Eerdmans published Latter-day Saint Theology Among Christian Theologies by Grant Underwood as part of its long-standing commitment to showcase varied and responsible viewpoints that play a role in larger ongoing conversations. The book offers a structured comparison of Latter-day Saint beliefs with traditional Christian doctrines, written by a respected scholar within the Latter-day Saint faith tradition. In this interview, Editor-in-Chief James Ernest explains what it does—and doesn’t—mean when Eerdmans engages with Latter-day Saint theology.
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Table of Contents
- Eerdmans Editorial Philosophy
- Latter-day Saint Engagement
- Comparative Theology
- Editorial Judgment
- Christology & Sacraments
- Intended Audience
- Mormon Studies Future
- Final Reflections
- Further Reading
The Identity and Editorial Philosophy of William Eerdmans Publishing
How would you describe Eerdmans’ identity and enduring philosophy?
Since 1911, Eerdmans has published books to help Christians and those closely associated with Christianity make sense of themselves, God, and the world in light of the Christian biblical and theological heritage.
These days, this means continuing to publish biblical commentaries and other books for the theological curriculum in universities and seminaries, as well as for practicing pastors.
However, given recent cultural changes in the English-speaking world, it also means working intensively with authors and readers who are seeking fresh ways of expressing and responding to spiritual needs and aspirations but are either not yet able or no longer able to feel at home in the language worlds of traditional Christian discourse.
Generous Orthodoxy and Centered-Set Thinking
I can’t recall our using the phrase “generous orthodoxy” much in-house, but this phrase—coined, I believe, by Hans Frei and used by Brian McLaren, Fleming Rutledge, and others—is apt.
The William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company is not a church and has neither a pope nor a creed, but many of our staff, authors, and readers are people for whom church and scripture are central. Individually, Eerdmans employees have their own commitments, but as a company, we are not enforcers of doctrinal boundaries, so we are able to work well with constituencies that have differing boundary markers.
I guess in practice, we have a centered-set philosophy. This has always been true here.
If that’s the “orthodoxy” side, the “generous” side has always been present as well, though the generosity has probably expanded over the years, as generosity does.
High literary and intellectual standards are of utmost importance.
Our brand of generosity is grounded in Kuyperian Dutch Calvinism, which sees the entire cosmos as belonging to Christ. Therefore, we don’t get especially anxious about ensuring that this or that little piece remains exclusively ours.
We probably wouldn’t be publishing this book if Richard Mouw, a leading Kuyperian theologian and seminary president, hadn’t blazed a trail in seeking out dialogue with Mormons.
We continue to adhere to founder William B. Eerdmans Sr.’s core beliefs that responsible viewpoints from across the religious spectrum should be given opportunity for expression, and that high literary and intellectual standards are of utmost importance.
Eerdmans Engagement With Latter-day Saint Theology
Why was this the right time for Eerdmans to publish Latter-day Saint Theology among Christian Theologies?
We had never seen anything like Grant Underwood’s book, which engages Latter-day Saint thought with historic Christian doctrines, and we thought many readers would find it useful.
In recent decades, Mormon leaders have made a concerted effort to connect more effectively with non-Mormon Christians in scholarly and cultural contexts. Prominent evangelical scholars, such as Richard Mouw and Craig Blomberg, have intentionally cultivated relationships with Mormons.
But most Christians don’t know what Mormonism teaches.
The press believes in publishing books that express a variety of viewpoints, which are likely to be useful in larger ongoing conversations.
Grant was obviously knowledgeable and a good writer, not to mention diligent, productive, attentive, cooperative, generous, and smart. Who doesn’t want to work with an author like that?
Wm. B. Eerdmans’ Engagement With Latter-day Saint Theology
I think we also welcomed the opportunity to publish a non-polemical, non-proselytizing account of LDS thought because this company has in the past published at least one well-known book that presented an unsympathetic (to put it mildly) and tendentious (to put it mildly) account of Mormon beliefs—the sort of approach that functions more as a nineteenth-century exposé and polemic than as a fair portrayal of a twenty-first-century faith.
‘Okay, you tell us what LDS people today are really about.’
Here was our chance to hand the microphone to a Brigham Young University professor and say, “Okay, you tell us what LDS people are really about today.”
Grant Underwood’s proposed approach—organizing his account of LDS thought under the rubrics of traditional Christian systematic theology—was powerfully appealing. It seemed well devised to help Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox believers come to grips with Mormon thought and to help Latter-day Saints understand their own beliefs and how those beliefs might be perceived by their non-Mormon Christian neighbors.
Publishing Theology Across Faith Traditions
How does Eerdmans evaluate comparative theology proposals that engage with traditions outside mainstream Christianity?
It’s possible for such accounts of other traditions to be written either by insiders or by outsiders. Either can be good:
- Outsider Approach: For Judaism, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company has a book by a Christian, Marvin Wilson, called Our Father Abraham, that has been widely used and appreciated for years.
- Insider Approach: We are also thrilled to offer readers our new excellent introduction to Judaism for Christians by Tzvi Novick.
These days, we are likely to prefer an account of another religious tradition by an inhabitant of that tradition.
Understanding Before Apologetics
All faiths are not equivalent, and we expect Christians to know why, other than historical accident, they believe their own faith is right. However, too often, Christians have jumped straight into rebuttal without first attempting to understand.
My personal take is that understanding needs to come first. Loving one’s neighbor entails listening respectfully, with openness and genuine interest, while they give you their own account of themselves.
Other comparative lenses come later, such as:
- Dialogue: Setting their faith and ours in conversation.
- Apologetics: Understanding and affirming one’s faith.
- Evangelization: Sharing with them the good news we find in our own faith.
- Polemics: Critiquing their faith.
Eerdmans invites representatives outside mainstream Christianity to explain their own traditions.
Christians of all stripes have done much critiquing and evangelizing, and traditionally orthodox Christians will never be able to stop doing either. And certainly, the LDS commitment to evangelization is well known.
But in our publishing program, we are likely to want to begin our engagement with traditions outside of mainstream Christianity by inviting representatives of those traditions to explain their own traditions.
How important is tone when publishing across doctrinal divides?
It depends on your aims. If you want to win a fair hearing for yourself, then you must, the ancient rhetoricians tell us, “capture the benevolence” of your reader. That is the first step in persuasion, even if your goal is not to get others to join you but just to help them understand you.
Grant Underwood is a master of this. And it’s not a technique or a trick; it’s who he is.
Tone is best when it flows out of character.
So I could answer your question by affirming that “tone” is very important indeed. But I would also like to say that it is important to have authors who respect and like their readers. Then they don’t have to adopt a certain contrived tone. They are who they are, and it naturally comes through in their writing.
Tone is best when it is not studied but flows out of character. This is one of the strengths of Grant’s book. In addition to his being an inhabitant of the LDS tradition, it’s one of the things that made him the right author for an Eerdmans book on this topic.
What role does perceived authority play when an author writes beyond their own tradition?
Acquisitions editors struggle with this question. Publishers today worry about “platform”; the ancients talked about “ethos.” What makes this author the right person to write this book?
An author can have excellent answers, yet not be the person readers want to hear from.
Books must always address a need felt by a reachable readership. But that readership, in addition to wanting to learn something, sometimes has ideas about who they want to learn from.
An author can have excellent answers, yet not be the person from whom significant numbers of readers want to hear those answers.
Latter-day Saint Theology Among Christian Theologies represents one of those happy cases where the person who has the goods—I mean, the person who is able to write the book—also has the credentials that establish him as the person you want to hear from.
Non-LDS readers who may not have known Grant Underwood’s name before can, with even a glance at his bio, see that this is the right author for this book.
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Editorial Judgment, Platform, and Doctrinal Boundaries
How do you maintain clarity between offering a scholarly platform and signaling agreement with a particular theological tradition?
Anyone who looks at this book and says that Wm. B. Eerdmans is now promoting Mormonism over orthodox Christianity either does not understand our press at all or adheres to a form of life that encourages rushing to judgment.
But the question, as you phrase it, is fair.
Every book that comes to our publishing committee for consideration does so under the sponsorship of one of our acquisitions editors. The sponsoring editor believes the press should publish the book.
Our books do not speak with one voice.
Sometimes, the editor fully aligns with the author and mostly agrees with the book’s aims and specific content. But that is not the standard paradigm. Rather, the editor and the press need to believe that publishing the book is in line with the press’s traditions and will positively contribute to our readers’ thought lives.
Eerdmans has never yet published a book titled The Eerdmans Credo: The Truth, the Whole Truth, and Nothing but the Truth According to This Publishing Company. People who want to pick books they don’t like out of our lineup and treat them as if they bore that title, thus have a different idea than we do about what it means to be a publisher—or a fair reviewer.
Editorial Judgment, Platform, and Doctrinal Boundaries
But you asked how we maintain clarity. Inside the press, we understand each other well. When we publish a book, we usually know which of us agrees or disagrees with its various elements.
Anyone who reads Eerdmans’ books knows that they do not all speak with one voice and that no one here could possibly agree with everything in them.
We decide as a company which books we will publish and commit to supporting them with our best efforts. By publishing each book, we affirm our belief that many readers will find it to have positive value and be worth engaging with.
What editorial considerations come into play when an author from a minority tradition writes about historically central Christian topics?
Our editors are very familiar with mainstream Christian texts and traditions and can help catch errors that authors may make in central topics. Naturally, we have less competence in minority traditions.
We aren’t as able to help LDS authors, for example, avoid mistakes relating to distinctive LDS scriptures, doctrine, and history. So it helps when the author is prodigiously well-informed and meticulous, as is the case with this book.
Christology, Sacraments, and Theological Comparison
What editorial value do you see in Grant Underwood’s comparative Christology?
Christology is one area in which the differences between LDS doctrine and conciliar Christian theology, as outlined in the line running through Nicaea, Constantinople, and Chalcedon, are especially noteworthy. Grant Underwood is well informed regarding the great-church tradition.
Most Eerdmans readers are not nearly as well informed about LDS thought. Reading Grant’s chapters in Latter-day Saint Theology Among Christian Theologies, they may discover that Mormons are far more Christ-centered than they expected.
If they are well catechized in their Catholic, Orthodox, or magisterial-Reformation traditions, they will see clearly where differences lie and will not consider these differences insignificant.
But I think they will also recognize significant common ground.
Christology, Sacraments, and Theological Comparison
Incidentally, Arius and most of the “Arians” of the fourth century had a much higher Christology than the average Christian today realizes. A careful study of either ancient heretics, as we call them, or of more recent variant theologies, such as Mormonism, usually erodes the simplistic division of all patterns of belief into two clearly defined, internally coherent, and diametrically opposite camps.
Readers may discover complex intersections and divergences in LDS beliefs.
It’s no good claiming one belief is as good as another and none of the differences matter. But it’s also no good reducing everything to simplistic polarities. Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant believers who read Grant Underwood’s description of LDS thought will see many LDS beliefs as unorthodox. But they may discover more complex intersections and divergences than they expected.
My own doctoral dissertation focused on patristic theology, particularly in the fourth century, so I am aware of the evolution of Christological thought between the New Testament and the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed.
I am aware, for example, of the widespread subordinationism of the pre-Nicene church.
And, like other observers of contemporary American evangelical theology, I’ve been fascinated to see that some theologians—not only accepted but prominent in the Evangelical Theological Society—have, in their efforts to support a male-dominant anthropology, reverted to forms of subordinationism that would appear heretical to adherents of the broader post-Nicene tradition.
We should read Grant Underwood in that light.
That raises the question: What are the limits, really, of doctrinal flexibility in contemporary mainstream Christianity? The regnant orthodoxies are not necessarily as sharply defined and inflexible as some assume.
I think we should read Grant Underwood’s description of LDS distinctives, and especially points of LDS dissent from standard Catholic-Orthodox-Protestant doctrine, in that light.
How does Grant Underwood approach the sacraments and the Eucharist?
Grant shows himself to be a diligent student of the history of Christian doctrine throughout the ages. Even readers with an MDiv or other significant theological training may find that Grant gives them a useful refresher course or continuing-education course in the history of Christian doctrine. Of course, he also explicates distinctive Mormon teaching in these matters.
As a Christian of Reformed background, I found myself seeing Mormon teaching on the sacraments that looked sometimes Baptist and sometimes Catholic. And then there are moments—for example, in relation to the well-known Mormon ideas about proxy baptism for the unevangelized dead or the sealing of marriage for eternity—where readers will see ideas developed beyond the limits that Baptists, Catholics, and Presbyterians have observed.
I think readers from other traditions will find it all fascinating. I did.
Audience, Reception, and Academic Use
Do you imagine different types of readers engaging with this Eerdmans book?
We discussed length and level with Grant Underwood during the acquisitions process. We tried to persuade him to write a shorter book for the sake of accessibility beyond the academy. But Grant noted that it’s not necessary to swallow the whole book in one gulp. This is a book that you can read a chapter at a time, from time to time, as questions arise.
So yes, I do imagine different types of readers engaging the book—in different ways:
- Motivated Readers: Some who are especially motivated and capable will read it through from start to finish in a week or two.
- Students: Those taking a course may read it during a semester.
- Pastors and Curious Neighbors: Many pastors and other reading Christians who live in proximity with Mormons, or are simply curious, may keep it on their shelves and pull it down now and then to read another chapter as questions arise from their conversations with or about their LDS neighbors.
Do you expect the book to be used in seminaries and scholarly circles?
Oh, I hope it will be adopted in seminaries. I don’t know how many seminaries teach comparative courses on Mormon theology. Maybe the course hasn’t been offered much because no suitable textbook was available. Well, here’s the book!
However, whether the course is offered in seminaries or not, pastors working in regions with significant Mormon populations really need a guidebook like this. So I hope scholars in historic Christian traditions will recognize this book as a valuable resource. Some of the usual suspects will take it upon themselves, with or without taking the time to read the book, to lambaste us for publishing it.
But it’s a good book, and I think most scholars who pay attention will recognize that.
The Future of Mormon Studies in Christian Publishing
Is Mormon studies gaining traction in Christian academic publishing?
Mormon studies is certainly an area of legitimate intellectual work, and Mormon scholars are doing excellent work in many fields, including the study of religious and theological history broadly speaking. There’s no question about that.
Brigham Young University is well-known, but beyond that, you will increasingly encounter LDS believers in various educational institutions. As I noted above, an increasing number of highly regarded Christian scholars have been engaging with Mormon studies in recent years.
You’re still unlikely to find Mormons teaching in Baptist, Presbyterian, or Catholic seminaries or in CCCU colleges and universities, and you’re unlikely to find professors in those kinds of institutions using books by Mormon authors in courses that are meant to instruct their students in the theological beliefs of their own tradition.
In that sense, the path is still narrow.
Grant’s book, though it contains much solid information about the history of Christian doctrine, is not going to be adopted as the textbook in the required survey of Christian doctrine in an evangelical, Catholic, or confessional Protestant school. In that sense, the path is still narrow.
But gifted Mormon authors are writing books that we think make for profitable reading for Christians of all stripes. This one by Grant Underwood is a remarkable compendium of Christian doctrine that also introduces Mormon doctrine under all the traditional headings.
However, Eerdmans has published books by other LDS authors that are not meant to teach doctrine. These authors’ books are, each in its own way, good reads!
People should neither read them nor avoid them because their authors are Mormon; they should read them because they are good books.
Final Reflections on the Book’s Purpose and Legacy
What do you hope this book accomplishes for theology and readers?
I think this will be an indispensable book for decades to come. The LDS Church is well established in the United States and around the world, and wherever traditional Christians and Mormons want to understand both their own and each other’s beliefs, this is the go-to book.
If you just want an entertaining, feel-good experience of people learning to get along with each other, read or watch Baptists at Our Barbecue. Or if you want to read something that caricatures the beliefs of others so you can feel good about ridiculing them, read some of the old-fashioned polemical literature.
But if you want to read something that’s carefully and even-handedly written and will give you a deeper understanding of your own tradition and another tradition, noting both similarities and differences, read Grant’s book: Latter-day Saint Theology Among Christian Theologies.
We published it not because it promotes Mormonism (which was also not Grant’s intent in writing it) but because it exhibits the quality and the fairness that we aim for in the Eerdmans publishing program.
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About the Scholar
James Ernest is Executive Vice President and Editor-in-Chief at Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., an independent theological publisher based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He oversees Eerdmans theology books across biblical studies, church history, and interfaith dialogue. Previously, he held senior roles at Hendrickson Publishers and Baker Academic, bringing over 25 years of experience shaped by classical studies and patristic theology. Ernest holds degrees from Wheaton College, Boston University, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and a PhD in historical theology from Boston College. Under his leadership, Eerdmans continues its tradition of publishing serious Christian thought—including Latter-day Saint Theology Among Christian Theologies by Grant Underwood.
Further Reading on Comparative Theology and Latter-day Saint Thought
Those interested in comparing Latter-day Saint theology also read these articles:
- What Did Bob Millet Learn From Interfaith Leaders Like Rich Mouw?
- How Do Latter-day Saints Approach Biblical Theology?
- Does the Book of Mormon Reinterpret the Bible?
- What Theological Themes Are in the Doctrine and Covenants?
- How Does a Latter-day Saint Classicist Read the Gospel of John?
Book Reviews of Latter-day Saint Theology Among Christian Theologies
- Word & Way Review by Robert D. Cornwall (Word & Way)
- BYU Studies Review by John G. Turner (BYU Studies)
- Wayfare Review by Emily Fisher Gray (Wayfare)
- Goodreads Reviews (Goodreads)
How Is Mormonism Different from Christianity?
- Latter-day Saint Theology Among Christian Theologies (Eerdmans)
- Condescension and Fullness: LDS Christology in Conversation with Historic Christianity (BYU Religious Studies Center)
- Standing Apart: Mormon Historical Consciousness and the Concept of Apostasy (Oxford University Press)
- The Wonder of Scripture Series (Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship)
- Doing Work of Comparative Theology: A Primer for Christians (Eerdmans)
Book Info: Latter-day Saint Theology Among Christian Theologies
Book Quotes
????Read the book. For the rest of the story, get a copy of Latter-day Saint Theology Among Christian Theologies by Grant Underwood (Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2025).
Limited Awareness of Latter-day Saint Beliefs
Even today, relatively few among the general populace profess to know much about the beliefs and practices of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or how they relate to Christianity in all its varieties.
Grant Underwood, Latter-day Saint Theology Among Christ Theologies (Eerdmans, p. 1)
Divinity and Trinity
Although Mormons do not shy away from affirming that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are separate divine beings, they also stress, in the words of First Presidency member George Cannon, that “we worship them as one God, not three Gods.”
Grant Underwood, Latter-day Saint Theology (Eerdmans, p. 55)
Christ
The church’s in-house “obsession with Christ” has not always been apparent to the broader public. This reality was one factor that contributed to a renewed effort by church leaders… to place more emphasis on Latter-day Saint devotion to Jesus Christ.
Grant Underwood, Latter-day Saint Theology (Eerdmans, p. 100)
Soteriology
Here we shall explore Christian and Mormon views on “election,” “calling,” “justification,” and “sanctification,” with special attention being given to the relationship between “grace” and “works.” First, however, several framing matters need to be considered.
Grant Underwood, Latter-day Saint Theology (Eerdmans, p. 219)
Sacraments
In the LDS view, becoming God’s adopted covenant children and thus heirs of God is the primary purpose of life.
Grant Underwood, Latter-day Saint Theology (Eerdmans, p. 368)
Eschatology
So, what is different about Joseph Smith’s vision of a hierarchical heaven? Primarily the idea that virtually all people will eventually receive some degree of heavenly glory.
Grant Underwood, Latter-day Saint Theology (Eerdmans, p. 527)
Table of Contents
Foreword by Craig Blomberg
Introduction
- God: Divinity and Trinity
- God: Creation, Providence, and Theodicy
- Christ: His “Person” and Nature
- Christ: His Atoning “Work”
- Anthropology: Humanity as “Royalty Deposed”
- Soteriology: Dimensions of Salvation
- Church: Images, Models, and “Marks”
- Church: Authority, Priesthood, and Ministry
- Sacraments: Theory and Application
- The Eucharist: Savoring the Lord’s Supper
- Additional Sacraments: An Abundance of Grace
- Eschatology: The End of the Age and the Afterlife
Citation Information
This post was originally published on June 22, 2025. The most recent update on November 14, 2025, includes additional resources and an improved online reading experience.
