58 Theological librarianship • Vol. 12, No. 1 april 2019

collections of essays by major Mormon studies scholars on a variety of Mormon women’s experiences.44 In 2016, two of these works were published: Women and Mormonism: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives and Mormon Feminism: Essential Writings.45 Most recently Mormon Women’s History: Beyond Biography attempts to broaden the conversation surrounding Mormon women to include more than just biographies.46

To conclude this essay, I address another current publishing trend: interfaith dialogue and comparative religious studies. Donald W. Musser and David L. Paulsen published Mormonism in Dialogue with Contemporary Christian Theologies.47 Stephen H. Webb issued a call to Mormons and non-Mormons to be more understanding of each other in his Mormon Christianity: What Other Christians Can Learn from the Latter-day Saints.48 Later, Webb co-authored another work with Alonzo L. Gaskill: Catholic and Mormon: A Theological Conversation.49 Other anthologies on Mormons in dialogue with Christians include Talking Doctrine: Mormons and Evangelicals in Conversation and the dialogue between Gerald R. McDermott and Robert L. Millett, published as Claiming Christ: A Mormon-Evangelical Debate.50

Conclusion

The field of Mormon studies continues to grow. In the past twenty-five years there has been a dramatic increase in the number of journals and imprints that have published Mormon studies materials directed at an academic audience. While there are still polemical works being published, most scholarly studies of Mormonism are more concerned with understanding the various groups in the tradition than in justifying or attacking their history and theology. History continues to dominate this scholarly landscape, but there has also been significant development in sociology, literary studies, women studies, and theology. One of the great tasks of Mormon studies scholars in the 21 st century is to dive into more global studies of Mormonism, examining the growth and history of the various schismatic groups in countries around the world.

44 Maureen Ursenbach Beecher and Lavina Fielding Anderson, Sisters in Spirit: Mormon Women in Historical and Cul-tural Perspective (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1987).

45 Kate Holbrook and Matthew Burton Bowman, eds., Women and Mormonism: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives (Salt Lake City: The University of Utah Press, 2016); Joanna Brooks, Rachel Hunt Steenblik, and Hannah Wheel-wright, eds., Mormon Feminism: Essential Writings (Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 2016).

46 Rachel Cope et al., Mormon Women’s History: Beyond Biography (Fairleigh Dickinson University Press Mormon Stud-ies Series; Madison: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 2017).

47 David L. Paulsen and Donald W. Musser, eds., Mormonism in Dialogue with Contemporary Christian Theologies (Macon, GA: Mercer University Press, 2007).

48 Stephen H. Webb, Mormon Christianity: What Other Christians Can Learn From the Latter-Day Saints (Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 2013).

49 Stephen H. Webb and Alonzo L. Gaskill, Catholic and Mormon: A Theological Conversation (Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 2015).

50 Richard J. Mouw and Robert L. Millet, eds., Talking Doctrine: Mormons and Evangelicals in Conversation (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2015); Robert L. Millet and Gerald R. McDermott, Claiming Christ: A Mormon-Evangelical Debate (Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press, 2007).