God, Man and the Universe
By Hyrum L. Andrus
Synopsis: This book is the first volume in Andrus’ iconic series Foundations of the Millennial Kingdom of Christ, and covers the nature of God, His power and glory, and its relationship to man and His other creations. The work is based on the teachings of Joseph Smith the Prophet, and can be considered an exposition of Joseph Smith’s thought on the subjects covered. It is a very advanced study of spiritual matters, however, and it is appropriate to consider this book and its series as spiritual or scriptural calculus.
Strong Points: This book is a meticulously thought-out, exhaustively researched, well-documented study of the subject matter. When one opens one of these books in the Foundations of the Millennial Kingdom of Christ series, they are immediately profoundly impressed with the depth, quality, insightfulness, and thoroughness of the material found on the pages. It is not an exaggeration to say that God, Man and the Universe is a work of genius, written by a man who was a genius and an expert with reference to the scriptures and the teachings of Joseph Smith. The book is so well-structured, with user-friendly and informative (yet concise) footnotes generously laid throughout. The content of the text covers a wide array of topics, and is rich in comprehensiveness and depth. The book takes the reader on a fascinating journey through concepts embedded within the Doctrine & Covenants, the Book of Mormon, the teachings of Joseph Smith, and other authoritative sources.Incredible insights relating to the nature of the Light of Christ and the glory of God, of the sequence of Creation events according to a close examination of the scriptures, and many other insights are found throughout the book and abound on each page. You cannot read from this book without being impressed and learning a facet of the Gospel that you haven’t considered before. Not only is the book extremely impressive and profound, it is also incredibly fascinating and edifying. I am serious when I say that Hyrum L. Andrus is among the greatest minds in Latter-day Saint thought, and nowhere is that better showcased than in his Foundations of the Millennial Kingdom of Christ series, and its profound first volume, God, Man and the Universe. This book is one of the finest shining examples of doctrinal writing that is available to be read within the Church, and it will be one of the great rewarding reads of your life.
Weak Points: You have to be nitpicky to find things wrong with this book. One thing I was disappointed with was that the author did not consider Shem and Melchizedek the same person (p. 5). Also, there was an interesting observation of multiple Grand Council meetings made by the author (p. 270-279), which I hadn’t heard before, but it makes a lot of sense. I wasn’t sure from the reading whether the author certified that claim sufficiently from the scriptures, hence why it appears as a weakness, but it did make sense as the author presented it.
Interesting: 5/5
Must Read: 5/5
Overall: 5/5
Pages: 507
Selected Quote: “Here was a major challenge that confronted Joseph Smith, for regardless of where he obtained his ideas, the fact remains that no system of any consequence can be established successfully among men without meaningful philosophical concepts upon which it can be based. Man’s regard for others and his accepted duty to God are rooted therein. A true and enobling philosophy must be founded in the dignity of man, and it must answer intelligently the questions: What is man that others should be mindful of him? From whence did he originate? What is his purpose in life? What is his future destiny? And how is he related to God and to the universe?” (p. 14).