Category: Reviews of LDS Media
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Covenants: The (Unkept) Promises
Covenants: The (Unkept) Promises By Eric Johnson An article (with no listed author) was the main attraction in the July 2012 Ensign magazine. Titled “Covenants: Our Most Important Promises,” it describes an ordinance as “a sacred, formal act performed by the authority of the priesthood. Some ordinances are essential to our salvation. As part of…
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Book Review: The Book of Mormon: A Biography
The Book of Mormon: A BiographyAuthored by Paul C. Gutjahr Reviewed by Eric Johnson
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Review, The Gospel of Jesus Christ
A 24-page pamphlet titled “The Gospel of Jesus Christ” was produced by the Mormon Church in 2008. It describes the LDS gospel by using words such as salvation, grace, mercy, and baptism. What exactly does Mormonism mean by these terms? We will take a look at the entire pamphlet (the words of which are underlined)…
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Book Review: Jesus Christ, Message to All Nations
Say the name “Warren Jeffs” out loud in a public place in Utah and you will get raised eyebrows. Latter-day Saints are very sensitive about having their religion tied to polygamous groups, which many ignorant bystanders have done over the years. Today, Jeffs—who is serving a life sentence behind federal prison bars in Texas—remains the…
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Book Review: Talking with Mormons: An Invitation to Evangelicals
Richard Mouw is the outgoing president of Fuller Theological Seminary. He is a keyevangelical figure in the realm of interfaith dialogue and has spent the better part of the last decade engaged in discussions with Latter-day Saint scholars and some LDS church officials. His role has afforded him some high profile encounters typified by his role…
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Flying First-Class — Mormon Style
In reading the July 2013 Ensign, I came across a thoughtful story written by Bonnie Marshall in the Latter-day Saint Voices section of the magazine. Mrs. Marshall tells of a long flight she and her husband took when they returned to Utah from their mission at BYU-Hawaii. Because Mrs. Marshall’s husband was a large man,…
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Book Review: The Shack
Reviewed by Eric JohnsonVery similar to the Harry Potter phenomenon, The Shack (written by William Young) has taken the book publishing world by storm. First printed at Kinkos and handed out to Young’s friends and relatives, The Shack has been located at the top of the publishing charts for years.
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Mormonism: The Not Even Once Club
An interesting movement is afoot in the Mormon world. Wendy Nelson, wife of Mormon apostle Russell M. Nelson, has written a children’s book on the topic of covenant-keeping. This sounds like a good fit for Mormon kids, but LDS adults are petitioning for The Not Even Once Club to be removed from the shelves of…
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Review, For the Strength of Youth
For the Strength of Youth is a small 44-page booklet approved by the LDS First Presidency and meant for the young people in the LDS Church covering a variety of issues. According to Sevety Stanley G. Ellis in the last General Conferece, “Along with the scriptures, some great sources for finding the Lord’s way are True to…
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Two parables about the Atonement
Understanding the Atonement of Christ is vital if we are to understand exactly what salvation is all about. In 1977, Apostle Boyd K. Packer told a parable that talked about a creditor, debtor, and a third party who paid the debt. Then this friend turns the tables and says that he is the debtor’s new…
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Review, The Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ
The Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is a booklet given away by missionaries to prospective converts. According to LDS teaching, the priesthood in ancient Christendom was made void soon after the death of the apostles. The “Great Apostasy” corrupted Christianity until it was restored by Joseph Smith in the 19th century. Let’s look at this pamphlet,…
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The Distinctive Restoration Plan of Salvation
On May 16, 2013 Meridian Magazine (online) published an article by Mormon author Wallace Goddard titled, “The Restoration Plan of Salvation: ‘It Came From God!’” Dr. Goddard’s article is aimed at proving the superior beauty and cohesiveness of the Mormon gospel as compared to any others. He writes, “It is my intent to help us…
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In Mormonism God is a Saved Soul
In the 1974 October General Conference of the Mormon Church Marion G. Romney (Second Counselor in the First Presidency) said, “I am going to talk about some of the very fundamentals of the gospel of Jesus Christ of great importance… “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints affirms as its Third Article of Faith:…
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Review, The Plan of Salvation
The Plan of Salvation booklet was produced in 2008 and is apparently used by Mormon missionaries to explain the three questions that potential converts commonly ask: Where did I come from? What is my purpose in life? And where am I going? This 24-page booklet (measuring 5×7 inches) 8 pages of pictures, taking up one-third of…
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Book Review: Mormon Enigma: Emma Hale Smith
Emma Smith (1804-1879) may not be as well-known as her husband, Joseph Smith, Jr. but understanding this woman is important for anyone who desires a more complete picture to the Mormon story. In this 1994 book, two female historical researchers—Linda King Newell and Valeen Tippets Avery—tackled the life of the first wife to the founder of the Mormon religion. This…
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Review: "The Restoration and Early Christian Teachings"
LDS Church apologist Michael Ash wrote an article in the April 2013 church magazine Ensign (“The Restoration and Early Christian Teachings,” pp. 60-65). His article explains that teachings such as premortality, work on behalf of the dead, and exaltation can be found in the writings of the Early Church Fathers. There are several problems with this view, including the…
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Changing and Correcting Mormon Scripture
The January 2013 Ensign magazine seems to reflect a new effort toward transparency in the Mormon Church. In an article by LDS historian Gerrit Dirkmaat, “Great and Marvelous are the Revelations of God,” the author discloses “Many Revelations Were Later Revised by Joseph Smith through Inspiration”: “Over the course of the first five years of…
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Book Review: Mormons: An Open Book. What You Really Want to Know
The author of Mormons An Open Book did not put his name on the cover or title page of the book, choosing instead to identify himself merely as “a Mormon.” The author identifies himself in his “Author’s Note” as Anthony Sweat, “a faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, …a Latter-day Saint religious…
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Book Review: It’s True: An Evangelical Pastor’s Journey to Truth in the Mormon Church
While it’s only 82 pages in length, the title of Tom Scott’s book (It’s True: An Evangelical Pastor’s Journey to Truth in the Mormon Church) begs to be read. If nothing else, Scott appears to be a good marketer, even having worked out a deal with several Utah Costco stores to sell copies at $6.99…
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Can the Missionaries Really Help You?
In a lively General Conference talk, Apostle Russell M. Nelson enthusiastically touted the expertise of teenage Mormon missionaries—now eligible at younger ages.