LDS Living wants to invite you on a journey to become better seekers of truth, better receivers of personal revelation, and better answerers of difficult, soul-stretching questions.
In his first general conference as the prophet of our Church today, President Russell M. Nelson told Church members:
"Oh, there is so much more that your Father in Heaven wants you to know. As Elder Neal A. Maxwell taught, 'To those who have eyes to see and ears to hear, it is clear that the Father and the Son are giving away the secrets of the universe!' . . . "My beloved brothers and sisters, I plead with you to increase your spiritual capacity to receive revelation."
Reading through Church history can be a difficult process and can easily lead to more questions than answers. Honest attempts to find more information can create confusion and cause those studying to lose faith or hope. In a new LDS Living video series and in his book Seekers Wanted, BYU assistant professor of Church history and doctrine Anthony Sweat teaches why having questions is good and why we should ask tough questions regarding the Church and its history. He also teaches how, through sincere and scholarly study, we will always receive answers.
Sweat's goal is "to teach and model essential skills of seeking learning by study and faith." During a five-week video series, Sweat will cover essential topics to help transform honest questioners into faithful seekers and disciple-scholars with increased capacities to learn. He'll cover topics ranging from how to research or understand difficult topics or Church history to how to better unlock messages in the scriptures and how to seek revelation and avoid spiritual deception.
Sweat's goal in both the book and the video series is "not so much tell you what to think, but more how to seek."
Through personal stories and practical advice, Sweat inspires each of us to resist the urge to sit back and do nothing when tough questions arise, teaching that, “In Church culture, some associate what is faithful with what is familiar, and thus disapprove of exploring certain corners of inquiry. Others are merely content where they are, sitting comfortably on their current beach of spiritual faith. . . . We must all be leery of ‘low-power mode’—that internal setting where we shut down our cellular reach to heaven because it requires energy from our intellectual and spiritual battery. To be a seeker is to be a worker.” Despite the difficult process, being a seeker is well worth the struggle, because, “honest seekers are . . . always rewarded.”
To assist you on your own truth-seeking journey, here are our videos showcasing the stories and teachings shared within Seekers Wanted.
Episode 1: Avoiding Hard Things vs. Facing Them Head-On
Episode 2: What Information Can I Trust When Studying Church History?
Episode 3: Becoming Comfortable Studying and Interpreting Scriptures
Episode 4: How Can I Avoid Spiritual Deception and Confusion?
Episode 5: The Restoration of the Church vs. the Restoration of All Things
Do you sometimes wonder what is and isn't Church doctrine? Have you heard something unsettling about Church history and wanted to know if it's true? Do you want to deepen your study on a gospel topic but don't know where to look other than Google? Do you seek to reconcile how to follow modern yet mortal prophets?
If you said yes to any of these questions, then you are a latter-day seeker.
The purpose ofthis timely book is to aid you by providing essential skills to seek learning by study and faith. These chapters don't tell you what to think, but help you figure out how to think. The book aims to increase your capacity to be a disciple-scholar. Using relevant doctrinal and historical examples—coupled with engaging visuals and approaches—each chapter teaches models, steps, and frameworks to help you learn by study and faith.
