As they are wont to do, the Latter-day Saints avoid the theological debate with new scripture. The Book of Mormon contains a purported account of Jesus’ post resurrection appearance in the western hemisphere. That Jesus has a physical body is unambiguously established early in the narrative, when he says to a gathered multitude: “Arise and come forth unto me, that ye may thrust your hands into my side, and also that ye may feel the prints of the nails in my hands and in my feet, that ye may know that I am the God of Israel, and the God of the whole earth, and have been slain for the sins of the world.” Not just the doubters, much less a single doubter, but they all “thrust their hands into his side, and did feel the prints of the nails in his hands and in his feet; and this they did do, going forth one by one until they had all gone forth, and did see with their eyes and did feel with their hands, and did know of a surety.” III Nephi 11:14-17 So, for believing readers of this account, the New Testament proclamation “he is risen” is understood in plain terms: Christ overcame physical, as well as spiritual death, to reclaim a glorified, but no less flesh-and-bone body.

For those who have an interest in denominational differences, permit me one more observation. For Latter-day Saints, Christ’s offer of physical redemption is so important that it is incorporated into their observance of the Lord’s Supper. This, too, has its roots in the Book of Mormon’s introduction of the sacrament to the people of the western hemisphere. With respect to the blessing of the bread, Jesus instructs them “this shall ye do in remembrance of my body, which I have shown unto you.” (III Nephi 18:7) While this account retains the model of the Christian sacrament as a meal ("and they were filled"), the meal is no longer a single event occurring immediately prior to Christ's passion. Moreover, the tradition is further altered by this second meal's definition of the object of the bread memorial, namely, Christ’s resurrected body or "my body, which I have shown unto you.” Thus, this portion of the ordinance is oriented to an immediate experience of him, not unlike the occasion in Jerusalem, but away from notions of death and sacrifice. In this fashion, the ordinance emphasizes the realization of the promise of presence: “ye shall have my Spirit to be with you.” (III Nephi 18:7) And, it echoes the original meal’s promise: “I will not leave you comfortless.” (John 14:18) Consequently, the Latter-day Saints’ weekly observance of the Lord’s Supper directs the participant’s attention away from Christ’s death to his resurrection and associates it with an offer of intimate presence in the here and now.

As students of Christianity will recognize, what I have described here is both a profound commitment to and monumental adaptation of that most foundational of Christian observances. Does it’s insistence on the literalness and import of Christ’s physical resurrection make Mormonism more or less Christian? I would say “neither.” To those who would argue for either of the other two options and claim sole proprietorship over what it means to be Christian, I would say there is no box big enough to contain the expansiveness of Christ’s offer of salvation to the world, however defined. Happy Easter, indeed.