Dr. Emily Christensen joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 2009. She brings to her study of the Book of Mormon a unique perspective, as a Jungian therapist, as theological scholar, and as a student of Hebrew. Here, Dr. Christensen shares the fruits of that study, offering fresh insight into scriptural characters, language, and doctrine, while always building upon a firm testimony of the atonement of Jesus Christ. PLAIN & PRECIOUS BOOK OF MORMON COMMENTARY, VOLUME THREE: JACOB TO MOSIAH covers a period of great transition from a major apostasy up to the ministry of righteous King Benjamin. Dr. Christensen is also the author of the memoir KEEPING KYRIE.
General use study guides for the current and future year course of study for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, as well as an important resource for anyone desiring to know more about the scriptures.
Mark Twain once derided the Book of Mormon as "chloroform in print." Long and complicated, written in the language of the King James version of the Bible, it boggles the minds of many. Yet it is unquestionably one of the most influential books ever written. With over 140 million copies in print, it is a central text of one of the largest and fastest-growing faiths in the world. And, Grant Hardy shows, it's far from the coma-inducing doorstop caricatured by Twain. In Understanding the Book of Mormon, Hardy offers the first comprehensive analysis of the work's narrative structure in its 180 year history. Unlike virtually all other recent world scriptures, the Book of Mormon presents itself as an integrated narrative rather than a series of doctrinal expositions, moral injunctions, or devotional hymns. Hardy takes readers through its characters, events, and ideas, as he explores the story and its messages. He identifies the book's literary techniques, such as characterization, embedded documents, allusions, and parallel narratives. Whether Joseph Smith is regarded as author or translator, it's noteworthy that he never speaks in his own voice; rather, he mediates nearly everything through the narrators Nephi, Mormon, and Moroni. Hardy shows how each has a distinctive voice, and all are woven into an integral whole. As with any scripture, the contending views of the Book of Mormon can seem irreconcilable. For believers, it is an actual historical document, transmitted from ancient America. For nonbelievers, it is the work of a nineteenth-century farmer from upstate New York. Hardy transcends this intractable conflict by offering a literary approach, one appropriate to both history and fiction. Regardless of whether readers are interested in American history, literature, comparative religion, or even salvation, he writes, the book can best be read if we examine the text on its own terms.
"Generations of prophecy are fulfilled when Jesus Christ visits the people of the Book of Mormon following his crucifixion and resurrection. In his short time among these "other sheep," Christ teaches about the path of discipleship, inaugurating a centuries-long period of righteous peace and prosperity in Nephite society." -- publisher
How ought the Book of Mormon to be read? And does the Book of Mormon have anythign to say about itself? The Book of Mormon has much to say aobut how it should be read.
