Feeding the Flock, the second volume of Terryl L. Givens's landmark study of the foundations of Mormon thought and practice, traces the essential contours of Mormon practice as it developed from Joseph Smith to the present. Despite the stigmatizing fascination with its social innovations (polygamy, communalism), its stark supernaturalism (angels, gold plates, and seer stones), and its most esoteric aspects (a New World Garden of Eden, sacred undergarments), as well as its long-standing outlier status among American Protestants, Givens reminds us that Mormonism remains the most enduring-and thriving-product of the nineteenth-century's religious upheavals and innovations. Because Mormonism is founded on a radically unconventional cosmology, based on unusual doctrines of human nature, deity, and soteriology, a history of its development cannot use conventional theological categories. Givens has structured these volumes in a way that recognizes the implicit logic of Mormon thought. The first book, Wrestling the Angel, centered on the theoretical foundations of Mormon thought and doctrine regarding God, humans, and salvation. Feeding the Flock considers Mormon practice, the authority of the institution of the church and its priesthood, forms of worship, and the function and nature of spiritual gifts in the church's history, revealing that Mormonism is still a tradition very much in the process of formation. At once original and provocative, engaging and learned, Givens offers the most sustained account of Mormon thought and practice yet written.

About the Author
Terryl L. Givens is James A. Bostwick Chair of English at the University of Richmond.

Reviews
Based on a well- researched engagement with Christian theology, it will surely serve as a valuable introduction to these topics in Mormon thought and ritual practice. * Hans Gerald Hoedl, Religious Studies Review *
I could see this book, therefore, being very profitably utilized in colleges courses on Mormonism ... Terry Givens's hope is that Mormon theology will be given more serious attention. This book is relentless in making the case that there are rich rewards for such attention. * J. B. Haws, Mormon Studies Review *
Feeding the Flock is essential reading to anyone interested in acquiring a better-grounded appreciation of the meaning and sources of Latter-day Saint religious practices and in obtaining a granular knowledge of the similarities and disparities between the practices and theology of the Church versus other Christian religions. * Mark A. Wrathall, BYU Studies Quarterly *
This work is yet another testament to Givens' considerable ability of distilling a mind-numbing amount of information into a masterpiece that speaks effectively to both experts and general readers. In short, Givens has done it again. Feeding the Flock makes for the perfect (even necessary) companion volume to Wrestling the Angel, filling in what little theological blanks remained and opening new and interesting questions on Mormon praxis to advance the conversation. Together, these two volumes will serve non-LDS readers well in helping them to understand the thought and practice that drives Mormonism. * K. Robert Beshears, Southeastern Theological Review *
Feeding the Flock offers the ambitious, expansive, visionary style that we've come to expect from Givens. It is a well-wrought, elegantly gathered work. As he did in Wrestling the Angel, Givens once again sets an entirely new standard for the study of Mormonism's theological foundations. And he sets the bar high. * Juvenile Instructor *
[T]his is a good book for learning how one Mormon understands his own tradition. * Nova Religio *



Book Information
ISBN 9780199794935
Author Terryl L. Givens
Format Hardback
Page Count 424
Imprint Oxford University Press Inc
Publisher Oxford University Press Inc
Weight(grams) 690g
Dimensions(mm) 242mm * 170mm * 35mm