Future Mormon: Essays in Mormon Theology

by Adam S. Miller

I have three children, a girl and two boys. Our worlds overlap but, already, these worlds are not the same. Their worlds, the worlds that they will grow to fill, are already taking leave of mine. Their futures are already wedged into our present. This is both heartening and frightening. So much of our world deserves to be left. So much of it deserves to be scrapped and recycled. But, too, this scares me. I worry that a lot of what has mattered most to me in this world—Mormonism in particular—may be largely unintelligible to them in theirs. This problem isn’t new, but it is perpetually urgent. Every generation must start again. Every generation must work out their own salvation. Every generation must live its own lives and think its own thoughts and receive its own revelations. And, if Mormonism continues to matter, it will be because they, rather than leaving, were willing to be Mormon all over again. Like our grandparents, like our parents, and like us, they will have to rethink the whole tradition, from top to bottom, right from the beginning, and make it their own in order to embody Christ anew in this passing world. To the degree that we can help, our job is to model that work in love and then offer them the tools, the raw materials, and the room to do it themselves.

These essays are a modest contribution in this vein, a future tense apologetics meant for future Mormons. They model, I hope, a thoughtful and creative engagement with Mormon ideas while sketching, without obligation, possible directions for future thinking.

Genres: Religion, Theology, Lds, Mormonism, Essays, Nonfiction, Philosophy

146 pages, Paperback

Published May 17, 2016

Reviews

[Blair Hodges · Rating 4 out of 5]

Because Adam Miller is always worth reading, and because I can even understand him about seventy percent of the time. (I think I grasped 9 of 13 essays in this collection on the first try.) This collection is more accessible than his Rube Goldberg Machines, but only for the most part.

Miller's engagement with Mormon scripture is fresh. It inspires me to read my scriptures with new eyes. His placing of Mormonism in dialog with topics like psychoanalysis, literary criticism, and continental philosophy exhibits an apologetics of Miller's hypothetical "future Mormon."

A few other observations off the top of my head:

-He explains his views on grace more clearly here than anywhere else, and does so in at least three separate essays.

-No one engages Terryl Givens better than Miller, and this collection has two essays on Givens.

-His manifesto for future Mormon thinking is required reading. Miller makes a stirring case that charity must be at the heart of any such endeavor, a point that demands attention from all Mormon apologists and scholars.

[Loyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a big deal. Just as stimulating as his Rube Goldberg Machines, but far more accessible. Adam Miller offers a way of understanding Mormon theology that is not only essential for the future of Mormonism, but is also pointing to the core of Christian worship.

[Greg Diehl · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good. I loved "Rube Goldberg Machines" and these essays were infused with a similarly edgy spirit. I love Miller's fearless (and charitable) approach to theology and his relentless insistence that "even without answers, the questions have force." And as a result, his words have weight and his perspectives pack a punch.

"Is the church true?" Miller calls this out as a very "thin" question. The type of question that takes our eye off the ball, the kind of question that seems intent on shutting down further questioning. If you can feel the freshness of such a perspective, these essays are worth the investment of your time and thought. If such questions make you feel uneasy - good, read it anyway (ease was never the point . . . ).

[Chad Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally finished after about 3 years of off-and-on reading and rereading. This book is dense. It covers a ton of really deep theological ground; not "deep doctrine," but just deep thinking about how we think about religion. It's changed a lot about how I view my religion, and Grace in particular, and I'm sure that I'll revisit individual essays in the future. It only loses a star because it sometimes came across like Miller was being willfully difficult in his word choice and how complicated his arguments are. I know he's an academic, but sometimes it was a little over-the-top.

[Seth Dunn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Future Mormon is a short collection of about a dozen essays but lots of the material is best to work through slowly. Lots to affirm here. And when the amens don't come as readily, there is much to wrestle with, both in the text and in its signified. Not all of the essays are created equally but the best of them are superb.

[Samcwright · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an important work in the development of Mormon theology. Miller pushes the conversation forward by examining old ideas through a new perspective. His General Theory of Grace expands beyond redemption to creation and re-creation. Sin is redefined as the suppression of grace and grace becomes primal rather than a response to the problem of sin. Miller goes into so much more including his continuing work on seeing and early resurrection (referred to in this book as early onset postmortem) and redefining the truth of the Book of Mormon as something we must create, rather than a stagnant fact.

This book takes commitment to working through Millers ideas. Reading Miller’s other books is helpful. One of my favorite thoughts he shares is the idea that God’s grace, as defined by Miller, is telling us that we are something very different than we wanted. We want to be something special. God is telling us to be something that we don’t want to be. He’s telling us to be what we already are. And that awards and obedience is not going to save us. Because His love is already available. I’d highly recommend this book. It is not the last word on Mormon theology. It is part of the ongoing conversation.

[Christian · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Gospel According to Adam S. Miller, according to me: Give up words, pictures, and stories for reality; or rather, let them be words, pictures, and stories, and let reality be reality.

In other words, his book rephrases 2 Nephi 29: Instead of proclaiming our Bible, today, we Mormons tend to say "A gospel, a testimony! We have a gospel/testimony!" Miller shatters our idols as if he were a type of Christ in that chapter, saying "Wo unto those who say 'we have enough.' Wo unto those who are at ease in Zion."

[Rachel Kime · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cannot get enough of Miller sometimes. Favorite quote: "Our meetings are framed and spaced by layers of circumstance, ignorance, and protocol. The things that worry me are not the things that interest you. What you'd hoped to see in me is not the profile I wanted to show. And so we feel alone even when we're together."

[jbgbookgirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are at least two essays that make this book exceptional and those alone make this book a must read. I love Adam Miller's thinking when it comes to Mormonism.

[Caleb Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Future Mormon is a treat to read. Adam Miller packs it with an array of perspectives and questions that will wonderfully unsettle and challenge your worldview. Throughout it the author forms a picture of a worldview where Plato's Idealism is challenged as a thoroughgoing materialism is proposed. In this material world grace, truth, creation, fall, salvation, covenant, authority, etc. are reframed. But as he does so he avoids the nihilistic pitfalls that a materialist view often defaults to. Adam Miller affirms grace (more radically so that often a Platonic worldview often does), gives weight to truth (albeit in a much more dynamic way), shows an ongoing and eternal creation, ties the fall and salvation to creation, situates covenant to our relationships with the material world and all others in it, and casts authority as a material organization that utilizes these forces to unite agents (conscious and unconscious).

I would have liked to see how the author approaches something like Godel's Incompleteness Theorems in this thoroughgoing materialism. How do the fundamental limits of our logic and axioms in their ability to reveal truth play into this world? Does this material world welcome something like the Incompleteness Theorem as part of its nature? Or does the Incompleteness Theorem end up bringing back Plato's Idealism by showing the limits of this material world?

[Michael Escalante · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Miller's writing. It is deliciously thoughtful and his artful use of language has a magnetic pull. Future Mormon, like most of his publications, is a curation of essays organized around what he hopes Mormon thinking and practice may embody in the future. Relative to some of his other works (Rube Goldberg Machines, Letters etc.) I thought Future Mormon lacked focus and included several essays that seemed a little out of place and failed to enhance the topic. As in his other publications, much of the writing in Future Mormon is esoteric and erudite but I found it stretching in healthy ways that don't necessarily distract from the subject matter. I recommend to anyone interested in Mormon theology or to practicing Mormons who hope to see church culture evolve to be more centered on Christ's grace.

[Dan Call · Rating 4 out of 5]

Startling and exciting
Miller does it again. This was my fourth text of his, and he continues to startle me with his novel readings of scripture which I thought I had already exhausted (1 Nephi 1; Jacob 7), or his broadening of the concept of grace (in chapters 1 and 7), his re-examining of the simplest of our assumptions about the nature of truth (chapter 11) or time (chapter 4).
Not every chapter did that much for me, but on the whole this book accomplishes a remarkable amount in just 129 pages.

[Katie Ta · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think Miller did a great job explaining theology, especially general theology, and how it relates to the future of Mormonism and the innards of worship in general Christianity. Super overall explanation of theology in Christianity, but it's not like a actual doctrine. I love that. These essays are written out extremely diligently and helped me understand how theology relates to Mormonism and Christianity for the most part.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good stuff - a believer unafraid to ask big questions. It seems a rather random collection of philosophical essays and literary critiques, though I suppose a willingness to explore assumptions we make about the nature of truth and reality is the thread holding it all together.

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Both deep and soaring—in fact, a good chunk of the essays here are beyond my understanding. Backgrounds in philosophy and theology are not required, but highly encouraged. Still, the essays that crossed my plane were fresh.

[Chris Haleua · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hot and cold

Some chapters were incredible (grace and truth). Other chapters went totally over my head. (Nihilism and lacanian psycho analysis). Overall, totally a worthwhile read. Just put it into neutral and coast it out for a few pages if you have to.

[Chase Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A landmark work in my ongoing gospel study. Very much worth the read— it fortified me with insight, filled me with hope, and helped me build a more robust foundation to attempt at living a faithful life in postmodernity.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting collection of essays. Some were better than others, with more direction and clarity. A few felt meandering, like Miller wasn't quite sure where he was going, but that might have also been the point.

[Will · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many of the essays are wonderful and thought provoking. However, some are academic in nature and don't fit the theme of the collection. Those essays spoil the purpose of an otherwise inspired work.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent. Worth reading. Questions worth considering.

[Emily Shipley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Smart stuff. The complexity of the subject matter is rendered in a way that makes it so all LDS members could get both a spiritually and intellectually satisfying experience out of Miller’s work.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adam Miller is a refreshing voice in Mormonism because he reexamines LDS fundamentals from such unusual angles, freely deconstructing and even discarding orthodox readings of LDS scripture and church history while retaining a totally faith-affirming perspective. He asks good questions and seeks to engage Mormonism in thoroughly 21st century terms, laboring to translate the Mormon experience into the language of a postmodern society.

The sheer range of Miller's wanderings is impressive and brings to mind the early Mormon dream of ultimately circumscribing all learning and all truth within Mormonism's ever-expanding orbit. It is so refreshing to read a serious LDS engagement with the works of favorite writers of mine, like Melville, David Foster Wallace, and Cormac McCarthy, who are so unlikely to come up in Sunday school but have so much to say to Mormons as well as everyone else (and who all, interestingly enough, say a few things about Mormons in their work . . .). If Mormonism is to be taught in every language and every epoch, it must also be translated into the language of the 21st century and meaningfully mapped against the shifting, fractured topography of the modern mind. No easy feat, but Miller sets his course in the right direction.

I most enjoyed Miller's essay on the Book of Mormon in which he proposes a "covenantal" reading of the Mormon scripture, suggesting that we understand the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon not as "a fact in evidence," but as a "work to be done." He invites Mormons not to try to prove that the Book of Mormon is true, but to "make it true" by living it and applying it where we are today, tomorrow, wherever and whenever, however we can. This is the Mormonism that resonates with me. It reminds me of a statement from Peggy Fletcher Stack in an old Sunstone article that celebrates the "eclecticism" of Joseph Smith and suggests that wherever truth is found, we should "simply graft it onto [our] faith and call it Mormon" because "by this means, it becomes the only true church." Future Mormon is in some sense an invitation to do the same, to continually renew our reading of the gospel to engage with the world as it actually is today, not as we wish it to be, and to incorporate all truth, wherever it may be found.

What Miller does not always do is provide satisfactory answers to the questions he raises. One might argue that asking the questions is the point, that the seeking is the answer. But Miller skirts around such intriguing possibilities that it's difficult not to walk away from this book wishing it had drilled down just another level. Part of the problem is Miller's at times annoyingly abstruse and jargon-laden style. The guy can clearly turn a phrase and write wonderfully in flashes, but he too often lapses into the sort of impenetrable hyperventilated prose one would expect to find in a philosophy graduate thesis. Miller is a great thinker and good writer. He needs a better editor. But disjointed and opaque as this collection is, it points toward an immensely rewarding and expansive potential Mormon future.

[Seth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure what the point of this book was. It was a series of random essays some of which seemed to say little. The other essays seemed to be intentionally mystifying. I think I actually would have liked a lot of the author's views, but I wish he had made some efforts to make this accessible to educated (but not in philosophy) readers.

Or maybe it's just me because other reviewers seemed to understand and like it.

Edit: I raised the review by one star because I'm still thinking about a lot of the things I did understand.

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have to return this before I'm done with it. He talks about our cultural misunderstanding of grace. I agree with some, but not sure I’d agree with all. Found some typos in just reading a few pages. That always causes suspicion of the quality of the content’s production. Reading his thoughts on The God Who Weeps might help me get through the actual book, give me context, things to agree with and disagree with. That book has been hard for me to get through, but I really really want to read it. Definitely going to revisit

[Jenny Webb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full review here: http://associationmormonletters.org/b...

Working the questions—taking Mormonism seriously enough to read one’s entire world as Mormon—this is the work of conversion. We can never take Mormonism for granted. Mormonism will only exist so long as the work of conversion continues from generation to generation. Miller knows this: “if Mormonism continues to matter, it will be because they [the next generation], rather than leaving, were willing to be Mormon all over again. Like our grandparents, like our parents, and like us, they will have to rethink the whole tradition, from top to bottom, right from the beginning, and make it their own in order to embody Christ anew in this passing world” (xii). But the fragility of Mormonism—its continued dependence upon each individual conversion—is, as Miller’s work illustrates, also its strength. A Mormonism rethought here is a vital, regenerative faith.

Miller writes *Future Mormon* for his children and their own oncoming futures, futures in which they will ask the questions and make the decisions that will form both their faith and their selves. He offers his own questions, his own thinking and rethinking, as a way to make those decisions both faithful and fruitful. Miller may write for them, but we are lucky to have his words and work now, in our lives today. Go read this book. Enjoy it. It’s some of Miller’s best work to date, and it’s a powerful invitation. One you won’t regret accepting.

[Jason Comely · Rating 5 out of 5]

Miller is an incredible thinker and his ideas are at times awe-inspiring. His definition of grace and truth are must-reads. There is also a psychoanalysis of Jacob and his exchange with Sharem (in the Book of Mormon) that I enjoyed.

[Angela Clayton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Miller optimistically claims that “In the future, Mormon thinking will be fearless.” Implied in this is that in order for Mormonism to survive into the future, we have to become fearless, and only love is fearless. "It is always possible to bear a truth untruthfully, to wield the truth as a weapon against my enemy or as a shield to justify my stupor." But he reminds us that "truths are bigger than we can imagine. They cannot be confined to our own limited perspective. . . . A truth that is small enough to be thinkable only from my position and only in opposition to my enemy is no truth at all."

These are powerful words, and an important caution for members of a church so often prone to believe that we own the truth and not the other way around. The truth is bigger than we are, both individually and collectively.

The gospel as Adam expounds it in Future Mormon is challenging, but like all good exercise, the work needed to understand these ideas feels productive. I broke a good mental sweat.

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great collection of essays! I love Adam Miller's thoughts on most anything. I especially love his essays on grace. I became acquainted with Miller through some LDS podcasts. His essays on grace have done me a world of good in healing from past traumas. I should give 5 stars but some of the essays were 'over my head' as he is a philosopher and I am just a lady who likes to read!

I have highlighted this book a ton and already thumb through it to re-read my favorite parts. Will definitely be referring to his thoughts more and more in the future.

"Sin is our active suppression of God's already given grace." (pg. 3) Isn't this a beautiful and less shaming way to see sin? Grace is always there, like gravity, sin is simply suppressing it. Love it.

[Trevor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Future Mormon is a must read for anyone interested in Mormonism or theology in general. Miller's prose leaves one thinking and invites introspection without being overly esoteric. His topics are interesting to a wide variety of readers and provide wonderful fodder for book club or scripture study group discussions. A few opaque and seemingly unconnected essays stop me from going with a full five stars but the insights gleaned from the other essays are more than worth the price of the book. Highly recommend!

[Brent Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'll read anything by Adam Miller - for LDS or philosophical audiences. He is right: We keep re-inventing and "translating" our religion - to make it true for our own times.

I almost prefer a cogent collection of personal essays to a more systematic full-length book of theology. Theology for me is best taken in smaller doses. Bruno Latour, Jacques Lacan, David Foster Wallace - who would have thought these people would contribute to current Mormon thought!