The Word of God is a collection of thought-provoking discussions of Mormon canon. In particular, the anthology asks to what extent scripture can be considered historical, revelatory, and authoritative.Topics include literalism versus metaphor, nineteenth-century elements in the Book of Mormon, Christian readings of the Old Testament, conditional prophecy, changing interpretations of the Book of Abraham, the environment in which the Word of Wisdom was issued, the possibility of foreknowledge, Joseph Smith's understanding of the physical universe, and many other vital issues surrounding LDS scripture.Dan Vogel explains his approach as follows: In gathering essays for The Word of God, I have not attempted to resolve competing, even contradictory, approaches, believing instead that readers will discover for themselves the strengths and weaknesses of differing views. After all, this is the challenge of scholarship. I simply hope to leave readers with a heightened understanding of how various aspects of Mormon scriptures can be interpreted and to provide material for thoughtful, spirited discussion.