At the beginning of the Book of Mormon, Nephi writes, “The fulness of mine intent is that I may persuade men to come unto the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, and be saved” (1 Nephi 6:4; emphasis added). He later writes, “I glory in my Jesus, for he hath redeemed my soul from hell” (2 Nephi 33:6). The pinnacle of the Book of Mormon occurred in 3 Nephi when Jesus Christ personally ministered to the Nephites and Lamanites. Clearly the central purpose of those writing on the plates was to invite and persuade each of us to come unto Jesus Christ, helping us understand his redeeming role.

Since 1973 the BYU Sidney B. Sperry Symposium has become one of the premier venues for Latter-day Saint religious studies. The symposium originated to encourage faith-based religious scholarship on Latter-day Saint topics. Beginning January 2024, the Sperry Symposium will be renamed the “Come, Follow Me Symposium in Honor of Sidney B. Sperry.”

Hard cover.