I must admit that, upon finishing this book, I was exhausted. Subtitled "A missionary guide to anti-Mormon tactics & strategies and how to deal with those who have been influenced by them," this slim volume presents itself as something of a combat manual for defenders of the Church.

The authors identify five major arguments which they claim evangelicals and other non-Mormons use to attack Mormonism as a non-Christian religion:

LDS rejection of the orthodox Trinity and the traditional view of the relationship between God and man.

LDS belief in the total apostasy of the early Christian church.

LDS rejection of sola scriptura ("only the scriptures") and the inerrancy, infallibility, and completeness of the Bible.

LDS rejection of sola fide, or salvation by faith alone.

LDS supposed rejection of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. (p. 5-6)

The authors then give each point a chapter, citing anti-Mormon arguments, giving support for the LDS position, and pointing out their opponents' logical and factual errors. This sounds okay, but the effectiveness of such an approach depends on so many factors. Do you really understand the points of your opponents? Have you presented a rational counter-point? And this is where so many apologetics books fail.

The present volume nicely covers many aspects of anti-Mormon activities and their proponents. To their credit, the authors take an analytical approach to the five points mentioned above, presenting evidence that suggests that either a) the critics are wrong in attributing such belief to Mormonism, or b) the critics are wrong in subscribing to their own views. One can hardly come away from this book without feeling that the truth of Mormonism is, to use a phrase in the news, "a slam dunk."

After addressing ideas, the authors now descend upon the practitioners of anti-Mormonism. Chapter 8, titled "Examples of Anti-Mormon Deception," examines five of the most infamous practitioners of the craft: Anthony Hoekema, "Dr." Walter Martin (quotes theirs), Ed Decker, Floyd McElveen and Jay Jacobson. At times I wished the authors had chosen kinder words in their assessments of some their opponents -- in a previous chapter, while discussing another anti-Mormon writer, John Ankerberg, they head one section, "Most of the New Testament is a Stranger to Ankerberg." (p. 71) This comes close to being an ad hominem attack on Ankerberg and should be avoided.

In a moment of supreme irony, the authors make their case that anti-Mormon critics are not "loving." They don't follow the Biblical model of loving one's neighbors and treating them with respect. And all the while the authors are piling opprobrium upon the critics.

In fact, the entire book is rather militant in tone, and is sometimes dismissive of the arguments of the anti-Mormons. Consider the following:

...the intent of anti-Mormons is the deliberate promotion of misunderstanding to further their own opinions. This, of course, infers [sic] that their primary instinct about their own beliefs is insecurity and fear. These feelings rule out any direct promotion of their brand of the gospel. There is no "good news" in these people, only protestation of what they have falsely labeled bad. (p. 105)

Strong words. And, I suspect, these very words could be used by the anti-Mormons to describe Mormon apologists! It all depends on whose ox is being gored.

This book, in my opinion, goes beyond the task of defending Mormonism -- and I'm glad there are those who will carry the banner -- into an unfortunate exercise in explaining on the one hand and castigating on the other. The imputation of evil motives does not further the case of the defender of a faith. Either the faith stands on its merits, or it falls, sometimes at the hands of its own defenders.

Because of the brevity of this book, it has the potential of being a useful, and well-used, manual for those who want to defend their faith. However, while the book presents some good factual information (including a rather devastating appraisal of Walter Martin's credentials), and while there are some good rational arguments for Mormon belief to be found here, the whole work is tainted by a tendency of the authors to treat their opponents with a dismissive attitude of disdain.

I'm unable to recommend this book. The points made are made just as well in other published works. Perhaps a future revision will resolve these problems.

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Jeff Needle
June 3, 2004