Foundations of Mormon Thought Series
Wrestling the Angel (2014)
Oxford University Press
In this first volume of his magisterial study of the foundations of Mormon thought and practice, Terryl L. Givens shows that despite Mormonism's origins in a biblical culture strongly influenced by nineteenth-century Restorationist thought, which advocated a return to the Christianity of the early Church, the new movement diverges radically from the Christianity of the creeds. Mormonism proposes its own cosmology and metaphysics, in which human identity is rooted in a premortal world as eternal as God. Mormons view mortal life as an enlightening ascent rather than a catastrophic fall, and reject traditional Christian concepts of human depravity and destiny.
Wrestling the Angel traces the essential contours of Mormon thought from the time of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young to the contemporary LDS church, illuminating both the seminal influence of the founding generation of Mormon thinkers and the significant developments in the church over almost 200 years. The most comprehensive account of the development of Mormon thought ever written, Wrestling the Angel will be essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the Mormon faith.
“Breathtakingly comprehensive, full of historical finesse, and beautifully expressed. It could have been titled Dancing with the Angels.””
Feeding the Flock (2017)
Oxford University Press
Feeding the Flock, the second volume of Terryl L. Givens's landmark study of the foundations of Mormon thought and practice, traces the essential contours of Mormon practice as it developed from Joseph Smith to the present. Feeding the Flock considers Mormon practice, the authority of the institution of the church and its priesthood, forms of worship, and the function and nature of spiritual gifts in the church's history, revealing that Mormonism is still a tradition very much in the process of formation. At once original and provocative, engaging and learned, Givens offers the most sustained account of Mormon thought and practice yet written.
“It is hard to know if Terryl L. Givens is best described as a historian, theologian, philosopher, sociologist, or literary critic. He also is a master stylist who knows how to render abstract ideas in language meaningful to specialists and ordinary readers alike.”
