My Testimony

I grew up deeply rooted in Mormonism. It shaped my worldview, my identity, and my assumptions about God. Like many Latter-day Saints, I believed salvation was something I worked toward. It required a lifelong ascent up a ladder of covenants, ordinances, and repentance to regain worthiness. I tried to be good enough, faithful enough, committed enough. And yet, no matter how hard I worked, peace never came. Instead, I lived under a constant weight of striving, guilt, and the fear that I would never measure up.

That tension eventually became the catalyst for change. The more I studied Scripture, the more I saw a disconnect between the gospel I’d been taught and the gospel the Bible proclaimed. I discovered a God whose grace was not a steppingstone on the path to exaltation, but the entire foundation of salvation. I discovered a Christ who didn’t offer me part of what I needed — but all of it. A Savior whose finished work at the cross renders any attempt at self-salvation unnecessary.

My first book, Falling into Grace, tells the story of that unraveling and rebuilding — how the rigid spiritual system of Mormonism slowly cracked under the weight of Scripture, and how God led me into the freedom, assurance, and joy of the biblical gospel. It is the honest account of my transition: the fear, the loss, the heartbreak, the awakening, and finally, the overwhelming relief of discovering grace that cannot be earned and cannot be lost.

As I processed my own transformation, I became passionate about helping others navigate the same shift. I knew what it was like to have every belief challenged, and along with it, the core of your identity. I understood both the theological hurdles and the emotional ones: the family pressure, the fear of being deceived, and the desire to honor God while trying to make sense of conflicting truth claims.

That passion led me to write Tearing the Veil. Where Falling into Grace is my personal story, Tearing the Veil is a practical, compassionate guide for Christians who want to share the gospel with Latter-day Saints. It explains the grace of God through the IRIS framework, dismantles the LDS concept of apostasy, answers common objections, and equips believers to speak truth with clarity and love. It’s the book I wish I had encountered during my own journey.

Today, I stand confident in Christ alone. Not in temples, ordinances, or my own efforts, but in the finished work of Jesus, who bore my sin completely and became my righteousness. I no longer live in fear that God is disappointed or that salvation can slip through my fingers. I live in the rest Scripture promises: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

My testimony is not just about leaving Mormonism. It’s about discovering the God I never knew: the God of grace, the God of Scripture, the God who saves completely. And everything I write, from theology to fiction, flows out of the freedom He gave me when He tore the veil.

★★★★★

Michael does a great job of telling his story of transitioning from Mormonism to Christianity. He does this in good taste so that both LDS and Christians can read the book without taking offense. It's an emotionally deep book but still an easy and comfortable read. This was the fastest book I've ever read both because Michael keeps it simple and because the story is captivating.

-Patricia E.

This isn't a story about leaving Mormonism, it's a story about grace. It's about trading something good for something better.

Tearing the Veil

A heartfelt guide to sharing grace with Mormons through a new acronym: IRIS.

I

R

I

S

mpossible Standard

eckoned Righteousness

ndomitable Gift

ettled at Faith

★★★★★

After several months of ongoing friendship and conversation with various LDS missionaries who were strangers to me when they first showed up at my door, I now realize just how right Michael Flournoy is when he writes in his book, "The more you know them, the easier it will be to love them. When your heart aches for their salvation, you're ready to share the gospel.".
Tearing the Veil has been practical, insightful, and educational. It's helped me connect with and understand the Latter Day Saints I talk to. I highly recommend this book as a resource to anyone who's evangelistically minded, whether you currently know a Mormon or not. I started with almost zero knowledge about LDS beliefs and practices, but this book has educated me without making me feel inadequate.
Sometimes the content is personal, sometimes funny, and always driving towards the ultimate goal of salvation for those caught in the LDS church.

-SC Wen

An Open Letter to Latter-day Saints

To my Latter-day Saint friends, family, and visitors,

If you’ve found your way to my author website, and you’ve noticed that I have written books that challenge the doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I want to acknowledge how difficult that must be. I once stood exactly where you stand. I know the loyalty, the desire to defend your faith, and the deep sense of identity that comes from being LDS. You may even feel hurt or betrayed seeing someone who once believed as you do now write against it.

So, before anything else, thank you for your courage in coming here at all.

Please hear my heart: I have deep love and respect for Latter-day Saints. My family, many of my closest friends, and my entire upbringing are intertwined with Mormonism. I don’t write out of anger or superiority. I don’t think you are foolish, naïve, or uneducated. I know firsthand the sincerity, dedication, and goodness inside LDS communities.

But real love requires honesty.

The apostle Paul wrote, “Even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:8). That is an extraordinarily strong warning, and I don’t quote it lightly. But it matters because the LDS Church teaches what it calls a “restored gospel.”

If there is one gospel in Scripture, and Mormonism presents another, then this conversation becomes one of eternal significance.

I would be doing you a terrible disservice if I pretended our differences were small. They are not. The LDS plan of salvation and the biblical gospel diverge at fundamental points: on the nature of God, the sufficiency of Christ’s atonement, the meaning of grace, the authority of Scripture, and what it actually takes to be reconciled to God forever.

I am not silent because I dislike Mormonism.

I am not silent because I enjoy conflict.

I speak because eternity is a very long time to be separated from God, and I believe that the gospel of grace is worth contending for, even when it costs something.

If you choose to explore my books, you will find arguments, but more importantly, you will find my heart.
You will see my journey, my questions, my failures, and ultimately the grace that found me when I had nothing left to offer.

Whether you are questioning, defending, doubting, exploring, or simply curious, I welcome you. If you ever want to talk, ask honest questions, or share your perspective, I’m here.

With love and sincerity,
Michael Flournoy