A Brief Theological Introduction 8: Helaman (The Book of Mormon: Brief Theological Introductions 8)

“They cast their eyes as if to behold from whence the voice came.”

The Book of Helaman marks a dramatic reversal.  The spiritual tables turn.  While the Lamanites righteously cast their eyes toward heaven, the Nephites take their first steps toward a surprising precipice where final destruction awaits.

In this brief theological introduction, Kimberly Matheson Berkey underscores an often unnoticed theme that plays throughout the book of Helaman — a book she calls “a masterclass in sight.” What does this history teach us about visibility?  What is the spiritual threat behind secret combinations? What can the eyesight of the Lamanites show readers about their own religious journeys?

Berkey takes us chapter by chapter through the book of Helaman, identifying how much remains to be discovered in this slim record.  On each page she invites us to become more aware of the hidden and often overlooked things that shape our lives as disciples of Christ.

Kimberly Matheson Berkey is a doctoral student in theology at Loyola University Chicago, where she studies the philosophy of religion. She serves on the boards of the Latter-day Saint Theology Seminar and the Book of Mormon Studies Association and has contributed several articles to the Journal of Book of Mormon Studies. She lives in Chicago, Illinois.