I am currently reading Devery Anderson’s The Development of LDS Temple Worship. The highly-anticipated book came out in March and has already made significant contributions to Mormon studies.
The book is a documentary history comprised of official LDS documents and church leaders’ personal writings spanning 1846 to 2000. The fact that the book pulls from these official sources is both its strength and weakness. Because it avoids non-Mormon/ex-Mormon sources, it doesn’t read like an angry polemic or exposé. On the other hand, because we only get the LDS leadership perspective, we a get a limited view of the temple ceremonies.
The title, The Development of LDS Temple Worship, is actually a bit of a misnomer. The book isn’t concerned so much about temple worship as it is temple policies. And to the extent that the book discusses temple worship, it’s always sensitive not to disclose those aspects that Mormons hold sacred. If you’re more interested in the particulars of the temple ceremonies, I’d recommend David Buerger’s Mysteries of Godliness.
I don’t intend for this post to suffice as a review of Anderson’s book; better ones have already been written. Rather, much like my review of The Book of Mammon, I just want to share some interesting anecdotes from the book:
