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Last week marked the one-year anniversary of the quiet removal of Bruce R. McConkie’s compendium Mormon Doctrine from Deseret booktores. All references to it had already been expunged from the Gospel Principles manual brought back into use for priesthood and Relief Society in 2010. It is no longer officially recognized by the Church. Like many Mormons, I have some personal history with this book. When I was baptized into the LDS Church in 1993, the father of a friend gave me a copy, carefully inscribed to congratulate me on this momentous step. It looked like a helpful resource with its...

“Mormon Doctrine” is finally going out of print. The late apostle Bruce R. McConkie’s interpretation of LDS theology was a common sight in the homes of active Mormons for decades. Even today, it’s often seen in the homes of older Mormons. In fact, it will likely be decades before the book becomes difficult to find in used bookstores or ebay, etc. Peggy Fletcher Stack of the Salt Lake Tribune wrote an excellent article about the “popular but polarizing” “Mormon Doctrine.” McConkie’s book was written as an authoritative index of beliefs, but in truth it caused much controversy; in fact as...

When Deseret Book announced it would not reprint Mormon Doctrine, I immediately thought of my Uncle Ed. The book was his spiritual guide, his religious hammer. Uncle Ed swore by Mormon Doctrine. In fact, I once heard him say that if he were ever elected to anything, he would insist on repeating the oath of office with his hand on a copy. When I left on my mission, he gave me an original "hardliner" edition of Mormon Doctrine, the one with all the doctrinal truths that were later quietly dropped, stuff about papists, blacks, communists and aliens. I packed the...

I’m holding in my hand my black hardcover copy of Mormon Doctrine by Bruce R. McConkie, one of Mormonism’s most influential books, an all-time Mormon bestseller, which went out of print this week. A book written, I’m sure, with the best of intentions by a revered Mormon leader. And, still, a book that continued to circulate even after other high-ranking Mormon leaders recommended more than one thousand corrections to its content. A book that called Roman Catholicism the “Church of the Devil.” And a book that elevated to doctrinal status non-doctrinal folklore about the origins of the LDS Church’s ban...

After more than 50 years, Bruce R. McConkie's Mormon Doctrine, one of the most influential LDS books of the 20th century, has quietly gone out of print. The encyclopedic explanation of LDS teachings, first published in 1958, went through 40 printings, selling hundreds of thousands of copies. Deseret Book has decided not to reprint the classic volume, said spokeswoman Gail Halladay, because of "low sales." "The demand is no longer there," said Halladay, managing director for marketing and communications. From the day it came off the presses, though, Mormon Doctrine, was at once wildly popular to many and deeply troubling...

A popular book for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is now out of print. The book is "Mormon Doctrine" written by church apostle Bruce R. McConkie. No more copies will be coming off the printing press. The publisher, Deseret Book, says it's because of low sales, but local book seller Tony Weller says the book is still very popular. “Well, we sell them as fast as we acquire them. Since it is out of print, they come in one or two at a time, but we nearly always have someone waiting for a copy and...