Between the Lines: Unlocking Scriptures with Timeless Principles

Well-known author and teacher Joseph Fielding McConkie takes an inspiring new look at how to read scriptures in ways that will deepen our understanding and help us to draw closer to the Lord.

Chapters include such titles as:

• Methods Are Not the Answer
• The Best Bible Commentary
• What Scripture Says about Scripture
• The Doctrine of Common Sense
• The Language of Symbols
• Unlocking the Mysteries

“To read scripture is one thing; to read it with understanding is quite another,” McConkie says. “The purpose of this work is to identify the timeless principles that facilitate sound scriptural understanding. In it we will seek to see what scripture says about understanding scripture. We want to drink at the fountainhead, not below the horses.”

McConkie adds, “Gospel understanding is a journey, not a destination. Each day of the journey starts with its own sense of excitement and leads to its own lessons. In each reading of the scriptures, you can find things that were not there the last time you read them.”

Focusing on one of key purposes of scripture, he says, “We do not want to have hearing problems when the Lord speaks. What we want is to be familiar with the sound of his voice. Scripture is our textbook in so doing. Stated simply, revelation begets revelation. Those who study scripture are much more inclined to see and hear where spiritual things are concerned than those who do not.”

“Your understanding of the scriptures will come to life in a new and powerful way as you apply the principles found in the book Between the Lines. Filling set reading assignments, complicated marking systems, and set times of study, will be replaced by reading with new eyes and seeing with new understanding.” — Douglas E. Brinley, Emeritus Professor of Church History, BYU

“We do not need another book that makes the scriptures easier — what we need is a book that makes them more understandable. That is exactly what Joseph Fielding McConkie has done in his new work Between the Lines. There are no secret methods found within its pages, just timeless principles that will help everyone to understand the scriptures. Each sentence, paragraph, and chapter testified that the Lord wants to teach us if we will take the time to listen.” — Richard N. Holzapfel, Director of the Religious Studies Center, BYU