The Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ, is one of the books of scripture used by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Scripture Central aims to help make the scriptures more accessible to people. James Dalrymple, with Scripture Central, decided to launch the YouTube series, “A Marvelous Work,” to search for evidence for the divinity of The Book of Mormon.
Dalrymple said that Scripture Central got its start creating content for the “Come Follow Me” curriculum, which is based on The Book of Mormon this year.
“We were known for that kind of content,” Dalrymple said. “But we said, ‘Okay, with that scholarship, with that help for our scripture study, can we reach a broader audience with content that surrounds evidence or making evidence for the book of Mormon more accessible?’ And that's where the Marvelous Work project was born. … It has an educational aspect, it has an entertainment aspect, and it has an inspirational aspect to it.”
In the first episode of “A Marvelous Work,” Dalrymple, host Scott Christopher and his team went to the jungles of Guatemala to search the ruins called “El Mirador” and mounds in Tennessee, which are similar to what is described in the Book of Mormon.
“This could be part of or connected in some way to the Book of Mormon timeline,” Dalrymple said. “So, there's evidence all over, not just in Tennessee and not just in Guatemala, that we're going to explore throughout this series.”
Dalrymple says he has enjoyed traveling to exotic places in search for evidence of The Book of Mormon but says “A Marvelous Work” has a deeper meaning.
“It's fun to dive into the Book of Mormon and see those evidences on the page,” Dalrymple said. “But for me, the best part, and most important part of this project, is that we believe that the Book of Mormon is a divine record. We believe that Joseph Smith translated it by the gift and power of God. And so the best part for me are, those opportunities, both in the content of the show and even in personal opportunities to share my testimony that this book is true.”