In the basic beliefs of Community of Christ The Book of Mormon is understood as follows:
We affirm the Bible as the foundational scripture for the church. In addition, Community of Christ uses the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants—not to replace the witness of the Bible or improve on it, but because they confirm its message that Jesus Christ is the Living Word of God. When responsibly interpreted and faithfully applied, scripture provides divine guidance and inspired insight for our discipleship.
That might be so, but its not quite that straightforward in practice, as my guest Elray Henrickson has elsewhere written:
“Community of Christ has had a complicated relationship with the Book of Mormon. Although we believe it to be scripture, we can no longer say we are big fans.”
Community of Christ peace and non-violence activist, Norwegian Elray Henrickson, joins me from Belgium where he lives with his husband, Anton. Elray attends the Graceland University seminary and has been working on repurposing and rethinking the Book of Mormon for a post-literal context.