When Lynn and Mike Wilder moved to Utah in 1999, they thought they had arrived in Zion on Earth. Now, after 30 years, the Wilders have left the Mormon church and their old life behind.

Lynn was a tenured professor at Brigham Young University (BYU), and Mike was a high priest co-chairing the redeem-the-dead committee. Their four children served as youth leaders and on foreign missions. While still in Utah, God began showing them the truth, and in 2006, a simple request by their youngest son changed everything.

Lynn shares her family’s journey out of Mormonism and into biblical Christianity in Unveiling Grace: The True Story of How We Found Our Way Out of the Mormon Church (9780310331124, $15.99), which Zondervan releases this month.

Lynn and Mike were raised in Protestant homes, but neither had much Bible knowledge. When Mormons knocked on their door in 1977, they were a young married couple without children and hungry for mentorship and family. They listened to the missionaries and consented to more meetings. Ten weeks later, the Wilders accepted the gospel according to Joseph Smith and were baptized as Latter-Day Saints. 

They grew to love their church and plunged right in to doing what they thought was right, believing that they pleased their heavenly Father with “our callings and our works,” Lynn writes.

However, they saw problems in Mormon culture, including racism and polygamy. They determined to stay and be part of the solution, but God used events to change their minds.

The turning point happened on their youngest son’s two-year obligatory Mormon mission, where two Christian pastors he tried to convert introduced him to biblical faith. Their son gave his life to Jesus and urged his family to study the New Testament, which they did.

Within two years, Lynn and Mike accepted the gospel of grace. Lynn resigned from BYU, and she and Mike resigned from the church. The process of untangling themselves from the church they had loved and served was difficult, but they are grateful God sent their family searching for truth.

Looking back, Lynn sees glimpses of God drawing her. 

“God allured me, drew me, unveiled portions of his grace at crucial moments,” she writes.

To help others, the Wilders have formed an organization called Ex-Mormon Christians United for Jesus, and their children are involved with the Adam’s Road ministry. 

To order, call 800-727-1309.

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