From the book “All Things New” by Fiona and Terryl Givens:
. . . . Edward Beecher (1803-95) spoke truly when he warned that “of all errors, none are so fundamental and far reaching in their evil tendencies and results as errors in respect to the character of God.¨25 We should all be alarmed—concerned at least—to realize how susceptible we are, as products of our own historical inheritance, to having our view of God shaped by cultural conditioning. Belonging to the restored Church does not make us immune to such influences. Remember that Joseph Smith was speaking to Latter-day Saints when he warned of the tenacity of inherited traditions, calling them “handcuffs, and chains and shackles.” But he also suggested optimism about the way forward: “A correct idea of His character, perfections and attributes,” he taught, was essential to transformative faith.26 For Joseph Smith, an absolutely fundamental purpose of the Restoration was to replace the slanderous character imputed to God with a correct understanding consisting with the original Good News.
Clearly, Christians have recently made great strides in returning to holier and more wholesome conceptions of God. Rob Bell has taught millions about a God who intends to save the entire human family. N.T. Wright has worked to shift the heart of Christian concern from personal salvation to social justice, Timothy Keller emphasizes the prodigality of God’s love, and Richard Rohr advocates more gentle, contemplative, and hopeful Christian practice. On many fronts, Christianity is experiencing renewal and revitalization. Latter-day Saints can find much to applaud and much to learn from earnest God- and Truth-seekers across the spectrum. Other religions of the world similarly have much to teach us about lives of compassion and holiness. At the same time Latter-day Saints have a battery of resources available to us that we have not fully explored in our quest for a religion that is “pure and undefiled” (James 1:27). ~Fiona and Terryl Givens, All Things New (Meridian, ID 83642: faithmatters, 2020), 20-21
25. Edward Beecher, The Concord of Ages (New York: Derby & Jackson, 1860), 156.
26. Theology Lecture Third, 1835 D&C p. 36.
continued. . .
* Posts with a preamble asterisk * are for a more general audience and not specific to teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
