The Book Of Mormon For The Least Of These Volume 1

This social justice commentary of the Book of Mormon empowers readers to understand the text as a book that speaks to issues of racism, sexism, immigration, refugees, and socioeconomic inequality. The Book of Mormon For the Least of These offers an unflinching examination of some of the difficult and troubling sections of the Book of Mormon, while also advocating for a compassionate reading of holy text. As a verse-by-verse close reading, this book examines new layers of interpretation and meaning, giving even those deeply familiar with scripture innovative tools for engaging powerfully with the Book of Mormon.

This social justice commentary of the Book of Mormon empowers readers to understand the text as a book that speaks to issues of racism, sexism, immigration, refugees, and socioeconomic inequality. The Book of Mormon For the Least of These offers an unflinching examination of some of the difficult and troubling sections of the Book of Mormon, while also advocating for a compassionate reading of holy text. As a verse-by-verse close reading, this book examines new layers of interpretation and meaning, giving even those deeply familiar with scripture innovative tools for engaging powerfully with the Book of Mormon. PRAISE FOR THE BOOK OF MORMON FOR THE LEAST OF THESE When different questions are posed to the text of the Book of Mormon, it gives very different answers. Margaret Hemming Olsen and Fatimah Salleh have asked some of the most difficult questions of the volume. That the Book of Mormon continues to give remarkable answers, even if not always comfortable ones, is a testament to the undying inspiration that has animated it since its coming forth. That these two scholars have had enough confidence in the Book of Mormon to raise such questions will make The Book of Mormon for the Least of These an important work for a long time. -Joseph Spencer, author of 1st Nephi: A Brief Theological Introduction and The Anatomy of Book of Mormon Theology, Volumes One & Two With this third volume of The Book of Mormon for the Least of These, Dr. Fatimah Salleh and Margaret Olsen Hemming complete their awe-inspiring project of analyzing the Book of Mormon in its entirety using a social justice framework. Through unflinching readings of the book's depictions of racial violence, national failure, and traumatic loss, they show how it truly is "a text for our time." Readers of this volume will not find easy answers, but they will find a Book of Mormon that asks hard questions about what is required of those who wish to build a just world. This is a beautiful work of original exegesis, one to which I will return again and again. -Elizabeth Fenton, co-editor of Americanist Approaches to The Book of Mormon People have long wondered how our Black Americans could have survived their experiences while maintaining their faith. This is how they did it. This book works to embed faith in Jesus Christ and the scriptural Word into people's very beings. Although the title references those who have been forgotten or overlooked, The Book of Mormon for the Least of These is for everyone, regardless of social status or understanding of scripture. It is an aid in helping us to fulfill Jesus' charge to "be one," that as we gather to hear and understand one another by viewing through different lenses we are indeed gathering unto The Christ collectively. -Alice Faulkner Burch, Editor of My Lord, He Calls Me: Stories of Faith by Black American Latter-Day Saints

This social justice commentary of the Book of Mormon empowers readers to understand the text as a book that speaks to issues of racism, sexism, immigration, refugees, and socioeconomic inequality. The Book of Mormon For the Least of These offers an unflinching examination of some of the difficult and troubling sections of the Book of Mormon, while also advocating for a compassionate reading of holy text. As a verse-by-verse close reading, this book examines new layers of interpretation and meaning, giving even those deeply familiar with scripture innovative tools for engaging powerfully with the Book of Mormon.

Get out of the way and into the Word! This book is a captivating resource that allows us to experience the Book of Mormon through a social justice lens. Passages we have heard dozens of times become a fresh read as Salleh and Olsen Hemming's commentary breathes life, liberation, and the pursuit of consciousness onto each page. The Book of Mormon for the Least of These unapologetically moves us beyond the altar call to lay down our burdens and pushes us to lay down our biases. More than a source to examine the Word, this book is a tool to engage in the work. -Zandra Vranes, coauthor of Can I Get an Amen? Celebrating the Lord in Everyday Life

Winner of the Mormon History Association Best International Book Award The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints continues to contend with longstanding tensions surrounding gender and race. Yet women of color in the United States and across the Global South adopt and adapt the faith to their contexts, many sharing the high level of satisfaction expressed by Latter-day Saints in general. Caroline Kline explores the ways Latter-day Saint women of color in Mexico, Botswana, and the United States navigate gender norms, but also how their moral priorities and actions challenge Western feminist assumptions. Kline analyzes these traditional religious women through non-oppressive connectedness, a worldview that blends elements of female empowerment and liberation with a broader focus on fostering positive and productive relationships in different realms. Even as members of a patriarchal institution, the women feel a sense of liberation that empowers them to work against oppression and against alienation from both God and other human beings. Vivid and groundbreaking, Mormon Women at the Crossroads merges interviews with theory to offer a rare discussion of Latter-day Saint women from a global perspective.