Lynn K. Wilder (born 1952) is a

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

author and former

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU) is a Private education, private research university in Provo, Utah, United States. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is the flagship university of the Church Educational System sponsore ...

(BYU) professor. She became well known for discussing how she left

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...

(LDS Church) in the 2011 video-documentary ''Unveiling Grace''.

Biography

Wilder attended high school in

Richmond, Indiana Richmond () is a city in eastern Wayne County, Indiana, United States. Bordering the state of Ohio, it is the county seat of Wayne County. In the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 35,720. It is the principal c ...

. She married her husband Michael in 1974. The couple have three sons, Joshua, Matt and Micah, and a daughter, Katie. They joined the LDS Church in 1977, after

Mormon missionaries Missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church)—often referred to as Mormon missionaries—are volunteer representatives of the church who engage variously in proselytizing, church service, humanitarian aid, and c ...

knocked on their door and converted them. Wilder earned a

PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

Ball State University Ball State University (Ball State or BSU) is a public research university in Muncie, Indiana, United States. The university has three off-campus centers in Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, and Fishers, Indiana. The university is composed of seven aca ...

Muncie, Indiana Muncie ( ) is a city in Delaware County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. It is located in East Central Indiana about northeast of Indianapolis. At the 2020 census, the city's population was 65,195, down from 70,085 in the 2010 c ...

. She became a professor of Counseling Psychology and Special Education at BYU in 1999. In 2006, she converted and became an

evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...

Born-Again Christian To be born again, or to experience the new birth, is a phrase, particularly in evangelical Christianity, that refers to a "spiritual rebirth", or a regeneration of the human spirit. In contrast to one's physical birth, being "born again" is d ...

after her son, Micah, who was serving a

Mormon mission Missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church)—often referred to as Mormon missionaries—are volunteer representatives of the church who engage variously in Proselytism, proselytizing, church service, humanitaria ...

Orlando, Florida Orlando ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, Florida, United States. The city proper had a population of 307,573 at the 2020 census, making it the fourth-most populous city in Florida behind Jacksonville, Florida, Jacksonville ...

, told his parents that he was having doubts about the LDS Church and after studying the

New Testament The New Testament (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus, as well as events relating to Christianity in the 1st century, first-century Christianit ...

. Two years after her conversion, she resigned from BYU. Jana Riess characterizes Wilder's signature book, ''Unveiling Grace'', as "more even-handed" than the provocative marketing campaign would suggest, differing from what Riess characterizes as the typical tell-all,

ex-Mormon Ex-Mormon or post-Mormon refers to a Religious disaffiliation, disaffiliate of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Ex-Mormons—sometimes referred to as exmo or postmo—may neither believe in nor affiliate with the LDS ...

memoir in that it shows Wilder's love for Mormons as people, even as she rejects LDS theology.

Bibliography

* ''Unveiling Grace: The Story of How We Found Our Way Out of the Mormon Church'' (2013)

Filmography

References

External links

Interview
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilder, Lynn 1952 births Living people 21st-century American memoirists 21st-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American women writers 21st-century evangelicals American Evangelical writers American religious writers American women memoirists American women non-fiction writers Brigham Young University faculty Converts to evangelical Christianity Converts to Mormonism Critics of Mormonism Former Latter Day Saints Mormon memoirists People from Indiana Writers from Indiana Writers from Utah