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Two Masters: Poems Toward Zion
Sometimes, we try to domesticate Jesus of Nazareth. We ask him to stand for whatever it is we already believe. If we're not careful, Jesus becomes a mascot, not a master.
But Jared Forsyth's had enough of reverent complacency. Using a poet's tools of imagery and irony, Jared is asking— really asking-what the scriptures have to say about our relationship with money. Page after page, these poems approach familiar stories from an unexpected angle. How would it feel to walk away from financial security like Laman and Lemuel? What prayer was in a money-changer's heart in the morning of that day when a strange preacher arrived and ruined everything?
Yes, Jared is opening doors that we usually leave safely shut when the Savior comes to visit our minds and hearts. And now Jesus is out and at it again, throwing over my tables.
—James Goldberg, author of Let Me Drown with Moses and Tales of the Chelm First Ward
Jared Forsyth's Two Masters is an introspective collection full of wit, wisdom, and unsparing honesty. In simple language, he asks penetrating and sometimes uncomfortable questions drawn from scriptural teachings on money and What does it mean to prosper? Must generosity be deserved? Does self-reliance fit into Zion, where oneness of heart and mind are central? Each poem probes a different facet of the tension between spiritual ideals and assumed material realities. I highly recommend this thought-provoking book, especially if you enjoy exploring new ways to meaningfully apply ancient scripture in modern life
— Merrijane Rice, author of Messages on the Water
With this collection, Jared Forsyth offers up a thoughtful rendering of Christ's more provocative readings attuned to our day.
—Fiona Givens, coauthor of The God Who Weeps, The Christ Who Heals, and All Things New
But Jared Forsyth's had enough of reverent complacency. Using a poet's tools of imagery and irony, Jared is asking— really asking-what the scriptures have to say about our relationship with money. Page after page, these poems approach familiar stories from an unexpected angle. How would it feel to walk away from financial security like Laman and Lemuel? What prayer was in a money-changer's heart in the morning of that day when a strange preacher arrived and ruined everything?
Yes, Jared is opening doors that we usually leave safely shut when the Savior comes to visit our minds and hearts. And now Jesus is out and at it again, throwing over my tables.
—James Goldberg, author of Let Me Drown with Moses and Tales of the Chelm First Ward
Jared Forsyth's Two Masters is an introspective collection full of wit, wisdom, and unsparing honesty. In simple language, he asks penetrating and sometimes uncomfortable questions drawn from scriptural teachings on money and What does it mean to prosper? Must generosity be deserved? Does self-reliance fit into Zion, where oneness of heart and mind are central? Each poem probes a different facet of the tension between spiritual ideals and assumed material realities. I highly recommend this thought-provoking book, especially if you enjoy exploring new ways to meaningfully apply ancient scripture in modern life
— Merrijane Rice, author of Messages on the Water
With this collection, Jared Forsyth offers up a thoughtful rendering of Christ's more provocative readings attuned to our day.
—Fiona Givens, coauthor of The God Who Weeps, The Christ Who Heals, and All Things New
- GenresPoetry
111 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 19, 2025
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May 15, 2026
What a thought-provoking book of poetry. I have been wrestling with them for a while now. Each poem starts a conversation with scriptures from the New Testament, Book of Mormon, and D&C in clever ways, and sometimes bringing in other outside sources. It takes the scriptures at face value, rather than trying to explain them away e.g. "sell all that thou hast." The contradictions between the scriptures and modern practice of the gospel should make one uncomfortable, rather than trying to justify one's behavior, and these do that.
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review