Two young men stand at the door. Their white shirts and conservative haircuts project traditional values. Their manner exudes warmth. They speak of the need for a stronger family and deeper commitment to God. Do these Mormon missionaries represent Christ? If not, how do you evaluate and answer their statements, many of which sound true? Mormons Answered Verse by Verse is ideal for such a moment. Organized for fast reference, it demonstrates why Mormon...

Excommunication, like revenge, is best served cold. Mine was-cold and quick on a clear autumn day. Excommunication! The word resonates like the bell of a gothic cathedral and seems as anachronistic as a rank of grinning gargoyles, as rebel monks, warrior popes, or heretics burning in a town square. It is a rite one might suppose had been relegated long ago to a footnote beyond the margins of modern life, a practice outdated as the related ritual of...

In this book the author makes a truly unique delivery of his faith in the Gospel restored, which also becomes a fairly thorough excursion into the LDS faith. Doctrines, principles, practices, culture, outreach, lifestyle, and church history are all touched upon from a very personal and likely relatable perspective to the LDS reader. Taken as a whole, these essays form a compelling narrative for the restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ in these...

Mitt Romney's run for President of the United States and the recent success of the Broadway play "Book of Mormon" has created enormous interest in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In spite of enormous media focus during this so-called Mormon Moment, coverage has been often shallow and misleading, even from the LDS Church. Few reporters dug deep enough to deal with the evidence that the Mormon Church is in a deep crisis, not only because...

A Book of Mormons not only provides a fascinating glimpse into a religion that has taken center stage in the last presidential election, but will prompt insights into what living an encompassing religion means both individually and for the community trying to understand exactly "What does it mean to be a Mormon today? "Mormonism is at a crossroads, having been under the microscopic lens of the media for the past five years, even as Mormons young and...

Are Mormons Christians? What do they believe? How do their beliefs compare with other Christian religions? I have been impressed by the dedication of Mormon missionaries, the beauty of the Mormon Tablernacle Choir and the majestic architecture of Mormon temples. I have known several Mormons and they seem to be family oriented people who live out their faith in tangilble ways. As American culture drifts towards situation ethics and values based on...

Completing Your Endowment is the third and concluding volume in a series on the LDS temple ordinances. Beginning with Preparing For Your Endowment and continuing in Understanding Your Endowment, this work is aimed at helping members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) better understand their temple ceremonies. Joseph Smith taught that knowledge is the power of salvation. With that in mind, one might wonder: what was the purpose...

The powers of heaven are very real and can dramatically influence the course of events in a person's life. In our relationship with deity, the powers of heaven include any influence of power (inspiration, gift of the spirit, power of the priesthood, etc.) which is, governed by God and operates in our behalf. A study of the scriptures reveals that the ways the powers of heaven can assist mortal men are virtually unlimited. Exercising the faith required...

Know that the Lord loves you. Believe that His promises are sure. Trust that He will guide your path. Remember how the Lord, delivered the children of Israel from bondage, and then, parted the Red Sea, so they could, walk through on dry ground? While we may not have to cross a vast sea on foot, we all experience difficult times in our lives. And, the Lord performs miracles for us, delivering us from our own Red Seas and He shows us the way through....

Late one night in 1823 Joseph Smith, Jr., was reportedly visited in his family's farmhouse in upstate New York by an angel named Moroni. According to Smith, Moroni told him of a buried stack of gold plates that were inscribed with a history of the Americas' ancient peoples, and which would restore the pure Gospel message as Jesus had delivered it to them. Thus began the unlikely career of the Book of Mormon, the founding text of the Mormon religion,...