THE CROSS
March 2026
Finding Christ After Leaving Mormonism
By Brandi Bronson
"For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous.” Romans 5:19 (ESV)
From a young age, I held both pride and gratitude for being born into “the covenant.” After all, I had a beautiful family, “goodly parents” (1 Nephi 1:1), and a secure community and identity. I loved everything about being Mormon: the doctrine, the miraculous story of the restoration, and the clear path laid out in the Plan of Happiness. While others around me were “finding themselves,” I already knew who I was: a divine daughter of Heavenly Parents, possessing the same potential as Them, so long as I made it to the temple alongside a worthy priesthood holder.
Throughout my youth, I could not be deterred; I had my eye on the prize: an eternal marriage in the House of the Lord. On any given Sunday, you could find me hurrying home from church to write in my diary about my gratitude for Joseph Smith’s divine appointment and the deep longing I had to find an eternal companion. For hours I would be lost in thought, ruminating over the attributes I would soon seek in my forever partner once I made it to Brigham Young University. Before long, I said goodbye to my seminary teachers, my ward, and my family. I flew the nest from Northern California and made my way to the “Lord’s University” in Provo, Utah.
By my third year at BYU, I had found the one who would take me to the temple to be sealed for time and eternity. I couldn’t have dreamed of a better man to start my forever with. In other words, I had made it!
After successfully receiving both an “MRS degree” and a broadcast journalism degree, it didn’t take long before we began growing our family. After my husband finished his master's at BYU, we moved back to California, where we completed our family and joined a new ward. During these difficult years (having three babies in four years is no joke!) I became disaffected with the LDS church’s current policies.
After writing letters to the LDS headquarters and feeling powerless within a church I felt was potentially facing another apostasy, I became open to reality in a way I had not been before.
Shortly after my third child was blessed in the LDS church, my life changed forever. I had a discussion with a family member who told me to visit a site called MormonThink, where I began to learn the true origins of my faith, the inconsistencies of its truth claims, and the lies born from the mouth of Joseph Smith. My shelf broke. The dissonance overcame me. I collapsed into a soup of nihilism as my identity, purpose and goals vanished.
Although I had a strong impulse to turn towards atheism, I soon realized I didn’t have enough faith to be an atheist. I then spent the next few painful years methodically rebuilding my paradigm on the single most important question one can ask: is there such a thing as truth? And secondly, can we find it?
From considering agnosticism, atheism, Judaism, and finally Christianity, I had quite a journey. I decided to write about my experience and how I came to trust the Jesus Christ of the Bible. Although the book begins with my history as a Latter-day Saint and why I felt the church’s history was too problematic to remain in the faith, the majority of the book is spent tackling basic Christian apologetics and how the LDS Gospel and God differ from what we see in God’s revealed Word.
Although this book was written for the wandering ex-Mormon who is currently an atheist or agnostic, my hope is that current LDS will be able to stomach this book and better understand why it was important to leave Mormonism to find Christ. I have also had many Christians read it to better understand the LDS faith as they prayerfully consider how to evangelize to this group of wonderful people.
The main takeaways you will find are these: Jesus is our Creator God, there is only one God, and this same God took on flesh to not only die for our sins but to live for our righteousness. Imputed righteousness changes everything, and without it, there is no Good News. Because LDS are not offered the Good News of imputed righteousness, this concept in particular became a cherished truth. The moment I realized Jesus lived a vicarious life on my behalf—similar to how LDS participate in temple work—my ability to turn from my sin and kneel before our Lord became the answer to all of my searching. I pray this book finds its way into the hands of those who now have eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart to receive the beautiful Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Please click/tap on the book graphic for more information.
(Printed with expressed written permission
by Brandi Bronson)
Do you have an LDS background or LDS family connections?
The LDS Care Group is a safe space for both former and current Mormons to share, encourage, wrestle, and grow in their faith journeys with others who have similar life experiences, challenges, and culture. Our next get-together will be Thursday, March 19, 6:00-8:00 pm via Zoom. Sometimes we meet in person near Dobson/Ray in Chandler as well.
Please email Kristine at kreeintempe@cox.net or call/text 480-313-0399 for details.
Titus 3:5 He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.
by Lori Lauber
Last Fall, we began a four-part series on the accuracy and authenticity of the Bible. Below are the first three parts for review from previous newsletters. We thank Lori Lauber, local guest writer and Christian with a heart for the LDS people, for contributing these outstanding articles to The Cross Newsletter.
Part 3 is here (scroll down to second article)
Isaiah 40:8 The grass withers, the flower fades,
but the Word of our God stands forever.
The final piece of evidence for the unsurpassed reliability and truth of the Old Testament text is the abundance of corroborating archeological findings.
Archeological evidence in Israel (a few examples among thousands):
· November 2007 - Remnants of the wall Nehemiah rebuilt around Jerusalem was uncovered in an archaeological excavation in Jerusalem’s ancient City of David. King David’s palace was also found at the site.
· 1994 - Archaeologists discovered a monumental stone slab near Tel Dan in northern Israel. It dates to the ninth century before Jesus and was placed in this location to celebrate the victory of the Aramean king over the armies of Israel. It bears an inscription which refers to the “House of David”, confirming the fact that David reigned and established a dynasty.
· 1979 - The Ketef Hinnom Scrolls were discovered. They date to the era of the first temple in 600 B.C. The scrolls are made of silver and engraved with the exact text of the priestly blessing in Numbers 6:24-26.
· 1867 - King Hezekiah’s tunnel for bringing water into Jerusalem was discovered.
Archeological Evidence Outside of Israel (a few examples amongst numerous):
· The campaign into Israel by Pharaoh Shishak (1Kings 14:25-26) is recorded on the walls of the Temple of Amun, in Thebes, Egypt.
· The revolt of Moab against Israel (2 Kings 1:1, 3:4-27) is recorded on the monumental stone slab of King Mesha of Moab (modern day Jordan). This monumental stone was discovered in 1868.
· The fall of Samaria (2 Kings 17:3-6; 18:9-11) is recorded on the palace walls of Sargon II, King of Assyria.
· The defeat of Ashdod (Isaiah 20:1) is also recorded on the palace walls of Sargon II.
· The fall of Nineveh as predicted by the prophets Nahum and Zephaniah (2 Kings 2:13-15) is recorded on the Tablet of Nabopolassar, discovered in the late 1800s.
· The fall of Jerusalem to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon (2 Kings 24:10-14) is recorded in the tablets of the Babylonian Chronicles, which were discovered in the late 1800s.
· The fall of Babylon to the Medes and Persians (Daniel 5:30-31) is recorded on the clay Cyrus Cylinder, dated from the 6th century B.C. This was discovered in 1879.
· The freeing of the Jewish captives in Babylon by Cyrus the Great (Ezra 1:1-4; 6:3-4) is also recorded on the Cyrus Cylinder.
Archaeological Accuracy Concerning People:
There is indisputable evidence for the existence of 53 rulers named in the Old Testament: 4 Egyptian Pharaohs, 39 kings from Moab, Aram-Damascus, the northern kingdom of Israel, southern kingdom of Judah, Assyria, Babylonia, and also Persia. (The Bible Archeology Society, 53 people in the Bible Confirmed Archaeologically, 10/13/20)
Archaeological Accuracy Concerning Geography:
There are numerous cities named in the Old Testament that have been discovered and excavated: Arad, Bethel, Dan, Gezer, Hazor, Hesbon, Jericho, Joppa, Nineveh, Susa, Shechem (all the way back in Genesis!!) not to mention all the geographical locations still in existence today: Mt. Sinai, Mt. Nebo, Petra, the Jordan River, Mt. Tabor, Egypt, Israel, Jerusalem, Beer Sheva, Lachish, Megiddo, Ein Gedi, Bethlehem, etc.
Archaeologic Accuracy Concerning Ancient Biblical Cultures:
There is a huge inventory of archeological artifacts such as coins, weapons, tools, art, religious instruments of worship, burial sites, and legal documents dating to Old Testament times. These artifacts corroborate that the ancient cultures existed, that they used the forms of Biblical language that would have been appropriate for that era, and that the people groups functioned as societies in the exact way they are described in the Old Testament.
Conclusions Based on Evidence:
It is apparent that God has moved heaven and earth to preserve and communicate to us His precious words from the Old Testament. He has made sure that the Old Testament text is accurate in the transmission of copies over thousands of years. God has preserved His Word in its timeline of history, correct in naming actual people who existed and geographical references. His text remains flawless in the precision of His prophetic declarations and the subsequent fulfillment of those prophecies. Plus, we have Jesus Himself and the inspired writers of the New Testament as witnesses affirming what is contained in the Old Testament text. These are the reasons we can have confidence and believe what God tells us in Isaiah 40:8 “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of our God stands forever.”
by Gary Keating
Since becoming General Manager in 2016, many operational changes have happened at Concerned Christians (CC). Also, in the last 10 years, operations have changed in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). Our Concerned Christians leadership team makes every effort to know what is happening in Salt Lake City, Utah. This year, April 4-6, 2026, the LDS will hold their General Conference. During the weeks following the LDS General Conference, CC will be analyzing each prepared message given during the conference. In future newsletters, we will share any new directions the LDS plan to take. Please stay tuned for this valuable information, which may adjust your approach to witnessing and sharing.
