Review
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Title: The Power of Christ’s Deliverance
Author: Jan J. Martin & Alonzo L. Gaskill (editors)
Publisher: RSC BYU Deseret Book
Genre: Religious Non Fiction
Year Published: 2022
Number of Pages: 136
Binding: Hardcover, eBook
ISBN-13: 978-1-9503-0423-2
Price: $17.99
Reviewed by Richard Ji for the Association for Mormon Letters
The Power of Christ’s Deliverance, edited by Jan J. Martin and Alonzo L. Gaskill, is a collection of devotional essays from 6 prominent LDS authors, including one by the editor, Jan Martin. As the title suggests, it is focused on the power of Christ’s deliverance and how the Easter story can bring hope into each of our lives. The book has been difficult to obtain due to delays with printing. So, while it was not widely available for the Easter season of 2022, hopefully, stores will be stocked in time for Easter 2023.
The book begins with an Introduction by Jan Martin, followed by essays by Marie K. Hafen, Virginia Hinckley Pearce Cowley, Tyler J. Griffin, John Hilton III, Jan J. Martin (editor), and Jennifer Reeder. Each chapter has end notes. There is also an Index at the end of the book. Among the visual aids, there are numerous paintings from a range of prominent artists. This short read of just 136 pages can be read in one sitting, or readers may pick essays that are most interesting to them and read those independently of the others. While The Power of Christ’s Deliverance is written by scholars, the essay format allows authors to become deeply personal with the reader, either through their own experiences or the experiences of the author’s associates.
Jennifer Reeder’s essay, “Honoring Mortality.” was especially poignant as she shares the significant trials in her life, including shingles, leukemia, pneumonia, depression, broken relationships, and more. Her words evoke deep empathy for her and others who have struggled with the trials of mortality. Reeder seems to draw great strength from her ancestors and pioneers, who were also descriptive of their challenges in their writings but remained faithful and hopeful in Christ. She cites Jane Snyder Richard’s account of her hardships while her husband was away on a mission, including infant mortality. In the face of these, she wrote, “I only lived because I could not die” (p. 116). Reeder ends her essay with her testimony that “Earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal” (p. 127).
John Hilton III’s essay, “The Loving Christ,” serves as a flip side from Reeder’s emotive essay. His essay focused on establishing the events on Calvary as having just as much importance in our worship as the events in Gethsemane. This chapter is a condensed treatment of the subject from his book, Consider the Cross. It is less personal and more doctrinal but opens the door to powerful insights into the Atonement which have been less appreciated by the LDS community.
The remaining essays fit somewhere between these two essays on an emotive scale. All the essays point the reader to a more personalized application of the Easter story into our unique lives as readers. It is easy to try and boil Gospel principles down into meme-worthy cliches. But the reality is that our lives are filled with much more complexity and nuance. The Power of Christ’s Deliverance, edited by Jan J. Martin and Alonzo L. Gaskill, does a wonderful job of presenting the Easter story in a way that is not only personal to the author but also particular to readers as individuals.
It was during the Christmas season when I read this book. At first, it seemed desynchronized reading a tome about Easter. But, as President Gordon B. Hinckley has said, ‘There Would be no Christmas if there had not been Easter. The babe Jesus of Bethlehem would be but another baby without the redeeming Christ of Gethsemane and Calvary and the triumphant fact of the Resurrection.’ (Latter-day Saint Worship: Keeping the Spirit of Christmas Throughout the Year (churchofjesuschrist.org)) So, as I continued to read, the application of the essays seemed more relevant despite the season.
The Power of Christ’s Deliverance, edited by Jan J. Martin and Alonzo L. Gaskill, does not feel like your everyday devotional read from Deseret Book. The essay format works well to draw the reader into the principles in a special way. It enables one to more readily relate to the author, which in turn enables an enhanced ability to see how their teachings can directly apply to our unique circumstances and lives. I Highly recommend this book for all readers seeking to increase their comprehension of deliverance, customized to our lives and made possible by Jesus Christ.