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All Things New: Rethinking Sin, Salvation, and Everything in Between
Robert MacFarlane has written that "language does not just register experience, it produces it." Our religious language in particular informs and shapes our understanding of God, our sense of self, and the way we make sense of our challenging path back to loving Heavenly Parents. Unfortunately, to an extent we may not realize, our religious vocabulary has been shaped by prior generations whose creeds, in Joseph Smith s words, have "filled the world with confusion."
"I make all things new," proclaimed the Lord. Regrettably, many are still mired in the past, in ways we have not recognized. In this book, Fiona and Terryl Givens trace the roots of our religious vocabulary, explore how a flawed inheritance compounds the wounds and challenges of a life devoted to discipleship, and suggest ways of reformulating our language in more healthy ways all in the hope that, as B. H. Roberts urged, we may all "cooperate in the works of the Spirit" to find "a truer expression" of a gospel restored.
"I make all things new," proclaimed the Lord. Regrettably, many are still mired in the past, in ways we have not recognized. In this book, Fiona and Terryl Givens trace the roots of our religious vocabulary, explore how a flawed inheritance compounds the wounds and challenges of a life devoted to discipleship, and suggest ways of reformulating our language in more healthy ways all in the hope that, as B. H. Roberts urged, we may all "cooperate in the works of the Spirit" to find "a truer expression" of a gospel restored.
156 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 16, 2020
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April 19, 2022
The more I’ve studied Christian theology, the more I find the doctrines taught in the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ (Mormonism) as truly revolutionary. They reconcile significant issues and scholars and theologians would do well to debate these doctrines (particularly those asserted in this book). I say this not as someone from the “home team”, but as someone who has spent almost two decades studying Christian theology, belief, and non-belief more generally. Too many recent books focus on the sensational stories of historical Mormonism or pop-science survey books about millennial/gen-z Mormons. Too many students of Mormonism spend time studying “how” the gospel was restored (its history) rather than “what” was revealed (its unique doctrines). They think premortality, being co-eternal with God, and eternal progress are commonplace and focus instead on polygamy, priesthood bans, and the idiosyncrasies of church leaders or “palace intrigue” as the “unique” parts of the faith. There is So. Much. More!
This book is a continuation of the Givens’ evolving effort to understand what is truly unique about Mormon doctrine. It builds on their work in The God Who Weeps and The Christ Who Heals (both great books). I don’t agree with everything the Givens’ assert here, but I appreciate them moving the conversation forward.
Overall, I’d recommend this as a great introduction into the uniqueness and power of Mormon doctrine relative to general Christian theology. But don’t stop here. Read more on these ideas and topics. The Givens’ have a great perspective. But there are others and we’re only starting to see what was, and continues to be, restored.
This book is a continuation of the Givens’ evolving effort to understand what is truly unique about Mormon doctrine. It builds on their work in The God Who Weeps and The Christ Who Heals (both great books). I don’t agree with everything the Givens’ assert here, but I appreciate them moving the conversation forward.
Overall, I’d recommend this as a great introduction into the uniqueness and power of Mormon doctrine relative to general Christian theology. But don’t stop here. Read more on these ideas and topics. The Givens’ have a great perspective. But there are others and we’re only starting to see what was, and continues to be, restored.
January 30, 2021
A must read for anyone no longer satisfied by a relationship with God that feels transactional and conditioned upon obedience.
January 10, 2022
This is the most intriguing religious commentary I’ve read in a long time. So much to think about, so many great points, and a wonderful religious/doctrinal history lesson. The Givens are so smart, I have to read most paragraphs a couple times to capture it all. But it’s worth the effort. Highly recommended!
A few favorite quotes:
We understand, in a way that is radically distinct from Christian conceptions, that salvation is the flowering of a divine potential, not the correction of an innate fault. (81)
We might venture a definition of salvation: to be saved is to become the kind of persons, in the kinds of relationships, that constitute the divine nature. The becoming is the key term here. (82)
We lose sight of the fact that God is running the race with us, not waiting at the finish line to declare us victor or loser. (83)
If salvation is about what we are to become as individuals, heaven is the name given to those relationships in which individuals find fulness of joy…neither salvation nor heaven are rewards that God can dispense, or that we can earn. Relationships are forged…Heaven is relationship….Heaven is process. (86)
Our entire relationship with God will change when we are able to recognize that repentance is not the discipline meted out to us when we get it wrong; repentance is the lifelong venture of accepting Christ’s willingness to help us shape our heart in his image. It is a positive engagement with the learning process, not recurrent periods in a penalty box…[Repentance is] continuation of the journey, picking ourselves up and moving forward, energized and renewed by the certainty of God’s abiding love and encouragement. (119)
The entire Great Plan is predicated on our Heavenly Parents’ confidence that through the process of our mortal experiences we will learn to choose more wisely and that our desires, our yearnings, our affections, will become more and more centered on the Good, the True, the Beautiful…Hence the constant refrain that weaves through scripture as its most common theme: “repent”; that is, “reeducate” or “reset your heart.” (120)
The urgent responsibility to minister to the wounded is upon us all. Our baptismal covenants are the operative way by which Christ’s atoning ministry becomes universal. (147)
Our Heavenly Parents are more generous with us than we are with ourselves because They are wiser than we are. This is why we might best understand mercy not as turning a blind eye to our actions but as seeing them with a fully understanding eye. (161)
A few favorite quotes:
We understand, in a way that is radically distinct from Christian conceptions, that salvation is the flowering of a divine potential, not the correction of an innate fault. (81)
We might venture a definition of salvation: to be saved is to become the kind of persons, in the kinds of relationships, that constitute the divine nature. The becoming is the key term here. (82)
We lose sight of the fact that God is running the race with us, not waiting at the finish line to declare us victor or loser. (83)
If salvation is about what we are to become as individuals, heaven is the name given to those relationships in which individuals find fulness of joy…neither salvation nor heaven are rewards that God can dispense, or that we can earn. Relationships are forged…Heaven is relationship….Heaven is process. (86)
Our entire relationship with God will change when we are able to recognize that repentance is not the discipline meted out to us when we get it wrong; repentance is the lifelong venture of accepting Christ’s willingness to help us shape our heart in his image. It is a positive engagement with the learning process, not recurrent periods in a penalty box…[Repentance is] continuation of the journey, picking ourselves up and moving forward, energized and renewed by the certainty of God’s abiding love and encouragement. (119)
The entire Great Plan is predicated on our Heavenly Parents’ confidence that through the process of our mortal experiences we will learn to choose more wisely and that our desires, our yearnings, our affections, will become more and more centered on the Good, the True, the Beautiful…Hence the constant refrain that weaves through scripture as its most common theme: “repent”; that is, “reeducate” or “reset your heart.” (120)
The urgent responsibility to minister to the wounded is upon us all. Our baptismal covenants are the operative way by which Christ’s atoning ministry becomes universal. (147)
Our Heavenly Parents are more generous with us than we are with ourselves because They are wiser than we are. This is why we might best understand mercy not as turning a blind eye to our actions but as seeing them with a fully understanding eye. (161)
December 30, 2021
Magnificent. The Givens are a treasure. I found myself marking something almost every page.
Much of what they say isn't new or unfamiliar, but they say it succinctly and with much theological or literary support. It was a little dense, so it was slow-going. But, I wish that every Mormon would read this; it would help them learn how to become a Latter-Day Saint. And it should be required reading for every Latter-Day Saint.
I loved that they outrightly acknowledged and celebrated Heavenly Mother, and referred where appropriate to God as "They." I loved that they didn't dwell on the bureaucratic workings of the Church, or singlehood and marriage.
What was new to me was, as the title says, their reconception of sin. It isn't some state where we are condemned under God's wrath, it is a state of "awful woundedness," where we feel diminished from God's love for us and God's love for others, as we dwell on our own hurt and guilt and vengeance and a thousand other feelings that stymy unadulterated love. And, that the antidote to that is healing. I think this is an important dimension to cogitate upon further.
Although, I cringe a little at the title and the cover design. It looks like an Evangelical book where a lot of words are thrown around, but there isn't a tangible conclusion. ...this is definitely not one of those books.
**also, they reference "The Good Place"! The talk about Michael and the point system and an arbitrary cutoff.
And I wish that they would've talked about way-stations in the afterlife
Much of what they say isn't new or unfamiliar, but they say it succinctly and with much theological or literary support. It was a little dense, so it was slow-going. But, I wish that every Mormon would read this; it would help them learn how to become a Latter-Day Saint. And it should be required reading for every Latter-Day Saint.
I loved that they outrightly acknowledged and celebrated Heavenly Mother, and referred where appropriate to God as "They." I loved that they didn't dwell on the bureaucratic workings of the Church, or singlehood and marriage.
What was new to me was, as the title says, their reconception of sin. It isn't some state where we are condemned under God's wrath, it is a state of "awful woundedness," where we feel diminished from God's love for us and God's love for others, as we dwell on our own hurt and guilt and vengeance and a thousand other feelings that stymy unadulterated love. And, that the antidote to that is healing. I think this is an important dimension to cogitate upon further.
Although, I cringe a little at the title and the cover design. It looks like an Evangelical book where a lot of words are thrown around, but there isn't a tangible conclusion. ...this is definitely not one of those books.
**also, they reference "The Good Place"! The talk about Michael and the point system and an arbitrary cutoff.
And I wish that they would've talked about way-stations in the afterlife
November 9, 2021
This was absolutely one of my very favorite books I read this year. As a lover of words, one of my core beliefs is that the language we use matters—that dearly held notion is at the heart of this book. As a tide of fundamentalist backlash has gripped the country politically, and in an almost microcosmic way, has also gripped the American quotient of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, this book read (to me and in my current headspace) as a beautiful declaration against such narrow and narrow-minded readings of our origins and histories. The Givenses explore the theological underpinnings of Restoration gospel and how our collective consciousness has been shaped by early and recent Christian history, including and particularly by the Protestant Reformation and the Great Awakening. Fiona and Terryl Givens deftly carve out the ethos of our beliefs in the restored gospel, noting how these truths differ in critical ways from traditional readings of age-old doctrines or ideas. They cite some of my favorite writers, including Robert MacFarlane and Marilynne Robinson (with part of my favorite passage of “Gilead”) and invoke these writers’ and thinkers’ most beautiful ideas in support of their thesis, that our beliefs require a reimagining and re-articulation worthy of their (and our) limitless potential. Their conclusion which encourages reconciliation and community-building with others of the Christian tradition is likewise a beautiful one underscored by many ideas throughout the text.
May 29, 2022
The main thesis of this book is that our current view of the gospel is held back by reformation-era connotations associated with the gospel vocabulary we used. After establishing this pretext, the Givens go on to redefine a number or our most common gospel terms, generally with more expansive and uplifting definitions.
I enjoyed the closer look at the words we use sometimes carelessly, and I agree that understanding these words as an all-loving God intends to use them is a key to unlocking all the positive emotions an experience with the gospel has to offer.
I enjoyed the closer look at the words we use sometimes carelessly, and I agree that understanding these words as an all-loving God intends to use them is a key to unlocking all the positive emotions an experience with the gospel has to offer.
July 25, 2021
4.5 stars. A very good examination of LDS religious language and where it is both helpful and harmful to the ultimate aims of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The most interesting bits were tracing the history of terms, words, and their usages. It ended kind of abruptly and didn’t go into as much detail as I wanted in some parts, but overall, a very insightful read.
May 17, 2021
A must-read for any progressive thinker in the LDS community.
All Things New walks you through an interesting and well-researched history of Christianity and deconstructs some of the harmful religious precepts adopted by men throughout history.
It sheds a more holistic, true light on the loving nature of God and the purpose of Christ to heal, not punish, to make complete and whole, not to make perfect (in the modern sense of the word). I especially loved the chapters on repentance and worthiness.
The restoration is not complete. Nor did it's founder ever claim it to be. Certain truths have been lost and morphed over time and this book was a good reminder to hold to the undefiled gospel of Christ (which is unconditional love) rather than getting caught up in shame-filled regulations or fear tactics that make us feel we must abide by in order to be saved.
All Things New walks you through an interesting and well-researched history of Christianity and deconstructs some of the harmful religious precepts adopted by men throughout history.
It sheds a more holistic, true light on the loving nature of God and the purpose of Christ to heal, not punish, to make complete and whole, not to make perfect (in the modern sense of the word). I especially loved the chapters on repentance and worthiness.
The restoration is not complete. Nor did it's founder ever claim it to be. Certain truths have been lost and morphed over time and this book was a good reminder to hold to the undefiled gospel of Christ (which is unconditional love) rather than getting caught up in shame-filled regulations or fear tactics that make us feel we must abide by in order to be saved.
May 25, 2021
essential to anyone who wishes to view God with love not fear.
February 4, 2021
I loved their historically contextualized discussion of our religious vocabulary—what we have right and what we may need to reconsider regarding the language we use to discuss such important concepts. They discuss salvation, the Fall, sin, obedience, justice, Atonement, worthiness, grace, judgment and more. I think this is a very important conversation to have, and I want to reread this before my kid gets older so I can remember these lessons and how to teach these concepts.
February 7, 2021
The Givens’ have done it again! Loved every moment of this listen and I will return to it often I’m sure. I also need a hard copy to mark. I love the way they trace doctrines through history. I am always in awe of their ability to describe eternal truths with fresh eyes and new vocabulary. I am grateful for their work and efforts to bring peace to many souls who are hurting needlessly. There were moments that made me cheer, descriptions that made me well up and truths that sank deep into my heart. Highest recommendation.
January 21, 2021
Wow. This book provides a thorough examination of early Christianity and the reformation and how both informed the truths and partial truths and flawed concepts we sometimes unwittingly embrace as a part of restoration culture. It goes a step further in not only examining these concepts, but providing much to consider in terms of a more accurate interpretation of what Jesus and God and scripture actually taught and what comprises their true nature and ours. Highly recommend.
January 27, 2021
This book is as exceptional as all of their books are.
December 31, 2021
The Givens quote early Christian writers who believed doctrines espoused by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They show that Augustine and others twisted the true gospel. The true understanding of God’s nature and His plan for us was “evident in the early Church before Augustine rewrote the narrative.” p.90
This book is for anyone seeking truth about Christianity, and especially for members of the restored Church of Jesus Christ, since many protestant ideals have shaped this nation.
“Why then did God create those whose fall He foreknew?” Augustine’s answer: “To manifest His wrath and to demonstrate His power. Human history was the arena for this demonstration.” …one can understand Thomas Jefferson’s outrage at Augustine’s theory: “It would be more pardonable to believe in no God at all, than to blaspheme Him by [such] atrocious attributes.”
A historian summarizes…the triumph of Augustine’s views…ensured the triumph “of a Christian theology whose central concerns were human sinfulness, not human potentiality; divine determination, not human freedom and responsibility…” p. 42
The restored gospel of Jesus Christ is not recuperative. Modern Christian theology looks at Christ as the One who comes in to mop up the mess brought about by the fall of Adam and Eve. “The entirety of the Christian message is reducible to a tragedy rectified.” p.89
But “as Latter-day Saints we sense neither wreckage nor failure in the events of Eden. In restoration theology, God foreordained the Fall, and Christ, as Savior, was foreordained before the foundation of the earth. The fall of Adam was imperative for the human race to be born. Christ came to yes, make us clean, and also to heal the wounds that come from living on this earthly sphere.
In restoration theology, “salvation is the flowering of a divine potential, not the correction of an innate fault.” P. 81
---I loved this book. Here are a few quotes:
“A correct idea of His character, perfections and attributes,” Joseph Smith taught, was essential to a transformative faith. For Joseph Smith, an absolutely fundamental purpose of the Restoration was to replace the slanderous character imputed to God with a correct understanding consistent with the original Good News.
In exploring the appeal of early Christianity, the cynic Friedrich Nietzsche could only marvel at the gullibility of the teeming throngs of converts who had found this “better way.” Power and dominion were the source of the only real happiness, he insisted. The rich, the well-born, the noble—these possessed the genuine article, until clever priests convinced them that some phantom joy was only found in pity, humility, selflessness and fellow-feeling. (A “slave-revolt in morality” he called it.) Yet even that great skeptic could not explain how the noble, the powerful, the rich—how they too were persuaded to willingly forsake their privilege and aspire instead to humility, to selflessness, to compassion.
Christian love transcended anything the ancient world had seen. Rodney Stark notes how through recurrent plagues, as citizens fled infected areas, Christians remained behind to nurse and minister to the sick at the cost of their lives. Around 260 AD, at the height of yet another epidemic, the Christian Dionysius recorded, Christians showed unbounded love and loyalty, never sparing themselves and thinking only of one another. Heedless of danger, they took charge of the sick, attending to their every need and ministering to them in Christ, and with them departed this life serenely happy; for they were infected by others with the disease, drawing on themselves the sickness of their neighbors and cheerfully accepting their pains. Many, in nursing and curing others, transferred their death to themselves and died in their stead.
Premortality is not just an addendum to the story of human life. If you change the beginning, you change the ending.\—and everything in between…If you live in this world, then you were one of those who chose to engage in “the trial by existence,”
Edward Beecher (1803–95) spoke truly when he warned that “of all errors, none are so fundamental and so wide reaching in their evil tendencies and results as errors with respect to the character of God.”
This book is for anyone seeking truth about Christianity, and especially for members of the restored Church of Jesus Christ, since many protestant ideals have shaped this nation.
“Why then did God create those whose fall He foreknew?” Augustine’s answer: “To manifest His wrath and to demonstrate His power. Human history was the arena for this demonstration.” …one can understand Thomas Jefferson’s outrage at Augustine’s theory: “It would be more pardonable to believe in no God at all, than to blaspheme Him by [such] atrocious attributes.”
A historian summarizes…the triumph of Augustine’s views…ensured the triumph “of a Christian theology whose central concerns were human sinfulness, not human potentiality; divine determination, not human freedom and responsibility…” p. 42
The restored gospel of Jesus Christ is not recuperative. Modern Christian theology looks at Christ as the One who comes in to mop up the mess brought about by the fall of Adam and Eve. “The entirety of the Christian message is reducible to a tragedy rectified.” p.89
But “as Latter-day Saints we sense neither wreckage nor failure in the events of Eden. In restoration theology, God foreordained the Fall, and Christ, as Savior, was foreordained before the foundation of the earth. The fall of Adam was imperative for the human race to be born. Christ came to yes, make us clean, and also to heal the wounds that come from living on this earthly sphere.
In restoration theology, “salvation is the flowering of a divine potential, not the correction of an innate fault.” P. 81
---I loved this book. Here are a few quotes:
“A correct idea of His character, perfections and attributes,” Joseph Smith taught, was essential to a transformative faith. For Joseph Smith, an absolutely fundamental purpose of the Restoration was to replace the slanderous character imputed to God with a correct understanding consistent with the original Good News.
In exploring the appeal of early Christianity, the cynic Friedrich Nietzsche could only marvel at the gullibility of the teeming throngs of converts who had found this “better way.” Power and dominion were the source of the only real happiness, he insisted. The rich, the well-born, the noble—these possessed the genuine article, until clever priests convinced them that some phantom joy was only found in pity, humility, selflessness and fellow-feeling. (A “slave-revolt in morality” he called it.) Yet even that great skeptic could not explain how the noble, the powerful, the rich—how they too were persuaded to willingly forsake their privilege and aspire instead to humility, to selflessness, to compassion.
Christian love transcended anything the ancient world had seen. Rodney Stark notes how through recurrent plagues, as citizens fled infected areas, Christians remained behind to nurse and minister to the sick at the cost of their lives. Around 260 AD, at the height of yet another epidemic, the Christian Dionysius recorded, Christians showed unbounded love and loyalty, never sparing themselves and thinking only of one another. Heedless of danger, they took charge of the sick, attending to their every need and ministering to them in Christ, and with them departed this life serenely happy; for they were infected by others with the disease, drawing on themselves the sickness of their neighbors and cheerfully accepting their pains. Many, in nursing and curing others, transferred their death to themselves and died in their stead.
Premortality is not just an addendum to the story of human life. If you change the beginning, you change the ending.\—and everything in between…If you live in this world, then you were one of those who chose to engage in “the trial by existence,”
Edward Beecher (1803–95) spoke truly when he warned that “of all errors, none are so fundamental and so wide reaching in their evil tendencies and results as errors with respect to the character of God.”
June 24, 2024
Every Christian would do well to read this book. I can't recommend it enough because it asks readers to rethink the Atonement, reaching back beyond the Calvinist and Protostant underpinnings that so heavily influence modern Christianity including Mormon culture/praxis. Givens' dedication to their "beloved grandchildren--who deserve a new vocabulary adequate to the broken world they will assist in healing" is an apt summary of their rhetorical purpose. This book confronts changes in Church culture still needed as part of the ongoing restoration. A major take-away for me was to hear people discusing what I've been thinking about for a long time, specifically the nature of God (They) and the unreconcilable faults in the historical record depicting a vengeful or unfeeling God. The omission of the divine female is briefly discussed, but so good. It does not derail the larger argument about eternal human relationships, esp. the emphasis on God's love and that They never withhold it. The Givens do a good job summarizing theological devolution leading to our current moment of strained relationality with God and other people (punishment).
My only complaint about the book is the citation practice. It is clunky and overwrought, even being so cherry picked to appeal to authority in a way that sounds like "see how much we've read."I would appreciate a more sustained authorial voice. (I understand the precarious position in which the Givens write.) On the flip side, some of the sources they include are very refreshing and provide a relief from mainstream organs showing that LDS beliefs are RESTORED beliefs, not invented by Joseph Smith. Jr. For example, Julian of Norwich is the token 14-C female voice of forgotten truth. Also, there are reminders that we have sources not adequately utilized in Church culture, i.e. "At the Pulpit."
The discussion of grace is superb. Surely a touchstone in LDS letters.
I highly recommend a slow read of this book, with a pen in hand. In so doing, you will feel hopeful and happy--glad for your Church membership and, most importantly, mindful of your responsiblity in the ongoing Restoration.
My only complaint about the book is the citation practice. It is clunky and overwrought, even being so cherry picked to appeal to authority in a way that sounds like "see how much we've read."I would appreciate a more sustained authorial voice. (I understand the precarious position in which the Givens write.) On the flip side, some of the sources they include are very refreshing and provide a relief from mainstream organs showing that LDS beliefs are RESTORED beliefs, not invented by Joseph Smith. Jr. For example, Julian of Norwich is the token 14-C female voice of forgotten truth. Also, there are reminders that we have sources not adequately utilized in Church culture, i.e. "At the Pulpit."
The discussion of grace is superb. Surely a touchstone in LDS letters.
I highly recommend a slow read of this book, with a pen in hand. In so doing, you will feel hopeful and happy--glad for your Church membership and, most importantly, mindful of your responsiblity in the ongoing Restoration.
November 27, 2021
Eight years ago, I first read The God Who Weeps, in the shadow of my mother's death and more family ugliness than I could imagine existed, this husband and wife team, changed my life, showing me how much God cares about us and in intertwined in our lives. To quote Charles Emmerson Winchester (I can't think of a more appropriate quote): they "lowered a bucket into the well of my despair and raised me up the light of day."
This is the fourth volume in their series offering a fresh look at LDS theology. They stay true to LDS doctrine, but expand it beyond what many people have considered.
Here they take on how much traditional Protestantism still affects, and sometimes taints, our view of God and our relationship with Him.
They attempt to open our eyes. I have to think very seriously about what they propose here. The previous three offerings were published by the official Church publishing company, Deseret Book, or one of its imprints (Ensign Books is their academic imprint.) However, this one is published by Faith Matters. I wonder if I'm reading too much into that?
I eagerly look forward to their next offering.
This is the fourth volume in their series offering a fresh look at LDS theology. They stay true to LDS doctrine, but expand it beyond what many people have considered.
Here they take on how much traditional Protestantism still affects, and sometimes taints, our view of God and our relationship with Him.
They attempt to open our eyes. I have to think very seriously about what they propose here. The previous three offerings were published by the official Church publishing company, Deseret Book, or one of its imprints (Ensign Books is their academic imprint.) However, this one is published by Faith Matters. I wonder if I'm reading too much into that?
I eagerly look forward to their next offering.
July 2, 2022
This book is based on the premise that Augustine and the Reformation gave the world some erroneous understanding of Christian terminology that Christianity has been laboring under ever since. Even Latter-day Saints, with their restoration theology, often labor under the same mistaken terminology. This book is the authors attempt at first, explaining how Augustine and certain Reformers changed the Christian narrative and perpetuated ideas which muddied the definitions of Christian terms and how these ideas colored the understanding of early Latter-day Saints restoration theology as they came away from these persuasions; second, how restoration theology corrects the Christian narrative and changes our understanding of Christian terminology to put us in line with certain early Christian truths that were later expelled as heretical; and, third, explains what restoration means.
The authors certainly know their early Christian church history. They like to explain how LDS theology is in line with certain early Christian church ideas and have done so often in their other books. I found their information about the Reformation interesting, thought provoking, and worth considering. It is certainly different from general LDS thought on that topic.
Generally speaking, I don’t disagree with the authors restoration-defined terms. I don’t know that many LDS members who have studied their own theology would. However, I do feel there was an unfortunate air of overemphasis and cherry picking that I can’t get behind. They seemed to want to reduce some terms to very narrow definitions.
I did enjoy the ending thoughts on restoration as a gathering together of truth regardless of where it comes from. Most LDS members will be familiar with this idea as spoken by early LDS church leaders. I appreciated the authors further explanation of that concept.
Overall a good book if any of the above sounds of interest or if you want to read about the healing power of Christ and His Atonement and don’t mind that it’s rather heavy handed in that regard.
The authors certainly know their early Christian church history. They like to explain how LDS theology is in line with certain early Christian church ideas and have done so often in their other books. I found their information about the Reformation interesting, thought provoking, and worth considering. It is certainly different from general LDS thought on that topic.
Generally speaking, I don’t disagree with the authors restoration-defined terms. I don’t know that many LDS members who have studied their own theology would. However, I do feel there was an unfortunate air of overemphasis and cherry picking that I can’t get behind. They seemed to want to reduce some terms to very narrow definitions.
I did enjoy the ending thoughts on restoration as a gathering together of truth regardless of where it comes from. Most LDS members will be familiar with this idea as spoken by early LDS church leaders. I appreciated the authors further explanation of that concept.
Overall a good book if any of the above sounds of interest or if you want to read about the healing power of Christ and His Atonement and don’t mind that it’s rather heavy handed in that regard.
February 7, 2022
Every time I finish a book by the Givens, I want to go right back to the beginning and start slowly reading through it again. They just present so much to think about and analyze. My main takeaway from this book was the authors' explanation of the differences between being "saved from sin" vs. "healed from woundedness". My favorite chapters in this book were on Atonement and Worthiness.
January 4, 2023
5 stars but think in multiples of that! Cannot recommend this book high enough. Prepare to shift and change paradigms regarding your soul. If you haven't thought about your soul lately, then do.
February 28, 2021
So many concepts and definitions that have changed through time from poor translation and differences in connotation. My favorite is that the Atonement heals us from our woundedness, Christ died “not to satisfy the demands of the Devil, but to awaken humanity to love”.
May 4, 2021
This book answered many, many prayers of confusion. It redefines the language of worthiness and guilt and judgement that I hear at church, proving it compatible after all with the loving & understanding Jesus that I understand and interact with in my own life. And not only that, but it demonstrates that our LDS doctrine is truly the only version of the gospel that is so compatible. This should be required reading for all church members.
February 17, 2021
-Life is a school of love
-Scriptures can contain the word of God, the word of man, the word of the devil
-Does what I am reading expand my heart and mind or contract them?
-Heaven is relationships. It can't be earned. It is developed as our relationships are.
-Obedience is for love not for self status. We want our children to obey so they can have joy not so we can have prestige as parents.
-Misery and woe is different than sin and guilt.
-The pinnacle of service isn't in third world countries, it's at our doorstep. There is suffering all around us. Wounds follow generations, they don't simply go away.
-See the sinner as the wounded.
-Remorse not guilt. Remorse has an element of empathy. Guilt is unproductive and selfish.
-Our task is to not block the flow from God. Anytime we do things contrary to who He is, we block it.
-Joseph Smith quote we will be judged by how we judge others
-In a dream, she thirsted and felt Christ beside her. She drank and wanted to thank Him, but His joy was in her drinking what He had to offer. A host has joy when her guests enjoy themselves and eat. Parents have joy in their kid's happiness. Christ's atonement is already there. Come and partake. It makes me think of how we should learn to receive help. It helps others as they serve. We can find joy together in this.
-Worthiness. She doesn't worry about it. She has devoted herself to God and will keep trying. God's relationship with us is not because of our worthiness. No good relationship is transactional like this.
-Find and embrace all truth. This is the basis of Mormonism. This is what Joseph Smith was striving to inspire.
-Scriptures can contain the word of God, the word of man, the word of the devil
-Does what I am reading expand my heart and mind or contract them?
-Heaven is relationships. It can't be earned. It is developed as our relationships are.
-Obedience is for love not for self status. We want our children to obey so they can have joy not so we can have prestige as parents.
-Misery and woe is different than sin and guilt.
-The pinnacle of service isn't in third world countries, it's at our doorstep. There is suffering all around us. Wounds follow generations, they don't simply go away.
-See the sinner as the wounded.
-Remorse not guilt. Remorse has an element of empathy. Guilt is unproductive and selfish.
-Our task is to not block the flow from God. Anytime we do things contrary to who He is, we block it.
-Joseph Smith quote we will be judged by how we judge others
-In a dream, she thirsted and felt Christ beside her. She drank and wanted to thank Him, but His joy was in her drinking what He had to offer. A host has joy when her guests enjoy themselves and eat. Parents have joy in their kid's happiness. Christ's atonement is already there. Come and partake. It makes me think of how we should learn to receive help. It helps others as they serve. We can find joy together in this.
-Worthiness. She doesn't worry about it. She has devoted herself to God and will keep trying. God's relationship with us is not because of our worthiness. No good relationship is transactional like this.
-Find and embrace all truth. This is the basis of Mormonism. This is what Joseph Smith was striving to inspire.
April 4, 2022
I found this book oddly disappointing. I really generally like Terryl and Fiona's work. Terryl sat on my dissertation committee (my dissertation is cited in this book on page 86 and I'm sure there's at least one other moment of the book informed by my work there), and Fiona is a dear friend.
But I found this book lacking from the get-go. I have three major complaints (in ascending order of importance).
1. They define "God" as "our Heavenly Parents" early on, and then use sentences like "God loves us, so They desire our happiness." They make it sound like God is a single person who is non-binary, and that is antithetical to the very doctrine of Heavenly Parents. I see that they were trying to be inclusive, but this vocabulary choice was a very poor one.
2. While I myself am deeply sympathetic to the theories of atonement that focus more on healing than on legal justification or satisfaction, the emphasis on the atonement as healing us from our wounds was at the expense of saving us from our sins. As if all of our sins are the result of other influences on us. The idea of grace as an enabling power was more absent than I would have liked. While they admirably point to the LDS doctrine of the Plan of Salvation—that we came to earth to gain bodies and experience—they fail to account for that doctrine fully in their explanation of the atonement. A more full explanation would, I submit, take more fully into account the "experience" part of mortality's purpose. We were not sent here by our Heavenly Parents to be wounded and healed. Their discussion of the atonement heavily implied that.
3. And finally, though they speak of the Plan of Salvation as re-framing all of Christian doctrine (an assessment I agree with), they do not make the case as readily as they think they do that the Apostasy was a falling away from the specific story of "Heavenly Parents sending us to Earth to gain bodies and experience." I am simply not convinced (and I do have some expertise in this area) that the early Christian church under Peter and the apostles had a robust understanding of the Plan the way we, living a century and a half into the dispensation of the fulness of times, do. So I am more forgiving of the various mis-steps made by Christian theologians, working with what they had and doing the best they could. Since this is a major linchpin of their entire argument, the entire book falls flat in its logic, for me, even if I agree mostly with much of their re-framing of Christian doctrine in light of the more full understanding we in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-days are blessed to have.
Certainly worth reading, and some forgiveness should be extended for the shortness of the book and the fact that I, a professional theologian, am not the target audience, but I still found parts of this book unconvincing to the detriment of the whole.
But I found this book lacking from the get-go. I have three major complaints (in ascending order of importance).
1. They define "God" as "our Heavenly Parents" early on, and then use sentences like "God loves us, so They desire our happiness." They make it sound like God is a single person who is non-binary, and that is antithetical to the very doctrine of Heavenly Parents. I see that they were trying to be inclusive, but this vocabulary choice was a very poor one.
2. While I myself am deeply sympathetic to the theories of atonement that focus more on healing than on legal justification or satisfaction, the emphasis on the atonement as healing us from our wounds was at the expense of saving us from our sins. As if all of our sins are the result of other influences on us. The idea of grace as an enabling power was more absent than I would have liked. While they admirably point to the LDS doctrine of the Plan of Salvation—that we came to earth to gain bodies and experience—they fail to account for that doctrine fully in their explanation of the atonement. A more full explanation would, I submit, take more fully into account the "experience" part of mortality's purpose. We were not sent here by our Heavenly Parents to be wounded and healed. Their discussion of the atonement heavily implied that.
3. And finally, though they speak of the Plan of Salvation as re-framing all of Christian doctrine (an assessment I agree with), they do not make the case as readily as they think they do that the Apostasy was a falling away from the specific story of "Heavenly Parents sending us to Earth to gain bodies and experience." I am simply not convinced (and I do have some expertise in this area) that the early Christian church under Peter and the apostles had a robust understanding of the Plan the way we, living a century and a half into the dispensation of the fulness of times, do. So I am more forgiving of the various mis-steps made by Christian theologians, working with what they had and doing the best they could. Since this is a major linchpin of their entire argument, the entire book falls flat in its logic, for me, even if I agree mostly with much of their re-framing of Christian doctrine in light of the more full understanding we in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-days are blessed to have.
Certainly worth reading, and some forgiveness should be extended for the shortness of the book and the fact that I, a professional theologian, am not the target audience, but I still found parts of this book unconvincing to the detriment of the whole.
January 22, 2024
This has earned a spot in my canon of “absolute must reads” and is a book I recommend to anyone wishing to better understand the true nature of our relationship with God and the potential we have to make so much better if we can just reframe our thinking on a few key ecclesiastical vocabulary terms. The Givenses weave thoughtful, well-considered quotes from theologians of various backgrounds (such as Anglican N.T. Wright, Eastern Orthodox David Bentley Hart, and others), as well as LDS canon, to bring a whole new level of clarity to essential concepts about our relationship with the Divine. It all comes off as much more hopeful, positive, and healing than much of our LDS verbiage and teachings taken straight from dour puritanism would suggest.
Fiona and Terryl want us to know that God is not a stern, absentee parent who designed some absurd escape game for us to navigate, demanding adherence to arbitrary and impossible rules, ready to beat us down and demand perfection, as the "whole religion thing" is often understood. Rather, They are loving parents who will stop at nothing to bring eternal life to each of Their children.
The Givenses make a very strong point about "salvation" being more akin to healing our separation from God, rather than being saved from God's wrath. Sin is not so much a list of things not to do (which if you do will piss off God even more than he already was very cross with you), but rather those things we do which make us more distant from God. Sin is this distance from God that is to be healed, to make us "at one". If you can reframe the death of Jesus Christ from "God demanded a perfect sacrifice which meant the ghastly murder of Jesus to appease His honor" into "God came to earth and took all the sins and pains of the world on himself, thus uniting himself with the creation which he called good", so much more just falls naturally into place.
Read this. And then sleep on it for a while. Then read it again.
Fiona and Terryl want us to know that God is not a stern, absentee parent who designed some absurd escape game for us to navigate, demanding adherence to arbitrary and impossible rules, ready to beat us down and demand perfection, as the "whole religion thing" is often understood. Rather, They are loving parents who will stop at nothing to bring eternal life to each of Their children.
The Givenses make a very strong point about "salvation" being more akin to healing our separation from God, rather than being saved from God's wrath. Sin is not so much a list of things not to do (which if you do will piss off God even more than he already was very cross with you), but rather those things we do which make us more distant from God. Sin is this distance from God that is to be healed, to make us "at one". If you can reframe the death of Jesus Christ from "God demanded a perfect sacrifice which meant the ghastly murder of Jesus to appease His honor" into "God came to earth and took all the sins and pains of the world on himself, thus uniting himself with the creation which he called good", so much more just falls naturally into place.
Read this. And then sleep on it for a while. Then read it again.
July 30, 2021
Kindle/Audible. I really enjoyed the thesis of this book, especially the first few chapters (the Givens are Great).
Reading this line today from a friend of mine who is an academic and pastor (Kyle Beshears) brought this point home: "Sin, of course, marred that image, and the gospel tells of sin’s solution. Latter-day Saints, like all people, are sinners in need of Christ’s redemption." This is the counterpoint against which Givens argues. Her viewpoint, to which I ascribe, would say, rather we are all on an educative journey, laden with wounds, that Christ will heal in order to make us whole. The Christ she describes isn't the punitive, legalistic, parent who is shamed when we sin; this Christ is the one who loves unconditionally, sees sin as education, and seeks to heal wounds.
Reading this line today from a friend of mine who is an academic and pastor (Kyle Beshears) brought this point home: "Sin, of course, marred that image, and the gospel tells of sin’s solution. Latter-day Saints, like all people, are sinners in need of Christ’s redemption." This is the counterpoint against which Givens argues. Her viewpoint, to which I ascribe, would say, rather we are all on an educative journey, laden with wounds, that Christ will heal in order to make us whole. The Christ she describes isn't the punitive, legalistic, parent who is shamed when we sin; this Christ is the one who loves unconditionally, sees sin as education, and seeks to heal wounds.
March 24, 2022
Fiona and Terryl Givens ask important questions early in their book All Things New, including asking what was so compelling about early Christianity that it would blossom into a critical mass and worldwide force. Conversely, they wonder how a religion established in compassion and community could later descend into the violence of the Inquisition, Crusades and other wars of persecution. Why would early Christians commit atrocities in God’s name while preaching ‘He is a God of love’?
They offer that “Christianity survived amid pogroms and persecutions (and suspicious philosophers) because it quenched a thirst that had never found perfect resolution: as Martin Buber diagnosed the essential human condition... Christianity revealed the Spirit’s true lineaments hidden beneath the world of transactional relationships based on commerce, power dynamics, and self-interest.” p 16. As to inconsistencies found in a religion that proclaims itself one of peace, they argue that “History proves that mortal mayhem may result when ‘the distinctively Christian love’ is ‘cut loose from its theological moorings.’” p 20. They use this thesis to lay out a Latter-day Saint case for rethinking sin, salvation and everything in between. “For Joseph Smith, an absolutely fundamental purpose of the Restoration was to replace the slanderous character imputed to God with a correct understanding consistent with the original Good News.” p 20.
They argue that creeds throughout history have outlined Trinitarianism, asserted a closed canon, disembodied deity without “parts or passions” and creation ex nihilo. Catholicism (especially as promoted by Augustine in the 4th and 5th century) shifted an emphasis toward original sin. Luther and other Protestant reformers pushed back emphasizing the significance of grace, preaching predestination and away from free-will. The authors assert that “The Restoration is a process, not an event, and is still incomplete.” p 78.
I like their description of the Mormon concept of The Fall as not a fall in the past but an opportunity for growth in the future. I like how they frame sin as woundedness associated with missteps in life, which leave us in need of healing (as a condition of an imperfect world), rather than sin as criminality with associated judgement, guilt and retribution. “None of this is to say that we are not capable of sin in the sense of a deliberately chosen action that is wrong and harmful. We clearly are.” p 109.
The authors describe how ransom theory and penal substitution interpretation of atonement became prominent among Christians. They posit that French theologian Abelard from the 11th century CE had an approach that better aligns with Latter-day Saint theology. “He believed that Christ died on the cross ‘not to satisfy the demands of the Devil, but to awaken humanity to love.’” p 134. They suggest rather than relying on legal analogies and criminality, a return “to an early Christian emphasis on humanity as wounded and the Atonement as healing” would align with a better understanding of an original intended meaning. I prefer that interpretation which fits nicely with translator Kevin Wuest’s rendering of Matthew 5:48 from its original Greek, “therefore, as for you, you shall be those who are complete in your character, even as your father in heaven is complete in his being.” p 135. “In the Original Story, we are gods in embryo, and healing from life’s wounds restores us to that path of growth. Salvation is growth, process, unfolding of a potential.” p 136.
It is important to see both the good and bad in Christian ideas over the millennia and today. “Goodness and inspiration transcend all categories of faith traditions... The twin dangers are, on the one hand, to ignore the vast array of God-touched figures across time and culture who contributed their share of interfaith bridge-building… In other words, charity and humility require that we actively seek to discover and celebrate truth wherever we find it in the Christian past and present.” p 173.
“As the gospel settles into an increasing number of cultural environments, the kingdom will continue to unfold as a beautiful tapestry of many threads, if we do not hinder its progress.” p 187.
Overall I enjoy the approach the Givens’ bring to the faith tradition that I love. I appreciate their choice throughout the book to use the plural pronoun They when referring to God, as Mormon theology sees God as an exalted couple. Their insights and scholarship shine light on the greater Latter-day moment, nudging it into better and better trajectories. That said, they occasionally use rhetoric that to me approaches a flavor of polemic apologetics that I am not a fan of. During a description of The Fall, the authors provide commentary that I find not helpful to interfaith dialogue and understanding, something they are usually much more diplomatic about. On Joseph Smith’s reaction to the question of whether he believed in the Bible, Joseph responded “If we do, we are the only people under heaven that does.” The Givens’ reply, “His answer was hyperbolic but entirely accurate with regard to Genesis 3:22” p 89.
I saved many poignant quotes from this book that I will leave here at the end of my review for future reference:
Christ unsettled traditional hierarchies of structure. “And had not even Christ, King of kings, washed the feet of His disciples and said, ‘I do not call you servants… but I have called you friends’ (John 15:15)? Diversity but not division; variety but equality.” p 17.
“The two pivotal features of [Joseph Smith’s] Great Story are (1) the premortality of humans and (2) the parenthood of God. We believe that inherently in these two seminal concepts are the seeds of the only gospel understanding that can fully address what Nephi called ‘the awful woundedness ’ that we inhabit.” p 21-22.
From Elizabeth Cady Stanton: “The first step in the elevation of woman to her true position, as an equal factor in human progress, is the cultivation of the religious sentiment in regard to her dignity and equality, the recognition by the rising generation of an ideal Heavenly Mother.” p 25
“Jesus ministered and taught for three short years, in a remote corner of the Middle East, to a small audience of the largely marginalized, disposed, and wounded. His recorded words are numbered in the mere hundreds and are more concerned with moral instruction and healing encounters than doctrinal content.” p 31.
“The ongoing work of Restoration consists in the continued work of searching out, celebrating, and recontextualizing treasures ‘new and old.’” p 182.
They offer that “Christianity survived amid pogroms and persecutions (and suspicious philosophers) because it quenched a thirst that had never found perfect resolution: as Martin Buber diagnosed the essential human condition... Christianity revealed the Spirit’s true lineaments hidden beneath the world of transactional relationships based on commerce, power dynamics, and self-interest.” p 16. As to inconsistencies found in a religion that proclaims itself one of peace, they argue that “History proves that mortal mayhem may result when ‘the distinctively Christian love’ is ‘cut loose from its theological moorings.’” p 20. They use this thesis to lay out a Latter-day Saint case for rethinking sin, salvation and everything in between. “For Joseph Smith, an absolutely fundamental purpose of the Restoration was to replace the slanderous character imputed to God with a correct understanding consistent with the original Good News.” p 20.
They argue that creeds throughout history have outlined Trinitarianism, asserted a closed canon, disembodied deity without “parts or passions” and creation ex nihilo. Catholicism (especially as promoted by Augustine in the 4th and 5th century) shifted an emphasis toward original sin. Luther and other Protestant reformers pushed back emphasizing the significance of grace, preaching predestination and away from free-will. The authors assert that “The Restoration is a process, not an event, and is still incomplete.” p 78.
I like their description of the Mormon concept of The Fall as not a fall in the past but an opportunity for growth in the future. I like how they frame sin as woundedness associated with missteps in life, which leave us in need of healing (as a condition of an imperfect world), rather than sin as criminality with associated judgement, guilt and retribution. “None of this is to say that we are not capable of sin in the sense of a deliberately chosen action that is wrong and harmful. We clearly are.” p 109.
The authors describe how ransom theory and penal substitution interpretation of atonement became prominent among Christians. They posit that French theologian Abelard from the 11th century CE had an approach that better aligns with Latter-day Saint theology. “He believed that Christ died on the cross ‘not to satisfy the demands of the Devil, but to awaken humanity to love.’” p 134. They suggest rather than relying on legal analogies and criminality, a return “to an early Christian emphasis on humanity as wounded and the Atonement as healing” would align with a better understanding of an original intended meaning. I prefer that interpretation which fits nicely with translator Kevin Wuest’s rendering of Matthew 5:48 from its original Greek, “therefore, as for you, you shall be those who are complete in your character, even as your father in heaven is complete in his being.” p 135. “In the Original Story, we are gods in embryo, and healing from life’s wounds restores us to that path of growth. Salvation is growth, process, unfolding of a potential.” p 136.
It is important to see both the good and bad in Christian ideas over the millennia and today. “Goodness and inspiration transcend all categories of faith traditions... The twin dangers are, on the one hand, to ignore the vast array of God-touched figures across time and culture who contributed their share of interfaith bridge-building… In other words, charity and humility require that we actively seek to discover and celebrate truth wherever we find it in the Christian past and present.” p 173.
“As the gospel settles into an increasing number of cultural environments, the kingdom will continue to unfold as a beautiful tapestry of many threads, if we do not hinder its progress.” p 187.
Overall I enjoy the approach the Givens’ bring to the faith tradition that I love. I appreciate their choice throughout the book to use the plural pronoun They when referring to God, as Mormon theology sees God as an exalted couple. Their insights and scholarship shine light on the greater Latter-day moment, nudging it into better and better trajectories. That said, they occasionally use rhetoric that to me approaches a flavor of polemic apologetics that I am not a fan of. During a description of The Fall, the authors provide commentary that I find not helpful to interfaith dialogue and understanding, something they are usually much more diplomatic about. On Joseph Smith’s reaction to the question of whether he believed in the Bible, Joseph responded “If we do, we are the only people under heaven that does.” The Givens’ reply, “His answer was hyperbolic but entirely accurate with regard to Genesis 3:22” p 89.
I saved many poignant quotes from this book that I will leave here at the end of my review for future reference:
Christ unsettled traditional hierarchies of structure. “And had not even Christ, King of kings, washed the feet of His disciples and said, ‘I do not call you servants… but I have called you friends’ (John 15:15)? Diversity but not division; variety but equality.” p 17.
“The two pivotal features of [Joseph Smith’s] Great Story are (1) the premortality of humans and (2) the parenthood of God. We believe that inherently in these two seminal concepts are the seeds of the only gospel understanding that can fully address what Nephi called ‘the awful woundedness ’ that we inhabit.” p 21-22.
From Elizabeth Cady Stanton: “The first step in the elevation of woman to her true position, as an equal factor in human progress, is the cultivation of the religious sentiment in regard to her dignity and equality, the recognition by the rising generation of an ideal Heavenly Mother.” p 25
“Jesus ministered and taught for three short years, in a remote corner of the Middle East, to a small audience of the largely marginalized, disposed, and wounded. His recorded words are numbered in the mere hundreds and are more concerned with moral instruction and healing encounters than doctrinal content.” p 31.
“The ongoing work of Restoration consists in the continued work of searching out, celebrating, and recontextualizing treasures ‘new and old.’” p 182.
December 22, 2020
Required Reading
If your concept of the atonement is in line with the vast majority of members, then you have found exactly the right book. As a people we have been shackled to a concept that does nothing to bring us closer to Him. Instead it instills fear of God deep in our souls. Concepts left over from centuries before Joseph Smith was even born have convinced us God is less than completely generous, loving, kind and understanding. This book teaches us how to open our heart and minds to God’s unyielding love. Jesus Christ has adopted us, nurtured us, continues to cares for us, offers us everything and asks only that we love each other. It is simple and beautiful. It is why we call it the Good News. YOU WILL LOVE THIS BOOK.
If your concept of the atonement is in line with the vast majority of members, then you have found exactly the right book. As a people we have been shackled to a concept that does nothing to bring us closer to Him. Instead it instills fear of God deep in our souls. Concepts left over from centuries before Joseph Smith was even born have convinced us God is less than completely generous, loving, kind and understanding. This book teaches us how to open our heart and minds to God’s unyielding love. Jesus Christ has adopted us, nurtured us, continues to cares for us, offers us everything and asks only that we love each other. It is simple and beautiful. It is why we call it the Good News. YOU WILL LOVE THIS BOOK.
June 4, 2021
Deeply and beautifully written, Fiona and Terrell givens are amazing scriptural historians with messages that speak to your soul. Their words bring solace, love, and a more in depth understanding of our Heavenly Father and Savior. Our Savior will make all things new. Plainly see where many Christian traditions went awry, and the remnants of them today. Understand Christ's mercy, unconditional love, and support. Set shame aside. We cannot affront God with our human nature, weaknesses, and our lack. Put others above thoughts of your own salvation. My summation can't do this work justice.
I adore the Givens' books and writing. I can't recommend enough. I will be re-reading.
I adore the Givens' books and writing. I can't recommend enough. I will be re-reading.
December 2, 2020
Fiona and Terryl beautifully express my own personal idea of God. I love the way they write about God (Gods, actually) who weep with us when we hurt or have screwed up; who are not vengeful, but full of healing. This book—the subtitle is Rethinking, Sin, Salvation and Everything in Between—is a must read for everyone, of any religious persuasion, as far as I’m concerned. Readers should be aware that it is, however, written from the point of view of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints.
February 18, 2021
As with much of the Givenses’ work, they pack a lot into their books and it takes more than a casual reading to fully comprehend. In All Things New, they do a fantastic job showing how some doctrine became errant, and how the restored gospel corrects it. They also show how we in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints still have aspects of that incorrect doctrine, especially as it pertains to the cultural church. Our goal is to find it and correct it, and the Givenses do a fine job helping us parse the most fundamental doctrines.
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