Over a decade in the making, “A New Approach to Studying the Book of Mormon” has been our labor of love. Starting in the 1980s when we developed and helped the Church publish the first searchable online edition of the scriptures, we realized the added power of the Book of Mormon when viewed from different perspectives. The writers of the Book of Mormon were real people living real lives just like us. Their lives didn’t consist of chapters and verses but were made up of experiences. Upon realizing this perspective, we started the quest to arrange the text into events that the people experienced as well as identifying clearly who is speaking and where they were when they spoke.

We echo the declaration of the Prophet Joseph Smith when he stated “a man would get nearer to God by abiding by the precepts” of the Book of Mormon “then by any other book.” We solemnly testify as you engage in a life-long study of this sacred book you will come to personally know your Savior Jesus Christ and learn profound spiritual insights embedded in this true account of the Book of Mormon people.

We accept quite literally the vision of President Ezra Taft Benson to “flood the earth with the Book of Mormon” and to accept the book as “the keystone of our religion.”

Yes. And we express our gratitude to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for providing the rare permission to publish the full text of the 2013 edition of the Book of Mormon. This volume, “A New Approach to Studying The Book of Mormon,” is not endorsed nor distributed by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Yes. First and foremost, no content has been changed or rearranged from the current 2013 edition of the Book of Mormon as published by the Church. The original manuscript prepared by the Prophet Joseph Smith as he received it through the gift and power of God did not contain any major formatting (chapters, verses, etc). In the first edition, published in 1830, the pressmen in Egbert B. Grandin’s print shop added minimal formatting according to their own abilities and the printing standards of the day. Over the years the original formatting has been modified by the Church.

The restructuring of the Book of Mormon format into events or episodes allows the reader to experience the Book of Mormon from a new perspective which is designed to help the reader develop new insights, perhaps missed in the traditional format.

No. There are no commentaries in “A New Approach to Studying the Book of Mormon.” The book contains the full text of the 2013 edition and is reformatted to include events, speakers, dates and locational information. Although there are many commentaries on the Book of Mormon, we feel the text should speak for itself. As stated by the Prophet Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon is “the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.”

Relatable to My Life – By reformatting the text into logical events or episodes, the reader’s mind can now relate to each story, including the meaning, message and doctrinal focus. No longer does the reader think of the Book of Mormon as simply chapters and verses of content, but rather as real experiences that happened to real people who were faced with the challenges of life.

Teaching My Children – Many find it helpful for each family member to have their own copy of the formatted Book of Mormon so they can follow along and easily identify who is speaking in each verse as well as their location (temple, city, hill, etc). For some, scripture study has taken on a whole new dimension as each family member reads the part of a different person in an event. For example, if you had five people in your family, dad could be Lehi and read his part, mom could be Sariah, child one could be Laman, child two could be Lemuel and child three could be Nephi. When children and adults study the Book of Mormon by event, the content is more easily recalled and most importantly the doctrine and principles are more readily internalized.

Missionary Preparation – Nothing prepares a missionary to testify of the Savior Jesus Christ, and the Prophet Joseph Smith, better than a full knowledge, understanding and testimony of the Book of Mormon. Studying the book by event solidifies the reality of the experiences shared in the Book of Mormon and therefore creates a stronger connection to the speakers, doctrines and gospel principles.