Brian Birch, “Mormon Theology and the Christian Tradition”
PHIL 3620, Utah Valley University, 2015
This course will examine selected topics in Mormon thought and situate them in relation to the Christian philosophical and theological tradition. The curriculum will 1) focus on the more distinctive features of Mormonism and 2) explore the range of perspectives within this tradition against the backdrop of historical and contemporary debates in Christian theology. The course will also examine questions regarding the place of theology in Mormon Studies and how these issues impact the development of this emerging Zield of study.
COVERED TOPICS INCLUDE:
Apostasy and Restoration; Mormon Finitism; The Trinity and the Godhead; The Feminine and the Divine; Fall, Grace, Salvation, and Deification; Providence and Evil; Revelation and Doctrinal Authority; Theology and Atheology; Scripture
REQUIRED TEXTS:
1. Sterling M. McMurrin, The Theological Foundations of the Mormon Religion (University of Utah Press, 1965)
2. Terryl L. Givens, Wrestling the Angel: The Foundations of Mormon Thought (Oxford University Press, 2014)
3. Craig L. Blomberg & Stephen E. Robinson, How Wide the Divide: A Mormon & An Evangelical in Conversation (InterVarsity Press, 1997)
4. Reserve readings