Cynthia Dean

"Truth, glorious truth proclaims there is.. a mediator.. through him mercy can be fully extended to each of us without offending the eternal law of justice. This truth, is at the very root of Christian doctrine. You many know much about the gospel as it branches from there, but if you only know the branches and those branches do not touch that root, if they have been cut free from that truth, there will be no life nor substance nor redemption in them." - Boyd K Packer "The moment the atonement of the Savior is done away, that moment at one sweep, the hopes of salvation entertained by the christian world are destroyed, the foundation of their faith is taken away and there is nothing left for them to stand upon. The atonement is our singular hope for a meaningful life." - Bruce McConkie These two quotes come from this book. I believe they accurately represent why this book was worthy of my time and attention. It has been my experience and observation that many people are giving up on Christianity. I suppose it's because they cannot make sense of Christian people, reconcile things done in the name of Christianity or continue to participate in culturally false traditions practiced within organized religion. I do not blame nor judge them for doubting or dismissing organized Christian religion. I myself have struggled with these very issues. This book has been a huge help in keeping me sane through the challenges that present themselves with religion. It helps me realize that the moments when I have doubted Christianity its because I have taken out, or forgotten to include, the atonement of Jesus Christ in whatever thing I am judging. When I have dismissed Christ from my christian practices, I find I am christianity's biggest critic. I don't know about you but its is a difficult time to live and understand what is real, what is truth, what is right and who we can believe and trust. I have found this book to be an excellent tool to help set the record straight and help me better understand who and what it is exactly that I worship and what Christianity is really about. Many people who do not claim Christian are some of the most Christian people I know. Funny right? and vise versa. Its hard to separate Christ from Christians and unfortunately most Christians struggle to represent Christ or his purposes accurately so if you struggle with that I highly recommend this book to you. I also recommend it to anyone who is sincerely and humbly looking to understand what is at the root, the heart, the chore of Christianity and why the gospel of Jesus Christ is exactly what it claims to be, good news. My husband always says to me, if you're not enjoying it, you're not living it right. Now that I better understand the Christ and his gospel, I find that to be so true. Reading and studying this book as a companion to scripture has been a game changer.