I'll have to admit from the start that I had to get in a certain frame of mind to be objective about this book -- it isn't often that I have to evaluate a book at the same time I am in personal correspondence with the author, and in our correspondence Richard Hopkins has been thus far quite agreeable and easy to talk to. We aren't Blomberg and Robinson exactly, but we have been talking.

That's good news. Now on to the bad news: Although Hopkins is a nice fellow, very intelligent (an attorney by trade) and relatively high in the LDS hierarchy (his position might be roughly equivalent to an associational leader), Biblical Mormonism is, to put it mildly, not a particularly convincing piece of work -- at least not to an educated Christian. The layman might find some aspects of it troubling, but once you realize that Hopkins isn't interacting with Christian material above the popular level (McDowell, MacArthur, etc.), it becomes rather less than impressive. Do serious research on the subjects involved, and it becomes no threat at all.

I will be addressing the specific weaknesses in this work as I proceed with my own research. This book, along with Bickmore's, represent the two best popular-level attempts to certify LDS beliefs from the Biblical text. I recommend Hopkins' effort for any Christian wishing to engage LDS arguments seriously. Although inevitably missing the mark, it is complete and comprehensive in its intent to present a case for a "Biblical Mormonism".