This book starts off strong, with a very interesting exploration of Christology in the Book of Mormon. There are some other interesting observations, too (including a frank-to-the-point-of-productive-discomfort evaluation of race in the Book of Mormon). If I were only reading the conclusion, I’d likely give it full marks. A few things keep me from doing that for the book as I read it, though.

I admit that some of those things are entirely my fault. As with the last two books in the series, I’ve read this one too quickly to appreciate the arguments it’s making. Furthermore, I confess that I have personal biases against a couple of the authors cited even though I don’t know much about those authors—it’s the laziest kind of bias, and while I might still dislike those authors after a thorough evaluation of their work, it’s not solid ground for grumping about their appearance in this book.

I think (hope?) some of my critiques are more substantive, though. Becerra’s exploration of human faculties is interesting but feels underdeveloped. The overall structure of the book could be made more consistent, I think. The treatment of race in the book is open-minded, but it’s unclear what the conclusion is supposed to be. There’s lots of implicit attention to the Sermon on the Mount passages without exploring what the significance of that extensive quotation is. Finally, I think Becerra makes a strong argument for citing Mormon-as-narrator outside of the specific books he focuses on, but it feels like it distracts from a focus on 3rd and 4th Nephi.

All these nitpicks aside, I appreciate Becerra’s work and wouldn’t rate it any lower. It merits a closer reread from me in the future to see if I feel any differently.

• 3rd, 4th Nephi: A Brief Theological Introduction
• Daniel Becerra
• Book of Mormon
• race
• Christology
• The Book of Mormon: Brief Theological Introductions