The 45th Annual Brigham Young University Sidney B. Sperry Symposium This book is a compilation of essays from the 45th annual Brigham Young University Sidney B. Sperry Symposium titled Foundations of the Restoration. The keynote address by Robert L. Millet highlights the restoration of plain and precious truths. Readers will learn how we understand LDS history and doctrine, about the beliefs declared in the Articles of Faith and how we apply their truths, about the development of temples and temple ordinances, and about the restoration of true Sabbath worship. Also included are chapters on Church newspaper editor and hymn writer William W. Phelps’s contributions to our understanding of the Restoration of the gospel; the historical development of sustaining members of the First Presidency and Council of the Twelve as prophets, seers, and revelators; and the harmony and counsel needed in their declaring doctrine and making administrative decisions. ISBN 978-1-9443-9407-3

Volume 2 in the Occasional Papers Series While many books have been written about the life of Christopher Columbus and his New World discoveries, this one has a different thrust—that Columbus was not just a skilled, courageous sailor but was also a chosen instrument in the hands of God. This book profiles the man from Genoa who apparently yearned from childhood for the seafaring life and who early began to acquire the nautical knowledge and experience that would make him the most widely traveled seaman of his day and would help him rise to the top ranks in that career. ISBN 0-8849-4842-0

The 2010 BYU Church History Symposium How did a church that started with just six official members blossom into a global organization of over fourteen million members? Authors such as Richard L. Bushman, John W. Welch, and Susan Easton Black show how Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, and other leaders established the foundation upon which the Church was built. According to Welch, the Book of Mormon provides the foundational administrative principles of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, “not only its doctrines and instructions for personal living but also its many administrative guidelines.” He went on to say, “The administrative character and personality of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has indeed grown directly from the genetic material found in the Book of Mormon.” This book teaches how the individuals throughout Church history were inspired to restore and establish Christ’s Church in the latter days. ISBN 978-0-8425-2785-9

Latter-day Saints may think Church history in Illinois began in 1839 with establishment of the city of Nauvoo. However, important events took place much earlier in the decade. For example, the missionaries to the Lamanites unexpectedly had to cross the state on their trip from Ohio to Missouri. This happened in 1830, ten years before more prominent events took place in the history of the Church in Illinois. This occurrence made Illinois one of only four states to receive missionaries in the year 1830. The Church grew rapidly there, and by 1835 it was likely the fourth largest religious body in the state. This account fills in the ten-year gap of Church history in Illinois using both LDS and non-LDS sources. The book tells the story of the conversion of future Apostle Charles C. Rich. It also talks about the Saints’ involvement in the so-called Mormon War. Other chapters discuss the events of Zion’s Camp, Kirtland Camp, and the Saints’ exodus from Missouri to Quincy, Illinois. ISBN 978-0-8425-2652-4

Volume 5 i​n the Regional Studies Series New England. The name suggests redcoats and ragged patriots. Yet this area did more than give rise to American freedom; it gave birth to the Restoration. Here, prophets and apostles were born to guide the Church—leaders such as Joseph and Hyrum Smith, Brigham Young, and Heber C. Kimball. Twelve essays take us on a journey through time. We go back to an era when early Apostles canvassed New England to elect Joseph Smith president of the United States. A photo essay offers views of a Mayflowerreplica and of Church history sites. ISBN 0-8425-2583-1

The offering of the gospel first to the Jews then to the Gentiles in ancient days and its latter-day offering first to the Gentiles and then to the Jews

How Israel accepted the law but missed the Lawgiver

The 37th Annual Brigham Young University Sidney B. Sperry Symposium Awareness of the background and development of Joseph Smith’s revelations allows us to better understand their significance. The 37th annual Sidney B. Sperry Symposium can help readers gain that knowledge. Written by scholars trained in a variety of fields, the articles are intended to help Latter-day Saints better appreciate the setting in which Joseph received his revelations. This volume will help readers better understand and appreciate the significant roles Joseph Smith’s revelations have played, and continue to play, in the dispensation of the fulness of times. ISBN 978-1-60641-015-8

Surely no subject has captured the attention of men and women like that of death and the life beyond. Millions have sought with Job for answers to the timeless question, “If a man die, shall he live again?” (Job 14:14). And if there is a future state, what is its nature? How best may mortal men and women prepare for it? Indeed, death has ever remained life’s most awesome mystery. In this book, representatives of different Christian sects draw on their distinctive religious traditions to address the topics of death and what lies beyond the grave. ISBN 978-1-9443-9478-3

The 2014 and 2015 BYU Easter Conferences When we actually, really know, understand, and feel of our Savior’s love—we are transformed; we are changed in our understanding of what divine love is. It is the encounter with Christ’s love that causes us to submit our wills and lives to God’s will and way. Our Savior’s love enables us to see ourselves in proper perspective and helps us to see others as God sees them, and to love them as deeply as he loves them. Nothing is more beautiful than seeing new life and renewed life. Hope and healing are centered in the Savior’s encompassing love, and it is the sweetest, the tenderest, and perhaps the most beautiful principle of the gospel. ISBN 978-0-8425-2883-2

Because mortality is a test, we will all experience some dark days that may include grief, illness, disappointment, disillusionment, temptation, confusion, unanswered questions, and pain. The good news is that Jesus Christ promises deliverance from all our mortal suffering and his promises are sure. While we wait for deliverance to come in his time and in his way, Christ’s intimate understanding of our lives, our trials, our hopes, and our heartaches allows him to perfectly succor, strengthen, and refine us. Speaking from the annual Brigham Young University Easter Conferences in 2021 and 2022, authors Marie C. Hafen, Virginia Hinckley Pearce Cowley, Tyler J. Griffin, John Hilton III, Jan J. Martin, and Jennifer Reeder teach and testify of the power of Christ’s deliverance. ISBN 978-1-9503-0423-3

When the Book of Abraham was first published to the world in 1842, it was published as “a translation of some ancient records that have fallen into [Joseph Smith’s] hands from the catacombs of Egypt, purporting to be the writings of Abraham while he was in Egypt, called ‘The Book of Abraham, Written by his Own Hand, upon Papyrus.’” The resultant record was thus connected with the papyri once owned by Joseph Smith, though which papyrus of the four or five in his possession was never specified. Those papyri would likely interest only a few specialists—were the papyri not bound up in a religious controversy. This controversy covers a number of interrelated issues, and an even greater number of theories have been put forward about these issues. Given the amount of information available, the various theories, and the variety of fields of study the subject requires, misunderstandings and misinformation often prevail. The goal with the Introduction to the Book of Abraham is to make reliable information about the Book of Abraham accessible to the general reader. ISBN 978-1-9443-9406-6

Winner of the Steven F. Christensen Best Documentary Award (Mormon History Association), The Diaries of Charles Ora Card are rich historical resources chronicling an important period of Mormon history that historian Thomas G. Alexander called “Mormonism in Transition.” The diaries detail the pioneers’ attempts to make the desert blossom as a rose, including their work on the Logan Temple and Tabernacle. During this era, the Church faced increasing economical and federal legislative pressures. The records accent the everyday struggles of a people; their leadership, both local and Churchwide; and Card’s own capture by the US marshals. “Charles Ora Card is usually remembered for his pioneering leadership of the Mormon settlements in Alberta, Canada, after 1885. But his experience and preparation were anchored in his earlier life in Cache Valley, Utah. Here he served in a number of important civic, educational, and ecclesiastical callings. He superintended the construction of the Logan Tabernacle (1883–77) and the Logan Temple (1877–84) and served as a counselor in the Cache Valley Stake presidency and then as stake president. In these professionally edited twenty-three journals are the records of both the rich history of a Mormon community and also the life experiences of a major contributor to that community.”—David J. Whittaker, curator of Western and Mormon Manuscripts, L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library, and associate professor of history at Brigham Young University. ISBN 978-0-8425-2609-8

This volume chronicles a group of influential Mormon pioneers and their families who left a mark on their communities, church, and family history. It tells a story of the men and women of the Joseph Godfrey and Charles Ora Card families as they traveled from Liverpool, England; through the eastern U.S. states; Nauvoo, Illinois; and Utah before they are scattered north into Canada. Joseph was a runaway boy who became a mariner, sailing the oceans until he was robbed, losing his life’s belongings at sea. Charles became the founder of Cardston, Alberta, the first Mormon settlement in Canada. These pioneers crossed the Atlantic, rode wagons, and walked barefoot across the plains to Zion. They suffered the temper of angry mobs. They knew the prophets and contemporary apostles. They grew and flourished in the regions of Salt Lake, Weber, Cache Valley; Star Valley, Wyoming; and the prairies of Alberta, Canada. They were simply faithful Latter-day Saints contributing to their communities and their church. Be inspired as you walk in the footsteps of founders of the Mountain West. ISBN 978-1-9443-9425-7

“The journals of James Henry Martineau are comparable the most descriptively written diaries of their period. They shed light on the historical events of the era, the lives of average people, and the impact of Church leaders. At times they read more like a novel than a journal. They are exciting, testimony building, and detailed. The reader will see clearly what Martineau is picturing and feel what he is experiencing. His focus was on his family and his work, while the result is a reflection of a common, yet uncommon, Latter-day Saint pioneer.”—Donald G. Godfrey ISBN 978-0-8425-2697-5

Winner of the Steven F. Christensen Best Documentary Award (Mormon History Association), The Diaries of Charles Ora Card are rich historical resources chronicling an important period of Mormon history that historian Thomas G. Alexander called “Mormonism in Transition.” The diaries detail the pioneers’ attempts to make the desert blossom as a rose, including their work on the Logan Temple and Tabernacle. During this era, the Church faced increasing economical and federal legislative pressures. The records accent the everyday struggles of a people; their leadership, both local and Churchwide; and Card’s own capture by the US marshals. “Charles Ora Card is usually remembered for his pioneering leadership of the Mormon settlements in Alberta, Canada, after 1885. But his experience and preparation were anchored in his earlier life in Cache Valley, Utah. Here he served in a number of important civic, educational, and ecclesiastical callings. He superintended the construction of the Logan Tabernacle (1883–77) and the Logan Temple (1877–84) and served as a counselor in the Cache Valley Stake presidency and then as stake president. In these professionally edited twenty-three journals are the records of both the rich history of a Mormon community and also the life experiences of a major contributor to that community.”—David J. Whittaker, curator of Western and Mormon Manuscripts, L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library, and associate professor of history at Brigham Young University. ISBN 978-0-8425-2609-8

The 2018 BYU Church History Symposium Historians have increasingly examined how economics and business have influenced religion and religious practices, and these examinations have provided better understandings of race, gender, and ethnicity within American religion. This volume highlights the research of fifteen presenters at a BYU Church History Symposium, including keynote addresses by Bishop Gérald Caussé and Sharon Ann Murphy. The remaining essays examine the prac­tice of consecration and cooperation by the Church, specific case studies of business and economics in Utah Territory, and financial issues pertaining to the institutional Church. These essays illuminate topics such as plural marriage, immigration, the Saints’ relation­ship to the federal government, and the creation and demise of Church programs. The BYU Church History Symposium highlighted that the field of economics and finance have much to offer to Latter-day Saint history. ISBN 978-1-9443-9482-0

The prophets of God continually raise their warning voices and lovingly give counsel to strengthen our families and heighten the spirituality of our children. This is a gospel-centered “best practices” book for husbands and wives, fathers and mothers that is founded on prophetic teachings and substantiated by good science. This book will help readers gain new and important insights about our most important responsibilities in time and eternity—our families. By bringing together the “words of wisdom” from both religious sources and from the discoveries of solid research, families can be better equipped in their pursuit of success and happiness. ISBN 978-0-8425-2850-4

We can easily see Laman and Lemuel as being lost from the start. Almost like stock characters in a novel, they may appear to have little depth or complexity. This simplistic view makes it hard to identify the reasons behind, as well as the consequences of, Laman and Lemuel’s behavior. Consequently, if we do not look for deeper meaning in Laman and Lemuel’s story, we may fail to identify the necessary precepts to avoid the pitfalls they fell into and to which we are vulnerable today. Through a more contextual view of Laman and Lemuel’s lives, we are provided with a set of precepts to help us thrive spiritually in our day. As President Spencer W. Kimball taught, to be “forewarned is [to be] forearmed.” Ultimately, Laman and Lemuel’s lack of faith in and incorrect understanding of God led to their failure to become the righteous sons of God they were intended to be.

The 2014 BYU Church History Symposium This volume is a compilation of scholarly papers prepared by presenters at the BYU Church History Symposium entitled The Worldwide Church: The Global Reach of Mormonism. President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, second counselor in the First Presidency, was the first keynote speaker. He emphasized the importance of learning our history. Quoting Michael Crichton he stated, “If you don’t know history, then you don’t know anything. You are a leaf that doesn’t know it is part of a tree.” The second keynote speaker, Terryl Givens, highlighted the universal nature of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Seventeen other papers by notable historians, scholars, educators, and leaders are included in this volume. ISBN 978-0-8425-2973-0

Iniciada em 2000 pelo decano de Educação Religiosa Robert L. Millet, O Educador Religioso é uma publicação dirigida para satisfazer as necessidades e os interesses daqueles que estudam e ensinam o evangelho restaurado de Jesus Cristo. Para comemorar dez anos da sua publicação, os editores tem selecionado algums dos seus artigos prominentes. Entre os autores estão: Élder Richard G. Scott, Élder Robert D. Hales, Élder David A. Bednar, Élder D. Todd Christofferson, Élder Jay E. Jensen, Élder Tad R. Callister, e Élder Neal A. Maxwell. ISBN 978-0-8425-2775-0

This volume explores the possibility that mortality is framed and informed by God’s love in more ways than we normally suppose. We live within the cosmic embrace of God’s love, even when we encounter difficulties. Hence, as the medieval Catholic thinker Catherine of Siena suggested, “All the way to heaven is heaven” because gospel obedience brings joy and, in a perfectly natural way, fits us for the celestial kingdom. In the process we are stretched out along the long arc of God’s love. Our hearts turn to others, and not just to those about us but also to our ancestors and generations yet unborn. As we discover the depths of Christ’s Atonement, our everyday thinking and conduct begin to hum the miracles of God’s love, chief of which is that there is no bottom to that love. ISBN 978-1-9503-0409-7

ISBN 1-59156-023-3

Wilford Woodruff told the story of his remarkable missionary success among the United Brethren in the Three Counties of England for many years after his initial meetings with them in the mid-1800s. This book examines how this group of people, along with their friends and neighbors who were also seeking religious truth, were prepared to receive the message of the restored gospel, and how they helped the Church membership grow in the Three Counties. Readers will learn about American and British missionary exploits in this area along with converts’ stories. Finally, the book looks at how current Church members in this area have forged links with the legacy of this amazing time of harvest. ISBN 978-1-9443-9415-8

Joseph and Hyrum Smith exemplified leadership as they worked together in organizing and operating the Church, teaching, speaking, and building temples and towns. As leaders, they held firm to their convictions, roused the hearts and minds of men and women in varied walks of life, and left legacies sufficient to stamp them as two of the most remarkable and influential men of the nineteenth century. The stories and examples of their shared leadership illustrate how they honored agency, exerted righteous influence, grew through adversity, forged bonds of obligation and love, governed conflict, and organized through councils. Their examples in this book can help us transform our personal perspective of leadership, lead with an eternal focus, heal and bless others through our leadership, learn and grow by asking authentic questions, share leadership in the home, and lead in the governmental arena. By incorporating these principles in our lives, we can foster more satisfying relationships in our homes, our Church service, and our professional lives. The book concludes with a call for each of us to carry on their legacy, which transcends time and place. Their lives and teachings are filled with lessons and skills we can easily apply today. ISBN 978-0-8425-2754-5

The 2013 BYU Church History Symposium This volume is a collection of essays by prominent LDS scholars–including keynote speakers Richard Bushman and David Holland–that discuss the interest in the ancient world shared by Joseph Smith and the early Latter-day Saints. Topics include Joseph Smith’s fascination with the ancient Americas, his interaction with the Bible, his study of Hebrew and Greek, his reading of Jewish and Christian apocryphal writings, and his work with the Book of Abraham in the context of nineteenth-century Egyptology. Together, these essays demonstrate that Joseph Smith’s interests in antiquity played an important role in his prophetic development as he sought to recover ancient scripture, restore the ancient Church, and bring the Latter-day Saints into fellowship with the sacred past. ISBN 978‐0‐8425‐2966‐2

The 42nd Annual Brigham Young University Sidney B. Sperry Symposium The Psalmist asks, “Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord?” This year’s Sperry Symposium discusses ascending into the Lord’s mountain within the context of theophany, ancient temple worship, sacred space, sacrifice, offerings, and hymns and songs in the text of the Old Testament and the Book of Mormon. The scriptures contain a rich treasury of information of how ancient Israelites and the people in the Book of Mormon worshipped God and expressed themselves through ritual and devotions as found in the Psalms. These explorations of ancient temple worship help us to better understand and appreciate latter-day temple and worship traditions. ISBN 978-1-60907-581-1

The 47th Annual Brigham Young University Sidney B. Sperry Symposium While Jesus and his disciples were at or near Caesarea Philippi, Peter testified that Jesus was “the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Martha had a similar divine testimony, proclaiming, “I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God.” In much the same way, a standard part of Latter-day Saint discourse includes bearing testimony that “Jesus is the Christ,” but what do we mean when we say that Jesus is the Christ? This volume compiles essays given at a BYU Sidney B. Sperry Symposium that uniquely address such questions from a Latter-day Saint perspective, bringing together both biblical scholarship and Restoration insights that invite us to come to Christ and apply gospel teachings to real life. ISBN 978-1-9443-9453-0

This book contains reflections from two groups of scholars who trace their beginnings to the early Saints who built the Kirtland Temple. These scholars come from the two largest branches of the Restoration movement, Community of Christ and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who have often found themselves on the opposite sides of many issues. This book is filled with honest, frank conversations between people of the two faiths but also collegiality and friendship. Centered on twelve themes, this dialogue is about bringing together informed scholars from the two churches working together, with goodwill, to accurately understand each other. ISBN 978-1-9503-0431-8

Joseph F. Merrill became the first native Utahn to earn a PhD. Working at the University of Utah, he labored to reconcile the secular world with the spiritual world of his youth. In 1912 he helped establish the first Latter-day Saint seminary at Granite High School. As Church commissioner of education, he helped establish the institutes of religion, with a mission to allow college students to reconcile the secular truths learned in university settings with the truths of the gospel. He created the Religion Department at Brigham Young University and encouraged young scholars to produce professional studies of the Latter-day Saint religion. In 1933 Merrill was called as an Apostle, where he continued his work to modernize the Church. In the final years of his life, Merrill continued to work to show that science and religion could be reconciled. ISBN 978-1-9503-0412-7

The Lord has told us that many things in the Apocrypha are true and many false. The fascination that apocryphal writings generally hold for Latter-day Saints was recognized in a 1983 BYU symposium on this topic addressed by fifteen scholars representing a wide range of expertise. Those addresses are collected in this book.

Volume 1 in the Occasional Papers Series This volume contains the preliminary reports from the 1984 field campaign of the Brigham Young University excavation team at Seila in the Fayum in Egypt. As both this set of reports and those expected from later expeditions will demonstrate, the work done near the Egyptian town of Seila will have a significant impact on further studies of not only Egypt’s Old Kingdom but also the Greco-Roman era. The essays in this volume demonstrate the unusually broad approach to the project this diversity of specialists allowed the team to take. ISBN 0-8849-4680-0

Prominent scholars of diverse backgrounds participated in a March 1980 symposium, “Scriptures in the Sesquicentennial,” and brought to it their unique insights into the world of records. This book, a compilation of the addresses, explores some of those records that evidence both the antiquity and the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. ISBN 0-8849-4538-3

The period 1960–65 was key to the evolution of the Church because it represented a significant adjustment in approach and direction, particularly from Church headquarters in Salt Lake City. This history focuses on the personalities and programs of the mission presidents and their wives with particular emphasis on Elder A. Theodore Tuttle because the changes that occurred during this period were the product of these men and women. Though the nucleus of the book is Elder Tuttle’s activities, it is not a biography of him but an examination of the history of the Church in South America during these five years. Each mission in South America is discussed in relation to Elder Tuttle’s efforts and some of the issues and concerns of the time. ISBN 978-0-8425-2713-2

Three months before his death, Joseph Smith established the Council of Fifty, a confidential group that he believed would protect the Latter-day Saints in their political rights and one day serve as the government of the kingdom of God. The Council of Fifty operated under the leadership of Joseph Smith and then Brigham Young. The council’s minutes had never been available until they were published by the Joseph Smith Papers Project in September 2016. This book is a compilation of essays that will give an initial appraisal of how the council’s minutes enhance our understanding of Mormon history during the critical era of the last months of Smith’s life to the trek west. Some fifteen leading Mormon scholars—including Richard Bushman, Richard Bennett, Paul Reeve, and Patrick Mason—narrate and analyze the contributions of the records of the council to key questions. ISBN 978-1-9443-9421-9