Terryl L. Givens did graduate work at Cornell University in intellectual history and at UNC Chapel Hill, where he received his PhD in comparative literature. He holds the Jabez A. Bostwick Chair of English and is Professor of Literature and Religion at the University of Richmond, where he teaches courses in nineteenth-century studies and the Bible's influence on Western literature. His writing has been praised by the New York Times as "provocative reading," and his numerous books include When Souls Had Wings, a history of the idea of premortal life in Western thought, as well as The God Who Weeps (with Fiona Givens) and Wrestling the Angel.

"Based on a well- researched engagement with Christian theology, it will surely serve as a valuable introduction to these topics in Mormon thought and ritual practice." -- Hans Gerald Hödl, Religious Studies Review

"I could see this book, therefore, being very profitably utilized in colleges courses on Mormonism ... Terry Givens's hope is that Mormon theology will be given more serious attention. This book is relentless in making the case that there are rich rewards for such attention." -- J. B. Haws, Mormon Studies Review

"Feeding the Flock is essential reading to anyone interested in acquiring a better-grounded appreciation of the meaning and sources of Latter-day Saint religious practices and in obtaining a granular knowledge of the similarities and disparities between the practices and theology of the Church versus other Christian religions." -- Mark A. Wrathall, BYU Studies Quarterly

"This work is yet another testament to Givens' considerable ability of distilling a mind-numbing amount of information into a masterpiece that speaks effectively to both experts and general readers. In short, Givens has done it again. Feeding the Flock makes for the perfect (even necessary) companion volume to Wrestling the Angel, filling in what little theological blanks remained and opening new and interesting questions on Mormon praxis to advance the conversation. Together, these two volumes will serve non-LDS readers well in helping them to understand the thought and practice that drives Mormonism." --K. Robert Beshears, Southeastern Theological Review

"Feeding the Flock offers the ambitious, expansive, visionary style that we've come to expect from Givens. It is a well-wrought, elegantly gathered work. As he did in Wrestling the Angel, Givens once again sets an entirely new standard for the study of Mormonism's theological foundations. And he sets the bar high."--Juvenile Instructor

"[T]his is a good book for learning how one Mormon understands his own tradition."--Nova Religio

"It is hard to know if Terryl L. Givens is best described as a historian, theologian, philosopher, sociologist, or literary critic. He also is a master stylist who knows how to render abstract ideas in language meaningful to specialists and ordinary readers alike. Feeding the Flock is a distinguished contribution to the major body of studies of America's largest home-grown religious tradition."--Grant Wacker, author of America's Pastor: Billy Graham and the Shaping of a Nation

"The systematic account of the history, teaching, and authoritative sources of Mormonism is a story worth telling, and the author tells it with controlled passion and scholarly command."--D. N. Robinson, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Oxford

"Givens is to be commended not only for producing the first major systematic overview of Mormon theology, but also for taking a historically informed, comparative approach that both Latter-day Saints and scholars of religion will find highly illuminating."--Ann Taves, Professor of Religious Studies, University of California at Santa Barbara