Tyler McKellar - The Doctrine and Covenants Family Reader

Text 2020 Tyler and Stephanie McKellar

Illustrations 2020 Dan Burr

Maps 2020 Deseret Book Company

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the publisher, Deseret Book Company, at permissions@deseretbook.com or PO Box 30178, Salt Lake City, Utah 84130. This work is not an official publication of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The views expressed herein are the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the position of the Church or of Deseret Book Company.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

(CIP data on file)

ISBN 978-1-62972-800-1 | eISBN 978-1-64933-015-4 (eBook)

Printed in China

RR Donnelley, Shenzhen, China

7/2020

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Cover illustrations by Dan Burr

Design: Shauna Gibby

Book design Deseret Book Company

Other

Family Readers

The Book of Mormon Family Reader

The New Testament Family Reader

The Book of Mormon Family ReaderSpanish Edition

Contents

Editors Introduction

The Doctrine and Covenants Family Reader was created to help children, youth, and families discover and discuss important doctrines and principles found throughout the Doctrine and Covenants.

From our own experience, we know that reading the scriptures as a family can be challengingfor parents and children alike. Time is often short. Attention spans are even shorter. And the prophetic references and language of the Doctrine and Covenants can be challenging to young readers in particular. This book is an effort to help families spend what limited study time they have on passages in the Doctrine and Covenants that are likely to have the most doctrinal relevance for them.

We are not scholars or professional teachers. And it is not our intention to diminish in any way the portions of the Doctrine and Covenants that are not included in this book. In deciding which passages to include, we followed the same pattern used to create The Book of Mormon Family Reader and The New Testament Family Reader , by considering three factors: the doctrines we want our six children to understand, our own impressions from repeated readings of the Doctrine and Covenants, and the doctrines currently emphasized by latter-day prophets. With these factors in mind, and through prayerful consideration, we made our best effort to organize this book. Even so, we acknowledge the subjectivity of this undertaking.

The Doctrine and Covenants Family Reader divides the content of the Doctrine and Covenants into 140 chapters. Each chapter is designed to be read and discussed in about five minutes, allowing families a simple, consistent method for discovering and exploring the doctrines taught in the Doctrine and Covenants. Each section contains the following:

• A title that identifies who is speaking or writing and the doctrine or event being discussed.
• A short introduction that reminds readers what is going on in the overall narrative of early Church history and explains the background specific to the revelation being discussed in that section.
• Selected scriptural verses from the Doctrine and Covenants and Joseph SmithHistory from the Pearl of Great Price, presented verbatim. While some verses are omitted to enable short scripture study opportunities, the verses that are included are unaltered from how they are found in the Doctrine and Covenants.
• A few follow-up questions at the end of each section that offer suggestions for discussing that section. Some questions focus on understanding the teachings of a specific chapter. Others focus on how to apply those teachings to our own lives. These questions are, of course, merely suggestions. Guided by experience and the Spirit, parents will know the questions that best encourage discussion and understanding tailored to the unique needs of their families.
• Illustrations that bring the people, events, and doctrinal topics of the Doctrine and Covenants to life. Your experiences with this book will be made more vivid and memorable through the artistry of our friend Dan Burr.

Dividing the Doctrine and Covenants into brief, sequential chapters presents some unique challenges. In an effort to ensure this book is accessible to all readers (especially children) without losing the potency of the inspiring words and events of the Doctrine and Covenants, the following considerations have been made:

• In the chapter introductions, we have attempted to explain only the most pertinent cultural and doctrinal references. In this effort, to help ensure historical accuracy, we have relied exclusively on three publications from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: the Doctrine and Covenants; Saints: The Standard of Truth (2018); and Revelations in Context: The Stories Behind the Sections of the Doctrine and Covenants (2016).
• In an effort to clearly present the unfolding events of Church history, we have followed the revelations as they were given chronologicallynot numerically, as they appear in the Doctrine and Covenants. Also, portions of Joseph SmithHistory (found in the Pearl of Great Price) are included to help establish the background and chronology of events.
• In many cases, revelations found in the Doctrine and Covenants were given to specific individuals, in the context of a specific time and place. When these revelations have broad application to our time, they are included in this book. Otherwise, they are not included.
• At the conclusion of the chapters covering the Doctrine and Covenants, additional chapters have been included based on three modern declarations from the Church: The Family: A Proclamation to the World (1995), The Living Christ: The Testimony of the Apostles (2000), and The Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ (2020). These three documents, though not canonized as part of the standard works, contain an abundance of clear and profound doctrine with particular relevance in our day.
• Though designed for daily use by families, this book might also benefit personal study, family home evening lessons, and Primary and youth lessons. However it is used, it is our hope that the pivotal doctrines taught in the Doctrine and Covenants will be more clearly understood and easily discussed.

We believe the Doctrine and Covenants is a literal record of Gods words delivered to the living prophets of our day. We marvel at the courage and conviction of Joseph Smith. We find peace and hope in the words of Jesus Christ as He speaks of His infinite sacrifice and welcomes all people to receive His gospel covenants. It is our hope that this book will help families and individuals more fully understand and apply these eternal truths.

Stephanie and Tyler McKellar

Tetonia, Idaho

2020

MAP #1
The Northeastern United States

MAP #2
The New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio Area of the USA

MAP #3
The Missouri, Illinois, and Iowa Area of the USA