Righteous Warriors: Lessons from the War Chapters in the Book of Mormon, Bytheway

Why are there so many wars in the Book of Mormon? Could it be that a book written “for our day” would have to prepare us to survive in a time of “wars and rumors of war,” a time when Satan is at war with everything that is good? In Righteous Warriors, John Bytheway shows that what we often call the “war chapters” in the Book of Mormon are rich in gospel wisdom and spiritual insight. The pattern is clear: When the children of Lehi are successful, it's because they make covenants first and swords later. They pray mightily for help from God; then they go to work and fortify their cities. They fail only when they allow themselves to be enticed, decoyed, and distracted from what they should have been doing. Brother Bytheway shows that the stratagems of warfare are frighteningly similar to the stratagems Satan uses to ensnare God's children today. Spirited, lively, and insightful, Righteous Warriors illuminates a large section of the Book of Mormon that is sometimes overlooked. Excellent. I intend to use it in Sunday School and in my family. — Robert J. Matthews, former dean of Religious Education at BYU, former member of the Church's Scriptures Publication Committee. I consider this book to be one of the finest treatments of the war chapters in the Book of Mormon now available. Youth and adults alike will find the discussion, commentary, and application provided by this work to be extremely useful. — Robert L. Millet, former dean of Religious Education at BYU, co-author, Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon.