Restoring Christ: Leaving Mormon Jesus for Jesus of the Gospels - Softcover

Palmer, Grant H

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1521776369 ISBN 13: 9781521776360

Publisher: Independently published, 2017

Synopsis

I have come to greatly prefer the Jesus of the Gospels over the Jesus of Mormonism. This book is an exploration of the foundations of my journey, and what I have chosen to believe, what I hope others might consider. I write on Christianity and I write on Mormonism, with the hope that struggling Latter-day Saints can find a way forward with Christ as their foundation. Looking at both Christianity and Mormonism, my intent is to lift the baby from the bathwater, to restore the Savior, with no desire to save the Jesus of Mormonism. Joseph Smith’s Restoration has grave problems. He went astray in my view, because he went beyond the footprint of Jesus’ teachings—committing the same mistake he claimed others had made. I suppose this book is a Restoration-type endeavor; an effort to rediscover what is most basic, most important. How ironic to seek to restore the Christ of the Gospels from Mormonism! So what does a Latter-day Saint do when they discover that the church narrative they were taught all their life has fallen apart? For me, the “revelations” of Mormon Jesus and their practice by Joseph Smith—as especially seen in chapters 9, 17-19—is radically different from the behavior, character and personality of Jesus of Nazareth. For example, Smith produced “scriptures” which depended on nineteenth-century sources, claiming them to be ancient.  He initiated a secret “spiritual wife system” which included concubines and slandered women who resisted his sexual advances.  He married young teenagers and other men’s wives.  He cursed his enemies and set up a secret organization, had himself ordained king and sought to violently overthrow the Nation. Comparing the two portraits has been the single most cathartic event since my crisis of faith. I find the Jesus of the Gospels to better reflect God’s nature and love, and thus how to clearly respond to others as a disciple.

About this title

From the Back Cover

Grant Palmer is one of the most important voices of 21st century Mormonism.
When he writes, I pay attention. To me, Restoring Christ is important
because so many post-Mormons abandon God and Christ when they abandon
Mormonism. With Restoring Christ, Grant thoughtfully challenges
post-Mormons to give God and Christ a second chance. If you value Grant
Palmer's contributions to Mormonism, you will definitely value this book.
Palmer's genius lies in his ability to: 1) figure out what stories and issues
are most important regarding Mormon/Christian origins, and 2) convey
and explore these issues in a concise, thoughtful, and respectful manner.
Restoring Christ is a very worthy companion to his groundbreaking book,
An Insider's View of Mormon Origins. You will not be disappointed.
John Dehlin, Ph.D. -- Host of Mormon Stories Podcast

It was the prophetic impulse that drove Jeremiah, Hosea, and Jesus to
teach, call and focus others to return to the covenant, to honor God's
sacred community and the most vulnerable among us. As such, I assert
that Grant Palmer is in good company, a prophetic voice calling to make
crooked paths straight and build a highway out of the wilderness of doubt
and poverty straight into the peace and justice of the City of God. Prophetic
voices can be harsh to hear. Hosea compared Israel--God's people--to a
prostitute. Even if it's hard to read Palmer's critique at times, this book
ought to be read and considered by every believing Mormon--as a way
of focusing on Christ and Christ's mission, on what matters most for the
journey ahead.
Anonymous General Church Official -- Community of Christ

Grant Palmer has always maintained, "Only the truth is good enough for
the Latter-day Saints." So he has stubbornly pursued the truth in all his
writings. But truth based on tradition or authority takes a back seat to
relying instead on logic and textual analysis both biblical and historical.
He believes that whenever religion claims to have a truth, logic must apply
with as much force as anywhere else where we talk about truth. To claim,
as some religions do, that logic is irrelevant to spiritual truth is to claim
for those things a status other than truth. His discovered truth is not always
pleasant though some of us still decide what is true by how good we
feel when we believe it. Palmer has given us 20 true takes on the Mormon
movement's view of Jesus and the restoration.
Richard Russell -- Retired LDS Institute Instructor

About this edition

• Publisher: Independently published
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 1521776369
• ISBN 13: 9781521776360
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 268