding each others terminology is very important (I learned a lot in this section). But then again, where we have genuine differences about doctrinal truths, what's the point of tip toeing around it? Christ himself offended many intellectuals and sinners. And he never backed away from declaring truth.

[Greg · Rating 5 out of 5]

How Wide The Divide? is a remarkable collaboration between authors Craig L. Blomberg and Stephen E. Robinson. Blomberg is an ordained Baptist minister, and professor of New Testament at Denver Seminary. Robinson is professor of ancient scripture at Brigham Young University and a well-known and highly regarded LDS author. Their book is a generally successful attempt to clarify language uses, and to compare and contrast the doctrinal beliefs of Evangelicals and members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Rather than go about their goal in a disorganized amid the overwhelming amount of doctrinal detail available, they limited themselves to discussion in four main areas of thought. These include (1) scripture, (2) God and deification, (3) Christ and the Trinity, and (4) Salvation. In the process, they not only embark on a thoughtful and extensive comparison of the relevant doctrinal beliefs, but also frequently expose false stereotypes (on both sides) and clarify how the two groups are all too often separated by a common language.

The book is organized as a conversation between Blomberg and Robinson, with each taking turns writing in depth about the topic at hand, and then the other responding in turn. Each section concludes with a "joint conclusion" in which both authors together reflect on what they have learned about each other, what they believe in common, and what differences remain.

Their ground rules of respectful listening, willingness to believe that each is telling the truth about their respective beliefs and doctrine, and acceptance that neither is speaking for everyone in their respective religious traditions model the way for future conversations between people of different religious traditions everywhere. As Blomberg says in his introduction, "crucial issues divide us...but for our conversations to fruitful and honoring to God, we must stop misrepresenting or caricaturing each other, always speaking the truth to each other in love."

I highly recommend this to any Mormon or Evangelical sincerely interested in understanding and finding common ground.

[F · Rating 1 out of 5]

Horrible book from a Bible believer's perspective. If trying to reconcile Biblical Christianity and Mormonism you should know it cannot be done. By watering down and misrepresenting both, mainly Christianity, these authors attempt to do so- or so it seems. The problem comes from the fact that Mormonism is constantly changing and though the Mormon author may be sincere he is not necessarily teaching what his church has taught, is currently teaching, or will teach in the future. The Christian author seems to accept whatever his counterpart says is true of the LDS when it may not actually be true though both authors may think it is.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read it, find out a lot that you thought you knew was wrong. Find out how much we Mormons have in common with our Evangelical neighbors and vice versa.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-written book that really helped me to understand the fundamental beliefs of the LDS/Mormon church. Blomberg and Robinson try to stick to the facts and don't take many shots. A good read.

[Louis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two professors of religion - one Evangelical and one Mormon - began discussing their religion with one one another and discovered something interesting. While there are undoubtedly differences in the beliefs of Evangelicals and Mormons, due to the fact that there are significant differences in the way that members of each faith define common religious terminology, or "theological vocabularies", the two religions have far more in common than they have differences.

For example, members of both faiths believe in the Godhead/Trinity, consisting of God the Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost. We believe in the divine birth of Jesus Christ and in His corporeality, and we both believe that Jesus Christ is the only name under heaven that we can call upon for salvation. Both faiths believe in the substitutionary Atonement of Christ, and that salvation comes through the grace and mercy of Christ alone, to those who believe in and on Him and submit ourselves to Him as our Lord and Savior.

Members of both faiths believe in the necessity of baptism, and both accept the Bible as the divinely-inspired word of God. Both believe in the crucifixion and literal resurrection of Christ, and that He will one day return to Earth to reign as Lord of Lord and King of Kings.

An honest, deeper inspection of and reflection upon the differences between the two faiths will bring an objective observer to acknowledge that BOTH faiths are believers in and disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. The differences in our beliefs stem primarily from the fact that Latter-day Saints reject the creeds of Nicaea and Chalcedon as scripturally authoritative, and likewise reject the post-Nicaean belief that the scriptural canon was closed after the first century. Therefore, Latter-day Saints DO believe in modern, living prophets who receive revelation from God for our day, and we accept the Book of Mormon as scripture.

Furthermore, the vast majority of differences between the two faiths stem not from a lack of biblical sources for our beliefs, but rather in a rejection of how each faith interprets the same biblical passages.

It is, therefore, a more honest assessment to say that we reject some of the beliefs of the other faith NOT because there is no scriptural foundation for that belief, but because we simply interpret those passages in another way.

As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who grew up in the Protestant-dominated, Deep South "Bible Belt", I found this book compelling and even enlightening. Many of the same points that I've made to my Protestant friends for decades were included in this book, and expounded upon. I even found a few points of my own faith for which I received greater clarification. And maybe most valuable, I gained a better understanding of what my Evangelical friends mean when they use certain common terms for which we apply different meanings (i.e., the significant difference in how LDS and Evangelicals perceive and define man's "works" as relating to eternal salvation, which has led countless Evangelicals to assume that Mormons believe that we can "earn" our way into heaven by our works, which is unequivocally false).

For those of either faith who desire a greater friendship and understanding with the other, this book is a fantastic dissection of what we hold differently but, most importantly, what we have in common as pertains to our mutual belief in the divinity of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and of the eternal salvation that comes only in and through Him.

[Steven H · Rating 5 out of 5]

AN ENLIGHTENING (IF CONTROVERSIAL) DISCUSSION BETWEEN TWO FAITHS

Craig Blomberg is a professor of New Testament at Denver Seminary, and Stephen Robinson is professor of ancient scripture at BYU. Here are some quotations from this 1997 book:

SR: "I do not expect that we will ever accept one another's baptisms or stop proselytizing each other (and I don't think we should)..." (Pg. 20)
SR: "(I)t is important to understand that what defines the doctrine of deification for Latter-day Saints is a much smaller body of normative sources than most Evangelicals would think." (Pg. 83)
CB: "Clearly, our major concern over the LDS beliefs about God the Father is the claim that God was once a man and that God now has a body. It is reassuring that Prof. Robinson notes how slender is the scriptural thread on which these doctrines hang..." (Pg. 104)
SR: "The LDS believe there will be millions, even billions, of good souls who will ... (go to) heaven--including, in my opinion, a very large percentage of Evangelicals." (Pg. 153)
SR: "Prof. Blomberg is quite right that my view of his eternal options is quite a bit less risky than his view of mine... He notes that if the LDS are correct, he may receive a tolerable reward, but were he to convert to Mormonism and then find that the usual Evangelical stereotype of Mormonism was correct, he would be damned. I point out that there is a third alternative... If the usual Evangelical stereotype of the LDS ... is NOT correct---then he would be saved in EITHER case!" (Pg. 160)
CB: "LDS friends have challenged me to read the Book of Mormon prayerfully to see if it is true. But the more I read, the more I feel it to be the product of nineteenth-century religious fervor, however well-intentioned." (Pg. 183)

[Rich · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a bold step for the authors when it was first published, and even today remains a seminal work in the dialogue between the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and the Evangelical community. The fact is LDS and Evangelicals have more in common, particularly in the area of values to live by, than what separates them.

The two authors here, the late Stephen E. Robinson a professor of Religion at the LDS-owned Brigham Young University, and Craig Blomberg, a professor at the Denver Theological Seminary, met regularly at various conferences around the country and found they enjoyed each other's company, debating each and learning from each other, all this despite their theological differences.

They finally decided to write this book to open up dialogue between the two communities. They decided on four topics, with each writing his position on them, at the end of each chapter, they made a point to find what common ground was possible on each subject.

One of the points Robinson makes throughout the book is the difference in language in the two communities. Much misunderstanding happens because each community uses, and understands, the same words differently. Throughout, he constantly calls on LDS members to learn and understand what words mean to their Evangelical friends, so they can understand each other.

Certainly worth the time and effort.

[Jeremy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written! This dialogue is precious. I will refer others to it! Has me thinking. Am I convinced that Mormons should be referred to by other Christians as fellow Christians, though of different, non-orthodox doctrinal distinctive believes. Making me think!

[Alan Casper · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved getting the different perspectives

[Shanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the book too scholarly and drawn out.

[Preston Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

For anyone curious about what the Latter Day Saint (LDS) Church believes, especially as it relates to traditional Protestant Evangelical theology, this book is a perfect place to start! Evangelical scholar Craig Bloomberg and BYU professor Stephen Robinson come together to talk about and discuss several crucial topics in order to better understand one another by discovering both the differences and commonalities found between their respective faith traditions. How wide is the divide? Read this book to begin to find out.

[Eric Lopez · Rating 3 out of 5]

"How Wide the Divide: A Mormon and Evangelical in Conversation" attempts to identify just how "wide" the divide is between the Latter-day Saint Christians and Evangelical Christians. The conclusion they came to was the these two theologies were not as different as they had anticipated.

It consisted of four chapters discussing doctrines of each faith.

Both of the authors scholarship were frank and concise (which would be a reason to give it a higher rating). Neither of them shared any fears critiquing the other persons theology, although they are done in a scholarly and academic manner in an effort to accurately represent one another's beliefs.

The first chapter discusses the nature of scripture. I really enjoyed this chapter. There ended up being strikingly similar beliefs between the two faiths (other than the obvious i.e.-The Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price).

The second chapter, God and deification. This chapter was good too.

Third, Christ and the Trinity. While there were some great insights, I felt it dragged a bit.

Fourth, Salvation. This chapter was by far my favorite. I learned interesting things from both sides about the theology of faith and works. Mormonism, as it turns out, is pretty close to Armenian theology (in regards to grace and works). I enjoyed reading Robinsons point: "Calvinist Evangelicals frequently label LDS soteriology sub-Christian when it is in reality Arminian, so I am comforted by Prof. Blomberg's assurances (p. 175) that informed Evangelicals accept Arminian theology . . . as fully Christian." (Pg. 146)

This book was pretty good. I could not decide to give it four stars or three stars though. On the one hand, I love the books call to have dialogue "characterized by speaking the truth to one another in love." (pg. 196) On the other hand, I feel like the information contained inside is a bit out dated. A fresher dialogue wouldn't hurt (which, of course, now exists between Richard Mouw and Robert Millet).

Also, I can see why both Evangelicals and Mormons would shy away from the book, for the "misgivings" section can be pretty critical of either theology. But that's actually a reason I really enjoyed the book. It wasn't the white wash Sunday school stuff disguised as scholarship (which, to be honest, is what I expected.)

I would recommend this book to those who are inappropriately critical of either Evangelicals or Mormons. Or to those who are curious about the beliefs of Evangelicals and Mormons and want to better understand some of the arguments between the two faiths.

My biggest criticism is that the book contains no index of any sort (which is kind of frustrating when you are trying to write a review and find references). Had this book had both a Subject Index and a Scripture Index, it would have earned a better rating.

[Shane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think Bloomberg & Robinson have struck a cord of inoffensive candor that really advances the relationship between amazingly similar and impossibly different christian views. Their dialogue is direct yet amicable. They make a tremendous effort to reconcile vocabulary so that the discussion can be meaningful to both parties; an agreement on what we mean by what we say can only lead to greater understanding. I love their conclusion that the divide is far narrower than we generally believe; but we're not ready to call it quits on bearing testimony or witnessing to one another. They haven't covered everything but what they do cover is done quite thoroughly. Our views on scripture, the nature of God, man's relationship to Deity, the Trinity, and salvation are covered by setting forth the doctrines and beliefs of each camp and addressing the common misconceptions between the two and finally wrapping up with as conciliatory as possible conclusions.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. What an intelligent and gratifying read! Written by an Evangelical Christian and a Mormon on four of the main "issues" of Christian orthodox beliefs, the book attempts to discern the differences and (significant) similarities between the faiths. Both are respectful, patient, and willing to work toward a common 'vocabulary' of theological terms that would promote further discussions between Evangelicals and Mormons. As one who has interacted with Mormons extensively (and loves them to DEATH!) I was so pleased to see some of the conversations I have already had (or attempted to have) with my friends in a scholarly format. It's encouraging to see that we're doing something right - promoting positive discussion and mutual respect! Highly recommend, if you have any interest whatsoever in Mormon-Evangelical beliefs!

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

I grew up surrounded by Evangelical neighbors and friends and found this book absolutely priceless. It is a dialogue between two scholars of different religions, LDS and Evangelical. I would have given this five stars, but for the fact that the Evangelical scholar incorrectly STATES what he claims to be Mormon belief. Despite this, there is a wealth of knowledge to be gained from this in depth dialogue which, for a conversation on different religions, is civil and respectful.

The book is organized well, making it easy to read and understand. Much of it is compare, contrast, and I don't know in what other format this book could have been written because LDS and Evangelical beliefs compare more closely than most other religions.

[Hannah Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

My American Christianity professor gave us a list of books that we could read that he suggested, but they weren't required. This was one of them. I kind of feel like this should be required reading for all Mormons and all Evangelicals. I know that's not possible, but I learned so much. I learned about my faith (Mormonism), I learned a lot about Evangelicals that I did not know, and I learned about the root of a lot of the problems I have had with Evangelicals, because essentially, we're speaking a different language and we never knew it! Sure Evangelicals and Mormons are different. They should be. But I didn't know where the root of our near-hate for one another came from, and now I see most of it is misunderstanding.

[J C · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this book the authors take 4 subjects of heated disagreement between Mormons and Evangelicals and debate them openly and honestly. Evangelicalism is home to some of the most outspoken anti-mormon sentiments and both groups harbor many misconceptions about the other's faiths. In each chapter Robinson (author of other very popular books in Mormonism like Believing Christ) and Blomberg (a conservative Evangelical scholar) both present their beliefs, respond to each other, and then come to a joint conclusion on the similarities and differences in the two belief systems. The subjects discussed are 1) the nature and bounds of Scripture, 2) the nature of God and deification, 3) the person of Christ and the Trinity, and 4) the essentials of salvation.

[Stephen Cranney · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book written by a Mormon scholar and an Evangelical scholar. I've known some evangelicals personally, but I'm living in Bible Belt country now so I thought I'd get more acquainted with how their theology lines up with mine. It starts out with a very polite, let's compare our beliefs note, but then does get a little more oppositional later on. However, the debates happen with the utmost respect and I think the oppositional approach ultimately fleshed out more issues and brought the more salient issues to the surface than a simple compare/contrast would have done.

[Kathy Marler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is actually written by two individuals, Dr. Blomberg, an Evangelical and Stephen Robinson, an LDS Scholar. The book is written to give both the oppotunity to have a dialoge and discuss the misconceptions of their faiths. The point is for both to gain a greater understanding of where each are coming from in their biblical backgrounds. It was a great help to me in understaning the councils and creeds that help to define the traditional Christian Churches and their doctrines.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book makes an attempt to foster understanding between the long embattled evangelical vs lds perspectives and also helps to establish our common ground. It makes for an interesting read and does a good job of representing each side as it is authored by both an evangelical and a lds writer. I would recommend.

[David Menzies · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely outstanding book by two very capable scholars. I was glued to it and read it in one sitting. I have read it three times so far, and plan to read it many more times in the future. There are no winners or losers, however, there was a resounding feeling that there are certain misconceptions about each of our faiths, not to mention a few inconsistencies.

[Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I find this discussion of religion between a baptist leader and a leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints very interesting. Having belonged to other churches (several) prior to being baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints I have seen the similarities and wondered why the divide. This open discussion is very well done.

[Mark Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was suggested to me by Alonzo Gaskill when my son decided to volunteer for a mission, and really helped me to understand, appreciate, and respect the beliefs, as well as the people, of the LDS Church. I'm glad I read it.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book contained an excellent dialogue concerning Evangelical and LDS beliefs. Prof. Blomberg and Prof. Robinson candidly discussed differences and similarities of faith without the extreme emotional communications that generally accompany such discussions.