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The focus of this project is to bring together all the known paintings and photographic images of Brigham from his lifetime. Additionally, a representative sample of the numerous graphic images of Brigham appearing in newspapers, magazines, and books from the same period are reproduced. Illustrations of the Mormon leader in these publications sometimes closely reflect the photographic record because they are based on original photographs or because they were made from personal observations by a trained artist. In many cases, artists met Brigham face-to-face and then worked from photographic images to finish their work. Other illustrations, however, range from the ridiculously funny to the blatantly vicious, like many political cartoons of the day. ISBN 1-5700-8625-7
Is the New Testament doctrinally complete? Does God condone anger as the book of Matthew seems to suggest? What does the book of Mormon teach us about the concept of hell as compared to the Bible and the teachings of other Christian faiths? What is the meaning of the word gospel? In this volume, fourteen Latter-day Saint scholars answer these and other questions with a collection of thought-provoking essays. These essays show that the Book of Mormon confirms the truth of the New Testament while offering a more complete understanding of the plan of salvation. ISBN 1-5734-5836-8
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This book is about finding God and strengthening faith. Though some stories are about joining the LDS church, this is not a book of conversion stories. This three-year effort began as a search for interesting stories about how BYU intertwined with people’s lives and how it affected their faith. The compilers were pleased to discover experiences that were much richer in thought and detail, and far more complex than the anticipated recitations of meaningful classroom interactions and the introduction of religious values in an intellectual environment. In this thoughtful, inspriring, and sometimes humorous book, you’ll read the stories of more than twenty people and their personal interactions with BYU. You’ll read the account of Patricia Holland, who as a young teenager was deeply touched by her first contact with the University. Rabbi David Rosen shares his poignant account of traveling to Salt Lake City to meet with Church leaders about the BYU Jerusalem Center. And you’ll read about Earl Kauffman, then a non-LDS athlete who visited BYU on a recruiting visit and immediately fell in love with the University and found God in his daily interaction with teammates, students, and faculty, and later joined the Church. These essays, each a significant part of the contributors’ life histories, also serve to enrich our lives, as well as our perspectives on Finding God at BYU. ISBN 9781577349297
This volume is really a sequel to the work Ron Dennis has done on the Welsh periodical The Prophet of the Jubilee. The press played an important role in the rapid growth of Mormonism in Wales from 1845 through 1848. Although the appearance of Captain Dan Jones’s first pamphlet in April of 1845 did not have an immediate effect, the publication of David Williams’s caustic response to it in December of that same year touched off a war of words between the Welsh Mormons and their many critics that lasted for well over a decade. This book is designed to preserve the appearance and flavor of the original Welsh. For more information, click here. ISBN 1-57345-928-3
One of the greatest blessings the Lord has showered upon Latter-day Saints is the guidance and noble example of modern-day apostles and prophets—men whose lives and words inspire, bless, and uplift. This volume brings together engaging biographies of these men—all 109 members of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles called since the Restoration began. Featuring memorable stories and facts from the lives of those whom the Lord has called to lead His latter-day kingdom, this volume unfolds the panorama of latter-day Church history. ISBN 1-5734-5797-3
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Since the beginnings of the Church, those who participated in the Restoration were commanded to keep a history. Latter-day Saints have an abiding interest in the history of God’s dealings with this earth. Similarly, we reverence the history in scripture because our faith is grounded in events that have taken place in the time and space of this earth. Historicity is the study of the authenticity of recorded past events. This significant compilation addresses the issue of historicity as it relates to the scriptures that Latter-day Saints accept as the word of God. With articles from Elder Dallin H. Oaks, Robert J. Matthews, Robert L. Millet, and more, this book provides an inspiring and more complete picture of the necessity for the historical nature of the Latter-day Saint canon.
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Traditional Christianity struggled for many years to define its canon, to determine which of its writings were sacred, inspired, and authoritative. The Latter-day Saint concept of canon differs from that of other Christians. In addition to the Bible, the Latter-day Saint canon includes the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price. These “standard works” provide a measuring rod by which we can judge other texts and statements. But while we have a canon, we nevertheless believe that God continues to make known His will through the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles—men we sustain as prophets, seers, and revelators. Inspired by the Holy Ghost, their decisions are to be made in unity (D&C 107:27). We as Church members also need the Holy Ghost in order to recognize scriptural power in their words, and we can be comforted in the Lord’s promise that the President of the Church will never lead us astray.
Key historical events in the scriptures require historicity to give substance to our faith. Since the Enlightenment, however, some scholars have proclaimed that the scriptures lack historicity. In the face of these doubts, some have argued that historicity is not necessary for belief. Latter-day Saints should be wary of the misleading arguments of critics and of simplistic solutions to those arguments.
Some believe that historicity and inerrancy in scripture are the same. By this argument, when a portion of scripture is found to have errors, the entire record is considered neither historical nor accurate. However, nothing in this imperfect world is inerrant, and although the authors of the scriptural records were prophets and called of God to write their portion of the scriptures, they were not perfect—no one is. So although the authors were not inerrant, their writings are nonetheless historical. By academic standards the scriptures fulfill all the criteria for historically accurate records. With the human errors accounted for, the scriptures are reliable historically and accurate in their testimony of the doctrines of the gospel and the mission of Jesus Christ.
Scriptures are by nature preserved in words. Words alone, however, cannot contain the full reality of the worlds they represent. As sacred texts, our scriptures are overwhelmingly historical, presenting factual accounts of things that happened in time and space. But because they are written, scriptures are also inherently textual, possessing literary qualities that contribute to their witness. The aim of the writing of sacred history is different from that of history writing in general, because scripture seeks to bear testimony while it seeks to preserve events. To read the record without feeling the testimony is to misread. To be understood properly, scripture requires both the companionship of the Holy Ghost and a keen sensitivity to the inspired objectives of the author. Often those objectives are not seen fully without reading the scripture as sacred literature as well as history.
The issue of the historicity of the Book of Mormon highlights the difference between those who rely solely on scholarship and those who rely on revelation, faith, and scholarship. Those who rely solely on scholarship reject revelation and focus on a limited number of issues. But they can neither prove nor disprove the authenticity of the Book of Mormon through their secular evidence and methods. On the other hand, those who rely on a combination of revelation, faith, and scholarship can see and understand all of the complex issues of the Book of Mormon record, and it is only through that combination that the question of the historicity of the Book of Mormon can be answered.
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The 31st Annual Sidney B. Sperry Symposium The messages of the New Testament Apostles—most notably Peter, James, John, and Paul—are some of the most important and powerful teachings in all of scripture. In this volume, scholars illuminate these teachings and help us understand their influence in the church of the New Testament. Many insights and teachings in this book help us understand the value and the power of the messages of the New Testament Apostles, not only for the primitive church, but for us in the latter days. ISBN 1-5700-8896-9
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General Authorities and religious educators provide thoughtful answers to intriguing gospel questions as they share their testimonies of the Savior. This collection of papers presented at a Brigham Young University symposium on the Savior invites us to learn more about the Being we worship. It sounds a clarion call of testimony—offered with clarity, vigor, and gratitude—in witness of the divine calling of our Lord and Redeemer, Jesus of Nazareth. ISBN 1-57008-856-X
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The story of the Nauvoo Temple is one fraught with adversity, struggle, persecution, and heartbreak. Latter-day Saints freely sacrificed their time, their money, their talents–and some even gave their lives–to build a holy place of covenant and worship—only to be forced to abandon their sacred temple, leaving it to be desecrated and destroyed by unbelievers. Yet, it is also a story of faith, triumph, and unwavering dedication to the holy work of the Lord. The construction of the Nauvoo Temple proved to be a spiritual blessing to the people who built it, and it continues to be an inspiration to millions of Church members today. This volume combines newspaper accounts, historic writings, private journals, letters, photos, and original architectural drawing and other illustrations. ISBN 1-5915-6014-4
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ISBN 1-59156-023-3
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Published by BYU Studies and the Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah Copyright © 2002 by Brigham Young University All rights reserved. Any uses of this material beyond those allowed by the exemptions in U.S. copyright law, such as section 107, “Fair Use,” and section 108, “Library Copying,” requires the written permission of the publisher, Religious Studies Center, 167 HGB, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602. The views expressed herein are the responsibility of the author and do not necessarily represent the position of Brigham Young University, BYU Studies, or the Religious Studies Center. ISBN 0–8425–2529–7
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William Wordsworth wrote: The world is too much with us; late and soon, Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers. Yet life does not have to be that way. In this thought-provoking book, H. Curtis Wright, professor emeritus of ancient Greek and modern library education, presents four messages on “things of redeeming worth”—eternal things that penetrate and transcend human temporal experience. ISBN 1-57008-745-8
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The 32nd Annual Sidney B. Sperry Symposium The first publication of the Book of Mormon was completed only a few days before the Church was organized. The Lord revealed that it “contains a record of a fallen people, and the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Before the revelation was received on the organization of priesthood quorums, before the vision of the three degrees of glory, before knowledge of vicarious work for the dead, and before Joseph Smith was instructed to begin an inspired translation of the Bible, the Book of Mormon was received as scripture for all members of the Church. As the “keystone” containing a “fulness of the gospel,” the Book of Mormon connects, enhances, and clarifies the other standard works. This volume was published to encourage all who read it to discover and rediscover for themselves that the Book of Mormon does indeed contain the fulness of the gospel.
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Volume 4 in the Regional Studies Series Converts from Europe became the lifeblood of the young Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Eager emigrants carried with them the lofty dream of establishing Zion in the United States. Yet as time passed, the early vigor of conversion and emigration began to ebb, and the needs of members worldwide gave birth to a new approach—forming branches that would grow and spread throughout Europe. Those early pioneers thus began a tradition of faith that continues today despite the severe trials of two world wars, including the loss of many members’ lives and the evacuation of missionaries during World War II. These essays were written in honor of the one hundred fiftieth anniversary of the preaching of the gospel in Scandinavia and continental Europe by missionaries of the Church. ISBN 0-8425-2540-8
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After the announcement of the intent to rebuild the Nauvoo Temple, there was much discussion in the town about why The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints would want to build such a large building in such a small place and what impact it might have on Nauvoo. Questions were raised about the vast potential increase in the number of visitors to Nauvoo, as well as whether large numbers of Church members would come to settle in Nauvoo permanently, significantly affecting the political and cultural environment. Additional interest focused on the whole history of the Mormons in Nauvoo. Those ideas, attitudes, and feelings of residents were captured in this collection of interviews. Twenty-six Nauvoo residents were interviewed and their answers recorded in this volume. ISBN 978-0-8425-2526-8
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Thousands of Welshmen joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints during the second half of the nineteenth century. The printed word constituted one of the missionaries most effective proselytizing tools. Here is a remarkable collection of pamphlets and poems that reflect the faith and zeal of those early missionaries. Anyone with an interest in Wales and Latter-day Saint history will find this volume both uplifting and inspiring. ISBN 1-5915-6205-8
Volume 13 in the Occasional Papers Series Hundreds of sketches and blueprints unfold Church history from an architect’s point of view. This volume takes readers on a visual journey from the Peter Whitmer log home, where the Church was organized, to the Kirtland and Nauvoo temples, moving on to pioneer-era meetinghouses and tabernacles, and then featuring our modern stake and ward buildings. Hundreds of sketches trace the progression in meetinghouse design from the infancy of the Church to its transformation into a major world religion. ISBN 1-5915-6390-9
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Former Air Force pilot Dale T. Tingey launched into a lifetime of service to the Native Americans when he accepted the calling of president of the Southwest Indian Mission in 1968. Not long after he returned, he took over the reins of Brigham Young University’s American Indian Services, where he fostered programs and solicited donations to help with scholarships and other needs. People grew to love his natural warmth and spontaneity, his fly-by-the-seat-of-his-pants style, and his infectious laugh. Insistent with wealthy donors but never patronizing to humble recipients, Dale brought scholarships, tractors, farm implements, garden seeds, and Christmas gifts to reservations throughout North America. ISBN 0-8425-2564-5
“The Book of Mormon provides resounding and great answers to what Amulek designated as ’the great question’—namely, is there really a redeeming Christ? (Alma 34:5–6). The Book of Mormon with clarity and with evidence says, ’Yes! Yes! Yes!’ ” This declaration by Elder Neal A. Maxwell is the first in what might be described as a treasure trove of answers—a collection of twenty-seven though-provoking essays exploring and explaining the great truths found in the book of Mormon. Selected from more than three decades of symposia and conferences held at Brigham Young University, these essays by General Authorities and religious educators are filled with insights that will appeal to any serious student of the “keystone of our religion.” A Book of Mormon Treasury covers a wide variety of gospel topics, from “Agency and Freedom,” “Faith, Hope, and Charity,” and “The Doctrine of a Covenant People” to “Abinadi’s Commentary on Isaiah,” “The Natural Man: An Enemy to God,” and “The Concept of Hell.” Arranged to follow the order of the books in the Book of Mormon, each essay provides a deeper look into familiar doctrines, illuminating the gems of truth found within this sacred book of scripture. Among the valuable insights offered are these: “The highest and most revered purpose of the Book of Mormon is to restore to Abraham’s seed that crucial message declaring Christ’s divinity, convincing all who read its pages ’with a sincere heart, with real intent’ that Jesus is the Christ (Moroni 10:4).”—Elder Jeffrey R. Holland “Even as the criticism of the Book of Mormon continues to intensify, the book continues to testify and to diversify its displays of interior consistency, conceptual richness, and its connection with antiquity.”—Elder Neal A. Maxwell “Serious and careful study of the Fall in the Book of Mormon can drive people to their knees, bringing them to acknowledge their own weaknesses and thus their need for the Lord’s redemption. The Atonement is necessary because of the Fall, and unless people sense the effects of Eden—both cosmically and personally—they cannot comprehend the impact of Gethsemane and Calvary.”—Robert L. Millet ISBN 978-1-5903-8099-4
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In every dispensation, from Adam to the present day, the Lord’s anointed prophets have been under a divine mandate to “preach nothing save it were repentance and faith on the Lord”. The central message of the gospel of Jesus Christ is and has always been that through the Atonement of the Lamb of God, the scarlet sins of man can become “white as snow”. Without a knowledge and acceptance of what the scriptures generally, and the Book of Mormon specifically, teach about the doctrine of repentance, one may seek through self-justification to make repentance easier than it really is or through doctrinal distortion to make it more difficult than it needs to be.
The 33rd Annual Sidney B. Sperry Symposium Before Joseph Smith was born, religious scholars such as William Tyndale and Martin Luther put their lives in jeopardy to spread the word of God to their followers, blazing doctrinal trails so that a restoration of the gospel could occur. This volume highlights these influential men and other important Reformers who helped pave the way for the Restoration.
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Volume 5 in 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
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Historians will find a researcher’s treasure trove in this remarkable two-volume reference work that includes 14,400 entries to publications by or about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In fact, the goal of the compilers was to cite every publication—both the good and the bad—in the first hundred years of the Church’s existence. Called by reviewers the “most significant” and “most comprehensive” bibliography on Mormonism, this attractive, library-quality reference work was compiled by Chad J. Flake and Larry W. Draper of BYU’s Harold B. Lee Library. ISBN 0-8425-2570-X
The latter-day restoration of the gospel included the restoration of much significant truth to the Bible. It brought about the restoration of biblical history that had been lost and the restoration of biblical texts that had been changed or omitted or were in need of clarification. More important, it included the restoration of biblical doctrine that had been either removed, distorted, or simply misinterpreted by a world that did not enjoy the fulness of the gospel.
Shortly after the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint was organized, the Prophet Joseph Smith was instructed by the Lord to undertake a careful reading of the Bible to revise and make corrections in accordance with the inspiration that he would receive. The result was a work of profound significance for the Church that included the revelation of many important truths and the restoration of many of the “precious things” that the Book of Mormon prophet Nephi had foretold would be taken from the Bible (1 Ne. 13:23–29). In June 1830 the first revealed addition to the Bible was set to writing. Over the next three years, the Prophet made changes, additions, and corrections as were given him by divine inspiration while he filled his calling to provide a more correct translation for the Church. Collectively, these are called the Joseph Smith Translation (JST), a name first applied in the 1970s, or the New Translation, as Joseph Smith and others in his day referred to it.
Twenty-three thought-provoking essays exploring and explaining the great truths found in the Doctrine and Covenants have been selected from more than three decades of symposia and conferences held at Brigham Young University and from the Ensign. Written by General Authorities and religious educators, these chapters are filled with insights into the “capstone” scriptures of the Church. This book is arranged in the order that the revelations came forth and covers a wide variety of gospel topics. ISBN 1-59038-388-5
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The featured speaker was Elder D. Todd Christofferson, a member of the Presidency of the Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Accompanying speakers included Dean Andrew C. Skinner and Associate Dean Richard D. Draper of BYU Religious Education, and Richard N. Holzapfel, Eric D. Huntsman, Thomas A. Wayment and Gaye Strathearn. Conference topics included the birth of Christ, the wilderness experience, the calling of the Twelve, early Galilean ministries, the Sermon on the Mount and Jesus and the Samaritan woman.
The 34th Annual Brigham Young University Sidney B. Sperry Symposium The 34th annual Sidney B. Sperry Symposium held at Brigham Young University marks several significant anniversaries. One hundred eighty-five years before, in the spring of 1820, the Prophet Joseph Smith experienced the First Vision when our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ appeared to him in Palmyra, New York, ushering in the dispensation of the fulness of all times. The year also represented the 200th anniversary of the birth of the Prophet Joseph Smith, born December 23, 1805; the 175th anniversary of the founding of the Church, in April 1830; and the 170th anniversary of the calling of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, ordained in February 1835. The focus of this symposium was to help those in attendance discover that the Restoration is real. And 175 years later it continues to move forward at a quickened pace to fulfill its ultimate and prophesied purpose.
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This remarkable volume tells the story of Latter-day Saint nurses who have served in the military, covering the engagements from World War I through Operation Iraqi Freedom. Each conflict is introduced by a brief historical background, followed by individual accounts that capture the struggles and sacrifices of the nurses who served so faithfully. ISBN 0-8425-2611-0
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This volume continues the bibliography begun in volume 1 of the same title. It covers the period 1848-52, while a third volume will treat the years 1853-57. The scope of the bibliography remains those books produced by Mormons in support of the Church, where the term book means any printed piece with one or more pages having text bearing on some Church issue. Excluded are individual newspaper or magazine articles, maps, prints, bank notes, and ephemeral pieces such as printed forms or elders’ licenses. ISBN 0-8425-2603-X
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This collection of articles will add zest and savor to your study of the Old Testament. You will find a wide range of readings taken from the Sidney B. Sperry Symposium series. The articles in this book touch on a variety of aspects of Old Testament study. Some authors discuss the Old Testament itself, others offer explanations and interpretations, and still others use the Old Testament as a springboard to discuss Restoration theology. ISBN 1-59038-533-0
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This book is a study of the text of Selections from the Book of Moses, an excerpt of Genesis from the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible. Commonly called the Book of Moses, it is the first section in the Pearl of Great Price, one of the standard works of scripture of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
We now have access to the revealed text itself, which we did not have before, and we can examine the words as they were recorded when they first came from the inspired lips of the Prophet. We are in a new day, a day of closer access to one of the great fruits of the Restoration—an important branch of Joseph Smith’s calling, as he designated his inspired work on the Bible. With our ability now to examine the original documents closely, we can express our thanks to a loving God who has provided that “righteousness and truth.”
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Selections from the Book of Moses in the Pearl of Great Price is the Joseph Smith Translation (JST) of Genesis 1:1–6:13, the beginning pages of the New Translation. The material in it was revealed between June 1830 and February 1831. In some ways, the Book of Moses can be considered the most significant part of the JST, because it has contributed more distinctive Latter-day Saint doctrine than any other part of that work. It has stood since the beginning of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as one of the doctrinal cornerstones of the Restoration and as an enduring testimony to the divinely inspired work of Joseph Smith.
The following is a transcription of the Book of Moses, Genesis 1:1–6:13, from Old Testament Manuscript 2 (OT2), Joseph Smith’s final draft of his New Translation of Genesis. It is found on pages 1–27 of that manuscript. The Prophet first dictated this part of Genesis between June 1830 and February 1831. Oliver Cowdery, John Whitmer, Emma Smith, and Sidney Rigdon assisted him as scribes. In the original dictated manuscript, Old Testament Manuscript 1 (OT1), the Book of Moses material is found on pages 1–21. The present manuscript (OT2) is a copy of the original, made by John Whitmer in March 1831. With very few exceptions, OT2 was the document on which Joseph Smith continued to refine the translation. He added to it numerous insertions and corrections, dictating them primarily to his scribe Sidney Rigdon. The present transcription preserves carefully the words of the manuscript, including words inserted after the original writing. Unless otherwise noted, the handwriting is that of John Whitmer.
For three days, April 11-13, 2002, Brigham Young University hosted a unique conference titled “Salvation in Christ: Christian Perspectives.” Scholars, theologians, and interested laypersons came together to celebrate the redemptive act of our Lord Jesus Christ and to explain their understandings of salvation in Christ from the viewpoints of their respective Christian denominational backgrounds. A broad spectrum of Christian approaches were represented, as was the range of issues needing to be addressed with the monumental topic of “Salvation in Christ” as the theme for the gathering. The purpose of the conference was for participants to speak, listen, and learn from one another--to become better acquainted with various faith traditions, particularly different perspectives on the major doctrines associated with Christian salvation. ISBN 0-8425-2606-4