The word amateur derives from the Latin for “love.” An amateur is at root a lover—a lover of sport, science, art, and so forth. Tanner explains, “There is much to recommend the professional ethic, including rigor, methodology, high standards of review, and so forth. . . . Yet it is hoped that we also never cease to be amateurs in our professions—that is, passionate devotees of our disciplines.” This book gathers together brief messages entitled “Notes from an Amateur” that were periodically sent to the faculty at Brigham Young University by former academic vice president John S. Tanner. Tanner’s words reflect his years of experience as a scholar, an administrator, and a disciple, addressing with characteristic insight and wisdom an impressive range of topics from the seemingly mundane to the inspiring. This book is enhanced by the evocative art of Brian Kershisnik. ISBN 978-0-8425-2801-6

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 Eighth Annual Book of Mormon Symposium at BYU Chapters 9 through 30 of 3 Nephi are perhaps the most choice part of the entire Book of Mormon because this section chronicles the transcendent visit of the Risen Lord to the Nephite Saints, His profound teachings, and His amazing, compassionate ministry. His recorded actions and utterance during this period offer remarkable scope for a reverent and knowledgeable review such as that done by sixteen scholars in this book. The 3 Nephi text, like that of the entire Book of Mormon, is shown to be “remarkably efficient” and to give “extraordinary unity and coherence to . . . its message.” ISBN 0-8849-4913-3

The Sixth Annual Book of Mormon Symposium at BYU Nineteen papers on a variety of topics related to the largest book in the Book of Mormon, Alma, make up this volume. These topics include the relevance of the book of Alma to our modern situation, classic discourses of Alma the Younger, the doctrinal and spiritual understanding afforded by Alma’s counsel to his son Corianton, and an enlightening look at the anti-Christ Korihor. The missionary experiences of the sons of Mosiah and Captain Moroni are also discussed. The conclusions drawn in these papers reflect the authors’ testimony of what Alma himself knew to be true: that God’s word has—and always will have—“a great tendency to lead the people to do that which [is] just.” ISBN 0-8849-4841-2

The Second Annual Book of Mormon Symposium at BYU In a variety of themes and approaches, the symposium papers reproduced in this volume explore the first book in the Book of Mormon—First Nephi. The value of the Book of Mormon, historical background of the plates, and the title page are all discussed. How the Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ, how its biblical allusions and its affirmations of God’s dealings with man establish the truth of the Bible; and how textual evidences further verify the authenticity of the Book of Mormon are demonstrated. ISBN 0-8849-4647-9

The Ninth Annual Book of Mormon Symposium at BYU As the final installment in the book of Mormon Symposium series, this volume examines the last four books of the Nephite record: 4 Nephi, Mormon, Ether, and Moroni. Perhaps more than any other part in the Book of Mormon, this section powerfully portrays the cycle through which the ancient inhabitants of America passed many times—the cycle that took them from righteousness to wickedness, from Zion to destruction. Twenty-five contributors here explore the details of this tragic cycle—as it occurred in both the Nephite and the Jaredite civilizations—and also discuss many related doctrinal and historical issues. Realizing the Book of Mormon’s relevance to our day, the writers further take the opportunity to point out the many modern applications. ISBN 0-8849-4974-5

The Fourth Annual Book of Mormon Symposium at BYU The remarks of this volume are centered on the small plates of Nephi—Jacob through the Words of Mormon. The greatness of Lehi’s son Jacob is brought out, with special reference to his remarkable grasp of the doctrine of the Atonement, his powerful preaching about Christ, and his affirmations as to the central role of Christ in all gospel dispensations. Enos, Amaleki, and the anti-Christ Sherem are other topics discussed. Clarification is given on the structure of the Book of Mormon in terms of the large and the small plates of Nephi, the plates of Mormon (the abridgment), and the Words of Mormon. Latter-day Saint scholars who have experience the spiritual power of the Book of Mormon share here their insights on specific themes. ISBN 0-8849-4734-3

This book, which contains proceedings of the 1991 dedication of the Joseph Smith Memorial building at Brigham Young University as well as twenty-three papers from the 1992 Joseph Smith Symposium, is a fitting tribute to the mighty prophet and seer who stands as the head of the dispensation of the fulness of times. The variety and scope of the material presented here are indicative of the powerful example of Christian living and sacrifice and the wealth of gospel understanding that the Prophet left to the world. ISBN 0-8849-4876-5

The Lectures on Faith are among the oldest of LDS writings. They formed the basis for doctrinal studies in the School for the Elders during the winter of 1834–35 and ever since have been highly valued in the Church. They constitute a substantial historical and doctrinal heritage from early Restoration years. Bringing together in one volume the background, the history, the text, and an informed and stimulating commentary, this book makes a major contribution to an understanding of the subject and therefore to the reader’s efforts to live the great principle of faith in Jesus Christ. ISBN 0-8849-4725-4

“For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pas the immortality and eternal life of man.” This profound doctrinal statement is one of many contained in the Pearl of Great Price, the smallest of the standard works and the last to be canonized. Studying that scripture in depth adds immensely to our understanding of the Lord’s eternal plan. Comprising addresses delivered at a symposium on the Pearl of Great Price, this book combines the insights and testimonies of thirteen gospel scholars. All things were created to bear witness of God. As here shown, the Pearl of Great Price does that in many ways.

In Oxford, Britain’s most ancient seat of learning, a series of events commemorated the visit of Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles just before Christmas. Elder Holland spoke at the university and in Pembroke Chapel at a “Nine Lessons and Carols” celebration. Eminent speakers from the Catholic, Anglican, and nonconformist traditions joined him to commit enthusiastically to common service and exploration, and an agenda has been set for further dialogue, action, and deeper friendships. Featured speakers in this volume include the Reverend Dr. Andrew Teal, Lord David Alton, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, former Archbishop Rowan Williams, and the Reverend Professor Frances Young. At the conclusion of his visit, Elder Holland delivered a moving address titled “Christ­mas Comfort.” This book celebrates the marvelous start of deeper commitment, dialogue, and friendship. ISBN 978-1-9443-9489-9

In this volume, twenty-one prominent social scientists address the complex set of relationships that emerge between religion and the family. They show that increased knowledge of how religions and families influence each other sheds light on vaguely understood processes of social change and sharpens questions asked about the church and family influence on such things as marriage, divorce, abortion, birth control, children, sex roles, authority patterns, and belief systems. The authors discuss the religion and family connection in a variety of settings: Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Mormon, Amish, Ireland, and Middletown, U.S.A., among others. ISBN 0-8849-4636-3

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

Contents:

The Liahona Triad / Robert E. Wells
Four Faces of Pride in the Book of Mormon / K. Douglas Bassett
The First Families of the Book of Mormon / Douglas E. Brinley
The Concept of Hell / Larry E. Dahl
Enduring to the End / Dennis L. Largey
The Book of Mormon: The Pattern in Preparing a People to Meet the Savior / E. Dale LeBaron
“Knowest Thou the Condescension of God?” / Gerald N. Lund
What the Book of Mormon Tells Us About the Bible / Robert J. Matthews
To Become as a Little Child: The Quest for Humility / Byron R. Merrill
The Love of God and of All Men: The Doctrine of Charity in the Book of Mormon / Robert L. Millet
By the Book of Mormon We Know / Monte S. Nyman
“As Plain as Word Can Be” / D. Kelly Ogden
The Ten Commandments in the Book of Mormon / David Rolph Seely
Types and Shadows of Deliverance in the Book of Mormon / M. Catherine Thomas
Faith Unto Repentance / Brent L. Top
Sanctification By the Holy Spirit / Bruce A. Van Orden
Ten Testimonies of Jesus Christ from the Book of Mormon / John W. Welch
The Book of Mormon and Overcoming Satan / Clyde J. Williams

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.

A single volume cannot accurately measure the influence of a beloved colleague, but this one nevertheless stands as modest evidence of Robert L. Millet’s prodigious impact over a career that spanned nearly four decades. His retirement provided an opportunity to gather some of us who count him as a mentor, colleague, and friend. We offer this collection of essays as a monument to his remarkable career as an administrator, teacher, and writer. That these pieces range across topics, disciplines, and even religious traditions seems especially appropriate given Millet’s own broad reach. His students number in the thousands, his readers number perhaps ten times that number, and his friends in academia, the Church Educational System (CES) of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and around the globe in many faiths would be difficult to number indeed. Both in terms of his staggering literary production and in his broad collection of colleagues, it is not an overstatement to place Bob Millet among the most influential Latter-day Saint voices of the past quarter century. We who count ourselves grateful recipients of his generous influence hope this volume’s collective thinking, faith, and lively conversation form a worthy “thank you” to our cherished colleague and friend. ISBN 978-0-8425-2968-6

Contents:

A Surety of a Better Testament / James E. Faust
A Message of Judgment from the Olivet Sermon / Arthur A. Bailey
Miracles: Meridian and Modern / Donald Q. Cannon
He Has Risen: The Resurrection Narratives as a Witness of a Corporeal Regeneration / Richard D. Draper
The Surprise Factors in the Teachings of Jesus / Kenneth W. Godfrey
The Passion of Jesus Christ / Richard Neitzel Holzapfel
Mark and Luke: Two Facets of a Diamond / Roger R. Keller
Truly All Things Testify of Him / Robert England Lee
“Wilt Thou Be Made Whole?”: Medicine and Healing in the Time of Jesus / Ann N. Madsen
“Behold, the Lamb of God”: The Savior’s Use of Animals as Symbols / Byron R. Merrill
The Lord’s Teachings on the Use of This World’s Goods / J. Philip Schaelling
“I Am He”: Jesus’ Public Declarations of His Own Identity / Jonathan H. Stephenson
John’s Testimony of the Bread of Life / Thomas R. Valletta
The Water Imagery in John’s Gospel: Power, Purification, and Pedagogy / Fred E. Woods

Volume 4 i​n 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

Many scholars have claimed that religion has little or no effect on the lives of young people today; some have even asserted that religion is harmful to teens and young adults. Others have boldly predicted that the secularization of America will continue until religion has no place in our society. This book emerged out of the authors’ efforts to provide scientific evidence that shows how religion does play a significant role in the lives of LDS youth. The authors undertook a groundbreaking study that spans 17 years and three countries. Each chapter of the book examines a different aspect of youths’ religiosity and how it affects other aspects of their lives. It shows that religion is indeed a meaningful and positive force in the lives of LDS teens and young adults. In this groundbreaking volume, Bruce A Chadwick, Brent L. Top, and Richard J. McClendon present the results of their 17-year study of the relationship between religiosity and delinquency in Latter-day Saint young people. Truly the first of its kind, this study shows that LDS youth with a high level of religiosity are not only less likely to participate in harmful delinquent activities but also more likely to have healthy self-esteem, resist peer pressure, and excel in school. Parents, priesthood leaders, and youth leaders know that the youth of the Church are constantly faced with temptation and opposition. This important study can help us provide our youth with the tools they need to fashion a shield of faith. ISBN 978-0-8425-2761-3

Winner of the 2019 Mormon History Association’s Best International Book Award. From the day Lorenzo Snow stepped out of a carriage onto Italian soil in 1850 to the day that Thomas S. Monson turned a shovel of Italian soil to break ground for a temple in 2010, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has made evangelization in Italy a high priority. Mormon missionary work unfolded against a backdrop of historical forces—political upheaval, world wars, social change, and internal Church dynamics—that presented both obstacles and opportunities for growth. Over the span of a century and a half, the Church managed to establish a small but significant and enduring presence in Italy. This research on Church history and religious change among Italian Mormons is intended to help provide a comprehensive account and thorough analysis of the people, events, and issues related to this important chapter in Church history. This volume highlights the human drama associated with the encounters between foreign missionaries and local spiritual seekers, discussing the tensions and adjustments that result at both the individual and institutional levels, and explores the implications of religious growth across obstacles of faith, geography, and culture. What are reviewers saying? Click here. ISBN 978-1-9443-9410-3

This book tells the inspiring stories of nineteen pioneering Latter-day Saints in Mexico, exploring how and why they converted to the Church and what happened to them, their families, and their descendants afterward. Despite personal, economic, political, social, and religious struggles that tested their newfound faith, these members, like countless other Mexican Saints whose stories are yet untold, turned their lives to the Savior’s gospel of life and salvation and carried on as exemplars to their people. ISBN 978-1-9503-0427-1

“What bravery! They died with their boots on!” remarked one of the Zapatista executioners about the surreal way local Church leaders Rafael Monroy and Vicente Morales had stood to receive the fusillade of bullets that pierced their bodies. The terror of facing an execution squad notwithstanding, no cowering, begging, or hysterics marred their calm and stalwart resolution to not renounce their faith. The Zapatista commander had given them that option. The men responded by reaffirming their religious convictions, emphasizing that the only arms they possessed were not the concealed military weapons they were accused of hiding but rather their sacred texts—the Bible and the Book of Mormon. The book first examines the founding of the LDS Church in the village of San Marcos in Hidalgo, Mexico, amid the trials of the Mexican Revolution of 1910–17 and the martyrdom of two members. The second part explores the trials of developing and organizing the faith in the state of Hidalgo up through the 1950s. This book is a riveting story of Mexican members and their country’s society, economy, and polity. ISBN 978-1-9443-9432-5

Today, it’s hard to imagine Apostles not being able to visit any part of the world. But the Saints in South America waited twenty years between visits. Follow the experiences in 1948 of Apostle Stephen L Richards and his wife Irene in Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay that changed the course of the Church in Latin America. In addition, the book has a prologue and epilogue that tell the history of the Church in Latin America before and after the Richardses’ visit. ISBN 978-1-9443-9477-6

The 2009 BYU Church History Symposium The pattern of keeping records dates back to the earliest days of the church, when Joseph Smith, the church’s founding prophet, announced the divine decree, “Behold, there shall be a record kept among you” (D&C 21:1). Leaders of the church have strived to obey that command. Contemporaneous records were kept of revelations received by the prophet, the calling and interaction of early leaders, missionary assignments, the building of temples, and much more. The Latter-day Saints continue to be a record-keeping people. In fact, there may be no other people on earth of comparable size who have a richer record-keeping tradition than the people nicknamed Mormons. It is a part of the church’s administrative system, reaching from small committees to the church’s general conferences and from new members to the most senior leaders. Because of this tradition, scholars can readily evaluate Latter-day Saint history from a wealth of primary documents. ISBN 978-0-8425-2777-4

Making and keeping covenants