A Topical Compendium

Foreword by Dale C. LeCheminant

Description

"For members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the authority to speak for God rests with the President of the Church and his counselors. Comprising the First Presidency, these men offer guidance to bishops and other leaders in official circular letters, to the general membership in articles and announcements published in the Ensign magazine and elsewhere, and to the broader public in statements read from the pulpit and distributed as news releases to the media.

"These communications are considered to be authoritative, whether touching on doctrine, theology, Church administration and practice, or matters of individual responsibility. The First Presidency maintains the exclusive prerogative to interpret scripture and doctrine for the Church at large.

"The current volume should therefore be of considerable interest to LDS Church members and scholars seeking official views on doctrinal questions and contemporary issues. For readers' convenience, the quotations are arranged alphabetically by topic and in reverse chronological order to present the most recent statements first.

"While this compilation contains definitive positions of the LDS First Presidency, it is not itself a publication of the LDS Church. The statements quoted within are referenced so readers can consult the original documents or publications." (From back cover.)

Table of Contents

• Foreword
• Introduction
• Abbreviations
• Statements
• Appendix