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BYU’s Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship is pleased to announce the launch of a seven-volume book series, Themes in the Doctrine and Covenants. This multi-authored series, a first in Doctrine and Covenants scholarship, distills the significance of Joseph Smith’s revelations for readers seeking a life of faith in the modern world. Each concise volume traces a different theme across the Doctrine and Covenants, touching on the beloved and the lesser-known revelations and combining scholarly insight with practical application.
Series Overview
The collection includes:
● Agency, by Terryl Givens. The question of human agency has always been a central concern of the Christian life. This volume reflects upon the meaning of agency in the Doctrine and Covenants, and how modern revelation illuminates the central question: how do I live my best life?
● Divine Aid, by Amy Easton. This volume celebrates the Doctrine and Covenants’ revelation of the never-ending mercy, aid, encouragement, and opportunities given to disciples by the Lord Jesus Christ. In the revelations, the Father and Son are not remote gods but a loving Divine Father and a Savior deeply invested in our welfare.
● Divine Law, by Justin Collings. This volume explores the concept of law not as a dreaded burden but as a glorious blessing--a ladder of grace by which we may climb toward our heavenly home and a crown of blessings for those who claim it.
● Redeeming the Dead, by Amy Harris. This volume explores revelations that underlie Latter-day Saint teachings on the redemption of the dead. Its insights invite readers to let revealed truths refine their ability to cherish covenant relationships now, across the veil, and in the eternities.
● Revelation, by Janiece Johnson. Revelation is the indispensable enabler of the Restoration. It is central to the Latter-day Saint experience, and it comes in a diversity of “revelatory abundance.” This volume helps readers recognize the Spirit and develop a relationship with God so they can “hear Him” in all His abundance.
● Seeing, by Mason Kamana Allred. This volume explores the revelations’ principles of seeing and spiritual vision. Looking, or seeing, is itself a unique spiritual practice in Latter-day Saint belief. Spiritual vision is activated by natural vision in ways that help us navigate modern visual culture.
● Time, by Philip L. Barlow. This volume proposes that time, often an overlooked or invisible dimension of religious experience, should be imagined as the foundation of the first principles of the gospel--the “0th principle.” Time underlies such teachings as Sabbath, millennium, preexistence, and prophecy.
Each volume features contemporary language, relevant applications, and thoughtful discussions, making it ideal for individual, family, and small groups seeking to enrich their study of the Doctrine and Covenants in 2025. As a whole, the series seeks to magnify the truth of and build faith in latter-day revelation--above all, to beckon readers back into the text of the Doctrine and Covenants. The project responds to Elder Jeffrey R. Holland’s November 2018 apostolic charge to the Maxwell Institute: “We have only begun to mine the wonders of the Joseph Smith Papers. How do we get those gems out to those not of our faith and get them out without compromising their unique Latter-day Saint characteristics?”
"This series was originally conceived by consummate disciple-historians Kate Holbrook and Spencer Fluhman. It was Spencer and Kate’s vision, in response to Elder Holland’s charge, to bridge the gap between academic commentary and daily devotion, offering readers a deeper understanding of Joseph Smith’s revelations in a way that connects with contemporary life without compromising academic rigor," says Rosalynde Welch, general editor of the series with Terryl Givens.
The series, co-published with Deseret Book, is available now in digital and print forms.