The Importance of Anthropology ("Theology of Man") and Protestant Discomfort with Accepting Joseph Smith

I do believe in giving credit where credit is due. One has to give some credit to Kyle Beshears in his recent book when he addressed the Latter-day Saint view of the Prophet Joseph Smith:

 

To be clear, Smith was never and is not worshiped in the LDS Church; no orthodox Latter-day Saint would even consider it. (Kyle Beshears, 40 Questions About Mormonism [Grand Rapids, Mich.: Kregel Academic, 2026], 52)

 

Compare and contrast this to a book from one of his fellow co-religionists:

Mormons do not discuss the deity of Joseph Smith with outsiders; however, they consider him as a god and equal to God the Father in every respect. (Mormonism and the Bible [Mustang, Okla.: Tate Publishing 2015], 37)

However, Beshears's low anthropology (he is Reformed) comes out in the following:

 

But Smith is elevated to high that he has become the subject of praise as the man who “commun’d with Jehovah,” as the LDS hymn declares. “If you ever enter the Kingdom of God,” claimed Brigham Young, “it is because Joseph Smith let you go there.” Perhaps this high veneration, more than anything, prevents traditional Christians from approaching his claims in the first place. (Kyle Beshears, 40 Questions About Mormonism [Grand Rapids, Mich.: Kregel Academic, 2026], 52, emphasis in bold added)

 

However, the Bible (which, for Beshears, is formally sufficient) teaches a high, now a low, anthropology, even after the Fall, evidenced by the worship of the Davidic King in 1 Chron 29 and Psa 72, and praises being sung to oracles and other important figures. For a full discussion, see the following written in response to another Calvinist (Reformed Baptist):

Joseph Smith Worship? Responding to Criticisms of the Role and Status of the Prophet Joseph Smith in Latter-day Saint Theology