For Zion: A Mormon Theology of Hope

by Joseph M. Spencer

What is hope? What is Zion? And what does it mean to hope for Zion? In this insightful book, Joseph Spencer explores these questions through the scriptures of two continents separated by nearly two millennia. In the first half, Spencer engages in a rich study of Paul's letter to the Roman to better understand how the apostle understood hope and what it means to have it. In the second half of the book, Spencer jumps to the early years of the Restoration and the various revelations on consecration to understand how Latter-day Saints are expected to strive for Zion. Between these halves is an interlude examining the hoped-for Zion that both thrived in the Book of Mormon and was hoped to be established again.

Genres: Religion, Nonfiction, Theology, Lds, Mormonism

195 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 23, 2014

Reviews

[Russell Fox · Rating 3 out of 5]

Years ago, I was lucky enough to participate in a close conversation about Mormon teachings about consecration with Joe Spencer. I learned a great deal from those conversations--and when, much later, I found the substance of many of those conversations reflected in this book of Joe's, I was intrigued. At first, though, I wasn't very impressed--on a quick read through For Zion, I thought I saw a lot of echoes of things we'd talked about before, a few new insights, and then a lot of speculation which really didn't fit in with the topic at hand (namely, consecration and the Zion economy). A nice book, was my judgment, but not a very good one. Fortunately, however, Joe's book was nominated for an Association of Mormon Letters award which I am one of the judges for, and so I was obliged to go back and read this book again, more closely. And what I found really impressed me--enough for me to feel obliged to eat a little crow.

The disconnect which I thought I saw before was between the first half of the book--which is a close, sometimes overly dense, theological reading of Paul's discussion of "hope" in his letter to the Romans--and what I originally took to be the primary point of the book, which is a historical, textual, and theological consideration of the Joseph Smith's writings about the sort of ideal social and economic relations (ones characterized by equality and support for the poor) that Mormons ought to aspire towards. This time through, that disconnect didn't strike me as significant at all (I still think his "Interlude" focusing on the Book of Mormon between the two sections of the book doesn't accomplish what he clearly hopes it will, but really, that's a small point). On the contrary, I can much more clearly see now how the kind of radical, transformative, "object-less" hope that he sees Paul calling those who have accepted the gospel of Jesus to embrace, really does connect strongly with not just the ideal but also the actual practice of recreating one's social and economic existence around a collective, communitarian, almost monastic determination to get away from "the economy of the idol trade" and instead embrace a notion of stewardship that leaves "ownership" almost entirely aside (perhaps only subjectively, but perhaps also literally). The result is a powerful and genuinely insightful treatment of Mormon teachings about love and equality, one I'm going to have to think about for a while, especially about the possible connections it may have (for me, anyway) with the work of Charles Taylor, John Milbank, and James K.A. Smith.

Joe is not, ultimately, a Hugh Nibley; he tip-toes up to the edge of outright condemnation of American Mormonism, but is appears ambivalent about actually looking over it. There is an apologetic (dare I say almost Panglossian) tone to his treatment of Smith's revelations on consecration, and how they were edited and changed in the early years into something different than what they originally were. I can't deny that Joe lands some good punches against the sort of self-excusing nostalgia that Mormon leftists like myself too frequently make use of, but I would have liked to have seen him apply the same critique against the implied (even if unintended) quasi-mystical quietism that affects his own writings and that of other contemporary Mormon theologians like Adam Miller. But hey--saying someone "isn't quite Hugh Nibley" is hardly a criticism! This is a much finer and more thoughtful (and even more practical, though I'm not sure Joe himself recognizes that) book than I'd originally supposed. I apologize for that, and am happy to recommend it to every theologically inclined member of our shared faith.

[Samuel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Essential reading on the law of consecration: Doctrine and Covenants 42, and Spencer’s “For Zion.” I put the book down with both hope for the future and the present, as well as a deep despair for how far I have strayed from the consecrated life. The first half of the book — a close reading of Paul’s epistles to the Romans — is a slog, but it all comes into focus in the final chapter. The second half is a fresh and evocative conversation on consecration. It changed my perception on consecration as a community, not an economic order, as well as the concept of stewardship. A genuinely great read. Would recommend.

[Ryan Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spencer’s analysis of the explicitly temporal nature of Paul’s hope and the relationship between God’s covenant with Israel, the Restoration, and the law of consecration is illuminating and powerful, at times radical but necessarily so. A much-needed approach and analysis.

[Blair Hodges · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book Joseph Spencer analyzes the law of consecration through a close and detailed reading of selections from Paul's letter to the Romans and Joseph Smith's revelation now canonized as section 42 of the Doctrine and Covenants.

The first few chapters especially bear the marks of Spencer's academic training--contemporarty French philosophy. I struggled through the early chapters to get past some of the jargon and I suspect at least a few other readers will become frustrated with what seem like arcane arguments. I think beginners will have to read these early chapters slowly and repeatedly in order to grasp what's going on. I know I will. That said, perhaps most useful in these early sections is the way Spencer challenges long-standing individualist interpretations of Paul's teachings. Salvation is a communal endeavor in Paul's world, as in Joseph Smith's, which Spencer outlines using some of the best Pauline scholarship on offer today.

This book really picks up steam and hits its stride when Spencer turns his attention to Joseph Smith's revelations concerning the law of consecration. Spencer closely analyzes changes Smith made to the revelations, grounding his theological readings in the messy historical circumstances that gave rise to them. Above all, Spencer is challenging the common LDS perception that the law of consecration has somehow been put on hold, that the law of tithing is a temporary fill-in, and that we are simply waiting for some future day when Mormons will again undertake to radically reform the economic behavior of Mormons themselves and then the world.

Of course, when it comes to actual concrete applications of living the law of consecration in the present, since it has never actually gone away, Spencer has much less to say. Which means the hardest work remains to be done! Hopefully, this book will provoke more thought and discussion on these matters.

[Loyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is no LDS author who does a tighter reading of scripture than Joseph Spencer, and Spencer shows how much can be pulled and utilized in such very few passages of scripture. However, more than just a fascinating and philosophically rich exegesis of scripture, Spencer reminds me of the hope that I too-often lack and calls us all out to have faith in the power of hope.

[Larry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Precision. Connection.

Analytical. Precise. Connection (-making). Inventive.

Through my life, including and substantially so in my profession (which was wholly different than Joseph Spencer’s), I’ve had occasion to observe persons skilled at one or the other (seeing with precision and or seeing connections). On rare occasion I’ve observed a person skilled at both.

Truth it seems to me may often be found at the intersection of precision and connection.

The notion that such might be gifts as well, inherited or dispensed, comes more clearly into focus upon reading certain authors.

Joseph Spencer is among those. Gifted with an ability to see and articulate with precision. Gifted with an ability to make connections not obvious to many / most.

Challenging to read. Yes. I’d be disappointed if precision and connection were otherwise.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first half of this book is about Paul's epistle to the Romans. The second half is about the development of the law of consecration in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the 1830s. Then the author ties these revealed words together to briefly explore what the law of consecration means now. It doesn't seem like it's going to work together, but the author's close analysis of texts and sources makes it do so, for the most part. This is a book that's going to struggle to find an audience, I think, because it seems to have such a binary nature; it is rewarding on both fronts (New Testament study and law of consecration study) and with them together.

[Jenny Webb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spencer's mind is brilliant, and his work here on the theology of hope extends an invitation to participate in a consecrated christian life that is difficult to refuse (so don't!). His readings are sharp, creative, and illuminating. Not to be missed.

[Corbin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. My rating is not due to knowing the author personally (and having immense respect for him), and it is in spite of my being an atheist who does not put a lot of stock in the idea of divine inspiration. I genuinely think this is an engaging, challenging, insightful book, and like other theological works I really enjoy, it presents ideas and analysis which stimulate the mind, enrich our understanding, and provoke us to action, no matter what "worldview" we hold, all without sacrificing the particularity of the theological commitments which inform the work. Wisdom is most apparent to me when an understanding has universal reach AND particular application, and in this way, I think this book is full of wisdom.

I would quibble with a couple of moments, in particular, the attempt to present hope as objectless yet with content. While this is not an incoherent possibility, it's not clear to me that Spencer really does identify an objectless hope, and furthermore, it's not clear that objectless content escapes the conundrums that it is supposed to. So I would want to think more about the indeterminate and provisional nature of the content of hope in different terms. Nonetheless, the motivations for this move are well-presented and in need of consideration.

[Curtis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really did love this book and wanted to give it five stars. The message is a very important one. The law of consecration is one that the Saints aren't called on to live in some future day, but covenant to live it right now. In fact, as Joe Spencer argues, consecration is our only hope in working for the establishment of Zion. I agreed with almost all of his conclusions, and if I had not gotten so bogged down in some of the philosophical discussions in the first half of the book, I would give a five star rating for sure. I wish I could give half-star ratings because this book is a solid 4.5 stars.

This book is not all philosophical/theological either. I really enjoyed all of the historical content on early Christianity and the development of the sections of the Doctrine and Covenants related to consecration. I would recommend this book to anyone with the caveat that those not well-versed in philosophy may find a few sections in the first half of the book hard to get through. Trust me, your perseverance through those difficult sections in the first half will be abundantly rewarded in the second half of the book.

[Brent Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely, sweet, heartfelt theological work on hope-

Starting with Paul, moving to Abraham and Sarah, Book of Mormon, and Joseph Smith's law of consecration.

The link to consecration is not obvious, but the link is strong. The work of Italian philosopher Giorgio Agamben helps provide the intellectual heft. I hadn't heard of him before, but he's on my radar now.

At root, Spencer calls on us to live our lives in the world but also on a sacred plane. That was Paul's agenda - not to flee the world but to consecrate it. Joseph Smith's too.

Theology I always have to take in doses, but I felt connected with Spencer's agenda. I especially loved his storytelling of scriptural authorship - Paul trying to legitimate his vision after the Corinthians' licentiousness damaged his credibility. Or Mormon trying to tell his story through his abridged record. Or Joseph Smith establishing and then revising what is now Section 42, in light of real-world obstacles. This helped me understand how scripture is revealed, often unfolded in time, and often in conversation with local conditions, trying to realize God's vision even when it seems impossible.

[Kim Matheson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joseph Spencer has turned out yet another 5-star work on Mormon scripture. This book is gorgeous. The writing gets a little thick and overtly philosophical in the first few chapters, but it's worth pushing through to watch Spencer lay out the law of consecration in the second half of the book.

This book, besides being informative and intellectually stimulating, was also spiritually transformative. It has me convinced that hope is the theological virtue least understood and discussed among Latter-day Saints, but also the virtue that we most desperately need.

I'll be rereading this book over and over again. Simply spectacular.

[David Limutau · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found Spencer's first chapters about Pauline hope hard to understand. Whether that is the fault of the author of my own, I don't know. Spencer spends a lot of time setting up the idea of hope to connect it to the law of consecration. Once the book goes through its intermission and makes that transition to focusing on consecration, the previous chapters start to make more sense and as the dots are connected, I was able to really enjoy this book.

I love the ideas put forth in this book, even if they may not be delivered in the most concise way. The law of consecration is something I need to take more seriously.

[Walker Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

****1/2

[Christian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joe Spencer makes me see things in my Mormon religious tradition that were hidden in plain sight. No one else I have read can do that quite like him.

[Matthew Kern · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is heavy in philosophy and has some in-depth readings of consecration. It was a good book to read, but is not for the light of heart. Unless you plan to fully engage with the book I would pass.

I read it over too long a span I must admit, so it probably lost some of its cohesiveness, but he does put together a good view of what the intent of what consecration was and how we have ripped it to shreds as an LDS people by just throwing it out as something we don't do until the millennium.

Here is a little taste. If you like this thick drink of theological wordsmithing. I would highly recommend the book to you.

"It would thus seem that the classic theological triad of faith, hope, and charity can be mapped onto the temporal triad of the past, the present, and the future. Where faith is a certain trusting orientation to a past revelatory event—an event in which a divine word of promise was delivered—hope is a certain anticipatory orientation to a future transformation of the world, an orientation made possible by one’s full trust in the word of promise. Love comes to supplement the weave of faith and hope by giving it a point of contact with both God and the world; in the experience of God’s love, one walks with the original maker of the promise that issues in the word of faith, and one is turned toward all those to whom God’s love extends in the promise of transformation. The works of love, as Kierkegaard calls them, are thus the present manifestation of the entanglement of past-oriented faith and future-oriented hope."