Living on the Inside of the Edge

A Survival Guide

By: Christian Kimball

Narrated by: James Jones

Length: 9 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

Parent-child is the default relationship of church to member—the church as parent, the member as child. In this opening chapter, I propose that differentiation from the church is the most important developmental task we face while living on the inside of the edge.

"Chris has managed to write a great primer for Latter-day Saints who desperately need a new way to navigate their changing relationship with the Church. I could have been spared a lot of heartache, had I had this book ten years ago when church started getting really complicated for me. Full of practical advice, it’s sure to become a handbook for individuals who struggle with what’s in a different Handbook." (Cynthia Winward, Co-host, At Last She Said It)

"One of the most difficult reads of my life.… I found an undeniable ring of authenticity, sincerity, and vulnerability in Chris’s writing that made it impossible for me to dismiss or cast his experiences aside. As I finished Living on the Inside of the Edge, quite exhausted, I felt as though I had made a new friend—one who drove me a little crazy, one very different from me in some ways, but a friend that I now hold in profound respect." (Loren Marks, Professor, BYU School of Family Life; Co-director, American Families of Faith National Research Project)

"In my experience, Mormon adults do a lousy job of talking to one another as adults, with all the complexities adulthood entails. That’s what makes Living on the Inside of the Edge so refreshing—it’s a book by a Mormon adult for other Mormon adults. You probably won’t agree with everything here. Chris doesn’t care. He just wants you to be an adult. I’m pretty sure God does too." (Patrick Mason, Author, Restoration: God’s Call to the 21st-century World)

"Every week, I hear from people who have one foot out the door of the Church but actually want to find reasons to stay. For those people, Christian Kimball’s book is a lifeline, containing wise suggestions about how to stay for those who choose to do so. … Kimball employs his liminal position to the reader’s advantage, advocating for 'middle-way Mormons' as a consummate observer and judicious friend." (Jana Riess, Senior columnist, Religion News Service; Author, The Next Mormons: How Millennials Are Changing the LDS Church)

©2023 Christian Kimball (P)2023 Christian Kimball

very helpful

This book has lots of insight and wisdom for those who want to stay in the LDS church after coming to grips with its failings. Thank you for writing this book!

Eloquent & Balanced

Although not myself on the edge – either inside or outside – I deeply appreciate this guide, which radically expanded my apprehension of options for affiliation within the religious community.
The style is elegant in its radical clarity and generates the same mental exhilaration any skillful legal reasoning might. The logic is brilliantly spare and compelling, the presentation fair and balanced, the tone patient and compassionate. I was reminded of these same qualities in the author’s father, Edward L. Kimball, a law professor at Brigham Young University and elsewhere.
This is a wonderful contribution to the broader LDS community!

For a narrow niche audience

I appreciate the honest discussion of critical issues for liberal /"Liahona"/ open/questioning members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ( Mormons).

This book may be helpful for folk of the fringe and borderland dissidents & rationalists trying to resolve cognitive dissonance over Church culture (groupthink), history, and policy. The chapter essays present common problems & ways some individuals have managed to cope with those issues. None of the writers claims to offer a simple / single answer whether to maintain affiliation or leave the LDS Church.

I found all of the essays interesting, sympathetic, and thought provoking.
I recommend this (audio)book to any Church member who has experienced discomfort, sorrow, or indignation over official Church policies or disappointment / pain from LDS cultural norms which may have marginalized them or loved ones.

I guardedly recommend this book for local Church leaders who want to better understand members who have concerns / doubts about retaining their Church membership. Any Mormon bishop or stake president who reads or listens to this book should have "thick skin" and not be easily offended by honest discussion of different viewpoints & difficult issues.

Chris and his essay contributors are true disciples

This is a book I wish I could have read back in 2016 when I stumbled across the Gospel Topic Essays, when several members of my Ward labeled me “The Apostate” for asking about them, and when I couldn’t find anyone among my local leaders or community to help me.

While my experience of striving for discipleship has formally shifted to the outside of the Edge, I still support many people who find their journeys on the inside. This book will help me in my efforts.

Thank you to the writers, and thank you, James, for your narration.

Well rounded and non-persuasive

This book is a breath of fresh air. The different real, lived experiences and perspectives of the voices in the second half of the book are exactly what I wish sacrament talks could be like.

There is a beautiful balance of finding reasons to stay or leave, or at least better understanding those reasons for others. The discussion is very analytical and still validates using our emotions (as many of us are trained to use as a measure for feeling The Spirit).

The introduction is spot on about the audience for this book: those who already have a level of nuance in their beliefs.

Supportive

I like that he gives practical suggestions for how to deal with problems and at the same time is completely supportive of people who agree or disagree with him. The narrator has a very easy to listen to voice.