For the month of August, the LDS Living Book Club will be re-framing the way we think about grace by studying “Original Grace” by Latter-day Saint scholar Adam S. Miller. Here’s a peek at some of the introspective questions we’ll be diving into:

What if instead of implicitly affirming the traditional logic of original sin, we, as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, emphasized the deeper reality of God’s original grace? What if we broke entirely with the belief that suffering can sometimes be deserved and claimed that suffering can never be deserved?

In exploring these questions, we’ll look into scriptures and the truths of the Restoration to reframe Christianity’s traditional thinking about grace, justice, and sin. He outlines the logic of original sin versus that of original grace and generates fresh insights into how the doctrine of grace relates to justice, creation, forgiveness, and more.

• An easy-to-follow reading schedule shared on Instagram
• Excerpts from the book shared on LDSLiving.com
• Poignant quotes and discussion of the topics addressed in the book

Each month we choose a new book to read together. Joining is easy! Simply follow @ldslivingbookclub on Instagram for reading reminders and insights.

Original Grace: An Experiment in Restoration Thinking

In Original Grace, Adam S. Miller proposes an experiment in Restoration thinking. And as we embrace the reality of God’s original grace and refuse the logic of original sin, we achieve a deeper understanding of our relationship with Christ and the meaning of his atonement. Christ suffers with us in order to heal our wounds and redeem our suffering. He rescues us from sin by empowering us to exercise our agency and accept. God’s original offer of grace. He fills us with this pure love by teaching us how to respond to all suffering the same way God does: with even more grace. Indeed, as Miller suggests, the very substance of salvation has always been a grace-filled partnership with Christ.

Available now in Deseret Book stores and at deseretbook.com.

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Adam S. Miller

Adam S. Miller is a professor of philosophy at Collin College in McKinney, Texas. He earned a BA in comparative literature from Brigham Young University and an MA and PhD in philosophy from Villanova University. He is the author of nine books, including Speculative Grace, The Gospel according to David Foster Wallace, Letters to a Young Mormon, and An Early Resurrection. He also directs the Latter-day Saint Theology Seminar.

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