What Mormons Believe

"The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is as American as apple pie," writes Robert Bowman in this booklet-length introduction to the Mormon faith. Addressing the growing curiosity of the American public, Bowman leads with a synopsis of former governor Mitt Romney's Mormon heritage and then recounts the history of the Church of Latter-day Saints (LDS) from Joseph Smith and Brigham Young to the present. Bowman concludes with a summary of the unique tenets of faith arising from the Book of Mormon, pointing out places of divergence from typical evangelical readings of the Bible. Bowman's snapshot of this most American of all religious movements makes for essential reading as we enter election season.

Robert M. Bowman Jr. (M.A., Fuller Theological Seminary; Ph.D., South African Theological Seminary) is the director of research for the Institute for Religious Research (www.irr.org). His books include Jehovah's Witnesses, TheWord-Faith Controversy, Putting Jesus in His Place: The Case for the Deity of Christ (with J. Ed Komoszewski) and Faith Has Its Reasons (with Kenneth D. Boa). He has updated and expanded this booklet from his chapter in A Guide toNew Religious Movements, edited by Ronald Enroth.