Recent Book of Mormon News

July 19, 2017 an important new edition of the Book of Mormon began appearing on bookstore shelves. Entitled A New Approach to Studying The Book of Mormon, this edition organizes the text episodically into 214 events. Every word appears just as it does in the LDS 2013 edition, but in a re-formatted structure that honors narrative boundaries rather than dividing the text up as Orson Pratt did when he published the 1879 edition with our modern chapter and verse designations. So, for instance, Jacob's extended olive tree metaphor (event 36) includes all of Jacob chapters 4, 5, and 6. This edition also highlights quoted passages typographically and shows narrators, speakers, locations, and dates in the margins. Click here for an animated demo.

Re-formatted Edition of the Book of Mormon

The result is aesthetically pleasing and intuitive reading. An advanced binding system allows this paperback book to lay flat on a reading surface. The father son team of Lynn and Dave Rosenvall (The Olive Leaf Foundation) have been pre-eminent scriptural scholars for decades. They wrote the original Gospel Library Scriptures app (now distributed and maintained by the Church) most of us use regularly on our mobile devices. They are also the force behind the highly original and very thoughtful Baja model of Book of Mormon geography.
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August 16, 2017 was the 50th anniversary of Jack Welch's discovery of chiasmus in the Book of Mormon and we had quite a celebration.

Robert Pack Painting of Paul Gaechter and Jack Welch in Innsbruck in 1968

Click here to watch the entire 2 hour program held in the JSB Auditorium on BYU Campus.
Click here for Jack's son Greg's clever 10 minute video of the discovery.
Click here for Book of Mormon Central's moving 8 minute video of the discovery narrated by Jack himself.
Click here for Elder Jeffrey R. Holland's brilliant closing remarks entitled "The Greatness of the Evidence."
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September 1, 2017 The first 137 Book of Mormon Central KnoWhys, published as a handsomely-illustrated book by Covenant Communications, began appearing on bookstore shelves.

Knowing Why by Book of Mormon Central

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September 23, 2017 was going to be Book of Mormon Central's first-ever conference in Mexico City. Nearly 1,500 people had registered. Then a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Mexico on September 19, killing 363 people in Oaxaca, Puebla, the state of Mexico, Morelos, Guerrero, and Mexico City. While Brant Gardner and I (Kirk Magleby) were in the air en route, the government of Mexico City declared 3 days of mourning and banned large public gatherings. We re-grouped, helped serve earthquake victims, trained our staff, and visited the sites of Cholula, Tula Hidalgo, and Teotihuacan.

Book of Mormon Central Visit to Tetitla Compound, Teotihuacan September 23, 2017

In the back row from L to R are Javier Tovar of Atotonilco de Tula, Hgo; Adan Rocha of San Luis Potosi, SLP; and Benjamin Monroy of Salt Lake City, UT. To the left is Noe Correa of Eagle Mountain, UT. In the front row from L to R are Jesus Inda of San Quintin, BC; Brant Gardner of Albuquerque, NM; and Kirk Magleby of American Fork, UT.

The Mexico City conference is re-scheduled for November 18, 2017.
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September 20, 2017 the LDS Church acquired the printer's manuscript from the Community of Christ (known as the RLDS Church from 1872 until the year 2000) for $35 million. The sale price set a new world record for a manuscript. The Book of Mormon is not as important today in Community of Christ affairs as it was in previous generations. It continues to be a vital part of religious life in many Restoration Branch congregations who have dissociated themselves from the Community of Christ.

Printer's Manuscript of 1 Nephi Chapter 1

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September 30, 2017 Pres. Russell M. Nelson gave a great talk about the Book of Mormon in the Saturday afternoon session of LDS General Conference. "The full power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is contained in the Book of Mormon. Period."
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October 1, 2017 Elder Tad R. Callister gave a terrific talk about Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon in the Sunday afternoon session of LDS General Conference. "This book is the one weight on the scales of truth that exceeds the combined weight of all the critics' arguments."
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Warren Aston will travel soon to the Hill Cumorah in New York with a geologist. They will attempt to shed light on the stone box that Moroni built ca. AD 421 to hold the plates.