Healing Our Divides: Answering the Savior’s Call to Be Peacemakers

by David B. Ostler
with a Foreword by Thomas B. Griffith

Now available in paperback and ebook. Audiobook forthcoming.

• “Healing Our Divides is the perfect book for our current moment. . . . Ostler teaches correct principles and then offers concrete tools and examples that will empower readers not just to believe in peace but to embody and practice it as well.” —Patrick Mason
• “No book has focused so clearly on how to face religious and ideological rivalry between people who earnestly believe they have the truth while the other does not.” —C. Randall Paul
• “An inspired call and practical guide. . . .  Ostler makes a compelling case for the kind of sacrifice, humility, faith, and courage necessary for us to come together.” —Robert A. Rees
• “Ostler boldly steps into the fray with a book that instructs how to move back to the Christ-centered society that is—or was—central to the Latter-day Saint concept of a gathered Zion composed of the pure in heart, with all living in harmony and none excluded.” —Gregory Prince

  
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Download a free sample copy.

Book Description:

Healing Our Divides: Answering the Savior’s Call to Be Peacemakers is a timely and essential guide for navigating the increasingly polarized and contentious landscape of modern society. Drawing inspiration from powerful and prophetic messages from Latter-day Saint leaders on unity and peace, author David B. Ostler explores the skills and approaches necessary to eliminate contention and become peacemakers. Through extensive research and personal reflection, Ostler offers concrete and practical strategies for reducing contention, understanding others, and fostering meaningful conversations amid differences in beliefs and ideologies.

Rooted in principles of religious discipleship and moral integrity, Healing Our Divides addresses the urgent need to confront societal division and hostility with love and understanding. Ostler delves into four major themes, including understanding today's divisions, learning practical approaches to reduce contention, recognizing peacemaking as a vital aspect of religious discipleship, and mastering the art of deep and meaningful discussion. With insightful thought boxes prompting self-reflection and engagement, as well as questions for group study, he invites readers to join in the communal effort of healing divides and fostering unity. This book serves as a poignant reminder of our collective responsibility to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ and work towards creating a more peaceful and harmonious world, one interaction at a time.

Comprehensive Table of Contents:

Praise for Healing Our Divides:

“No book has focused so clearly on how to face religious and ideological rivalry between people who earnestly believe they have the truth while the other does not. David Ostler has searched sources in social-psychology and comparative theology to present wise advice for (mostly) enjoying life with those who disagree with us. He ends with this potent truth from John Templeton that should be an addendum to the Latter-day Saint 13th Article of Faith: 'Why settle for [religious encounters] based on tolerance alone? More than tolerance, we need constructive competition. When persons on fire with their gospel compete lovingly to give their finest treasures to each other, will not everyone benefit?'” —C. Randall Paul, President, Foundation for Religious Diplomacy

“Healing Our Divides is the perfect book for our current moment. There is an urgent need for Latter-day Saint Christians to become better peacemakers—in our homes, workplaces, congregations, communities, and nations. David Ostler teaches correct principles and then offers concrete tools and examples that will empower readers not just to believe in peace but to embody and practice it as well.” —Patrick Mason, co-author of Proclaim Peace: The Restoration’s Answer to an Age of Conflict

“Father Lehi taught the principle that there must needs be opposition in all things, with our mortal experience purposely designed to create constant conflict. In Healing our Divides, David Ostler masterfully explores how we can embrace disagreement while reducing or eliminating contention. Ostler builds upon his first book Bridges by providing practical advice and techniques in how to communicate effectively by broadening our ‘in-group’ to include all of God’s children, and he demonstrates how we can maintain our standards, understand our biases, and discover how to love those whose views differ from our own. The renowned scientist and Jesuit Priest Pierre Chardi said, ‘Someday, after mastering the winds, the waves, the tides and gravity, we shall harness for God the energies of love, and then, for a second time in the history of the world, man will have discovered fire.’ Ostler’s book gives us the blueprint in how we can do this.” —Richard Ferguson, Executive Director, Scripture Central

“At present, the United States is becoming irreparably divided, a nation that will not stand or survive unless as citizens we choose to start listening to, reaching out to, and loving those on the other side of our personal and national divides. David Ostler’s Healing Our Divides: Answering the Savior’s Call to Be Peacemakers is an inspired call and practical guide for doing just that. Using the words of scriptures, sages, and modern prophets, as well as the wisdom of our common humanity, Ostler makes a compelling case for the kind of sacrifice, humility, faith, and courage necessary for us to come together. The American Dream will remain a dream as long as there are deep divisions among us. As Ostler says, “Nothing gets better until enough of us decide we want to make it so.” Get this book. Follow its wisdom. Become a uniter. The dream awaits!” —Robert A. Rees, Co-founder and Vice-President, Bountiful Children's Foundation

“The focus ofHealing Our Divides: Answering the Savior’s Call to Be Peacemakersis perhaps the greatest danger facing American democracy and, indeed, democracies throughout the world: the disintegration of civilized discourse and behavior into cultural wars that threaten to shred the very fabric of democratic society. David Ostler boldly steps into the fray with a book that instructs how to move back to the Christ-centered society that is—or was—central to the Latter-day Saint concept of a gathered Zion composed of the pure in heart, with all living in harmony and none excluded. Ostler is not the preacher on a high platform who is scolding the congregation, but rather, a thoughtful teacher who guides us through his syllabus gently and informatively, and along the way continually inserts suggestions for further thought and action. In doing so, he has cast a wide net to pull in references to support his guidance, evidenced by over 250 footnotes that, while paying homage to Latter-day Saint Church leaders, go well beyond the LDS literature.  He first lays the groundwork for understanding human psychology, and then builds upon that foundation to instruct the reader on practical measures to build peacemaking skills individually and collectively.” —Gregory Prince, author of David O. McKay and the Rise of Modern Mormonism

“I have witnessed few people strive to create a healthy conversation and understanding as David Ostler. This is why I was excited about this book, Healing Our Divides, to further establish peacemaking in our communities. I pray you not only read this book but also take advantage of applying these important principles within your community. David's book and resources make it easy to take the initial steps of uniting together and becoming peacemakers. Let's start a healing conversation.” —Kurt Francom, Executive Director of Leading Saints

About the Author:

David B. Ostler has lived and served on four continents as a bishop, stake president, mission president, and director of a Church historical site and visitors' center. He has a BA in quantitative methods from the University of Utah and an MBA from Dartmouth College. He retired from a thirty-year career managing domestic and international businesses focused on improving health care through data analytics, consulting, software, and business services. Married to Rachelle, they have six wonderful children who have a wide range of different religious and political beliefs. They split their time between homes in Northern Virginia and Midway, Utah. His first book is Bridges: Ministering to Those Who Question.

More Information:

195 pages
ISBN: 978-1-58958-774-8 (paperback)
Press sheet