Q&A with Robert A. Rees, author of Imagining and Reimagining the Restoration August 22 2025

Greg Kofford Books recently asked Bob Rees, author of Imagining and Reimagining the Restoration, about his new book.

Q: You write about "imagining" and "reimagining" the Restoration, suggesting that a lack of imagination can lead to fanaticism and a loss of passion for the gospel. How can Latter-day Saints cultivate a more active and generative imagination to deepen their faith, and what are the risks of a faith that is "bored" or "static"?

A: I speak of the imagination as one of the greatest gifts of Deity. Imagine what we and our world would be like without imagination: no Bach or Emily Dickinson, no Jane Austen or Shakespeare, no Joseph Smith or Marie Curie, no Mary Oliver or Martin Luther King, Jr. So, the beginning of cultivating our imagination is to recognize that it is a God-given gift and that, like all such gifts, it is to be used in the service of the great commandments—to love God with all our hearts, minds, and souls (which is the region of our beings in which our imaginations dwell), to love others, and to love ourselves. All three objects of our love include our imaginations. If we truly value our imaginations and use them well, there is little risk of having faith that is boring or static!

Q: You dedicate your book to women "who use their gifts of imagination to bless God's children."You also co-authored a chapter on "Searching for Heavenly Mother" and included a section on a "feminine Mormon midrash." How do you see the role of women's imagination and unique perspectives as being critical to the future of Mormonism?

A: The world is poorer, less advanced, and less progressive because we have not recognized or valued women’s imaginations equally with those of men, and yet the logical conclusion of our enlightened theology is that Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother together imagined and created our universe and all its inhabitants, beauties, and glories, as well as its complexities and wonders through their respective yet complementary divine imaginations! Women and men are, I believe, uniquely gifted imaginatively and yet more powerfully so when we blend our imaginations. I don’t believe the Church has yet fully recognized or valued women’s imaginations. It is exciting to imagine that they might soon do so! Is it possible in a patriarchal system to fully imagine women’s possibilities? With some help from women, I believe it is!

When I wanted to more deeply explore our enlightened theology of Mother in Heaven, I knew I couldn’t do so fully without my wife, Gloria, which is also why we have been imagining and composing midrash on scriptural women together. Gloria’s feminine insight, perspective, and expressive gifts make these fictional figures more dimensional and real.

Q: In your book, you mention the concept of "tikkun k'nessiah," or "repairing the Church," drawing inspiration from the Jewish idea of "tikkun olam." What do you see as the most urgent areas for repair within the Church today, and what role can individual members play in this process?

A: The Jewish concept of "tikkun olam" is an imperative: we may not succeed in changing the world (or the Church), but neither are we excused from trying. The most urgent areas where repair is needed are those that have always challenged the Church— how best to care for those Jesus calls “the least of these”; how to create a more equal, harmonious, and unified society, one in which there are no poor or marginalized; how to be good stewards of the earth; and how to be open to truth beyond our individual limited views of the world. As members of Christ’s kingdom, all members who take seriously the charge to do what we can to make our respective church communities as well as he Church itself more reflective of his gospel should thoughtfully and imaginative consider those possibilities. That work requires respect, patience, humility, occasionally courage, and abundant love and faith.

Q: Your chapter on "Imagining 'All Are Alike unto God'" discusses the historical context of the priesthood ban and the contributions of Lester Bush Jr. You state that the Church "failed to use" the 40th-anniversary celebration of the ban's lifting to permanently dispel the mythology surrounding it. What do you think the Church needs to do to fully and honestly address this part of its history?

A: As my chapter argues, I believe the Church should consider undertaking a formal “truth and reconciliation” initiative that fully and openly acknowledges the harm done to those who suffered under the priesthood and temple ban. I think that such an initiative would be healing to the Church and its black as well as its white members, would open new opportunities in the US and Europe, and would expand our work in Africa. It would also help diminish and ultimately erase the vestiges of racism that continue to hinder the Church. Imagine what would have happened had the Church fully embraced Lester Bush’s findings in 1978.

Q: You describe your experience with the Shaker hymn "More Love, More Love" and its message of loving one another. How do you believe this message applies to the Church's relationship with its LGBTQ members, and what specific steps could. be taken to create a more inclusive and welcoming environment?

A: While the Church has made significant progress in recognizing the reality of LGBTQ members’ lives and their lived experience in our church culture, there is little doubt that most LGBTQ members feel unwelcome and marginalized in our congregations. One thing that would make a difference would be to welcome LGBTQ couples and their families into fellowship in the same way most LDS congregations welcome unmarried heterosexuals and their families. Another would be to accept the legitimacy of legally married non-heterosexuals.

Q: In "Imagining a Holier Holy Week," you describe your family's traditions of observing the week leading up to Easter. You express a hope for the Church to "recognize and celebrate the full significance of Holy Week." Why do you feel this is so important for the spiritual development of Latter-day Saints?

A. Essentially because for Christians, including Latter-day Saints, this is the most significant week in human history. In fact, history has a dramatically diminished significance without what happened during these most holy days. It is the week in which the most momentous events from Eden to the end of the world took place, events that have a profound impact on every human being. Not to mark these last days in Jesus’ life from his triumphal entry into Jerusalem, his betrayal and abandonment, his agony on Gethsemane, his crucifixion on Calvary, as well as his glorious resurrection (which together prove his triumph over both our sins an our deaths) diminishes the human and cosmic drama of his life and mission. Another reason to celebrate the entirety of Holy Week is that it increases our fellowship with other Christians. There is no theological or doctrinal reason why this should not happen and there are some recent signs that it might happen.

Q: Your discussion of the Great Salt Lake and the Pando aspen grove presents them as metaphors for the Church's stewardship of the Earth. You propose a new Fifth Mission of the Church: "earth stewardship." Why is this a moral imperative for our generation, and how does it relate to Jesus's teachings in Matthew 25?

A: Our generation has been blessed with the riches and wonders of the earth as no previous generation has, but because of our greed and indifference, we have also helped create climate crises that threaten our very existence. Because of the forces of nature, we have helped set in motion or increased in severity (melting glaciers, shrinking lakes, increasingly powerful cyclones and hurricanes. severe drought, disappearing species, etc.), we have increasingly endangered communities around the globe. In Matthew 25, Jesus asks us to think of our fellow human, including those who suffer from the effects of global warming, as if they were Jesus himself.

Q: You use the parable of the doubloon from Herman Melville's Moby Dick to illustrate that the Church acts as a mirror, reflecting each member's unique stage of moral development. How can this understanding help members be more charitable and forgiving of one another's perceived shortcomings and differences in belief?

A: There is a tendency among Latter-day Saints (and Americans) to consider ourselves as more enlightened, more exceptional, and in some ways, more blessed than others. We also have a tendency to see ourselves as ideal citizens of the Kingdom of God and to exclude those, including some in our own congregations, who do not fit or who in our judgment fall short of our ideal. Jesus’ parables are intended to open our eyes, minds, and hearts to a wider spectrum of humanity, one that includes members who are different from us. His parable of the Church as a body teaches us to value those others whose gifts are different from ours and especially to prize those who are less comely. Most of all, he invites us to see others as if they were him. Emerson said he never met anyone who was not his superior in some particular. So, as we look into the mirror of the Church, we are invited to see more than just our own image staring back at us.

Q: You propose a progressive vision for the Church, yet you also acknowledge the importance of conservative principles, such as stability and clear moral standards. How can the Church navigate the tension between these opposing forces to become "more equally balanced" and "more appealing to a wider humanity"?

A: My answer is relatively simple: by recognizing that there is value and virtue in both conservative and liberal ideologies and systems. If our minds and our hearts are open enough, we find ourselves capable of recognizing, honoring, balancing, harmonizing, and integrating a variety ideas and perspectives, especially if we evaluate and measure them by “whatever is lovely, of good report, and praiseworthy.” Unfortunately, at times, Latter-day Saints, like members of most groups, tend to see themselves as more blessed, more privileged, and more right than others, which has a tendency to leave them less open to alternative points of view.

Imagining and Reimagining the Restoration is available in both paperback and ebook.