I have come to greatly prefer the Jesus of the Gospels over the Jesus of Mormonism. This book is an exploration of the foundations of my journey, and what I have chosen to believe, what I hope others might consider. I write on Christianity and I write on Mormonism, with the hope that struggling Latter-day Saints can find a way forward with Christ as their foundation. Looking at both Christianity and Mormonism, my intent is to lift the baby from the bathwater, to restore the Savior, with no desire to save the Jesus of Mormonism. Joseph Smith's Restoration has grave problems. He went astray in my view, because he went beyond the footprint of Jesus' teachings--committing the same mistake he claimed others had made. I suppose this book is a Restoration-type endeav∨ an effort to rediscover what is most basic, most important. How ironic to seek to restore the Christ of the Gospels from Mormonism! So what does a Latter-day Saint do when they discover that the church narrative they were taught all their life has fallen apart? For me, the "revelations" of Mormon Jesus and their practice by Joseph Smith--as especially seen in chapters 9, 17-19--is radically different from the behavior, character and personality of Jesus of Nazareth. For example, Smith produced "scriptures" which depended on nineteenth-century sources, claiming them to be ancient. He initiated a secret "spiritual wife system" which included concubines and slandered women who resisted his sexual advances. He married young teenagers and other men's wives. He cursed his enemies and set up a secret organization, had himself ordained king and sought to violently overthrow the Nation. Comparing the two portraits has been the single most cathartic event since my crisis of faith. I find the Jesus of the Gospels to better reflect God's nature and love, and thus how to clearly respond to others as a disciple.

Quote: 'Why would God reveal to Joseph Smith a faulty [mistranslated] KJV text?' Chap 4: (Evangelical Protestantism in the Book of Mormon) concludes that numerous theological issues addressed in the Book of Mormon probably derived from Smith's Upstate New York religious environment than from the claimed ancient gold plates. Chap 5: (Moroni and the Golden Pot) examines a long list of parallels between a published story by E.T.A. Hoffmann, and Smith's account of the angel Moroni's visits. The chapter concludes, 'It would stretch credulity to believe that this [long list of parallels between Hoffmann's Golden Pot story and Smith's Moroni story] could be a coincidence, and I therefore think that a debt is owed to E.T.A. Hoffmann and the European traditions ... ' Chap.

Reproduction of the original.

3 Bestselling Religious Conspiracy Archaeological Thrillers for 40% off Full Price AMERICAN GOD The separation of Church and State. The authentic Christian faith. Never more at risk. Silas and the Order's SEPIO operatives embark on a timely mission ripped from the headlines to protect the integrity of the authentic Church. In a race against the election clock, will they succeed before that separation is breached and religious confusion floods the nation? GRAIL OF POWER A mythic grail. A legendary quest. Blood with the power to save. Is the mythical Holy Grail so mythical? And why is the Church's archenemy so desperate to find it? Those two haunting questions launch the SEPIO agents on their most harrowing mission yet with a clock ticking to find answers just before Christmas. Spanning historic Europe and Medieval Church history, the agents race to solve this threatening puzzle until the final pieces are brought together in a final showdown that will leave readers all at once breathless and inspired. TEMPLARS RISING A legend 900 years in the making rises again to protect the Church. When the Church is embroiled in a series of devastating, coordinated attacks during Holy Week without any answers, SEPIO launches its most harrowing operation yet—to not only protect the Church and bring the perpetrators to justice, but to confront the mysterious men in white avenging Christian persecution once again—the Knights Templar. Enter the second set of three explosively inventive adventures of the bestselling Order of Thaddeus action-adventure, religious conspiracy series by J. A. Bouma — combining the familiar elements of Dan Brown's religious conspiracy with James Rollin's special-ops suspense, informed by Steve Berry's historical insights. As one reader says: "If you like the sigma force novels by James Rollins or Steve Berry's Cotton Malone series you might like this series. It provides plenty of rollicking action adventure while also giving insights into the Christian faith."

In 1820, a young farm boy in search of truth has a vision of God the Father and Jesus Christ. Three years later, an angel guides him to an ancient record buried in a hill near his home. With God’s help, he translates the record and organizes the Savior’s church in the latter days. Soon others join him, accepting the invitation to become Saints through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. But opposition and violence follow those who defy old traditions to embrace restored truths. The women and men who join the church must choose whether or not they will stay true to their covenants, establish Zion, and proclaim the gospel to a troubled world. The Standard of Truth is the first book in Saints, a new, four-volume narrative history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Fast-paced, meticulously researched, Saints recounts true stories of Latter-day Saints across the globe and answers the Lord’s call to write history “for the good of the church, and for the rising generations” (Doctrine and Covenants 69:8).

The principal doctrines defining Mormonism today often bear little resemblance to those it started out with in the early 1830s. This book shows that these doctrines did not originate in a vacuum but were rather prompted and informed by the religious culture from which Mormonism arose. Early Mormons, like their early Christian and even earlier Israelite predecessors, brought with them their own varied culturally conditioned theological presuppositions (a process of convergence) and only later acquired a more distinctive theological outlook (a process of differentiation). In this first-of-its-kind comprehensive treatment of the development of Mormon theology, Charles Harrell traces the history of Latter-day Saint doctrines from the times of the Old Testament to the present. He describes how Mormonism has carried on the tradition of the biblical authors, early Christians, and later Protestants in reinterpreting scripture to accommodate new theological ideas while attempting to uphold the integrity and authority of the scriptures. In the process, he probes three questions: How did Mormon doctrines develop? What are the scriptural underpinnings of these doctrines? And what do critical scholars make of these same scriptures? In this enlightening study, Harrell systematically peels back the doctrinal accretions of time to provide a fresh new look at Mormon theology. “This Is My Doctrine” will provide those already versed in Mormonism’s theological tradition with a new and richer perspective of Mormon theology. Those unacquainted with Mormonism will gain an appreciation for how Mormon theology fits into the larger Jewish and Christian theological traditions.

This incisive critique thoroughly and convincingly debunks the claims that recently discovered texts such as the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Mary, and even the Dead Sea Scrolls undermine the historical validity of the New Testament. Jenkins places the recent controversies surrounding the hidden gospels in a broad historical context and argues that, far from being revolutionary, such attempts to find an alternative Christianity date back at least to the Enlightenment. By employing the appropriate scholarly and historical methodologies, he demonstrates that the texts purported to represent pristine Christianity were in fact composed long after the canonical gospels found in the Bible. Produced by obscure heretical movements, these texts have attracted much media attention chiefly because they seem to support radical, feminist, and post-modern positions in the modern church. Indeed, Jenkins shows how best-selling books on the "hidden gospels" have been taken up by an uncritical, drama-hungry media as the basis for a social movement that could have powerful effects on the faith and practice of contemporary Christianity.

Many people have left the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to pursue the historic, biblical Christian faith. The title of this workbook is a reference to the choice many have made to follow Jesus alone in place of the authority of Mormonism and its founder. Yet the distinctive aspects of Mormon culture and church life make it challenging for former Latter-day Saints to become fully integrated into a traditional Christian church. Like immigrants leaving their homeland to come to a new world, they must negotiate a confusing journey into a new cultural setting. To establish a new identity with a new church body, the ex-Mormon must develop a new worldview, new roots, new stories, new assumptions, new perspectives, new values and new symbols. He or she must adapt to a myriad of perplexing new customs and practices in the life of the local church. The lessons in this study guide are designed to provide a map for the journey. They should help former Mormons navigate through the differences in culture, as well as through the emotional issues. The goal is to provide a positive trajectory toward a healthy new life as part of a Christian church. The content is based, in part, on the author's own experiences as an ex-Mormon and as a pastor in Utah for over 35 years. It also draws on extensive research identifying the factors that most commonly help or hinder former Latter-day Saints from connecting with a new congregation. The study and interaction facilitated by this workbook will lead many former Latter-day Saints to greater peace and confidence in their faith journey, and to a deeply satisfying relationship not only with Jesus Christ but also with a new faith community.

Written by an L. A. County homicide detective and former atheist, Cold-Case Christianity examines the claims of the New Testament using the skills and strategies of a hard-to-convince criminal investigator. Christianity could be defined as a “cold case”: it makes a claim about an event from the distant past for which there is little forensic evidence. In Cold-Case Christianity, J. Warner Wallace uses his nationally recognized skills as a homicide detective to look at the evidence and eyewitnesses behind Christian beliefs. Including gripping stories from his career and the visual techniques he developed in the courtroom, Wallace uses illustration to examine the powerful evidence that validates the claims of Christianity. A unique apologetic that speaks to readers’ intense interest in detective stories, Cold-Case Christianity inspires readers to have confidence in Christ as it prepares them to articulate the case for Christianity.