"The Living Christ: The Testimony of the Apostles" is a 2000 restatement of doctrine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).

The document is a one-page declaration that was issued on January 1, 2000 and was signed by the fifteen apostles in the LDS Church: the three members of the First Presidency

First Presidency (LDS Church)

The First Presidency is the presiding or governing body of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . It is composed of the President of the Church and his counselors. The First Presidency currently consists of President Thomas S. Monson and his two counselors, Henry B...

 and the members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. The declaration commemorates the birth of Jesus

Jesus

Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...

 and is a reaffirmation of church doctrines and teachings about him. The text includes quotations significant scriptural passages from the Bible

Bible

The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...

 and other LDS Church scriptures

Standard Works

The Standard Works of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are the four books that currently constitute its open scriptural canon.* The Holy Bible * The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ...

.

Since it was issued, the document has been frequently featured in church magazines and publications. One commentator has suggested that "the document may have been created to strengthen LDS Christian claims". Another found it "noteworthy" that the declaration did not state that Jesus is the elder spirit brother of mankind, a doctrine of Mormonism

Mormonism

Mormonism is the religion practiced by Mormons, and is the predominant religious tradition of the Latter Day Saint movement. This movement was founded by Joseph Smith, Jr. beginning in the 1820s as a form of Christian primitivism. During the 1830s and 1840s, Mormonism gradually distinguished itself...

 has been criticized by other Christians.

See also

• Public relations of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
  Public relations of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
  Public relations of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has become of increased importance to the church's hierarchy since the church's increased international growth after World War II. By the 1960s and 1970s, the LDS Church was no longer primarily an Intermountain West-based church,...
  
  
• The Family: A Proclamation to the World
  The Family: A Proclamation to the World
  "The Family: A Proclamation to the World" is a 1995 statement issued by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints —whose adherents are known as Mormons—which defined the official position of the church on family, gender roles, and human sexuality. First announced by church president Gordon B...
  
  

External links

• "The Living Christ: The Testimony of the Apostles", lds.org (HTML)
• "The Living Christ: The Testimony of the Apostles", lds.org (PDF)