New Scripture

I. The Closed-Canon Assumption

The dominant assumption of institutional Christianity — broadly Catholic, Protestant, and LDS — is that the canon of scripture is complete. The Bible is sealed. The Book of Mormon is a final supplement. Nothing else qualifies. But this assumption collapses under the weight of the scriptures themselves. The ninth Article of Faith is not a platitude: "We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God" (Articles of Faith 1:9). The word "yet" carries enormous doctrinal weight. The canon is not closed — it is incomplete at any given point in history.

II. The Principle: Servants Speak Scripture

The Lord's own standard for scripture is not institutional approval — it is the moving of the Holy Ghost upon His servants. "And whatsoever they shall speak when moved upon by the Holy Ghost shall be scripture, shall be the will of the Lord, shall be the mind of the Lord, shall be the word of the Lord, shall be the voice of the Lord, and the power of God unto salvation" (D&C 68:3–4). This is the principle that produced every book in every canon — and it has not expired.

“Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.”

Amos did not say "the Lord will inform the institutional committee." He said: his servants the prophets. The pipeline is personal and covenantal — not organizational. When living prophets exist, living scripture is produced.

III. Out of the Dust — The Pattern of Hidden Records

Isaiah prophesied a specific pattern for how God releases hidden scripture in the last days: it comes "out of the ground," whispering "out of the dust" (Isaiah 29:4). The Book of Mormon is its own fulfillment — buried in the earth by Moroni, brought forth by angelic ministry. But the pattern does not end there. The prophesied records yet to come include the sealed portion of the gold plates (2 Nephi 27:6–11), the writings of the lost tribes (2 Nephi 29:12–13), and the records of those in the north countries whose prophets shall hear His voice again (D&C 133:30).

“And the day cometh that the words of the book which were sealed shall be read upon the house tops; and they shall be read by the power of Christ; and all things shall be revealed unto the children of men.”

The Nemenhah Record, the Books of Melchisedec, and the Book of the Servant each fit this pattern: God kept them obscure until the appointed time of their coming forth. The principle of the open canon is not a loophole for anyone to declare anything scripture. The test is threefold: Is it consistent with the established word? Does the Spirit bear witness? Does it come through a recognized servant of God?

IV. The Book of the Servant — Living Dictation

The most recent addition to the canon recognized within this covenant community is the Book of the Servant — a living, expanding record of revelations received by the Davidic Servant, beginning in 2015. Like the revelations of D&C, these come by direct dictation from the voice of the Lord and follow the same pattern as every scriptural canon: a man is called, a voice is received, and a record is kept (D&C 68:3–4). The entries span the full spectrum of Restoration doctrine — the identity of the Servant, the gathering of Israel, the Holy Order, and the preparation for Zion.