"What is it that the Restored Church of Christ offers that nowhere else can, and how might that help us stay strong in our faith? The poet Thomas Traherne said: "no man...that clearly seeth the beauty of Gods face, . . . can, when he sees it clearly, willingly and wittingly forsake it." In this collection of writings compiled from a series of lectures given at BYU, author Terryl Givens teaches that the surest route to an enduring faith is a "witting" understanding of Christ and his gospel. Terryl Givens bears a strong personal witness of the many unique aspects of the restored gospel, arguing that the Restoration provides us with the most morally compelling, intel-lectually satisfying, and aesthetically appealing account of the universe and our place in it. And such a knowledge is a powerful catalyst to a love--a witting love--of Christ that will endure"--

The Doors of Faith

Terryl Givens

BYU/Maxwell Institute/Deseret Book

A collection of essays from accomplished academics and professionals who speak about discipleship not only with their minds but also from their hearts. Instead of pushing us to choose between faith and reason, love and law, truth within the restored gospel and truth in the wider world of God’s children, these writers urge us to seek “anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report” and learn to live in a world of complexity and abundance. With humility and openness that makes their specialized work accessible to a general reader, these authors model how to live life as a whole person. They relate the twists and turns of their intellectual and spiritual journeys, giving readers confidence to make their own ways and to pursue “every needful thing” (D&C 88:119).

Every Needful Thing: Essays on the Life of the Mind and the Heart

Melissa Wei-Tsing Inouye

Kate Holbrook, editors

Joseph Smiths observation that "by proving contraries, truth is made manifest" has become a beloved aphorism of Latter-day Saint thought. Both Things Are True is an experiment upon these words. Most aspects of a covenant life are lived in the tense space between contrary ideas that are equally valid but individually incomplete. When we learn to hold true things together in their natural tension, we find our hearts and souls stretched wide. The process can be challenging, even painful, but the spiritual rewards are great. Both Things Are True is a guided walk through six sets of tensions that disciples must navigate in their practical efforts to become like Christ. Author Kate Holbrook draws on her lifetime of expertise as a historian of Latter-day Saint womens history to examine the "contraries," the fruitful tensions that have stretched Saints present and past, including the true Church, revelation, housework, forgiveness and accountability, and legacy. While the book is richly illustrated with personal and historical examples, its ideas are expressed in the simple, gentle manner that is Kates trademark. Both Things Are True is remarkable in its ability to reach readers of every walk of life.

Both Things Are True

Kate Holbrook

Though raised as a Latter-day Saint in Utah, Samuel Morris Brown was an atheist from an early age, and proud of it. Yet, by his own account, God became an undeniable presence in his life. His conversion to the faith of his forebears happened by degrees, and today he is joyfully living a life in Christ. In this volume, Sam Brown narrates a number of the waypoints on his journey into believing and belonging. Some of those moments are dramatic, but many are composed of small and simple things, which take on profound significance as Sam reflects on them now in these pages. With gentle, self-critical humor and a generous regard for those who have accompanied him on his way, this book by Sam Brown is an offer to walk with you a while on your own journey of faith.

Where the Soul Hungers: One Doctor's Journey from Atheism to Faith

Samuel M. Brown

Proclaim Peace examines what it means to follow the Prince of Peace in a world of violence. The book seeks not to promote any particular ideology, but rather to invite readers, especially the rising generation, to reflect seriously on the interpersonal, ethical, and social dimensions of Christian discipleship. As such, it represents a spiritual journey by two believing scholars of peace that analyzes scripture and breathes new life into familiar and beloved Restoration texts.The Restoration encompasses a rich, if somewhat underappreciated, theology of peace. The heart of that theology is captured in a few core ideas: all humans are inherently divine and eternally interrelated, enduring power can only be achieved through persuasion and love, conflict is built into creation and can be constructively transformed for godly purposes. In a world plagued by violence, it is easy to see it as an inescapable part of the human condition. But Mason and Pulsipher believe, with President Russell M. Nelson, that "peace is possible" in this world and that the "descendants of Abraham . . . are in a pivotal position to emerge as peacemakers." This book is an effort to lift up the Restoration's distinctive principles that invite its followers and friends to renounce violence and proclaim Christ's good news of love and peace to a world that desperately needs it.

Proclaim Peace: The Restoration's Answer to an Age of Conflict

Patrick Q. Mason

J. David Pulsipher