Spencer's Letters

by Orson Spencer

Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made available for future generations to enjoy.

148 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 4, 2014

Reviews

[David Grua · Rating 5 out of 5]

Orson Spencer was one of the few early Latter-day Saints with a college education. Prior to joining the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he was a respected Baptist minister. After relocating to Nauvoo, Illinois, he served as a city alderman and worked closely with Joseph Smith in a civic capacity. This collection of letters was initially intended as a response to a letter of inquiry from a past Baptist associate who desired to know why Spencer had decided to become a Mormon. Spencer later expanded the project into a series of letters, each devoted to a principal Latter-day Saint belief. The collection remains an important early exploration and defense of the faith written by someone who had been educated in traditional theology.

[Karla · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book to satisfy the challenge for a book of letters. It was written in the mid-1800's. Originally, it began in answer to a pastor friend's sincere question of why Spencer joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. In it, Spencer explains several of the important doctrines of the Church. I believe his approach was typical of the era (and far less frightening than that of one such as Jonathan Edwards). There were many ties that he made that I had not previously noted. This is not a book that can be devoured in one sitting. I found value in his sincerity and in his dedication to the truths he accepted. At the loss of much, and sacrifice of much, he remained true to his testimony and wanted to share it with others.