Wrestling with the Restoration: Why This Church Matters

by Steven Harper

Genres: Religion, Nonfiction, Lds, History

232 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 28, 2024

About the author

A pseudonym of Steven Piziks

Steven Harper Piziks was born with a name that no one can reliably spell or pronounce, so he often writes under the pen name Steven Harper. He lives in Michigan with his family. When not at the keyboard, he plays the folk harp, fiddles with video games, and pretends he doesn’t talk to the household cats. In the past, he’s held jobs as a reporter, theater producer, secretary, and substitute teacher. He maintains that the most interesting thing about him is that he writes books.

Steven is the creator of The Silent Empire series, the Clockwork Empire steampunk series, and the Books of Blood and Iron series for Roc Books. All four Silent Empire novels were finalists for the Spectrum Award, a first!

Reviews

[Rachel]

This book was insightful and well-written. I liked the idea of thinking slowly about things and analyzing how we know what we know. It covered various topics relating to the restoration, such as the first vision accounts, the translation of the Book of Mormon, etc.

My main complaint, which led me to deduct a couple of stars, was that it didn’t address polygamy at all. This was such a missed opportunity. I can’t understand how someone could possibly write a book about the Restoration and the Doctrine and Covenants today without even acknowledging polygamy. Sealings were mentioned, but the book didn’t explore the topic deeply or discuss polygamy. By the time I reached the end, I was shocked that this wasn’t addressed. I thought maybe I had missed something. This topic needed its own chapter or two.

Otherwise, this was a great book, but the omission of the topic of polygamy felt quite glaring.

[Chad]

I highly recommend Wrestling with the Restoration: Why This Church Matters, by Steven C. Harper, for any member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is, at its heart, apologetics done well. In other words, it is a response to critics of the Church on a series of historic and praxis concerns. But rather than trying to bend reality to fit a desired result (as often happens in apologetic works), it incorporates historical research and what that process has revealed into the narrative of Church history that it shares. In addition, the book functions as a primer on critical source evaluation and other skills of the historical trade to help enable the reader to evaluate discussions of Church history on their own. Even as someone who is acquainted with historical research and methodology, I found it enlightening and thoughtful throughout.


Two central questions posed by Harper’s work here are, “what do you know?” and “how do you know it?” The latter question pushes people to slow down and evaluate what they know and check to see if it holds up against the original sources. The facts about what was written down and how those facts are interpreted are two different things altogether. One example was evaluating whether the accounts of the First Vision say Joseph saw one or two people, particularly in the 1832 account. The facts of what was written are that Joseph Smith said, “the opened the heavens upon me and I saw the Lord” in the 1832 account, and subsequent accounts clearly state he saw two separate being (God the Father and Jesus Christ) and at least one account indicates that there was a temporal distance between the two appearing (“a personage appeared in the midst of this pillar of flame … another personage soon appeared like unto the first”). How those facts are interpreted, then, is up to the reader. For example, one could say that both times Joseph Smith said “the Lord” in the 1832 account mean the same person, and therefore he only mentions one in that account, and therefore he was making up the appearance of multiple personages in later accounts. Or, it could mean that he was just focused on talking about Jesus in the 1832 account and included a more complete picture in later accounts. Or, it could be interpreted to mean that each reference to “the Lord” refers to a different personage (i.e., God the Father, AKA “the Lord”, appeared first and opened the heavens to reveal Jesus Christ, also AKA “the Lord”). Those are possible interpretations that can be derived from the facts, but they are not the facts themselves.

In addressing these types of issues, Harper incorporates up-to-date historical scholarship. The Joseph Smith Papers work is one aspect of that scholarship, but he also relies upon W. Paul Reeve in relating the narrative of the priesthood and temple ban, as one example. He also addresses things like Freemasonry rituals being incorporated into the temple endowment ceremony in a way that acknowledges that it was probably a factor in how the ritual was developed, but does so in a way that still fits within a believing perspective. He also builds on his own previous work throughout. For example, aspects of his chapter on revelation from You Shall Have My Word: Exploring the Text of the Doctrine and Covenants is incorporated into his discussion of William McLellin’s experiences with the Church in a way that fits well within the book as a whole.

As stated upfront, I recommend that any member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints read Wrestling with the Restoration: Why This Church Matters, by Steven C. Harper, particularly if they have encountered material like the CES Letter. (I might even recommend it being used as a textbook for an Institute course for that very purpose.) Even if you still end up disagreeing with his conclusions, it helps you think through why you do so in a deeper manner.

[Melynne (mels_booknook)]

I enjoyed this one. Lots of good information

[Jenny]

I’m so glad I read this book! He explains everything so clearly.

[Emily]

4.5 stars. This book walks us through how to think slowly and critically about what we know and how we know it in regards to church history. It’s easy to take short cuts with historical sound bites and interpretations, but getting to truth takes time, deep thought, and spiritual work. This book offers insightful approaches to seeking and receiving truth, along with great stories and testimonies from church history. It is a great addition to D&C study or if you have want to explore historical topics from the CES letter. I appreciate that it utilizes both rational thinking and faithful approaches.

Notes and Quotes:

-Joseph learning how to translate - “Apparently the Lord let him work it out in a way that seems similar to when Jared’s brother figured out how to light his barges and to how Oliver Cowdery learned that translating did not occur spontaneously without intellectual and spiritual work.”

-Another reason priesthood power is vital - “Everyone needs an endowment of priesthood power in order to regain God’s presence and stay there.”

-Receiving divine revelation through imperfect mortal faculties - “It is impossible for the poor, weak, low, groveling, sinful inhabitants of the earth to receive a revelation from the Almighty in all its perfections. He has to speak to us in a manner to meet the extent of our capacities…Those who, like William McClellan argue for perfect scriptures, which is not a scriptural teaching, assume that divine communication is complete and perfect, that mortals can decode the divine without corruption.” **We need the Holy Ghost to receive the divine intent and understanding from scriptures.

-Source criticism - how do they know; are they a reliable source?

-Post-Christ eye witness accounts (based on experience) were replaced by theology (based on reason) —classical theism, the Christ of the creeds

-Christ regards Christianity as his church, and the Church of Jesus Christ as His means for establishing Christianity

-I loved ch 11 on Christian Jews before the coming of Christ —connecting the God of the Old and New Testament

[Dlora]

Great information and thoughtful, well-balanced presentation of Latter-day Saint doctrines that cause concern and a need to be “wrestled” with—ideas like “a person can receive revelation and not understand it,” that understanding that Joseph’s “translating” did not yield a finished product but was a process of learning, of living revelations, seeing the connection between Masonry and the temple endowment, polygamy, race and priesthood, women and covenantal power. He pounds on the idea that we need to avoid mental shortcuts and learn to “think slow.” “We become complacent in what we think we know without the will or the skill to identify and interrogate our assumptions, learn the verifiable facts, and think slowly about how to interpret them in way that best account for them.” I love that premise of the book, that important mental and spiritual work necessary to come to the truth. However, he pounded it with such a heavy-hand the first half of the book that I was annoyed. Toward the end, he let up on teaching that important truth and I became more enthralled by the ideas he was presenting using that method of slow thinking, gathering facts, comparing sources, and coming to enlightened truth.

[Troy Wallin]

Some parts were hard to read, especially the section about the ban on priesthood exercise to black people. I am grateful that Brother Harper took on this challenge and did it masterfully. My testimony has been strengthened, and I hope that this book will continue to be, for me and other honest seekers, the means of thinking slow and learning more about God‘s restored church on earth today, imperfect as it may be, but nearly perfect in its role as the deliverer of the doctrines and ordinances of Jesus Christ.

[Adam]

A very well-done book on church history. It isn’t about church history, per se. It is about how to approach topics, questions, rumors, and doubts as you come across them. Rather than giving apologetic answers, Harper approaches how to think through the ‘fast’ and ‘slow’ thinking approaches to them. Question your assumptions, look at the context, then decide for yourself with the information available. I wishes it was a little bit more but it’s good.

[Cynthia D]

enlightening

This book opened my mind to asking better questions, seeing hard things from a different perspective and thinking more slowly about what I know and how I know it. In the past I have at times avoided the controversial issues, so as to protect my testimony. Having now faced those controversies head on through reading this, my testimony has unexpectedly become only stronger with a much more solid foundation. I highly recommend reading this book

[Melanie Cox]

This was a recommendation from a good friend. At first I wasn't taken with the book, but as I continued to read past the second or third chapter, I gained an appreciation for what he was doing--discussing different topics related to the restoration, then showing how that topic grew out of the last topic. I love the connectiveness in this book. I loved his discussion of the priesthood.

[Kristy W]

Amazing. He explains so well how to think slowly and clearly about hard questions, and why those questions and answers matter. He discusses the topics both practically and faithfully, and he’s just so knowledgeable and sincere. So great.

[Lindsay Bullock]

Highly recommend! It’s such a great book with helpful suggestions on how to approach difficult subjects.

[Brian]

A good read prefaced by historian's perspective. "What do you know and how do you know it?"

[M Summ]

*home library worthy *
Wonderful incite on how to slow down and understand questions of doctrine and history

[Darla]

LT had SH as a professor and it was life changing. Loved reading his thoughts and understandings. Important to think slow and ask how do I know.

[Valerie]

This book was very helpful in helping me understand church history and how to look at things from a different perspective. It has good insights and I recommend this book for everyone.

[Sharla Moody]

This was so good. I learned so much about the restoration and also had a chance to ponder my own faith and commitment.

[Rachel]

Basic but very good handling of issues people sometimes have regarding the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. "Think slow."

[Cayli]

I really liked this book. I love the way he challenges us with the way we think and just slowing everything down. Now I want to read Thinking Fast and Slow.

[Sheri]

If you struggle reading this book, skip to the “Epilogue.” That was the most meaningful chapter in the whole book.

[Matt]

A terrific book about thinking slow and deep about important things.

[Wendy]

I love the concept of thinking slowly. We all need to practice this.

[Swhe641200]

Libby. Very informative book. A lot of history background not a ware of. Learned many areas from the history of the church. Also gave me some personal understanding of sone complex issues. Thank you

[Lynn]

I will read this book again and again for its insights!

[Janetkc7wvy]

I appreciate this book.
It deals with subjects that are difficult for some to understand. He encourages us to "think slow" and analyze what we know and how we know it.

[Aleisha]

3.5! That .5 is for the times I was like, “woooaaah!” The 3 is for being a little slow at times!