Thanks to K. Pollock for this helpful review!

Shields, Steven L. Divergent Paths of the Restoration: An Encyclopedia of the Smith–Rigdon Movement. 5thed. Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 2021. 1030 pp. Forward, bibliography, appendix, index. eBook: $9.99.

With an updated encyclopedia spanning 1,030 pages and around 500 entries, Steven L. Shields fifth edition of Divergent Paths of the Restoration: An Encyclopedia of the Smith–Rigdon Movement is a valuable scholarly resource. The book is too large for print, and publisher Signature Books is offering an affordable eBook-only version. While some may be tempted to skip the introductory pages, Shields lays out important principles for interpreting his book in a “Begin Here” section. Read it! Divergent Paths is not simply a book tracing how churches broke off from other churches. Shields uses the term “expression” as a neutral term for groups and/or individuals with unique perspectives about the Restoration and works to avoid taking sides.

Divergent Paths is broad. “Listings include identifiable denominations and church organizations, parachurch ministries, proto-church movements, and fellowship groups advocating reformation or reorganizing existing organizations. Often, defining the sect-denomination distinction is difficult” (27). This does not include a comprehensive listing of internet groups, and it is mainly Western focused.

Several important guidelines for the book include:

Being listed in the book does not designate, and must not be taken to infer, any person or group of persons as anything more than expressing a unique viewpoint of the movement. Everyone can be faithful to their affiliation, yet express ideas, expound the scriptures, give new translations of scripture, promote ministries independent from their faith-home’s institutional structure, or develop new and diverse institutional patterns. (27)

Personal names listed with each heading are key personalities identified with the expression under discussion. People so listed are not to be understood, by inference or implication, as a prophet, president, promoter, or legal representative of said expression unless indicated in the text. Such listings of personal names are for disambiguation and identified in the public documents or reports of said expressions. (28)

Part One: Main Entries includes eight sections. Section 1: Original Church Era lists expressions formed during the lifetime of the founding prophet Joseph Smith Jr. Section 2: Fragmentation Era lists expressions formed during the “succession crisis” following the death of Joseph Smith Jr. in 1844. Shields writes that the Fragmentation Era was “practically finished by the late 1860s” (56) and many of these expressions only lasted in the nineteenth century with David Whitmer’s church lasting into the twentieth century. Sections 3-8 are the six denominations which most believers from the original church coalesced and continue into the twenty-first century:

Section 3: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, James J. Strang—1844

Section 4: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Brigham Young—1847

Section 5: Community of Christ, Joseph Smith III—1852 [1]

Section 6: Church of Jesus Christ, Alpheus Cutler—1853

Section 7: Church of Jesus Christ, William Bickerton—1859

Section 8: Church of Christ, Granville Hedrick—1863

This encyclopedia is incredibly helpful in making sense of how expressions are connected to each other. A part exclusive to this edition is a number-based taxonomy system.

Example:

4.0 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

4.17 Priesthood Council

4.17.1 Apostolic United Brethren

The first number designates the category or founding church, the next decimal place designates where the expression is chronologically in relation to the category or founding church, the next decimal place chronologically designates expressions which came off the prior expression, and so on. Each entry begins with a header including date founded, location headquartered, and founder or key leaders. The entries are various lengths from a paragraph to several pages with short bibliographies at the end.

Part Two: Additional Expressions deals with the expressions not connected with the six founding Mormonisms and with other categories:

Section 9: Independent [connection to main expressions unclear]

Section 10: Expressions with Elements of the Movement [other religions/movements with parts of the Restoration included]

Section 11: Incomplete or Unverifiable Information

Section 12: Groups Presumed by Some Sources to Have Organized, Verified Not [mistakenly identified in previous editions of this book, or in other sources]

There are 14 indexes (A-N) which explain documents, people, events, publishers, scriptures, etc. helpful to understanding The Church of Christ (Temple Lot) family of churches, the Fundamentalist Mormon Movement, the Restoration Branches Movement, Restoration Scripture (and how it is used by multiple expressions), and Community of Christ. There is “Finding Key” which allows you to search by Name [of Expression]/Location, Key Date, Location, Expressions Believed Extant at Time of Publication, Name [of Important Person], and Periodicals [Used in Book]. Expressions Believed Extant at Time of Publication lists 129 expressions.

Many of these small and obscure expressions are only written about in Shields’ encyclopedias. Many of his sources are letters and interviews with the expressions themselves making the research rare. This encyclopedia is a good entry for research on the expression or groups of expressions of your choice. It may be the beginning point of a research project, understanding your local area, what you are finding online, personal connections or pure curiosity. Entries, brief in length, may also be helpful for teaching students in class or visiting historic sites. We may not know we will need to know this information until something unexpectedly comes up.

Scholars interested in Restoration scripture(s) will have plenty to learn from this book. Using the Kindle search feature for scriptures, i.e. The Book of Mormon, will yield a plethora of different uses and versions. Appendix J: Books of Scriptures has entries for Book of Abraham, Book of Commandments, Book of Mormon, Book of the Law of the Lord, Doctrine and Covenants, Inspired Version of the Bible, Levitical Writings, Nephite Record(s), Pearl of Great Price, Record of the Nephites, Restoration Revelations, Voree Record, and Word of the Lord. Shields not only gives a description of these scriptures but explains different versions if used by several different expressions.

Appendix H: One Mighty and Strong shows how this verse (SLC D&C 85:7) is not only important to the Fundamentalist Mormon Movement, but as prophecy in many expressions. While most people focus on the liberalization of Community of Christ (5.0) towards the Book of Mormon, Shields writes about conservative Book of Mormon archeology groups (Book of Mormon Foundation, Zarahemla Research Foundation) which have roots in the Community of Christ and Restorationist traditions but have not been written about in the literature.

Finally, Shields notes that this is only a catalog, and there is much work to be done on analysis of these different expressions. He donated his research files (“Factions Collection”) to the Community of Christ Library and Archives which is open for any researcher. [2]

[1] Shields uses “Community of Christ” rather than the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints despite the era in reference as the church’s name throughout the book.

[2] Connect with the Community of Christ Library and Archives through the church’s website: cofchrist.org/library-and-archives/