PublishedQuarterly by The Book of Mormon Foundation Number 107. March 2003

Mysteriesof the Book of Ether,Part Two: An Alien Type of Warfare M*y times during JarediteWarfare the more than 2000 yearsof Jareditehisto- by Verneil Simmons ry the nation had been torn apart by he nationalhistory of the Nephitesended with the battle at Hill Cumorah.In rivals for the throne. his persondrecord, the Nephite generaland chronicler,Mormon, described Sonsrose up against the fate of his army and bemoanedthe slainof his people(Mormon 3:l-18). their fathersto usurp Just prior to the batde, he had hidden all the sacredrecords in the Hill Cumorah, the throne, or fought exceptthe abridgmentwhich he was to give to his son. He must havewritten the 'Words eachother for the of Mormon, attachedto the Small Platesof Nephi, after the battle, ashe crown. One interest- wrote that he was about to give his abridgment to Moroni. ing pamernin the war- The battle occurredin A.D. 384, but it wasA.D. 400 when Moroni closedhis fare was the custom of fathert book (Mormon 4). During thoseyears, the Lamaniteshad continuedto holding the defeated hunt down surviving Nephites,and Mormon had beenkilled. Moroni lamented king in captiviry for that he wasalone, without friendsor kin, without a home and without ore for more the restof his life. It plates.Yet he must fulfill the command of his father that an abridgment be made of occurreda number of the Book of Ether.Since Mosiah II had translatedthe 24 gold platesinto the times;the longest Nephite tongue,he did not needthe originalshidden in the Hill Cumorah. period being beween Moroni could not haveabridged Ethert recordwithout recognizingthe similarity the kings Hearthom of their roles.Both had witnessedthe destructionof their nations,both had charge and Com. For five of a recordthat wasto be hidden up for anotherpeople, in anothertime, and both generations,the kitg- were so alone! Continuedon page 2 MissionTheology in the Bookof Mormon: A Paradigmfor IncarnationalMinistry hyJames Reeaes, Jn F inceits publicationin 1830,The Book of to bury the primary messageof the book under a war of words. \ Mormon hasserved a prominent role in I would arguethat apologeticresearch does fulfill a neededfunction in J the missionof the Restoration.In the the life of the Restorationand, when properly utilized, can serveas an earlyyears, the book servedas "the primary mis- effectivewitness of the truths containedwithin the book. However,The sionarytool of the infant church."iThe message Book of Mormon shouldfirst and foremostbe utilized to fulfill its pri- of the early Restorationaffirmed that God had mary role which is "to show unto the remnant of the houseof Israeihow spokenagain from heaven,and The Book of great things the Lord hath done for their Fathers,and that they may Mormon representedtangible evidenceto the know the covenantsof the Lord . . . " and to convince"the Jew and world in supportof this affirmation.As the Continuedon page 4 yearshave gone by, an inordinate amount of presshas been expendedon apologeticefforts as proponentsofThe Book of Mormon havedili- gently sought to "prove" its truth claims.These efforts, while laudable,have all too often tended i Lindgren, Bruce and Judd, Peter, An Introduction to the Saints Church, Herald Publishing House, 1976, p. 18 JarediteWarfare all again the next day. At the end of the courage,skill and staminaagainst one Continuedforn page I first day there was much lamenting another. line, recorded as legitimate by Ether, which must havebeen the women's Ether tells us they were "large and was held in captiviry by an unknown role. And surely they prepared the -ighty men, as to the strength of kingline. Even Ethert grandfather and wening meal eaten by the survivors. men." Indeed, this kind of warfare father spent their lives as captives The second,day was a repeatof the reminds us of the batdesof "champi- (Ether4:l l0-115). \fe find a pardlel first. ons" recordedby Homer during the pattern in the Old Testament,when On the third day,the king sent a'let- batde for Tioy. Typi."lly, these batdes Kirg Nebuchadnez:2,{rheld captive the ter to Shiz offering to gwe up the king- fought by the ancientsbegan in the rulers of the small kingdoms he sub- dom but Shiz refusedunless he could morning and raged all day. By reading dued. haveCoriantumr's head.At the end of Homer's epic poem we may better Ether describedthe reign of Corian- the fourth day,the men slept on their understandEther's account. tumr in great detail, undoubtedly be- swords.Since Ether includesthat Lines from the Iliad: causeit was his life story too. Civil war detail, it must have indicated a change (Line 381) But thesetwo had been the way of life for most of in the paftern. They no longer shed watching against death or flight in Coriantumrt reign. He had fought a their armor at the end of the day to eat their company fought their sepa- number of rivals and now facedShiz, and sleep.By the end of the fifth day rate batde, since such was their who had taken a vow to have Ether givesus a head count. Shiz still order from Nestor as he was utg- Coriantumrt head.The country was had 69 wariors able to figh. while ing them fonh from the black devastatedby the decadesof war, cities Coriantumr's forceswere down to 52. ships into the fighting. So for burned and abandoned,the peopleliv- By the next night, the count was32 for these daylong tfie hard bitterncss ing in fear for their lives and their Shiz and only 27 for the Li.g. On the of the wearing batde ro s e. with properry (Ether 6235-36).Coriantumr morning of the seventhday all of the the ever-relendesssvveat, and the griwes for the nvo million of his peo- men collapsedafter only three hours of wearinessknees, legs, and ftet ple alreadydestroyed. ritud dueling. that supported from underncad Moroni must havebeen intrigued by. The king's men recoveredfirst, but each fighter, their hands and qrcs Ethert accountof that find batde, as insteadof fighting, they tried to flee dso were running wet as 6q he includeseach detail. Now Ether was with the king. Shiz, vowing to have fought on .... in hiding, only able to go about at Coriantumr's head,followed. They (Line 4L4) And such would bc night to seewhat was happening.Cori- caught up with the kingt parry the the saying of some bronzc- 'Friend.q antumr must havebeen his informant, next day and this time Shiz and armored Achaian: 6crc unlessEther had spiesin eachcamp. Coriantumr facedeach other in hand is no glo"y for us if we go b.d( A careful readingof Ether 6:87 to to hand combat. Vrhen Shiz fainted €ain to our hollow ships, but the end of the chapterdescribes aq rq7e from lossof blood, Coriantumr here and now let the blach cafth of warfue quite alien to us. All were attemptedto beheadhim but was too open gaping for dl; this ruuld be job armedwith weaponsof war: shields, weak to make a clean of it. far better for us ....' escapethe feeling that breastplatesand headplates.Each One cannot (420) And such in turn rculd "large men this batde was carried out in a ritual- morning the and mighry" be the cry of some high-heancd (Eth. ized Each man choseone of '0 6299)marched out to face the pattern. Tbojan: friends, though it be the enemy to engageand fought with enemy,fought with srords all day destined for dl of us to be Htled him one of them waswounded or went back to camp when the sun went until here... still none of us must givc repeatedit killed. It was individuals pitting their down, ate, slept, and then ground from the fighting' Thus a man would speak, and stir the spirit in each one of his fellow- ship. So they fought on .... Thequestion of numbers How many'mighry men" could have been in the nvo Jareditecamps before the final confrontation?If we effrapo- late bachuards from the known num- bers at the end of the fifth day, perhaps we c:ln estimatethe number available on the first day. The averagerate of death benveenthe fifth and the sixth day was about 50 percent.'Wecan work that ratio backrvardto estimate that Shiz had possibly I100 "champ-

MARCH 2OO3 ions" and Coriantumr's number would have been about 830. \Werethese the SpringClass Schedule Royal Guard, pledged to protect the lsaiahin the (No cla,son April I l) Mondays king? BookofMomron 6:00p.m. to 7:30p.m. Mardr 31 to May 26 There must have been survivors VennaStwensJohnson No prior Spanishrequired (No classon April 7) among the wounded, as well as the Thurcdays . $tb chargefor course 7:30p.m. to 9:00p.m. women and children who never appear Mardr6,13,2Oand27 Prerrysuadonis required SpanishI 6{ SpanishII required. chargefor to be a part of the battle. There are 7:00p.m. to 8:30p.m. $10 always desertersand the refugeeswho course Spanishll Prerqistration is requird flee the area.It was a land left in chaos GaryMeuger but still containing remnants of the MorcToolsfor former population. \7e have observed Endowment Mondays March31 to May26 SpanishVorabularyl the same conditions in our day during Gaylord and FayeShaw (No classon April 7) VerbStudy ll the civil wars in Africa and Thursdays the Middle 6:00p.m. to 7:30p.m. Annie'Webb East. April3,10,17 and24 7:00p.m. to 8:30p.m. Spanisqlrequired. $10 Fridays Moroni leavesus a clear picture of cnargeror course March 28 to May 3O the evil that eventually destroyed the Preregistrationis requird (No dasson April I 1) Jareditenation. They had embracedthe SpanishI 7:30p.m. to 9:00p.m. secretcombinations used by those seek- Gary Meuger Spanfu.lrequiredi $to Spanlsh lll/Gospel cnarge fior course ing power (Eth. 3:79-95) He knew that Thursdays Vocabulary this sameevil had brought about the Preregistration is required April 4 to May30 Gary Metzger downfall of his own nation. (Alma 17:65; Hel2:145-160). Moroni tells us that this evil seeksthe overthrow of all lands, nations, and countries and leaves How to Prepare for the Retum The 23rd Psalms:AGift of Peace a warning for the Gentiles who will of the Briddgrmm and Hope Barb\U7'rlkiruon eventuallyinherit the land. SylviaPowell Mondays "Wherefore, O ye Gentiles, ir is wis- Mondays Marrh 10r17,24,and31 dom in God that thesethings shall be April 74,21and28 934 *m. to 11:00am. 9:30a.m. to 11:00a-m. shown unto you, that thereby ye may repent of your sins, and suffer nor rhar thesemurderous combinations shall get his army total230,000 soldiers,who trate the totaliry of the event. His peo- aboveyou, which are built up ro get were then overrun by an even larger ple would have understood the symbol- power and gain, And the work, yea, army; yet Mormon numbers only 24 ism. Mormont count of 24 survivorsis even the work of destruction come survivors the next day. an honest number. They, with him, upon you; Yea,even the sword of the It is here that Mormon revealshis understood the realiry of the momenr! justice of the Eternal God shall fall Hebrew background. His use of the \7e can only guessthe final number upon you to your overthrow and number 10,000 is symbolic- a figure that took part in that last battle, but destruction if ye shall suffer these of speech.The scholarstell us that the with the many years of warfare, the things to be;" Ether 3:95-97 multiples of a thousand, such as armies could have numbered lessthan Moroni must have been intrigued by 10,000, are hyperbole- meant to be a hundred thousand, counring both Ether'sdescription of that final battle. emphatic. Examplesare found in many sides.Nor was everyonekilled. Moroni Personalcombat for the crown was placesin the Old Testamenr.The best writes that the battlescontinued for very different from the wars fought known is mentioned three times in 1 years before his father's death. betweenthe Nephites and the Samuel. As Moroni closedhis abridgment of Lamanites.In Moroni's time, armies of "Is not this David, of whom they Ether'saccount, did he wonder, as to 30,000 50,000 battled back and sangone to another in dances,saying, Ether had, whether he would be trans- forth acrossthe land, Mormon's smaller "Saul slew his thousands;and David lated, or die among strangersin a force winning most, until the year his 10,000" ( I Samuel29:5). Another strangeplace far from his homeland? A.D. From 375. then on. the is found in Micah 6:7. "Will the Lord Or was he confident in the knowledge Lamaniteswere the victors, torturing be pleasedwith thousandsof rams, or that whereverhe went, his heavenly and killing captives. with ten thousand rivers of oil?" father would be there?\7e have no way Mormon's description of the Mormon, in his anguish,wanted to of knowing; his accounr ends without Nephites' final battle raisesquestions emphasizethe complete destruction of describinghis journey to the hill near about the numbers. He nameshimself his peopleand his nation. The best Palmyra, New York, where he complet- his son Moroni, and 21 others, each at way he could do that was the use of ed his role in bringing the Book of the head of 10,000 troops.This makes the symbolic number 10,000 to illus- Mormon to a new people. t Retreat: MissionTheology Book of MormonYouth Continuedfrornpage I ColdHands,Warm Hearts Gentile that Jesusis the Christ, the Eternal God."ii The original audienceof The Book of Mormon by BonnieAndcrson was lgth -.ttt,try America,iii and the messageto 'We was a challengeto resPondin a experiencedsome of the coldesttemPeratures of the winter in that audience way to the new movementof God in the days-leadingup to the first annual Book of Mormon Youth dynamic As the Restorationmovement has Retrea-t.However, as we gatheredtogether in the dining hdl-ofthe human history. for the worldwide witnessof OdessaHills Campgro,rtd to learn more about The Book of Mormon grolvn, opportunities of Christ haveincreased as mission- and eachother, o,tt h."tts were warmed by the Holy Spirit. There th. gotp.l Jesus taken The Book of Mormon into many were45 youngadults(17-24years old) and about eight staffmembers arieshave different cultures.fu thesemissionaries increasingly *ho rpettt Jari 24-26 seeking-abemer understanding rf Book of T!t. contact with nonwesterncultures, the Mormon and what it meansto be a Book of Mormon believer. come into 'W'e challengesof the mission havebecome more pro- about the three witnesses,their lives, and their unwaver- learned 'We noutt..d. Fortunately,The Book of Mormon narra- The Book of Mormon timeline, consid- ing testimony. reviewed tive offers a paradigmit for contemPorarymission- in historicd perspective,and contemplat- .tJd Th. Book of Mormon ariesto follow th.y seekto spreadthe messageof Book of Mormon in today'sworl.d. "s ed the significanceof The the gospelto the entire world. Through-outthe weekend,we were visited by people from past. th9 \fle will exploresome of the primary challenge-s commandedour attention with his powerful story of Joseph"Smith-f"il,rt Jr. associatedwilh cross-culturalmissions' sPecifically forgiveness,joy, and sadnessand, ultimately, of trusting the , the cultural barriersthat confront missionariesin Lord. His ivillingnessto serveeven in the most difficult of circum- the field, and howThe Book of Mormon addresses stancesis a lessoi for eachone of us. On the other hand, we learned theseissues. In addition, I will offer someof the last king of the that the Jaredites, that can enablethe cross-culturalmission- Coriantumr, was solutions overcomethe barriersthat he will encounter given the opportunity ary to Finally, I will presentan example to savehis people. in his ministry. Book of Mormon that seryesto suPPort He choseinstead to from The principles that are essentialto any let pride leadhim, the missiologicalu cross-culturalmission effort. and his entire successful TheChallenge of Cross-CulturalMissions \7'henevera personmoves from a familiar, com- fortableenvironment to one in which he or sheis unfamiliar, there is at the very leastsome anxiety. Thesefeelings can be amplified in the life of a mis- sionarywholravels from his or her home to anoth- er culiur.. The New Testamentchurch experienced a collectiveculture shockwhen missionaryefforts beganamong the Gentiles.Paul Hiebert has observed: and sharedat a campfire.Everyone was sent home with a Book of Missionariesface many dilemmas' none more dif- Mormon and the .h"ll.ttg. to give it to someonewho will read it and ficult than thosethat dealwith the relationshipof havethe oppoftuniry to be blessedby its message. the gospelto human cultures.Such questionsare The intern renewalwas included in the weekendactivities. The not new.In the book of Acts, seriousquestions 2002 interns and staff gatheredin the cook'scabin and renewedthat specid bond which developsduri-ng the six-weeksummer internship. ii From the title page of The Book of Mormon. All Book of \7e talked about the goalswe had Jet the last day of the Mormon references are taken from the Restored Covenant -Internship, Research Foundation, Independence, and misiteps, and where we wanted to go ft9- here..'We Edi tio n, Zar ahemla our successes MO, 1999 rememberedthose special qualities in eachother that made us smile. 'W'e iii Vogel,Dan, "Anti-UniversalistRhetoric in the Book of how many caring, devotedpeople are on this life again realized Mo-rmon,"From Brent L. Metcalfe,Ed', NeutApproaches to journeywith us. the Boohof Mormon, SignatureBooks' Salt Lake Ciry UT, 'w'e hope you or someyoung personyou know will join us n:xt 1993,p.23 J*,t"ry for The Book of Mormon Youth Retreat.In the meantime, iv Paradigm:a model or examPle C"*P scheduled is defined as the scienceof il.m. plan to attend The Book of Mormon Youth v From the term missiology,which Forluly 20-26 at the OdessaHills Campground. t missions

MARCH 2OO3 arose when the Gentiles began to enter the church not by ones and twos, but TheBook of MormonFoundation by the thousands. Did they have to become Jewish proselytes and adopt PresentsTwo Programs for Kids: such Jewish practices as circumcision and such taboos as the proscription of Bookof Mormon pork? If not, which of the Old StoryHour 2003 June Testament teachings should the church 6,13,20,27 Dayfor Kids2003 andJuly 11,18 and 25 follow, and which parts of Jewish cul- ture could be discarded?ui August16 1Oa.m.to 11i.lll. 9 a.m. p.m. How does the missionary communi- to 3 BMFLearning Center cate the gospel across cultural barriers South CryslerRestoration Branch Ages:preschool - 5th grade and avoid compromising the message? Ages:First - 6th grade. The key is for missionaries to become Childrenmust be accompanied incarnatiott*lvii in their ministry. In by an adult. order to effectively communicate the Gospel acrosscultural lines, missionar- ies need to adapt and integrate them- help us greatly in our task.ix need to eat the food, buy goods from selvesinto the culture to which they Although most missionarieswill not the local markets, and attend the wed- have been cdled to minister. The con- have achieved a language proficiency ar dings and other cultural celebrations in cept of incarnational ministry is the time they begin their service in the order to become familiar with the cul- described as follows: mission field, it is imperarive that con- tural nuances that go beyond verbal To become incarnate in any culture sistent progresstoward that end be communication. Of course, caution or subculture, we must learn to pursued. Overcoming the language should be exercisedin order to avoid adapt ourselves to it.... We will barrier will serve as an important step compromising the scriptural patterns need to develop new srategies for toward the development of an incarna- for moral living, but pardcipation in living. This reorientation will cause tional ministry. the basic activities of life will serve ro inner stress, and we will probably The second barrier that needs to be build the necessarytrusr that will open experience guilt and ftustration over addressedis that of culturd identifica- the hearts of the people to the message our failure to live up to the values tion. Missionaries cannot expect to of salvation. instilled in us by our native culture develop trust with the people to whom The final barrier that missionaries At issue, howwer, is the question of they are attempting to minister unless wifl need to overcome as they seek to submission to God, and his will to they integrate themselvesinto the host proclaim the consider others better than ourselves gospel is the challenge to culture. Paul Hiebert explains: and to yield to those to whom we make the gospel relevant within the minister. dii Our temptation here is to think cultural context in which they minister. that because we are bearers of the In order for missionariesto become In other words, the missionary needs to good news, we have come as teach- incarnational ministers, they need to look for those aspectsof the culture ers. But as teachers, we often close overcome three primary cultural barri- that will allow,h. gorp.l to be com- the door to our learning to know the ers. These barriers are language, cultur- municated in terms people will under- people and their customs and al identification and the abiliry to con- stand. This will not require beliefs. Through our attitudes of the mis- textualize the Gospel messageinto "water superiority, we also make it difficult sionary to down" the message, terms that can be understood. for the people to accept us and the but to utilize those symbols resident The importance learning of the lan- messagewe bri n g.t within the culture that can serve as a guage of the host culture is essentialin Missionaries who attempt to minister communicative bridge and, in the order for effective communication to acrosscultural boundaries must be process, allow the gospel messageto be take place. Paul Hiebert observed: 'We willing to live in the culture. They received in meaningful ways. Don need to recognize that effective communication is centrd to our task. There is little point in giving vi Hiebert, Paul,Anthropological Insighxfor Missionaries,Baker Book House,7985, p.29 our lives or in going 10,000 miles if vii Incarnationalministry involvesthe processwhere persons are willing to live as a pan of the cul- we cannot bridge the final five feet. ture wherethey aresent to minister,and at the sametime arecareful not to imposeelements from Communication is a complex pro- their home culture. SeeLingenfelter, Sherwo od, Ministering Cross-Culturally,Biker Book House, GrandRapids, MI, 1986,pp.24-26 cess, and we need continually to be studying its effectiveness. Careful viii Lingenfelter,p. 120 reflection on the ways we are or are ix Hiebert,pp. 168,169 not communicating the gospel can x Ibid.,p. 93

MARCH 2OO} Richardson,who servedas a missionaryamong the Sawi strongly implicated in the following: him, tribe in Irian J^y^, relateshis experience: And one of the kingt senants said unto fu told in the book PeaceChild, the Sawi tribe, my Rabbanah,which is, being interpreted, powerful or great he wife and I were shocked to learn, honored reachery as a king, considering their kings to be powerfult 4rrd thus virtue. Accordinely,Iudas Iscariot seemedto them to be said unto him, Rabbanah,the king desireth thee to sta)t the hero of the g6Jp"t.\fithin the Sawi culture, howener, Therefore Ammon turned himself unto the king, and said existed a means 6f tit"t inq peacethat required a father to unto him,'What wilt thou that I should do for thee, O entrust one of his own.hllit t to an enimy father who king!il would raise the child. This child was cdled a "peace In order for Ammon to communicatehis message,he child.' At a crucid iuncture of tribal strife, we were able had to overcomethe languagebarrier. secondly, to presentChrist as Godt "PeaceChild.' The Sawi soon would have himselfinto the culture.The Book of Mormon eraspedthe redemptivestory of God as the greatestfather he integrated this: ii"i"g his son to ti"ott"ile alienated peopl€. Today,70 accountdescribes how he accomplished [erce-ntof the Sawi professfaith in Jesus.s And thus Ammon was carried before the king who was V6.en missionariescan overcomethe three barriersout- over the land of Ishmael; and his name was Lamoni; and lined above,the proclamationof the gospelcan be commu- he was a descendantof Ishmael. And the king inquired nicated in meaningful ways regardlessof the culture. of Ammon if it were his desireto dwell in the land The Book of Mormon providesan exampleof an incarna- among the Lamanites,or among his people?And Ammon tional missionaryin the 12th chapterof Alma. Ammon, one said unto him, Yea,I desireto dwell among this people of the four sonsof Mosiah, exemplifiedthe principles out- for a time; yea, and perhaps until the day I die. And it lined abovewhen he took the gospelmessage to the came to Passthat King Lamoni was much pleasedwith Lamanites.Ammon facedthe challengesof cross-cultural Ammon, and causedthat his bands should be loosed;and ministry and the account that has beenprovided for us he would that Ammon should take one of his daughters demonstratesthat he epitomizedwhat it meansto minister to wife. But Ammon said unto him, Nay, but I will be incarnationally.First of all, he would havehad to learn the thy senrant; therefore, Ammon becamea senrant to King language.Vhile this is not statedin specificterms, it is Lamoni. And it came to Passthat he was set' among xi Richadson,Don, "RedemptivcAnalogy," from RalphD. \Tinter and StevenC. Hawthome,Eds.,PcrsPeciues oz theWorA ChrigianMoucment Villiam CarcyLibrary, Pasadena, C,\ 1999'p. 398 xii AImal2:35-38 ThePlan of Salvation by Robm E, Giera my revelations. Vhat's so important about readingThe Book of Mormon? For what could I write more than my fathershave writ' can it really changemy life?The valuablespiritual insights 3 ten? contained in The Book of Mormon can bring forth elements 4For have not they revealedthe plan of sdvation? of depth and understandingthat cannot be found T-ryh:t: I sayunto you, Yea;and this sufficeth me. eke. Like the "Plan of Salvation"marking guide published in 5 the last issueofThe W'itness,this list of purposestatements Afma 14237-38 can alsobe usedto shownew readersof The Book of 37 And the great God hashad mercy on us' and made Mormon why The Book of Mormon is sucha preciousgift thesethings kto*t unto us, that we might not perish: from God. Thesetools and similar techniquesare not just 38 Yea,and he has made thesethings known unto us for the novice,but for everyonewho truly desiresto enhance beforehand,because he loveth our soulsas well ashe loveth his or her study and bring edificationto all who seektruth our children; thereforein his mercy he doth visit us by his and wisdom. angels,that the plan of salnationmight be made knovrn The Planof Salvationin the Book ottio us as well as unto future generations.O how merci- of Mormon is Meantto be Preserved ful is our God! Jarom1:1-5 Alma 9:49 And they beganfrom that dme forth to call on his name; I Now behold, I, Jarom, write a few words, according to thereforeGod conversedwith men, and made knonm unto the commandment of my father Enos, that our genedogy the plan of redemption, which had been prepared may be kept. them the foundation of the world; 2 And as these plates are small, and as these things are from written for the it t.nt of the benefit of our brethren, the Afma 12226 Lamanites, wherefore, it must needs be that I write a little; Thereforethis was the causefor which the sonsof Mosiah but I shall not write the things of my prophesying, nor of had undertakenthe work, that perhapsthey might bring

MARCH 2OO3 other servants, to watch the floclis of Lamoni, according utilized the Lamanite term for God in order to build a to the custom of the Lamanites.ilii bridge to understanding. The result of Ammon's willingness to adapt to the culture The end result of Ammont incarnational ministry was the in this manner allowed him to build the necessarytrust that conversion of many souls, which brought about a dynamic would open the door for him to proclaim the messageof change in the culture. This example from The Book of Christ at the highest level of Lamanite society.The final bar- Mormon servesto demonstrate the powerful mission theolo- rier Ammon overcame is demonstrated in his abiliry to con- gy that can be gleaned from its pagesand, as a result, can textualizexiv|rir message.\7hen he was communicating the serve as an effective paradigm for contemporary mission concept of God to King Lamoni, he utilized the terminology efforts. that was familiar to the Lamanite culture as the following demonstrates: Conclusion Now Ammon being wise, yet harmless, he said unto 'We Lamoni, \7ilt thou hearken unto my words, if I tell thee have briefly outlined the concepts that define what it by what power I do these things? And this is the thing meansto be an incarnational missionary and the necessiry that I desire of thee. And the king answered him and for missionariesto understandand become an integral part said, Yea, I will believe all thy words; and thus he was of the cultures to which they may be called to minister. The caught with guile. And Ammon began to speak unto Book of Mormon can serveas an instructive guide for con- him with boldness, and said unto him, Believest thou temporary missionsbecause of the mission theology con- that there is a God? And he answered, and said unto him, tained within the book. I do not know what that meaneth. And then Ammon said, Believest thou that there is a Great Spirit? And he It is my hope that as opportunities arise to carry the gospel said, Yea. And Ammon said, This is God. And Ammon to persons who have not heard, that the witness of Jesus said unto him again, Believest thou that this Great Spirit, Christ contained in The Book of Mormon will rise as the who is God, created all things, which are in heaven and primary messageand significance of the book. May the Holy in the earth?w Spirit blessall who study The Book of Mormon to this end Ammon did not argue over terminology, but instead he is my payer. t

xiii lbid.,verses 32-37 xiv To contextualizethe gospelmessage is to presentthe messageof rhe Gospelin termsand/or imagesthat personsofa host culture will relateto. xv Ibid., verses99-106 WishList

LCD Projector $3,500 CassetteRecorder $200 them unto repentance;that perhaps they might bring FoldingThbles(6) $100ea. them to know of the plan of redemption; VCR $100 Afma 122119 \7'indow Btinds (4) $125ea. But this is not all; for he expounded unto them the plan of redemption, which was prepared from the foundation The Book of Mormon you who contribute to the of the world; FoundationLearning Cent- Foundation. Alma 19223-26 er would like to give its heartfelt appreciationfor 23 And now my son, this was the ministry unto which ye Purchases were called, to declare these glad tidings unto this people, the donations that enabled to prepare their minds; or rather that salvation might it to provide better quality from the Wish List come unto them, that they may prepare the minds of their classesand training. The in the last year: children to hear the word at the time of his coming. Book of Mormon Founda- 4l chairs 24 And now I will easeyour mind somewhat on this sub- tion would alsolike to 4 folding tables ject. Behold, you marvel why thesethings should be thank all thosewho donat- audio cassetteduplicator known so long beforehand. ed to the wish list in 2002. office printer 25 Behold, I say unto you, Is not a soul at this time as pre- Becauseof your generous projectorscre€n cious unto God, as a soul will be at the time of his coming? donations,we wereable to portablemicrophone 26Is it not as necessarythat the plan of redemption purchasethe following two office computers should be made known unto this people, as well as unto itemsthat helpedus pro- library doors (which made their children? t mote The Book of Mor- it possiblefor us to have mon in this land aswell as two classesor meetingsat This articb ispart nuo of three. Scripnu"esfom Bob Giertzi series in foreigncountries. M"y the sametime) are auailttbleas printed lzbekJrom TbeBook oJ'Momnn Foundatiort. God continueto blessall of

'"i \lt^{ 1 The Bookof Mormon Foundationpresents Book of Mormon in the latter daysand the doctrine of JesusChrist. Those attending will be Bookof MormonWeek2003 challengedto reachbeyond their comfort zones and experiencethe potential of discipleship.The Who:Older youth ages 17-24 week is not for the casual,apathetic or indiffer- When:July 20-26 ent Christian. Neither is the week for those Where:Odessa Hills campground near Odessa, Mo. seekinga tool chestof Book of Mormon proofs to combatnon-believers. The premiseof this "A unique learningexperience for the inquiring mind" camp is to sharethe newsofJesus through faith Edwardand LisaGlaser, camp directors in the revealedword of God and in charity which is the pure love of Christ. If your heart'sdesire is: is designedto be an intensivelearning The Book of Mormon week . To know the messageof The Book of meansthat all thoseattending will be experiencethrough service,which Mormon; week.All the activitiesof the activelyinvolved in the outcome of the . To learn more about the ancient and covenant learning about the purposeof The week are designedto be hands-on people;and/or . To embark on a truly life-changingquest; then this camping experiencemay be right for you. The charactersof The Book of Mormon will teachthose attending, aswords from the dust, their experiences,their testimoniesand their Board of Directors THr'WtrNEss Committee faith. Those attending should be willing to PresidentDaleGodfrey Linda Guin sharewith eachother in charactersketches, dra- Dennis Moe VicePres idznt Marlin Guin mas,music, art and other actsof service. Each Se cre t ary/ Tireas u rer G ary l-aj.r RochelleNewell be to study and discussion. BonnieAnderson Cheryl Scofield day will dedicated At the end of the week, thoseattending should JasonAnderson Larry Scofield Linda Guin Kathy Vogt be equippedwith a comfortableknowledge of BarbaraCapps Thra Simmons The Book of Mormon message,which should Linda Thimble enablethem to confidentlyshare with others.In addition, the week should havemoved those ffice ManagerDennisMoe' GraphicDesignerThra Simmons attending from a role as passiveobserver to one The Book of Mormon Foundationis a nonprofit corporationcomposed of activeparticipant. of individuds who desireto promoteThe Book of Mormon and its witness ofJesusChrist. Cost for the weekis $95.00.Please send a Throueh research,publications, seminars and relatedprojects, members $25 depositwith your registration.Registration of BMF ieek to assist^inbringing forth the light containedin The Book of forms can be found at our web site and The Mormon. Book of Mormon FoundationLearning Center. is tax deductible. A contribution to The Book of Mormon Foundation Full payment is due by 9. t Financids are available upon request. July

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