As a preview of the series, this episode is being shared on the Maxwell Institute Podcast. In this inaugural episode of Faith in Every Footnote, Spencer Fluhman, historian and former director of the Institute, joins Rosalynde Welch, Shawn Tucker, and graduate student co-host Noah Adams to discuss what it means to be a disciple-scholar. Together, they explore how scholarship centered on Jesus Christ can deepen discipleship, build Zion, and bring greater purpose and joy to graduate study.

Faith in Every Footnote is a mentorship podcast for graduate students navigating the challenges of academic life while strengthening their faith in Jesus Christ.

Hosts Rosalynde Welch and Shawn Tucker, alongside student hosts Noah Adams and Lara Buckwalter, sit down with leading scholars for candid conversations about faith, doubt, family life, the job search, and the joys and difficulties of graduate study.

Together, they discuss disciple scholarship as a way of seeking truth with Jesus Christ at the center through curiosity, rigor, and faith. Their conversations offer a thoughtful look at how serious study can shape belief, deepen discipleship, and prepare people to live lives of service and purpose.

Campbell and Welch walk through three big moves in the book: how the Book of Mormon teaches (the “scene of instruction”), what it says about everyday ethics (from clothing and conspicuous consumption to prosperity), and why those moral teachings matter — prophecy as moral memory and social criticism aimed at creating flourishing, covenantal communities.

What you’ll take away:

• A fresh lens for reading the Book of Mormon: ethics as vision, not only rule-following.
• How narrative, memory, and prophecy function as tools for communal moral formation.
• Concrete ethical concerns the book raises for the 21st century: social cohesion, economic justice, and peacemaking.
• A new appreciation for why the Book of Mormon’s stories still matter—because they aim to shape communities that last.

Key Topics

• Impact of the information age on religious understanding
• Krister Stendahl's three rules of interfaith engagement
• The importance of authentic sources and insider voices
• Moving beyond religious tolerance to mutual encouragement
• The role of religious literacy in reducing conflict

As a professor of peacebuilding, Dr. Ford offers valuable perspectives on how to avoid or reconcile contention when life's inevitable disagreements arise, repair relationships, and transform destructive conflict into constructive peace.

Janiece is a terrific historian who has written about the religious experience of women converts to the Church and about how the earliest Saints understood the Book of Mormon and applied it in their lives. She brings all this historical expertise to her new book, titled simply Revelation.

You’ll notice his kindness and humor during the interview, and you’ll also notice his wisdom and creativity. Phil is a legendary teacher: he taught for many years at Hanover College, and then served for more than a decade as the Leonard J. Arrington Chair of Mormon History & Culture at Utah State University. He’s the author of an important book, Mormons and the Bible, and lots of other notable publications. He’s currently working on a fascinating study of the war in heaven.

At the time of this recording, Amy was directing a study abroad program in London and we're grateful that she could join us despite having only a laptop to record on. Amy's book, Divine Aid, is all about the relationship Jesus wants to build with each of us. The Doctrine and Covenants shows us the Savior working in real time to build a parent-child relationship with real individuals.

Dr. Allred is an Associate Professor of Communication, Media and Culture at Brigham Young University, Hawaii. He studied history with an emphasis on film and media studies, and he's published a number of books on visual culture. Basically, how everything from movies and TV to social media, art, print publications, and even advertising, shapes our lives and our society. So this made him the perfect person to write about spiritual sight in the Doctrine and Covenants. Not just the amazing visions of Joseph Smith, but how the ordinary act of looking can become a sacred practice for each one of us.

And so she was the perfect person to write Redeeming the Dead, her recent book for the Maxwell Institute, part of our Themes in the Doctrine and Covenants series. Amy had some great insights to share. I didn't realize, for instance, that the Church's focus on genealogy only began in 1894, 60 years after its founding, or that in the Doctrine and Covenants, baptism for the dead is the primary form of baptism, not just an optional extra.

Dr. Harris jokes that family history is not just a hobby, but a subversive power to bring on the revolution, because it can help us relate to all human beings as children of God, not objects to be used. She believes that even the most disturbing historical records can be redeemed through temple work, but only if we focus on relationships rather than just names and dates as we do family history. This discussion will change how you think about family history and its role in the Restoration. I hope you enjoy it.

Justin Collings is the academic vice president of Brigham Young University and a distinguished scholar in his own right. He graduated from BYU and earned a law degree and a PhD in history from Yale, and clerked on the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. In addition to his administrative duties, he remains a professor of law at BYU's J. Reuben Clark Law School, where he authored two books on constitutional law and history from Oxford University Press. Justin and his wife Lia live in Orem, Utah. And as you'll hear in our conversation, are the proud parents of eight children.

As Justin admits, the topic of divine law may not strike you as immediately compelling. It might even spark some deep-seated fear or dread. But I think you'll find that he brings this book to life with careful thinking, real life examples, and most of all, a bedrock conviction grounded in the revelations that God is loving, merciful, and full of grace. Divine law and divine love in this way of looking at things are one and the same. Justin was a good sport to field some tough questions about punishment versus consequences and a threat versus a warning. But if you're expecting dry legalese, you'll be glad to find that Justin is a lively and lyrical writer and his book is studded with poetry. In fact, our discussion of poetry's relationship to scripture and its role in a spiritual life is one of my favorite parts of the interview. I think you'll enjoy it too. 

Purchase at the links below.

https://a.co/d/fQPtRdB

https://www.deseretbook.com/product/P6075136.html

In 2025, we'll return to a broader focus for our interviews–but never fear, we'll have plenty of discussion about the Doctrine and Covenants as we study it together in the global Church.

Today, I talk with Terryl Givens, author of Agency in our new series, Themes in the Doctrine and Covenants. We'll get into all the knotty questions about agency: what actually is it, does free will really exist, and what does it mean to say that agency is relational?

Purchase at the links below.

https://www.deseretbook.com/product/6075134.html?srsltid=AfmBOoo1ejtN94I-MqlDGGmGETf1eKBIrNwWcLaUQYnHnvx_Yg6ReZko

https://www.amazon.com/Agency-Doctrine-Covenants-Terryl-Givens/dp/0842501339

In this episode, they discuss the scholarship of the book of Moroni, giving it context for readers of the Come, Follow Me curriculum for 2024.

In this episode, they discuss the text of the book of Moroni, giving it context for readers of the Come, Follow Me curriculum for 2024.

In this episode, they talk about the scholarship of the book of Ether, giving it context for readers of the Come, Follow Me curriculum for 2024.

In this episode, they talk about the text of the book of Ether, giving it context for readers of the Come, Follow Me curriculum for 2024.

In this episode, they discuss the scholarship of the book of Mormon, giving it context for readers of the Come, Follow Me curriculum for 2024.

In this episode, they discuss the text of the book of Mormon, giving it context for readers of the Come, Follow Me curriculum for 2024.

In this episode, they discuss the scholarship of the book of 3rd and 4th Nephi, giving it context for readers of the Come, Follow Me curriculum for 2024.

In this episode, they discuss the scholarship of the book of 3rd and 4th Nephi, giving it context for readers of the Come, Follow Me curriculum for 2024.

Thanks for listening to another episode of the Book of Mormon Studies Podcast. For this episode, Rosalynde Welch, Associate Director of the Maxwell Institute and Host of the podcast talks with David Gore, Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Minnesota Duluth.

In this episode, they discuss the scholarship of the book of Helaman, giving it context for readers of the Come, Follow Me curriculum for 2024.

In this episode, they discuss the text of the book of Helaman, giving it context for readers of the Come, Follow Me curriculum for 2024.

In this episode, they discuss the scholarship of Alma 30-63, giving it context for readers of the Come, Follow Me curriculum for 2024.

In this episode, they discuss the text of Alma, giving it context for readers of the Come, Follow Me curriculum for 2024.

In this episode, they discuss the scholarship surrounding the book of Alma, giving it context for readers of the Come, Follow Me curriculum for 2024.

In this episode, they discuss the text of the book of Alma, giving it context for readers of the Come, Follow Me curriculum for 2024.

In this episode, they discuss the scholarship surrounding the book of Mosiah, giving it context for readers of the Come, Follow Me curriculum for 2024.

We wanted to re-release some of the Maxwell Institute interviews and lectures she delivered over the years. We are delighted to re-release her 2019 Living Faith Lecture, which she titled Making Zion. Melissa delivered this lecture here at BYU to celebrate the recent publication of her memoir, entitled Crossings.

I hope you'll be as moved by Melissa's words in this lecture as I was.

We wanted to re-release some of the Maxwell Institute interviews and lectures she delivered over the years. In this 2023 interview on her book, Sacred Struggle, Finding Christ on the Path of Most Resistance, Melissa and I talked about the ways that our collective struggles to build Zion can help us grow toward our divine potential. I especially loved her insight that over the course of history, many people have had visions and seen angels. What's remarkable about our faith tradition is not only its supernatural origins, but the fact that our church has held together over generations. We've somehow figured out how to get along well enough to survive and grow. And that is remarkable. Melissa attributes this strength to our doctrine of Zion, and she invites us to update our idea of service to include listening carefully to our brothers and sisters who may be different from us. I hope you enjoy this interview with our beloved friend, the one of a kind, Melissa Inouye.

In this 2019 interview hosted by Blair Hodges, Melissa talks about her book, Crossings, a bald Asian American Latter-day Saint woman scholar's ventures through life, death, cancer, and motherhood, not necessarily in that order. Crossings is my personal favorite of Melissa's many writings. As you'll hear in this interview, Melissa combined a scholar's understanding of how institutions work.

With the believer's experience of the trust and belonging in a Latter-day Saint ward, to me, this is what made Melissa's perspective on our religious life together so powerful. I hope you enjoy this interview with a consummate disciple-scholar, Melissa Inouye.

In this episode, they discuss the text of the book of Mosiah, giving it context for readers of the Come, Follow Me curriculum for 2024.

In this episode, they discuss the scholarship surrounding the books of Enos, Jarom, Omni, and Words of Mormon, giving them context for readers of the Come, Follow Me curriculum for 2024.

In this episode, they discuss the text of the book of Enos, Jarom, Omni, and Words of Mormon, giving them context for readers of the Come, Follow Me curriculum for 2024.

In this episode, they discuss the scholarship surrounding the book of Jacob, giving it context for readers of the Come, Follow Me curriculum for 2024.

They delve into the book of Jacob, giving it context for readers of the Come, Follow Me curriculum for 2024.

In this episode, they discuss the scholarship surrounding the book of 2 Nephi, giving it context for readers of the Come, Follow Me curriculum for 2024.

In this episode, they discuss the text of Book of 2 Nephi, giving it context for readers of the Come, Follow Me curriculum for 2024.

Welcome to the second episode of the Book of Mormon Studies Podcast, where Rosalynde Welch, Associate Director of the Maxwell Institute and Host of the podcast talks with Jasmin Rappleye Gimenez, the Communications Director of Scripture Central.

In this episode, they discuss the scholarship surrounding the Book of 1 Nephi, giving it context for readers of the Come, Follow Me curriculum for 2024.

References:

Approaching the Tree: Interpreting 1 Nephi 8. Eds. Benjamin Keogh, Joseph M. Spencer, and Jennifer Champoux. Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship, Brigham Young University, 2023. Available at https://a.co/d/7o8VLDr

Spencer, Joseph. 1st Nephi: a brief theological introduction. Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship, Brigham Young University, 2020. Available at https://a.co/d/8hdesoi

Glimpses of Lehi's Jerusalem. Eds. John W. Welch, David Rolph Seely, and JoAnn H. Seely. Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, Brigham Young University, 2004. Available at https://archive.bookofmormoncentral.org/content/glimpses-lehi%E2%80%99s-jerusalem

Reynolds, Noel B. “The Political Dimension in Nephi’s Small Plates.” BYU Studies Quarterly27:4 (1987). Available at https://archive.bookofmormoncentral.org/node/128

Hardy, Grant. Understanding the Book of Mormon: A Reader's Guide. United Kingdom, Oxford University Press, 2010.

Bradley, Don. The Lost 116 Pages: Reconstructing the Book of Mormon's Missing Stories. United States, Greg Kofford Books, 2019.

Welch, John W. “Legal Perspectives on the Slaying of Laban.” Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 1:1 (1992). Available at https://archive.bookofmormoncentral.org/content/legal-perspectives-slaying-laban

In this episode, they discuss the scholarship surrounding the Book of 1 Nephi, giving it context for readers of the Come, Follow Me curriculum for 2024.

References:

Approaching the Tree: Interpreting 1 Nephi 8. Eds. Benjamin Keogh, Joseph M. Spencer, and Jennifer Champoux. Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship, Brigham Young University, 2023. Available at https://a.co/d/7o8VLDr

Spencer, Joseph. 1st Nephi: a brief theological introduction. Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship, Brigham Young University, 2020. Available at https://a.co/d/8hdesoi

Glimpses of Lehi's Jerusalem. Eds. John W. Welch, David Rolph Seely, and JoAnn H. Seely. Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, Brigham Young University, 2004. Available at https://archive.bookofmormoncentral.org/content/glimpses-lehi%E2%80%99s-jerusalem

Reynolds, Noel B. “The Political Dimension in Nephi’s Small Plates.” BYU Studies Quarterly27:4 (1987). Available at https://archive.bookofmormoncentral.org/node/128

Hardy, Grant. Understanding the Book of Mormon: A Reader's Guide. United Kingdom, Oxford University Press, 2010.

Bradley, Don. The Lost 116 Pages: Reconstructing the Book of Mormon's Missing Stories. United States, Greg Kofford Books, 2019.

Welch, John W. “Legal Perspectives on the Slaying of Laban.” Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 1:1 (1992). Available at https://archive.bookofmormoncentral.org/content/legal-perspectives-slaying-laban

In this episode, they discuss the book of 1 Nephi, giving it context for readers of the Come, Follow Me curriculum for 2024.

Too often, though, we look away from that web and choose not to see our brothers and sisters in their lowest moments. Or we simply don’t know how to make the connections we want to make. How to “get proximate”, as Stevenson puts it, is a question we should be asking--and it’s the topic of our conversation today. I hope you enjoy it.

Mary taught me a better question for a time of crisis. As natural as it is to ask “How could this happen?”, a better question might be: “How is God grieving in this situation?” Grieving as God grieves, not as our anxious and frightened human minds want to, can lead us through the valley of the shadow of death into a larger and truer life.

I think Dr. Frandsen shows convincingly that they are. Brigham shared with me an economics paper looking at the effects of certain policies aimed at rehabilitating ex-offenders by making it easier to get jobs after they’ve served their time. But those policies turn out to have unintended consequences that may harm employment opportunities for certain groups with clean records. So how do we protect the innocent, while helping those who want to turn their lives around? It turns out that this is a question with profound implications for lived Christian discipleship, and with immediate application in religious settings like a Latter-day Saint ward.

Dr. Oscarson challenged me to ask not how learning can help me get ahead, but how it can refine my character. We talk about the challenges of faith-based higher education, whether real learning can happen outside the classroom, and why President Kimball worried about “invading ideologies.” I hope you enjoy the conversation.

One of the things I enjoyed most about this book is Dr. Inouye’s love of the scriptures. She turns often to scripture for truth and encouragement, and she has a way of finding new meaning in familiar words. I decided to organize our conversation around a few of the most interesting scripture discussions in the book, and I think you’ll be surprised and enlightened at what she’s found.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland taught powerfully that “We simply must understand the revealed, restored Latter-day Saint doctrine of the soul, and the high and inextricable part the body plays in that doctrine.” Our bodies are the ever-present condition of our experience, so it’s easy to tune them out and ignore--or resent--their role in our spiritual life. But Dr. Johnson gave me a whole new understanding of how our bodies can connect and empower us in light of the teachings of the Restoration and the gospel of Christ.

References

Caroline Walker Bynum. "Why all the fuss about the body? A medievalist's perspective." Critical inquiry 22.1 (1995): 1-33.

Jeffrey R. Holland. “Of Souls, Symbols, and Sacraments.” https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/jeffrey-r-holland/souls-symbols-sacraments/

BYU Mission Statement

MI Youtube and Publications Page

For today’s episode I interview Dr. Anthony Sweat, an oil painter himself and a professor of Church history and doctrine at BYU. Dr. Sweat has thought a lot about art and faith, in his creative and his scholarly pursuits. We discussed a fascinating article he co-authored analyzing Latter-day Saints’ preference for pictures of Christ praying in Gethsemane over Christ on the cross. We talk about why this might be the case, why we should make a point to include the crucifixion in our spiritual reflection, and how to incorporate art more deliberately into our faith lives.

Instead of asking, “What picture would look best above the couch?” Anthony challenged me to ask, “What am I seeking from art, and do my artistic choices lead me to Christ?” It’s not always about what looks prettiest. It can be hard to view the death of the Savior. But the experience can draw us to him. Join us, and see what you think.

Ryan and I discussed an article he wrote about the beginnings of the practice of baptism for the dead among the early Saints. He taught me that baptism for the dead doesn’t only answer questions about the afterlife. Baptism for the dead is also for the living: it’s profoundly empowering in modern life, changing our relationship to our own inevitable death and healing our troubled relationship with our bodies.

President Nelson taught that “Jesus Christ is the reason we build temples.” Dr. Tobler shows us how baptism for the dead kickstarted the modern Restoration of temple work, and how it draws us to Christ in its symbolism, its ritual, and its real spiritual power. I was really inspired by this conversation, and I hope you can feel the power of the ideas we discussed.

Kate Holbrook, who at the time of her death was the managing historian of women’s history at the Church History Department and a longtime friend and advisor to the Institute, spent her professional life discovering and amplifying the voices of other women, and mentoring other people in how to do the same. So Miranda and I wanted to find a very special lens to approach this very special book.

We settled on a luminous essay by the French philosopher and mystic Simone Weil, a writer whom Kate revered and whose rigorous spirituality inspired Kate’s own scholarly methods. We felt that Weil’s essay resonates in profound ways with Kate’s aims in Both Things Are True, and we hope that the essay will be a kind of gift to you from Kate. We also hope, of course, that this interview will inspire you to buy the book and fully absorb the wisdom and compassion of Kate Holbrook. She wanted nothing more than to share what she had found.

Today on the podcast I talk with Katie Paxman, associate professor of philosophy at BYU. Dr. Paxman studies the work of David Hume, and she’s thought a lot about certainty, humility, and the ambition to form true beliefs. Our conversation helped me to reframe my question in a more productive way. Rather than getting trapped in skepticism, I should ask: “what kind of person do I want to be when I encounter uncertainty?”

Elder Richard G. Scott said, “I am convinced that there is no simple formula or technique that would immediately allow you to master the ability” to decide questions with absolute certainty. Instead, he goes on, “essential personal growth will come as you struggle to learn.“ Katie helped me approach that struggle with more humility, hope and faith. I hope you enjoy the conversation.

In his 2019 speech to the NAACP, President Nelson quoted 2 Nephi 26:33, “black and white, bond and free, male and female… all are alike unto God,” and then said: “You who are gathered here in this room strive to make this heavenly truth an earthly reality. I commend you for it. And yet we all realize that, as a society and as a country, we have not yet achieved the harmony and mutual respect that would allow every man and woman and every boy and girl to become the very best version of themselves.”

In this conversation, Dr. Stuart and I talk about how we as Latter-day Saints can likewise “strive to make the heavenly truth” of racial equality “an earthly reality.” He provides fascinating historical background for Martin Luther King’s ministry, and he puts it all into a gospel context.

Dr. Stuart’s name and voice will be familiar to long-time listeners, because he hosted this podcast when he worked at the Institute as our public communications specialist a few years ago. It was fun to welcome him back on the other side of the microphone! I hope you enjoy the interview.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland said “The size of your faith or the degree of your knowledge is not the issue—it is the integrity you demonstrate toward the faith you do have and the truth you already know.” Christ commanded us to “be not afraid; only believe.” Could it be that believing, when undertaken with integrity and courage, is important in itself?

Ryan and I swapped stories, bonded over our love of ice cream, and even shared a few riddles. I hope you enjoy listening in as much as I enjoyed the conversation.

In the October 2022 General Conference, Sister Anette Dennis, Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency, asked, “How many wounded individuals do we have among us? How often do we judge others based on their outward appearance and actions, or lack of action, when, if we fully understood, we would instead react with compassion and a desire to help instead of adding to their burdens with our judgment?”

Jenny and I talked about how to balance objectivity and charity by adding, not subtracting, individual perspectives; and about how open-eyed interaction with our families and our histories can strengthen, not weaken, our bonds of love. We talked about the ways that the histories we tell might unknowingly burden the wounded. Jenny shared an amazing story about her own family history, and she talked about how her youthful testimony of the Book of Mormon grew through a challenge that forced her to revisit the questions she brought to it.

Thanks for joining us today, and I hope you enjoy this conversation with Jenny Pulsipher.

Kimberly Matheson is a Research Fellow at the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship, with current projects focusing on gender in the Book of Mormon, a materialist theology of prayer, and Moroni 7 as a theological response to modernity. Her research centers more broadly on the Book of Mormon, Christian contemplative practice, and the continental philosophy of religion. Kimberly holds a Ph.D. in theology from Loyola University Chicago, an MTS in philosophy of religion from Harvard Divinity School, and a BA in ancient near east studies from Brigham Young University. She is the author most recently of Helaman: A Brief Theological Introduction (Maxwell, 2020) and sits on the boards of the Book of Mormon Studies Association and the Latter-day Saint Theology Seminar.

The post Maxwell Institute Podcast #159: Why Do We Pray? Featuring Kimberly Matheson appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

In this episode, Rosalynde introduces The Questions We Should Be Asking, a new season that explores questions that help build faith. The first full-length episode of the podcast will be posted on March 28, 2023.

The post Maxwell Institute Podcast #158: Introduction to The Questions We Should Be Asking with Rosalynde Welch appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post Maxwell Institute Podcast #157: Latter-day Saints in the French Imagination, with Corry Cropper, Daryl Lee, and Heather Belnap appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post Abide: Christmas appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The second part of the book reveals Christ as our ransom by exploring medieval images, particularly the image of Christ. With personal anecdotes, historical background, and scriptural analysis, this section uses devotional images and late medieval practices of contemplation as a strategy to come unto Christ. By using medieval images as a counterpoint to Restoration practices and ordinances, we can more fully appreciate the gift of God’s Son and see that gift with fresh eyes.

The post Maxwell Institute Podcast #156: Finding Christ in the Covenant Path, with Jennifer C. Lane appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

Beyond the Synagogue argues that nostalgic activities such as visiting the Museum at Eldridge Street or eating traditional Jewish foods should be understood as American Jewish religious practices. In making the case that these practices are not just cultural, but are actually religious, Rachel B. Gross asserts if one looked outside of traditional institutions and practices, such as attendance at synagogue or membership in Jewish Community Centers, they would see that the embrace of nostalgia provides evidence of an alternative, under-appreciated way of being Jewish and of maintaining Jewish continuity.

Tracing American Jews’ involvement in a broad array of ostensibly nonreligious activities, including conducting Jewish genealogical research, visiting Jewish historic sites, purchasing books and toys that teach Jewish nostalgia to children, and seeking out traditional Jewish foods, Gross argues that these practices illuminate how many American Jews are finding and making meaning within American Judaism today.

The post Maxwell Institute Podcast #155: Nostalgia as Jewish Religious Practice, with Rachel B. Gross appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post Abide: Haggai and Zechariah appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

Miller said that everyone has different crosses to bear, and although we cannot change them, like Farnsworth cannot stop walking, we have to learn how to love and accept these challenges in order to connect to God.

Link to view the Annual Lecture here: https://youtu.be/N1L_ctSw2pk

The post Maxwell Institute Podcast #154: The Necessity of God, with Adam S. Miller (2022 Neal A. Maxwell Lecture) appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

In this role, the Book of Mormon Art Catalog supports research and education, aids scholarly and artistic work, promotes a greater knowledge of artists worldwide, provides a study and devotional resource for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and other interested individuals, and creates opportunities for increased understanding and collaboration.

You can view Jenny’s lecture introducing the catalog on the Maxwell Institute’s YouTube channel HERE: https://youtu.be/c1m_JnFrGXo

The post Maxwell Institute Podcast #153: The Book of Mormon Art Catalog with Jennifer Champoux appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post Abide: Jonah and Micah appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post Abide: Hosea and Joel appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post Maxwell Institute Podcast #152: Andrew Jenson and Latter-day Saint History, with Reid L. Neilson and Scott D. Marianno appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post Abide: Ezekiel 1–3; 33–34; 36–37; 47 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post Maxwell Institute Podcast #151: The Book of Mormon and Literature Studies, with Rosalynde Frandsen Welch appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post Abide: Jeremiah and Lamentations Part II appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

Participants–scholars and non-scholars alike–reflected together on the interpersonal, ethical, and social dimensions of Christian discipleship and the search for peace in non-Christian traditions. 

You can hear Professors Mason and Pulsipher discuss Proclaim Peace on the Maxwell Institute Podcast HERE.

The post Maxwell Institute Podcast #150: The Proclaim Peace Conference appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post Abide: Isaiah 58-66 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post Maxwell Institute Podcast #149: Healing Our Racial Divide, with Derwin and Vicki Gray appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post Abide: Isaiah 40-49 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post Abide: Isaiah 13-14; 24–30; 35 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post Abide: Isaiah 1-12 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post Abide: Proverbs and Ecclesiastes appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

A popular public speaker, Kate was voted Harvard College’s Teaching Fellow of theYear for her work as head teaching fellow in a course that enrolled nearly six hundredstudents, and she co-edited Global Values 101: A Short Course (Beacon Press, 2006),based on that class. In 2012, Kate co-organized a conference entitled “Women and theLDS Church: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives.” She and her co-organizer,Matthew Bowman, edited a collection of essays that sprang from this conferenceentitled Women and Mormonism: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives. Kate hasalso published essays and book chapters about Latter-day Saint women andhousework, Nation of Islam Muslims, Latter-day Saints and food, religion andsexuality, and religious hunting rituals.

Kate grew up at the feet of the Rocky Mountains and returned there in 2006, to liveamong the historic sites, cultural currents, and food environments where herscholarship had its roots. She earned a BA in English and Russian literature fromBrigham Young University, an MTS from Harvard Divinity School, and a PhD inReligious Studies from Boston University. For her dissertation work on Latter-day Saintand Nation of Islam foodways, she was the first recipient of the Eccles Fellowship inMormon Studies at the University of Utah. She was proud wife (to Samuel Brown) andmother (to Amelia, Lucia, and Persephone Holbrook-Brown).

Kate and her family developed this endowment together. It was Kate’s wish as shedeparted mortality that these funds serve to help the women of the Church to flourish

in their scholarly and spiritual lives. Kate herself benefited from a similar gift (fromRuth Silver of Denver, Colorado) early in her scholarly career, when she and Sam hadminimal financial resources, and she needed time and money to devote to the study ofwomen and religion. She hoped that such giving would become more and morecommon over time.

The post Maxwell Institute Podcast #148: The Weight of Legacy, with Kate Holbrook appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post Abide: Psalms Part Three appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post (Reuploaded) Maxwell Institute Podcast #147: Slavery, Sacred Texts, and Historical Consciousness, with Jordan Watkins appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post Maxwell Institute Podcast #147: Slavery, Sacred Texts, and Historical Consciousness, with Jordan Watkins appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post Abide: Psalms Part Two appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post Abide: Psalms Part One appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post Abide: Job appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

In exploring these questions, Miller draws on scriptures and the truths of the Restoration to reframe Christianity’s traditional thinking about grace, justice, and sin. He outlines the logic of original sin versus that of original grace and generates fresh insights into how the doctrine of grace relates to justice, creation, forgiveness, and more.

The post Maxwell Institute Podcast #146: God’s Original Grace, with Adam Miller appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post Abide: Esther appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

Kathryn Gin Lum is Associate Professor in the Religious Studies Department, in collaboration with the Center for Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity at Stanford. She is also Associate Professor, by courtesy, of History in affiliation with American Studies and Asian American Studies.

The post Maxwell Institute Podcast #145: The Idea of the “Heathen” with Kathryn Gin Lum appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post Abide: 2 Kings 17-25 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post Abide: 2 Kings 2-7 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post Abide: 1 Kings 17-19 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

In Wickman’s experience, which he reflects on in his new book from the Maxwell Institute’s Living Faith Series, LIFE TO THE WHOLE BEING: THE SPIRITUAL MEMOIR OF A LITERATURE PROFESSOR, literature has also helped him negotiate the complex relationship between spirituality, faith, and organized religion. He discusses all this by way of deeply personal experiences, theological reflection, and discussion of literary texts by Virginia Woolf, Denise Levertov, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Christian Wiman, and more. Due to unforeseen circumstances, you cannot currently hear this episode on our website. You can listen on YouTube, at the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5phuSEN0Hw

The post Maxwell Podcast Episode #144: A Spiritual Life in Literature, with Matthew Wickman appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post Abide: 1 Samuel 8-10; 13; 15-18 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post Abide: Ruth; 1 Samuel 1-3 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post Abide: Judges 2-4; 6-8; 13-16 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

Lorenzo Snow, April 1900

That quotes embodies much of what is going on in the third volume of SAINTS, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ ongoing history being produced by the Church Historical Department. In it, we find Latter-day Saint Christians confronting new information, ideas, and grappling with changes required of the Saints as they entered the twentieth century and globalized throughout the early twentieth century. We learn about the end of sanctioned plural marriages and how African American converts lived with racism in their local congregations. We’ll also learn about how Saints around the world embraced the challenges brought on by Revolution, Depression and world wars, and came out as stronger Saints with vibrant testimonies of the restored gospel. In today’s episode, we speak with two of the writers and editors of the Saints project, Lisa Olsen Tait and Scott Hales, about how and why the Saints project as created, resources available to deepen Latter-day Saints’ understandings of the past through approved resources, and much, much more.

The post Maxwell Institute Podcast #143: Saints in a Modernizing World, with Lisa Olsen Tait and Scott Hales appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post Abide: Joshua 1-8; 23-24 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post Abide: Deuteronomy appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post Abide: Numbers 11-14; 20-24 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post Abide: Exodus 35-40; Leviticus 1; 16; 19 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

To transform conflict, Ford says we need to turn toward the people we are in conflict with, put down our physical and emotional weapons, and really love them with the kind of love that leads us to treat others as fellow human beings, not as objects in our way. We have to open ourselves up with no guarantee that anyone on the other side will do the same. While this can feel even more dangerous than conflict itself, it allows us to see the humanity of others so clearly that their needs and desires matter to us as much as our own.

Ford shows dangerous love in action through examples ranging from his work in the Middle East to a deeply moving story about reconciling with his father. He explains why we disconnect from people at the very time we need to be most connected and the predictable patterns of justification and escalation that ensue. Most importantly, he gives us a path to practice dangerous love in the conflicts that matter most to us.

In today’s episode of the Maxwell Institute podcast, we explore the meaning of dangerous love, how it works on a theological and a practical level, and how we can be Latter-day Saint peacebuilders in the world. As always, please follow us on social media at @byumaxwell on YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook, and sign up for our newsletter at https://mi.byu.edu/monthly-mi-news/. Without any further ado, here’s Professor Chad Ford.

The post Maxwell Institute Podcast #141: Loving Dangerously, with Chad Ford appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

Today we are going to explore the “stuff” of religion, what scholars call material culture. Through an exploration of the mundane, what some might call the ordinary, we discover God’s presence and the faith of ancient Israel. I suspect that we also learn something about our own modern faith, too.

The post Abide: Exodus 24; 31-34 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post Abide: Exodus 18-20 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post Abide: Easter appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post Maxwell Institute Podcast #140: Prodigals All, with Spencer Fluhman appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post Abide: Exodus 14-17 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post Abide: Exodus 7-13 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post Abide: Exodus 1-6 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post Abide: Genesis 42-50 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post Genesis 37-41 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post Maxwell Institute Podcast #139: The Original Manuscript of the Book of Mormon, with Robin Scott Jensen appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

In today’s episode of Abide: A Maxwell Institute Podcast, we dive into Genesis 28-33 to explore Chosenness in three ways: covenant relationships, expectations, and longing as it affects the ancient Israelites and modern Saints alike.

The post Abide: Genesis 28-33 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

My name is Joseph Stuart, I’m the public communications specialist at the Maxwell Institute. Kristian Heal is a Research Fellow at the Institute, and each week we will be discussing the week’s block of reading from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ “Come, Follow Me” curriculum. We aren’t here to present a lesson, but rather to hit on a few key themes from the scripture block, so as to help fulfill the Maxwell Institute’s mission to “inspire and fortify Latter-day Saints in their testimonies of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and engage the world of religious ideas.”

Today we are joined by one of our research assistants, Carolyn Lowman, an Ancient Near East History, Hebrew Bible major here at BYU from Southern California. After Carolyn graduates she plans to be a seminary teacher.

The post Abide: Genesis 24-27 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post Maxwell Institute Podcast #138: The Biography of Margarito Bautista, with Elisa Eastwood Pulido appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post Abide: Genesis 18-23 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

In the past several hundred years, though, some have looked to academic tools to prove the truth of religious texts. Professionals from fields like history, archaeology, and anthropology have sought to add detail from the empirical record to sacred texts. Those professionals are often women and men of faith. But what are the limits of using academic tools to “prove” religious truth? And how did that play out in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ during the first decades of the twentieth century? 

Today, Dr. Matthew Bowman of Claremont Graduate University is going to discuss that with us today, focusing on his article entitled “Biblical Criticism, the Book of Mormon, and the Meanings of Civilization,” in the most recent issue of The Journal of Book of Mormon Studies. We’ll include a copy of the article in our newsletter, which you can subscribe to at mi.byu.edu/monthly-mi-news.

The post Maxwell Institute Podcast #137: BH Roberts, the Bible, and the Book of Mormon, with Matthew Bowman appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

On today’s episode of “Abide: A Maxwell Institute Podcast,” we discuss Noah, the Tower of Babel, and violence, thinking broadly about what we can learn from violence in scripture.

The post Abide: Genesis 6-11 and Moses 8 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

My name is Joseph Stuart, I’m the public communications specialist at the Maxwell Institute. Kristian Heal is a Research Fellow at the Institute, and each week we will be discussing the week’s block of reading from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ “Come, Follow Me” curriculum. We aren’t here to present a lesson, but rather to hit on a few key themes from the scripture block, so as to help fulfill the Maxwell Institute’s mission to “inspire and fortify Latter-day Saints in their testimonies of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and engage the world of religious ideas.”

Today we are joined by special guest Terryl Givens, who with Fiona Givens has written The God Who Weeps: How Mormonism Makes Sense of Life and, recently, The Doors of Faith from the Maxwell Institute’s Living Faith series and Deseret Book. 

The post Abide: Moses 7 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

What are we to understand from these genealogies? What happens when we zoom way out, like in Genesis 5, or we zoom in and receive more detail, like in Moses 6? We’ll discuss that and more in this week’s episode of “Abide: A Maxwell Institute Podcast.”

The post Abide: Genesis 5; Moses 6 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post Maxwell Institute Podcast #135: The Stuff of Discipleship, with Jennifer Reeder appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

That isn’t the only way that Latter-day Saints understand the Fall differently than Jews, Christians, and Muslims. In today’s episode of Abide: A Maxwell Institute Podcast,  we explore the scriptural narratives of Eden, post-Eden life, agency, and much much more.

The post Abide: Genesis 3–4 and Moses 4–5 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

President Hinckley considered the proclamation a “reaffirmation of standards, doctrines, and practices relative to the family.” While not canonized as scripture, the proclamation holds an important place in Latter-day Saint thought, practice, and belief. 

The post Abide #25: The Family: A Proclamation to the World appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

Importantly, President Kimball’s journey to receiving the revelation began decades earlier. Even as a boy he recognized how his neighbors treated Native Americans with distrust and disdain. He saw inequity and wanted to correct it. Although he did not know as a lad that he would receive a revelation with global consequences, it’s remarkable to me that something President Kimball noticed as a child would change The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ global trajectory.

My name is Joseph Stuart, I’m the public communications specialist at the Maxwell Institute. Janiece Johnson, is a Willes Center Research Associate at the Institute, and we will be discussing each week’s block of reading from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ “Come, Follow Me” curriculum. We aren’t here to present a lesson, but rather to hit on a few key themes from the scripture block that we believe will help fulfill the Maxwell Institute’s mission to inspire and fortify Latter-day Saints in their testimonies of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and engages the world of religious ideas.”

The post Abide #24: Official Declaration Two appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

Most Latter-day Saints seem to have approved of the decision. However, some Saints abstained from voting, tacitly rejecting the Manifesto. At least one Latter-day Saint “remained silent,” his arm remaining at his side “like lead,” unable to approve the revelation.[1] Another Mormon man wrote, “Many of the saints seemed stunned and confused and hardly knew how to vote, feeling that if they endorsed it they would be voting against one of the most sacred and important principles of their religion, and yet, as it had been promulgated by the prophet, seer and revelator and the earthly mouthpiece of the Almighty, they felt it must be proper for some reason [or] other…A great many of the sisters wept silently & seemed to feel worse than the brethren.” 

In this episode of “Abide: A Maxwell Institute Podcast,” we discuss the origins and implications of the revelation canonized as Official Declaration One, also known popularly as the Woodruff Manifesto.

My name is Joseph Stuart, I’m the public communications specialist at the Maxwell Institute. Janiece Johnson, is a Willes Center Research Associate at the Institute, and we will be discussing each week’s block of reading from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ “Come, Follow Me” curriculum. We aren’t here to present a lesson, but rather to hit on a few key themes from the scripture block that we believe will help fulfill the Maxwell Institute’s mission to inspire and fortify Latter-day Saints in their testimonies of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and engages the world of religious ideas.”

The post Abide #23: Official Declaration One appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post Maxwell Institute Podcast #133: Where the Soul Hungers with Samuel M. Brown appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post Maxwell Institute Podcast #132: Joseph Smith for President with Spencer McBride appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

Section 132 is a different matter entirely. It’s a revelation that is a sustained theological document that, at times, also reads like a legal document. The voice is the Lord’s, and it covers one topic at great length: celestial marriage. It’s a section that requires skill and care to unpack. There is much to gain, to be sure, but readers should always recognize that their comfort level with the revelation and its implications for individuals, families, and communities. 

The post Abide #19: Doctrine and Covenants 129-132 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

In my mind, these revelations answer those questions by pointing to the importance of focusing on two audiences: God and our community. 

The post Abide #18: Doctrine and Covenants 125-128 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

Drawing upon letters written by Emma to Joseph and to many others, along with minutes from Relief Society meetings and other artifacts, this book sketches a more complete portrait of this elect lady. It allows each of us to become personally acquainted with Emma as we learn more about her essential work as a leader, a wife, and a mother in the early days of the Church.

Today’s guest is Dr. Jennifer Reeder, who wrote a biography of Emma Smith, entitled FIRST: THE LIFE AND FAITH OF EMMA SMITH from Deseret Book. Dr. Reeder will be delivering the Neal A. Maxwell Institute Lecture on November 13 at 7 PM at the Hinckley Alumni Center at BYU. Make plans to attend her lecture! And follow us on Instagram at @BYUMaxwell.

The post Maxwell Institute Podcast #131: An Elect Lady, with Jennifer Reeder appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

This generous example stands through time. 

Quincy was an important respite for the Saints, but they soon began to move about 50 miles to the north to another bend in the Mississippi to a place originally called Commerce. There they cleared trees, drained swampy land, built houses, planted crops and began to build a city. What we now know as section 124 became a sacred charter for that city Joseph Smith called Nauvoo. This revelation centered the Saints, enabled them to think of Nauvoo as a new home, and sharpened their focus as they worked to build up the city. 

As the Joseph Smith Papers tell us: [this was] One of the few revelations from the Illinois period to be later canonized by the church, the 19 January revelation served as divine direction for the Saints for the duration of their time in Nauvoo. Mayor John C. Bennett read it at the general conference of the church in Nauvoo on 7 April 1841. The text was published in the 1 June issue of the church’s Nauvoo newspaper, Times and Seasons, as well as in the September 1841 issue of the Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star, printed in Manchester, England. The Saints in Illinois referred to the revelation frequently in print and in public settings.

The post Abide #17: Doctrine and Covenants 124 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

Joseph wrote his first general missive to the saints in the middle of December. After a long winter in the jail with “screeking iron gates,” Joseph wrote again to the Saints as the spring began to thaw, not knowing they would soon escape. The Doctrine and Covenants sections we know today as sections 121, 122, and 123 are all portions of a larger letter written to the Saints on March 22nd. Not being able to stand up straight in the jail, in the letter Joseph also described how, “Our souls have been bowed down and we have suffered much distress … and truly we have had to wade through an ocean of trouble.” 

Joseph directed the letter “to the church of Latterday saints at Quincy Illinois and scattered abroad and to Bishop Edward Partridge in particular,” however he sent the missive to his wife Emma because he wanted her “to have the first reading of it.”

The 17-page letter was quickly circulated amongst the Saints. As members would often do with revelations, some created their own handwritten copies. Mary Fielding Smith described the letter as “food to the hungry.” 

The post Abide #16: Doctrine and Covenants 121-123 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

Could you do us a favor and review, rate, and subscribe to the Maxwell Institute Podcast wherever you find podcasts? Thank you! Now, without any further do, let’s start our conversation with Terryl Givens.

The post Maxwell Institute Podcast #130: Stretching the Heavens with Eugene England appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

In the midst of this, God gave them answers, but not ones that did not immediately seem to pay off in the short term. However, the Lord’s revelations pointed to things working out in the long run. Identifying the place where Jesus would return before the Second Coming. Sending out missionaries to bring in new members. The importance of councils and counseling with them to allow for a wide variety of perspectives and voices to make a decision. Or, thinking even bigger picture, sometimes we just have to remember that the Lord’s timeline is a LOT longer than ours. 

The post Abide #15: Doctrine and Covenants 116-120 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

There are two late accounts of individuals who were not on the trip that suggested they went to Salem to find hidden money. 

The post Abide #14: Doctrine and Covenants 111-115 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

In this episode of the Maxwell Institute Podcast, we will talk with Dr. Catherine Gines Taylor, a Nibley Postdoctoral Fellow at the Neal A. Maxwell Institute, and Dr. Mark Ellison, an Associate Professor of Ancient Scripture at Brigham Young University, to learn more

*about the lives of Christian women in antiquity*how to uncover or unearth the religious lives of women*and discuss how the material record or historical “stuff” reveals religious meaning and practice.You can purchase their book Material Culture and Women’s Religious Experience in Antiquity, co-edited with Carolyn Osiek, wherever books are sold, including from Amazon and the Rowman and Littlefield website.

Subscribe to our newsletter to receive show notes for this and all Maxwell Institute Podcast episodes!https://mi.byu.edu/monthly-mi-news/

The post Maxwell Institute Podcast #129 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post Abide #13: Doctrine and Covenants 109-110 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

This revelation demonstrates the continuing process of revealing understanding of priesthood particularly building on some of the ideas introduced in section 84. This expanded administrative offices within the church including deacons, teachers, priests, and elders. As the JSP details, the first individuals were ordained to the high priesthood in June of 1831. It likewise opened the way for multiple bishops and a president of the high priesthood. In late 1831 Newell K. Whitney was appointed Bishop of Kirtland and in early 1832 JS became the president of the high priesthood–on the day the church was organized his position had been that of first elder. The ecclesial structure of the church would continue to expand. 

We aren’t here to present a lesson, but rather to hit on a few key themes from the scripture block that we believe will help fulfill the Maxwell Institute’s mission to inspire and fortify Latter-day Saints in their testimonies of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and to engage the world of religious ideas.”

The post Abide #12: Doctrine and Covenants 107 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post Maxwell Institute Podcast #128: Joseph Smith Papers, Documents Volume 12 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post Abide #11: Doctrine and Covenants Sections 102-106 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

Come learn more about Charles’ life, work, and what Latter-day Saints can learn from a life of faith, service, and “raking”: the slow and steady daily practices that promotes spirituality and humility.

The post MI Podcast #127: ZION EARTH ZEN SKY appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post Abide #10: Doctrine and Covenants 98-101 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post Abide #9: Doctrine and Covenants 94-97 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post Abide #8.2: Doctrine and Covenants 93 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post Abide #8: Doctrine and Covenants 90-92 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post Abide #7: Doctrine and Covenants 89 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post Abide #6: Doctrine and Covenants 88 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post Abide #5: Doctrine and Covenants 85-87 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

MI Website: https://mi.byu.edu/

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/maxwell-institute-podcast/id666445688

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/68JBnaFJfi58WalGdioZUe

The post Abide #4: Doctrine and Covenants 84 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

TRANSCRIPT

The post Abide #3: Doctrine and Covenants 81-83 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

You can read a transcript of the episode at the PDF link below:

The post Abide #2: Doctrine and Covenants 77-80 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

Part of the Prophet’s translation process included asking questions—what does this verse mean? What else did the Lord have to tell him about figures like Melchizedek and Abraham? On February 16, 1832, Smith and Rigdon sought clarification on the text of John 5:29, where Jesus Christ speaks on the resurrection saying that those who “have done good” would receive the resurrection of life,” and those who had done evil, would reap “the resurrection of damnation.” As the Prophet and his scribe, Sidney Rigdon, pondered what the two resurrections might mean, they beheld a vision of what awaited humankind after death, what has been canonized by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as Doctrine and Covenants Section 76, or what contemporary Saints called “The Vision.”

The post Abide #1: Doctrine and Covenants Section 76 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

You can read a transcript of the interview at the link below (“People of the Books Transcript”)

The post MI Podcast #126: Becoming a people of the Books appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

Fiona Givens is a member of the Institute’s research staff. She earned degrees in French, German, and in European History while co-raising six children. In addition to co-writing The God Who Weeps and The God Who Heals, she is the joint author of The Crucible of Doubt: Reflections on the Quest for Faith, and the new book All Things New: Rethinking Sin, Salvation, and Everything in Between.

Terryl L. Givens is a Neal A. Maxwell Senior Research Fellow. He formerly held the Jabez A. Bostwick Chair of English and was Professor of Literature and Religion at the University of Richmond. He is the author of many books about Latter-day Saint history and culture, including Wrestling the Angel: The Foundations of Mormon Thought, Feeding the Flock: The Foundations of Mormon Practice, and By the Hand of Mormon: The American Scripture That Launched a New World Religion.

The post MIPodcast #125— ‘All Things New,’ with Fiona and Terryl Givens and Spencer Fluhman appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

Our guest host today is Dr. Morgan Davis, co-editor of the Living Faith series.

James E. Faulconer is a professor of philosophy at Brigham Young University and a senior research fellow at the Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship. Faulconer’s area of expertise is twentieth-century and contemporary European philosophy, especially the philosophy of religion. In addition to writing scholarly books and articles, he is the author of the Made Harder series of scripture study questions and Scripture Study: Tools and Suggestions.

The post GUEST HOST—‘Thinking Otherwise,’ with James E. Faulconer and Morgan Davis [MIPodcast #124] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

Ravi M. Gupta is the Charles Redd Professor of Religious Studies at Utah State University. He is the author or editor of four books, including an abridged translation (with Kenneth Valpey) of the Bhagavata Purana, one of India’s most beloved sacred texts in the Sanskrit language. Ravi holds a doctorate in Hindu Studies from Oxford University and has taught at the University of Florida, Centre College, and the College of William and Mary. His current interests have drawn him to religion and ecology.

The post GUEST HOST—Pursuing the intellectual life from a place of commitment, with Ravi Gupta & Philip Barlow [MIPodcast #123] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

David F. Holland joins us in this episode to talk about his brief theological introduction to the final book—the book of Moroni. Spencer Fluhman, executive director of the Maxwell Institute, returns as guest host. Learn more about the brief theological introduction series at mi.byu.edu/brief.

Note: Dr. Holland refers to this article by Philip L. Barlow: “To Mend a Fractured Reality.” 

David Holland is the John Bartlett Professor of New England Church History at Harvard Divinity School and the Director of Graduate Studies in Religion at Harvard University. He is the author of Sacred Borders: Continuing Revelation and Canonical Restraint in Early America, published by Oxford University Press.

The post GUEST HOST—Briefly Moroni, with David F. Holland & Spencer Fluhman [MIPodcast #122] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

Rosalynde Frandsen Welch is an independent scholar of Latter-day Saint literature and theology. She earned a PhD in early modern English literature from the University of California at San Diego. She is the author of numerous articles and book chapters on Latter-day Saint scripture, culture, and theology. She has served as a codirector of the Latter-day Saint Theology Seminary and as associate editor at the Journal of Book of Mormon Studies.

The post GUEST HOST—Briefly Ether, with Rosalynde Welch & James E. Faulconer [MIPodcast #121] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

For the last few episodes in this series we wanted to get series editors on the mic to talk to the authors. So this episode features guest host Spencer Fluhman, executive director of the Maxwell Institute and co-editor of the brief theological introductions to the Book of Mormon series.

The post GUEST HOST—Briefly Mormon, with Adam Miller and Spencer Fluhman [MIPodcast #120] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

Blythe goes back to the beginning of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to find out how early church members thought about the apocalypse—the cataclysmic end of the world which would usher in a new peaceful era under the reign of Jesus Christ. The more tension Latter-day Saints felt with the United States where the church began, the more intense their ideas about how it would all turn out became. But Blythe says violent visions of end times destruction began to fade as the church became more mainstream in American culture.

Christopher James Blythe is a Research Associate at the Maxwell Institute’s Laura F. Willes Center for Book of Mormon Studies. In 2019 he was named co-editor of the Journal of Mormon History. He also is co-president of the Folklore Society of Utah. His new book is Terrible Revolution: Latter Day Saints and the American Apocalypse. He has coedited two volumes of the Joseph Smith Papers Documents series.

The post The end of the world (Latter-day Saint style), with Christopher James Blythe [MIPodcast #119] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

For more about the brief theological introductions series, see mi.byu.edu/brief.

Daniel Becerra is an assistant professor of ancient scripture at Brigham Young University and a scholar of early Christianity.

The post Briefly 3rd and 4th Nephi, with Daniel Becerra [MIPodcast #118] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

Kimberly Matheson Berkey is a doctoral student in theology at Loyola University Chicago, where she studies the philosophy of religion. She serves on the boards of the Latter-day Saint Theology Seminar and the Book of Mormon Studies Association and has contributed several articles to the Journal of Book of Mormon Studies. She lives in Chicago, Illinois.

The post Briefly Helaman, with Kimberly Matheson Berkey [MIPodcast #116] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

In this episode, Robert Alter joins us to talk about the challenges and surprises of biblical translation. He visited the Maxwell Institute earlier this year to deliver a set of guest lectures which you can watch here.

Robert Alter is Professor of Hebrew and Comparative Literature at the University of California at Berkeley, where he has taught since 1967. He has written widely on the European novel from the eighteenth century to the present, on contemporary American fiction, and on modern Hebrew literature. He is especially well-known for his work on the literary aspects of the Bible. His twenty-two published books include two prize-winning volumes on biblical narrative and poetry, and award-winning translations of the Five Books of Moses. In 2019 he published The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary, and The Art of Biblical Translation.

The post Robert Alter on translating the Hebrew Bible [MIPodcast #115] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

Melissa Inouye joins us to talk about a restorationist Christian movement in China, which continues to exist today despite strict Chinese control of religion. We’re talking about her book, China and the True Jesus: Charisma and Organization in a Chinese Christian Church.

Melissa Wei-Tsing Inouye is author of the new book, China and the True Jesus: Charisma and Organization in a Chinese Christian Church, from Oxford University Press. She received her Ph.D. in East Asian Languages and Civilizations from Harvard University in 2011 and served as a Senior Lecturer in Chinese Studies at the University of Auckland. She now works for the Church History Department with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The post China and the True Jesus Church, with Melissa Inouye [MIPodcast #114] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

In this episode, Mark Wrathall joins us to talk about his brief theological introduction to the second half of the book of Alma. For more about the brief theological introductions series, go to mi.byu.edu/brief.

Mark Wrathall is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Oxford, and Fellow and Tutor in Philosophy at Corpus Christi College. He works on the phenomenology of agency and religious life, and is interested in the temporality of human existence. He is the author of Phenomenology and Human Existence (forthcoming with Oxford University Press), Heidegger and Unconcealment (Cambridge University Press), and How to Read Heidegger (W. W. Norton). He has edited numerous volumes, including The Cambridge Heidegger Lexicon and Religion After Metaphysics.

The post Briefly Alma 30–63, with Mark Wrathall [MIPodcast #113] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

Margaret Bendroth is executive director of the Congregational Library in Boston, Massachusetts, and a historian of American religion. Her books include The Spiritual Practice of Remembering, The Last Puritans: Mainline Protestants and the Power of the Past, and Growing Up Protestant: Parents, Children and Mainline Churches.

Watch Dr. Bendroth’s Maxwell Institute Guest Lecture here.

The post ‘The Spiritual Practice of Remembering,’ with Margaret Bendroth [MIPodcast #112] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

Melissa Wei-Tsing Inouye received her Ph.D. in East Asian Languages and Civilizations from Harvard University in 2011 and served as a Senior Lecturer in Chinese Studies at the University of Auckland. She previously served as an associate editor of the Mormon Studies Review and now works for the Church History Department with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She is author of two books: China and the True Jesus: Charisma and Organization in a Chinese Christian Church (Oxford University Press) and the imposibly-titled Crossings: A Bald Asian American Latter-day Saint Woman Scholar’s Ventures through Life, Death, Cancer & Motherhood (Not Necessarily in that Order).

The post Latter-day Saint scholar Melissa Inouye reflects on her many crossings [MIPodcast #111] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

Kylie Nielson Turley talks about her brief theological introduction to the book of Alma, chapters 1 through 29, in this episode. For more about the brief theological introductions series, go to mi.byu.edu/brief.

Kylie Nielson Turley has taught writing, rhetoric, and literature classes since 1997 at Brigham Young University, where she emphasizes a literary approach to the Book of Mormon in her Literature of the LDS People course. She has published articles on Alma, LDS “home literature” fiction and poetry, and Utah and LDS women’s history. She is also the author of numerous personal essays.

The post Briefly Alma 1–29, with Kylie Nielson Turley [MIPodcast #110] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

Gore says it’s not enough to be in possession of the truth. We also have to know how to share it in ways that actually reach other people’s hearts. The Book of Mormon seems to be a cautionary history in this regard, calling readers to develop what Gore calls an “ethic of mournful wakefulness.”

Gore’s Maxwell Institute Guest Lecture is available here.

David Charles Gore (PhD, Texas A&M University) is associate professor and department head in the Department of Communication at the University of Minnesota in Duluth. Gore regularly teaches courses on the history and theory of rhetoric, including its application to globalization and Stoic philosophy. His work has appeared in Philosophy & Rhetoric, Argumentation & Advocacy, Dialogue: a Journal of Mormon Thought, and a variety of other venues.

The post The Book of Mormon’s ethic of mournful wakefulness, with David Charles Gore [MIPodcast #109] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

In this episode, Dr. David Walker joins us to talk about his latest book Railroading Religion: Mormons, Tourists, and the Corporate Spirit of the West. It’s a more fascinating and more humorous story than you might expect, so stay with us.

David Walker is associate professor of religious studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. His work focuses on intersections of religion, settlement policy, technology, and popular culture in the long nineteenth century (c. 1780-1920). His latest book is Railroading Religion: Mormons, Tourists, and the Corporate Spirit of the West.

The post ‘Railroading Religion,’ with David Walker [MIPodcast #108] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

Through the years, Jane Manning James has been left out of books on African American history, women’s history, histories of the West, and until more recently, she was even left out of histories of her own church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Dr. Quincy Newell recently published the first scholarly biography of this remarkable Latter-day Saint. The book is called Your Sister in the Gospel: The Life of Jane Manning James, a Nineteenth-century Black Mormon. Dr. Newell joins us to talk about it in this episode.

Images of Jane discussed in the episode are available in the transcript.

Quincy D. Newell is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Hamilton College. She is co-editor of the Mormon Studies Review and author of Your Sister in the Gospel: The Life of Jane Manning James, a Nineteenth-Century Black Mormon.

The post The life of Jane Manning James, with Quincy Newell [MIPodcast #107] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post Briefly Mosiah, with James E. Faulconer [MIPodcast #106] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

Dr. George Handley joins us in this episode to talk about his book, If Truth Were a Child. If you’re a church leader who is looking to connect better with the flock, or if you’re one of the sheep who feels undernourished, George Handley has important things to share with you.

George B. Handley teaches interdisciplinary humanities at Brigham Young University, where he also serves as the associate director of the Faculty Center. He received his BA from Stanford University and his MA and PhD in comparative literature at UC-Berkeley. His scholarly publications and creative writing focus on the intersection between religion, literature, and the environment. His books include the memoir Home Waters: A Year of Recompenses on the Provo River, the novel American Fork, and two collections of essays in the Living Faith series entitled If Truth Were a Child and The Hope of Nature.

The post ‘If Truth Were a Child,’ with George Handley [MIPodcast #105] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

This episode continues our special series on the Maxwell Institute’s Brief Theological Introductions to the Book of Mormon. Literary scholar and theologian Sharon J. Harris investigates the messy middle era between the genesis of the Nephite people and their reorganization under King Benjamin. What keeps things—relatively—together through Enos, Jarom, and Omni? Harris uncovers the personalities, concerns, and patterns of righteousness and wickedness that are often overlooked in these short books.

The authors of our brief theological introductions are “seeking Christ in scripture by combining intellectual rigor and the disciple’s yearning for holiness.” Learn more at mi.byu.edu/brief.

Sharon J. Harris is an assistant professor of English at Brigham Young University. She studies early modern literature, focusing on how it intersects with music. In addition to literary studies, Dr. Harris has published on theology, the Book of Mormon, and the history of Latter-day Saint singles wards. She holds degrees from Brigham Young University, the University of Chicago, and Fordham University and has worked in public education, nonprofit arts administration, and academic publishing.

The post Briefly Enos, Jarom, & Omni, with Sharon J. Harris [MIPodcast #104] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

This episode features the authors of Thinking Women: A Timeline of Suffrage in Utah—Katherine Kitterman and Rebekah Ryan Clark. Neylan McBaine joins us as well. She’s CEO of Better Days 2020, a non-profit organization dedicated to popularizing Utah women’s history.

Katherine Kitterman is a PhD candidate in American History at American University in Washington, D.C., and the Historical Director for Better Days 2020 in Utah.

Rebekah Ryan Clark is the Historical Research Associate for Better Days 2020. She holds a law degree from the J. Reuben Clark Law School at Brigham Young University and attended Harvard Law School as a visiting student. She earned her bachelor’s degree in American history and literature from Harvard University.

Neylan McBaine is co-founder and CEO of Better Days 2020, which celebrates the 150th anniversary of women first voting in Utah and the centennial of the 19th Amendment through education, events and the arts. McBaine is also a member of the Maxwell Institute’s Advisory Board.

Take a look inside the book:

Peek Inside

The post Celebrating women’s suffrage in Utah, with Katherine Kitterman, Rebekah Ryan Clark, and Neylan McBaine [MIPodcast #102] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

Images discussed in this episode are available in the transcript. 

Catherine Gines Taylor is the Hugh W. Nibley Postdoctoral Fellow. She is author of Late Antique Images of the Virgin Annunciate Spinning: Allotting the Scarlet and the Purple. She specializes in late antique Christian art history and iconography. Dr. Taylor holds graduate degrees from the University of Manchester and Brigham Young University. Her work is focused on the interdisciplinary study of art, scripture, lay piety, Christian patronage, and patristic texts. Her work is focused on the interdisciplinary study of art, scripture, lay piety, Christian patronage, and patristic texts. More specifically, her research centers on images of women in early Christian contexts. She’s currently researching the typologies of Susanna and Wisdom on sarcophagi and within funerary contexts.

The post Rediscovering Mary, mother of God, with Catherine Taylor [MIPodcast #101] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

Get behind the scenes of the Maxwell Institute Podcast in this special interview celebrating one hundred episodes. Jeremy King, the Maxwell Institute’s administrator and controller, invited host Blair Hodges to talk about how the show is made and what he hopes it offers to listeners.

Blair Hodges is the public communications specialist at the Maxwell Institute. He earned a bachelor’s degree in mass communication with a minor in religious studies from the University of Utah in 2010. He received a master’s degree in religious studies from Georgetown University in 2013. He hosts, produces, and edits the Maxwell Institute Podcast. Hodges also served as an acquisitions and development editor for the Living Faith series from 2013–2017 and as chief editorial assistant for the Mormon Studies Review from volumes 1–5.

Jeremy King hosted this episode. He is the Administrator and Controller for the Maxwell Institute. He earned a bachelor’s of science in accounting from BYU–Idaho, minoring in English and political science and recently served for three years on the BYU Administrative Advisory Council.

The post Celebrating 100 episodes of the Maxwell Institute Podcast, with Blair Hodges [MIPodcast #100] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

Terryl L. Givens is a Neal A. Maxwell Senior Research Fellow. He formerly held the Jabez A. Bostwick Chair of English and was Professor of Literature and Religion at the University of Richmond. He is the author of many books about Latter-day Saint history and culture, including Wrestling the Angel: The Foundations of Mormon Thought, Feeding the Flock: The Foundations of Mormon Practice, and By the Hand of Mormon: The American Scripture That Launched a New World Religion, each with Oxford University Press. He is also co-author, with Fiona Givens, of The God Who Weeps, The Crucible of Doubt, and The Christ Who Heals.

The post Briefly Second Nephi, with Terryl Givens [MIPodcast #99] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

So begins the first book in the Book of Mormon. First Nephi. And this is the first episode in a special series of interviews with authors of the Maxwell Institute’s forthcoming “Brief Theological Introductions to the Book of Mormon. Twelve different authors tackle twelve different parts of the book, and Joseph M. Spencer of Brigham Young University was given the task of approaching First Nephi.

Learn more about the Brief Theological Introductions series at mi.byu.edu/brief.

Joseph M. Spencer is an assistant professor in the department of ancient scripture at Brigham Young University and editor of the Journal of Book of Mormon Studies. He’s written a number of books on the Book of Mormon such as An Other Testament: On Typology, For Zion: A Mormon Theology of Hope, and his latest book, First Nephi: A Brief Theological Introduction.

The post Briefly First Nephi, with Joseph M. Spencer [MIPodcast #98] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

Is faith a choice? Does faith come naturally to some more than others? Terryl Givens and Rosalynde Welch have written and spoken on these questions, and each of them bring interesting perspectives to the discussion.

ROSALYNDE FRANDSEN WELCH is an independent scholar in St. Louis, Missouri and a member of the Maxwell Institute’s advisory board. She is working on a book about Ether for the Institute’s Brief Theological Introductions series on the Book of Mormon.

The post MIConversations #10—Terryl Givens with Rosaynde Welch, “Life on the road to Emmaus” appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

Read more about Rev. Teal’s visit with Elder Holland here.

The Rev. Dr. Andrew Teal is Chaplain and Fellow at Pembroke College and Lecturer in Theology and Religion within Oxford University. He is Warden of the Community of the Sisters of the Love of God, and a trustee of All Saints’ Sisters of the Poor, Helen and Douglas House Children’s Hospices, St John’s Home for Vulnerable people, and The Porch for homeless people, all in Oxford. He has published in the UK, Europe and in Russian, on Patristic and Modern Theology.

The post Our wild hope, with Reverend Dr. Andrew Teal [MIPodcast #97] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

Professor Xi Lian joins us to discuss his latest book, Blood Letters: The Untold Story of Lin Zhao, A Martyr in Mao’s China.

XI LIAN, Professor of World Christianity at Duke Divinity School, is the author of Blood Letters: The Untold Story of Lin Zhao, A Martyr in Mao’s China (2018). His other books include The Conversion of Missionaries: Liberalism in American Protestant Missions in China, 1907-1932 (Pennsylvania State University Press, 1997) and Redeemed by Fire: The Rise of Popular Christianity in Modern China (Yale University Press, 2010). Dr. Lian’s other research projects include the flourishing of Christianity among minority peoples on the margins of the Chinese state and the emergence of Protestant elites and their prominent, if also precarious, role in the search for civil society in today’s China.

The post The untold story of Lin Zhao, a martyr in Mao’s China, with Xi Lian [MIPodcast #96] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

It also features an announcement about the Institute’s forthcoming series about the Book of Mormon, Brief Theological Introductions.

Originally presented on May 2, 2019.

The post “Answering sincere gospel questions,” with Spencer Fluhman [MIPodcast #95] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

This panel discussion took place during the Summer Institute on Theology and Disability at Hope College.

Learn more about disability resources in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at disability.churchofjesuschrist.org. The video referenced during the episode is available here.

(in order of appearance)

Devan Stahl Assistant professor in the Department of Religion at Baylor University. Stahl studies intersections between disability studies, theology, and bioethics.

Munorwei Chirovamavi Executive director of “To Love a Child” in Zimbabwe, a ministry providing pre-school children with a secure and caring environment while feeding their minds, bodies and spirit. He is also a Baptist pastor and theological educator.Neil Cudney Director of organizational and spiritual life for Christian Horizons, an organization which supports people with disabilities in Canada and four other countries.Katie Steed Disability Specialist manager for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.Reverend Christopher Rajkumar Director of the Indian Disability Ecumenical Accompaniment. He is an ordained minister of the Church of South India and a theological educator and writer.Andy Calder A minister in the Uniting Church in Australia. He is the Disability Inclusion Advocate with the Synod of Victoria and Tasmania. He is the 2019 recipient of the Henri Nouwen Award, awarded by the Spirituality and Religion Division of the AAIDD.John Swinton An ordained minister of the Church of Scotland and the Chair in Divinity and Religious Studies at the School of Divinity, History, and Philosophy, University of Aberdeen. He founded the university’s Centre for Spirituality, Health and Disability. His most recent book is Becoming Friends of Time: Disability, Timefullness, and Gentle Discipleship.Topher EndressDoctoral candidate and Fellow at University of Aberdeen Centre for Spirituality, Health, and Disability.Jill HarshawPart-time lecturer in Practical Theology and Disability Theology at Queen’s University Belfast. She is author of God Beyond Words: Christian Theology and the Spiritual Experiences of People with Profound Intellectual Disabilities.Shelly Christensen, MA A pioneer in the faith community disability inclusion movement. She is an international speaker and consultant to numerous faith-based organizations. Shelly’s newest book, From Longing to Belonging: A Practical Guide to Including People with Disabilities and Mental Health Conditions in Your Faith Community, is a resource for all faith-based organizations and service support agencies to enhance and encourage participation and inclusion for each and every person. Shelly is co-founder and organizer of Jewish Disability Awareness, Acceptance, and Inclusion Month (JDAIM).

Barbara J. Newman Director of church services for All Belong: Center for Inclusive Education as well as a special education consultant to Christian and Catholic schools. Barbara is a national speaker and author of several books including Accessible Gospel, Inclusive Worship.Bill Gaventa Director of Summer Institute on Theology and Disability and an ordained American Baptist minister. For eighteen years he was associate professor at the Rutgers Medical School in the Elizabeth M. Boggs Center on Developmental Disabilities. He now serves as a consultant, trainer, speaker, and author.

The post People with disabilities in religious communities [MIPodcast #94] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

Few people have spent as much time thinking about these questions as Dr. Carolyn Osiek, co-author of A Woman’s Place: House Churches in Earliest Christianity. Osiek visited BYU’s Maxwell Institute earlier this year to deliver the keynote address at the conference “Material Culture and Women’s Religious Experience in Antiquity.” You can watch her address now on the Institute’s YouTube channel. In this interview we dig a little deeper into her research and thoughts about how the lives of ancient Christian women wove culture and faith into a tapestry of devotion.

CAROLYN OSIEK, RSCJ is Charles Fischer Professor of New Testament emerita with the Brite Divinity School at Texas Christian University. She is co-author of A Woman’s Place: House Churches in Earliest Christianity. Sister Osiek spent decades teaching scripture at the graduate level to students at Catholic Theological Union at Chicago. She holds a doctorate in New Testament and Christian Origins from Harvard University and is a past president of the Catholic Biblical Association and the Society of Biblical Literature. In March 2019 Osiek delivered the keynote address at the BYU symposium “Material Culture and Women’s Religious Experience in Antiquity.” You can watch the address here: “Between the Holy and the Ordinary: Women’s Lives in Early Christianity.”

The post Women in the New Testament and beyond, with Carolyn Osiek [MIPodcast #93] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

Samuel Brown deals in matters of life and death every day. He’s a doctor working in a Shock/Trauma ICU. In his spare time, he’s also a theologian and a historian of Latter-day Saint thought. In this interview with Terryl Givens, Brown talks in his own unique style about the ways of discipleship.

SAMUEL M. BROWN is a medical researcher, intensive care unit physician, and historian of religion and culture. He is author of First Principles and Ordinances, part of the Maxwell Institute’s Living Faith book series, and a number of other titles including In Heaven as it is On Earth and Through the Valley of Shadows: Living Wills, Intensive Care, and Making Medicine Human, both from Oxford University Press.

The post MIConversations #9—Terryl Givens with Samuel Brown, “Confessions of an ‘Odd Intellectual’” appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

Joseph Smith left a lot of documents behind when he died in 1844, from the mundane to the intriguing. Some of the more puzzling documents deal with a book of scripture in the Latter-day Saint canon called the Book of Abraham. Said to be translated from ancient papyrus, the scripture broadens the story of the Hebrew Bible’s figure of Abraham.

Where did the papyrus come from? What do modern Egyptologists have to say about it? And what do these documents suggest to Latter-day Saint historians about Joseph Smith’s work as a translator?

Brian Hauglid and Robin Scott Jensen join us in this episode to talk about the latest scholarship on the Book of Abraham. Jensen is an associate managing historian with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the project archivist for the Joseph Smith Papers. Hauglid is a visiting fellow here at the Neal A. Maxwell Institute. Together they edited Book of Abraham and Related Manuscripts, part of the Joseph Smith Papers project. Lucky for you, this material is already available on the JSP website here.

Brian M. Hauglid (left) is an associate professor of ancient scripture at Brigham Young University and visiting fellow at the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship. He earned a PhD in Arabic and Islamic Studies from the University of Utah. He has worked in Book of Abraham studies for over twenty years. As an editor for the Maxwell Institute’s “Studies in the Book of Abraham” series, Hauglid assisted in compiling and editing Traditions about the Early Life of Abraham and Astronomy, Papyrus, and Covenant. He also published A Textual History of the Book of Abraham.

Robin Scott Jensen (right) is an associate managing historian and the project archivist for the Joseph Smith Papers. He coedited the first three volumes in the Revelations and Translations series. He specializes in document and transcription analysis, and is also a member of the Church History Department Editorial Board. He earned an MA degree in American history from Brigham Young University, and a second MA in library and information science from the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. He is now pursuing a PhD in history at the University of Utah.

The post Joseph Smith’s Egyptian papers, with Robin Jensen & Brian Hauglid [MIPodcast #92] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

We’re talking about her new book Religious Freedom: The Contested History of an American Ideal.

Tisa Wenger is Associate Professor of American Religious History in the Divinity School, American Studies, and Religious Studies at Yale University, where she has been teaching for almost ten years. Wenger’s work explores the cultural politics of religious freedom, the religious histories of the American West, and the intersections of race, empire, and religion in U.S. history. Her books are We Have a Religion: The 1920s Pueblo Indian Dance Controversy and American Religious Freedom (University of North Carolina Press, 2009) and Religious Freedom: The Contested History of an American Ideal (University of North Carolina Press, 2017). She lives in Hamden, Connecticut, with her husband Rod Groff and their three children, along with a dog, two cats, a rabbit, five chickens, ten fish, and a sizable vegetable garden.

The post The contested history of religious freedom, with Tisa Wenger [MIPodcast #91] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

Thomas Wirthlin McConkie was born into a prominent American Latter-day Saint family, but the faith didn’t resonate with him as a teenager. He disconnected from the Church and began exploring the wider world’s faith traditions. He followed a thread through eastern religion and philosophy, then was surprised when that thread guided him all the way back to the faith of his youth. As a Latter-day Saint specialist in meditation and adult psychological development, Thomas Wirthlin McConkie appreciates how connecting with his past opens a new vision of the future.

Thomas Wirthlin McConkie is author of Navigating Mormon Faith Crisis: A Simple Developmental Map and the founder of Lower Lights School of Wisdom. He has been practicing mindfulness and other meditative techniques for twenty years and studying their effects on human potential. He lives in Salt Lake City, Utah with his partner Gloria and their dog Luna.

The post MIConversations #8—Terryl Givens with Thomas Wirthlin McConkie, “The spiritual journey” appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

Editor Grant Hardy and artist Brian Kershisnik join us to talk about the new edition and all the work that went into it, on this episode of the Maxwell Institute Podcast.

Grant Hardy is a professor of history and religious studies at the University of North Carolina at Asheville. He is the editor of The Book of Mormon: A Reader’s Edition (University of Illinois Press) and author of Understanding the Book of Mormon: A Reader’s Guide (Oxford University Press), in addition to several other books and articles on Chinese history, ancient historiography, and studies of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Brian Kershisnik is an American painter. He studied art at the University of Utah, Brigham Young University, and the University of Texas at Austin. He started a studio in Kanosh, Utah, in 1991 and in 2006 he established another studio in Provo, Utah, where he currently lives with his wife, Faith, their dog, and thousands of bees. His notable works include a portrait of Leslie Norris, Nativity, and She Will Find What Was Lost.

The post Editing and illuminating the Book of Mormon, with Grant Hardy and Brian Kershisnik [MIPodcast #90] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

In this episode Dr. McDannell introduces us to many of these women whose stories are told in her new book Sister Saints: Mormon Women since the End of Polygamy.

Colleen McDannell is Professor of History and Sterling M. McMurrin Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Utah. One of the nation’s foremost experts on American religious history, she is the author of several books including Material Christianity, Heaven: A History, and her latest book, Sister Saints: Mormon Women since the End of Polygamy.

The post ‘Sister Saints,’ with Colleen McDannell [MIPodcast #89] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

In this episode we’re joined by Catherine Cornille. She’s a Catholic theologian at Boston College and an enthusiastic supporter of interreligious dialogue. We’re talking about her book, The Impossibility of Interreligious Dialogue.

If you’ve ever wanted to have better conversations with people of different faiths—or even with people of your own faith who see things differently—this episode is for you. Cornille identifies behaviors to cultivate when talking to people who see things differently. She says interreligious dialogue can teach us so much about other religions, but also so much more about our own.

Special thanks to our friends at Brigham Young University’s Wheatley Institution, who invited Dr. Cornille to deliver last year’s Truman G. Madsen Lecture on the Eternal Man.

Catherine Cornille is the author of The Im-Possibility of Interreligious Dialogue. She earned her PhD in Religious Studies from the Catholic University of Leuven (Belgium). She recently presented the 2018 Truman G. Madsen Lecture on the Eternal Man at Brigham Young University. Cornille is also founding and managing editor of the book series “Christian Commentaries on Non-Christian Sacred Texts,” and the editor of The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to Inter-Religious Dialogue.

The post The risks and rewards of interreligious dialogue, with Catherine Cornille [MIPodcast #88] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

A lot has changed for Thomas Wayment since this he sat down for this conversation with Terryl Givens. At the time, Thom was a professor of ancient scripture working on a new translation of the New Testament intended for Latter-day Saints. Now he’s teaching classical studies and his translation has been published by the Religious Studies Center and Deseret Book—just in time for Latter-day Saint Sunday school’s focus on the New Testament. This conversation focuses on his new translation and other insights from his work in biblical scholarship.

Thomas A. Wayment is a professor of Classical studies at Brigham Young University, where he previously worked as publications director of the Religious Studies Center and as a professor of ancient scripture. He received his BA in Classics from the University of California at Riverside and his MA and PhD in New Testament studies from the Claremont Graduate School. Dr. Wayment’s research interests include the historical life of Jesus, New Testament manuscript traditions, the life of Paul, and the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible.

The post MIConversations #7—Thomas Wayment with Terryl Givens, “Translating a new New Testament” appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

Despite founding the third largest church tracing its lineage back to Joseph Smith, Bickerton’s biographer Daniel P. Stone calls him a forgotten prophet—and he’s not referring to the memories of members of the Salt Lake-based church. He says in many ways Bickerton has been forgotten in his own movement.

Daniel P. Stone holds BA and MA degrees in history from the University of Florida and Florida Atlantic University. He has taught classes at Broward College, Schoolcraft College, University of Detroit Mercy, and Wayne County Community College. Currently he is a researcher at a private library-archive in Detroit, where he and his wife Laura, and daughter, Lily, live. He is a deacon in the Church of Jesus Christ established by William Bickerton.

The post William Bickerton: Forgotten Latter Day Prophet, with Daniel P. Stone [MIPodcast #87] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

In this episode Terryl Givens sits down with Margaret Blair Young to talk about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Congo, faith transitions, spiritual healing, writing, and more.

Margaret Blair Young is an American author, filmmaker, and writing instructor who taught for 30 years at Brigham Young University. She’s written with Darius Grey about early black Latter-day Saints and her latest project is a film about more recent black converts in Africa. The film is called Heart of Africa.

The post MIConversations #6—Terryl Givens with Margaret Blair Young, “The deep waters” appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

In this episode, Dr. Julie K. Allen joins us to talk about these converts as described in her new book Danish But Not Lutheran: The Impact of Mormonism on Danish Cultural Identity 1850-1920.

Julie K. Allen is a professor of comparative literature at Brigham Young University and author of Danish, But Not Lutheran: The Impact of Mormonism on Danish Cultural Identity, 1850-1920. Before coming to BYU she held the position of Paul and Renate Madsen Professor of Danish in the Scandinavian Studies Department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

The post Danes, Lutherans, and Latter-day Saints, with Julie K. Allen [MIPodcast #86] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

Max Perry Mueller’s book is one of the latest offerings. It’s called Race and the Making of the Mormon People (University of North Carolina Press).

Max Perry Mueller is assistant professor of religious studies at the University of Nebraska. He is author of Race and the Making of the Mormon People.

The post Race and the Making of the Mormon People, with Max Mueller [MIPodcast #85] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

Chantelle Squires is producer and director of Jane and Emma. Among other things she also produced and directed “Reserved To Fight,” a feature length documentary that aired nationally on PBS. She won an Emmy for her work on the third season of “The Generations Project” with BYUtv.

Melissa Leilani Larson wrote the screenplay for Jane and Emma. She’s written and produced a number of plays including “Little Happy Secrets” and “Pilot Program,” some of which appear in the book Third Wheel from BCC Press. Larson also wrote the screenplay for Freetown, winner of the Ghana Movie Award for Best Screenplay and the Utah Film Award for Best Picture.

The post The making of Jane and Emma, with Chantelle Squires and Melissa Leilani Larson [MIPodcast #84] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

In this episode Terryl Givens sits down with Brian Kershisnik to talk about art, creativity, and worship.

Brian Kershisnik is an American painter. He studied art at the University of Utah, Brigham Young University, and the University of Texas at Austin. He started a studio in Kanosh, Utah, in 1991 and in 2006 he established another studio in Provo, Utah, where he currently lives. His notable works include a portrait of Leslie Norris, Nativity, and She Will Find What Was Lost.

The post MIConversations #5—Brian Kershisnik with Terryl Givens, “Surprising angels” appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

In this episode Terryl Givens sits down with Thomas F. Rogers to talk about the risks of discipleship, and worshiping God with all one’s heart, might, mind, and strength.

Thomas F. Rogers is a noted playwright, essayist, and scholar who taught Russian at Brigham Young University from 1969 to 2000. He also served as director of the BYU Honors Program in the 1970s. From 1993 to 1996, he was president of the LDS Church’s Russia St. Petersburg Mission, the subject of his memoir A Call to Russia: Glimpses of Missionary Life (Provo, UT: BYU Studies, 1999). Subsequently, he and his wife, Merriam, served in the Stockholm Sweden Temple. From 2007 until his release in 2014, Rogers was a traveling LDS patriarch assigned to the LDS Church’s Europe East Area. He is author of Let Your Hearts and Minds Expand: Reflections on Faith, Reason, Charity, and Beauty (Neal A. Maxwell Institute, 2016). Tom and Merriam currently live in Bountiful, Utah, where he spends time painting and visiting their seven children and forty grandchildren.

The post MIConversations #4—Thomas F. Rogers with Terryl Givens, “Risk-taking discipleship” appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

In this episode we’ll complicate the simple story and try to find out who gets to decide what counts as Christian in the United States. Matthew Bowman talks about his latest book, Christian: The Politics of a Word in America.

Matthew Bowman is Associate Professor of History at Henderson State University. He is the author of The Mormon People, and a new book called Christian: The Politics of a Word in America from Harvard University Press.

The post Christianity and American politics, with Matthew Bowman [MIPodcast #82] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

In this episode Terryl Givens sits down with Kate Holbrook to talk about extraordinary women in Latter-day Saint history.

Kate Holbrook is Managing Historian of Women’s History at the LDS Church History Department and co-editor of At the Pulpit: 185 Years of Discourses by Latter-day Saint Women and the award-winning The First Fifty Years of Relief Society: Key Documents in Latter-day Saint Women’s History. She also co-edited Women and Mormonism: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives and Global Values 101: A Short Course. For her dissertation work on religion and food, she received the first Eccles Fellowship in Mormon Studies at the University of Utah. Her current projects include a history of the LDS young women organization and a monograph on LDS foodways.

The post MIConversations #3—Kate Holbrook with Terryl Givens, “Extraordinary Women in Mormon History” appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

Mpho Tutu van Furth joins us to talk about a book she co-wrote with her father Desmond Tutu. It’s called The Book of Forgiving. It’s an invitation and a step-by-step guide to walk what the Tutu’s call the four-fold path of forgiveness.

Mpho recently visited Brigham Young University to speak at the Maxwell Institute’s symposium, “Forgiveness & Reconciliation.” The Institute’s own Dr. Deidre Green was the visionary of this truly remarkable gathering. If you missed it, you can watch several of the presentations on the Institute’s YouTube channel.

Mpho Tutu van Furth served as executive director at The Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation from 2011 to 2016. With her father, Desmond Tutu (former archbishop of South Africa, chairman of the Truth and Reconciliation Committee, and Nobel Peace Prize Recipient), she co-authored The Book of Forgiving: The Fourfold Path for Healing Ourselves and Our World (HarperCollins, 2015). In 2014, the father and daughter pair started the Tutu Global Forgiveness Challenge, an internet resource that guides people through the steps of forgiveness.

The post Forgiveness, with Mpho Tutu van Furth [MIPodcast #81] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

In this episode Terryl Givens sits down with Steven L. Peck, an award-winning author and scientist; one of the most bright and interesting Latter-day Saints you’ll ever meet. For Peck, as for Givens, Mormons need not fear scientific research because it can be a wonderful avenue for getting more acquainted with God.

Steven L. Peck is an evolutionary biologist, poet, and novelist. He is a professor of biology at Brigham Young University. Peck grew up in Moab, Utah and lives in Pleasant Grove, Utah.

The post MIConversations #2—Steven Peck and Terryl Givens, “The God Who Marvels” appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

But it’s a risky proposal. “Scholarship entails risk,” Orsi explains, “for the person whose world has been entered by the scholar, but for the scholar, too, whose own uncertainties ought to be on the line in the encounter.”

Orsi recently visited the Maxwell Institute to talk about how scholars should take special presences more seriously. We talk about it in this special 80th episode of the Maxwell Institute Podcast.

Robert Orsi is the Grace Craddock Nagle Chair in Catholic Studies at Northwestern University. He has also taught at Fordham University, Indiana University, and Harvard Divinity School. He is former president of the American Academy of Religion. He studies American Catholicism and also writes on theory and method for the study of religion. His latest book History and Presence is an ambitious intervention into the field of religious studies.

The post Robert Orsi on History and Presence [MIPodcast #80] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

In the beginning, God said “let there be light,” and there was light. God created this extraordinary world, the scriptures tell us, through the power of his word. It makes all the more sense, then, that a professor of comparative arts and letters like George Handley would spend so much time thinking about and enjoying creation.

In this conversation, LDS author and Humanities professor George Handley speaks with Terryl Givens about connecting with the divine through nature; about being a good steward of the earth; about the tragic death of his brother and the history of a river. He’s consecrated his life and talents to discovering and sharing what is good and beautiful.

George Handley is the associate dean in Brigham Young University’s College of Humanities. He is the author of several books, including Home Waters: A Year of Recompenses on the Provo River and the brand new novel, American Fork.

The post MIConversations #1—George Handley and Terryl Givens, “Can creation heal us?” appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

Something like twenty editions of Paradise Lost were produced in America during the first half of the nineteenth century, which is right when Mormonism came on the scene. Milton also held some controversial views on the nature of the godhead, creation, and even polygamy.

In this episode, Yale professor of English John Rogers discusses parallels and differences between Joseph Smith’s revelations and John Milton’s theology.

Rogers recently visited BYU where he delivered a Maxwell Institute Guest Lecture called “Latter-Day Milton: Early Mormonism and the Political Theologies of Paradise Lost.” You can check that lecture out on the Institute’s YouTube channel.

A professor of English at Yale University, John Rogers is the author of Matter of Revolution: Science, Poetry, and Politics in the Age of Milton, a book awarded prizes by the Milton Society of America and the Modern Language Association. He is also author of several articles on Renaissance (mainly seventeenth-century) English literature and religious culture. His current projects include a book on the reading of the seventeenth-century poem Paradise Lost in the spiritual hothouse of nineteenth-century America, tentatively titled Latter-day Milton: Paradise Lost and the Creation of America’s God. 

The post Milton and early Mormonism, with John Rogers [MIPodcast #79] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

Jonathan Stapley is an award-winning historian and scientist. An active participant in the field of Mormon studies, he is also the Chief Technology Officer for a bio-renewables company. His new book is called The Power of Godliness: Mormon Liturgy and Ritual (Oxford University Press).

The post The development of LDS liturgy and cosmology, with Jonathan Stapley [MIPodcast #78] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

Grant Wacker is the Gilbert T. Rowe Professor emeritus of Christian History at Duke University. He is author of the book America’s Pastor: Billy Graham and the Shaping of a Nation. In 2017 Wacker presented at the Maxwell Institute’s Reformation conference, “500 Years of Martin Luther.”

The post Billy Graham and the shaping of a nation, with Grant Wacker [MIPodcast #77] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

Adam Miller wrote Letters to a Young Mormon for thoughtful people yearning for a more thoughtful faith. It’s a little book, but it packs a powerful punch. In this episode, Miller is talks about the new second expanded edition, which the Maxwell Institute recently published in partnership with Deseret Book. We also talk about the perils of Mormon quasi-celebrity, bad book reviews, apologetics, his future projects, and other things.

Stick around after the interview with Adam; we’ve got a special mini-episode with Institute visiting scholar Janiece Johnson asking for help with her current project.

Adam S. Miller is a professor of philosophy at Collin College in McKinney, Texas. He and his wife, Gwen, have three children. He is the author of many books, including Rube Goldberg Machines: Essays in Mormon Theology (Greg Kofford Books, 2012) and Speculative Grace: Bruno Latour and Object-Oriented Theology (Fordham University Press, 2013), and two editions of Letters to a Young Mormon (Maxwell Institute & Deseret Book, 2018). He also serves as the director of the Mormon Theology Seminar.

The post Adam Miller on more Letters to a Young Mormon [MIPodcast #76] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The Book of Mormon warns against mistaking intelligence for wisdom, but adds a crucial caveat: “to be learned is good if they hearken unto the counsels of God” (2 Nephi 9:29). Where LDS founding prophet Joseph Smith declared that a person is saved no faster than they get knowledge, historian Richard Bushman adds a corollary: A person gains knowledge no faster than they are saved. Bushman believes historical inquiry has made him a better Mormon, but he also believes being a Mormon has made him a better historian, too.

In this episode,  Bushman gets autobiographical about his biography of Joseph Smith, talks about the rise of Mormon studies, and offers his perspective on the relationship between personal faith and professional scholarship. Bushman is one of the most distinguished and respected historians ever to call The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints his religious home. It was a real treat to sit down with him to talk about his career, his personal faith, his difficulties and successes.

This episode coincides with the publication of To Be Learned Is Good: Essays on Faith and Scholarship in Honor of Richard Lyman Bushman. The book contains the edited proceedings of a 2016 scholars’ colloquium held in Bushman’s honor at Brigham Young University. Bushman wanted Latter-day Saint scholars to reflect on their work in the presence of non-LDS scholars, to think through the difficult issues in ways that spoke to larger questions about faith and reason. Learn more about the book or watch video of the presentations at mi.byu.edu/bushman.

Learn more about the Summer Seminar on Mormon Culture here.

Richard Lyman Bushman is Gouverneur Morris Professor of History Emeritus at Columbia University and author of Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling. He occupied the Howard W. Hunter Chair of Mormon Studies at Claremont Graduate University in California from 2008 to 2011. Before joining the faculty at Columbia University, Bushman received his BA and PhD degrees from Harvard University and taught at Brigham Young University, Brown University, Boston University, Harvard University (as a visiting professor), and the University of Delaware.

Bushman has served as president of the Mormon History Association, as a member of the board of editors of the Encyclopedia of Mormonism, as a council member for the Institute of Early American History and Culture, and as president of the Society for Historians of the Early American Republic. He chaired the advisory committee to the Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Latter-day Saint History at Brigham Young University, 1999–2004; and he chaired the board of directors of the Mormon Scholars Foundation until 2016. He is currently a member of the National Advisory Board for the Joseph Smith Papers project of the History Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, having served as a general editor from the project’s founding until 2013.

The post “To be learned is good,” with Richard Bushman [MIPodcast #75] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

Terryl L. Givens holds the Jabez A. Bostwick Chair of English at the University of Richmond. He was a 2017 Neal A. Maxwell Fellow at the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship where he co-directed the Summer Seminar on Mormon Culture. Terryl is one of the most prolific authors of books on Mormonism, including People of Paradox, By the Hand of Mormon, Wrestling the Angel, and Feeding the Flock: The Foundations of Mormon Thought: Church and Praxis. Together with his wife Fiona he’s also written a number of books for LDS audiences including The God Who Weeps, The Crucible of Doubt, and their latest, The Christ Who Heals. He’s currently working on a biography of Mormon intellectual Eugene England.

The post Feeding the Flock, with Terryl L. Givens [MIPodcast #74] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

Anthea Butler joins us to talk about her book, Women in the Church of God in Christ: Making A Sanctified World. The Church of God in Christ, or COGIC, is a Pentecostal denomination that began around the turn of the twentieth century. Women have played crucial parts in the development and growth of the church, despite not being ordained.

Butler also recently delivered a Maxwell Institute Guest Lecture here at Brigham Young University on Baptist missionaries who came to Utah to save Mormons. You can find that lecture here.

Anthea Butler is graduate chair and associate professor of Religious Studies and Africana Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. Butler’s research and writing spans religion and politics, religion and gender, African American religion, sexuality, media, religion, and popular culture. She has appeared on MSNBC, CNN, in the New York Times, the Washington Post, and other media outlets. She is the author of Women in the Church of God in Christ: Making A Sanctified World.

The post Women and power in the Church of God in Christ, with Anthea Butler [MIPodcast #73] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post The Koran in English, with Bruce Lawrence and David Peck [MIPodcast #72] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

In 1888 a Mormon woman in the Southern States mission of the LDS Church requested a visit from the missionaries. She said she was possessed by the devil and asked the elders to help her by the laying on of hands. They were happy to comply and the evil spirit was summarily dismissed. Then things took a turn for the worse.

This, and other stories of Mormon exorcism are featured in this special edition of the Maxwell Institute Podcast. Learn more about the history of Satan as he was understood before, during, and after the life of Jesus, through Catholicism and the Protestant Reformation, to the days of Mormon prophet Joseph Smith and beyond.

No one has done more research on dispossession in Mormonism than religious studies scholar Stephen C. Taysom, associate professor in the department of philosophy and comparative religion at Cleveland State University. He is author of Shakers, Mormons, and Religious Worlds: Conflicting Visions, Contested Boundaries. He edited Dimensions of Faith: Mormon Studies Reader. His article on Mormonism and exorcism was recently published in the journal Religion and American Culture. It’s called “‘Satan mourns naked upon the earth’: Locating Mormon Possession and Exorcism Rituals in the American Religious Landscape, 1830-1977.”

The post Mormon exorcism lore, with Stephen Taysom [MIPodcast #71] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post A Hindu perspective on being a disciple-scholar, with Ravi Gupta [MIPodcast #70] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post Setting down the sacred past of African Americans, with Laurie Maffly-Kipp [MIPodcast #69] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post Reforming the sacraments, with Jennifer Powell McNutt [MIPodcast #68] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post How the Reformation rebelled against Luther, with Brad S. Gregory [MIPodcast #67] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post Martin Luther and the birth of the Reformation, with Craig Harline [MIPodcast #66] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post Heresy, opposition, and becoming gods, with Adam J. Powell [MIPodcast #64] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post Laurel Thatcher Ulrich and “A House Full of Females” [MIPodcast #62] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post Women at the Latter-day Saint pulpit, with Jennifer Reeder and Kate Holbrook [MIPodcast #61] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post The life of the Lotus Sutra, with Donald S. Lopez, Jr. [MIPodcast #60] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post Village atheists, with Leigh Eric Schmidt [MIPodcast #59] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post Some challenges of religious studies, with Thomas Tweed [MIPodcast #58] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post One Hundred Birds Taught Me to Fly, with Ashley Mae Hoiland [MIPodcast #57] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post American Universities and the Birth of Modern Mormonism, with Thomas W. Simpson [MIPodcast #55] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post The Sin of Certainty, with Peter Enns [MIPodcast #54] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post James L. Kugel on how to read the Bible [MIPodcast #53] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post Reconceiving infertility in the Bible, with Candida Moss and Joel Baden [MIPodcast #52] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post The Work of the Dead, with Thomas W. Laqueur [MIPodcast #51] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post The Summer Seminar on Mormon Culture, 2015 [MIPodcast #50] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post #49—The unexpected life of Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion, with Bruce Gordon [MIPodcast] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post #48—(Almost) all about African American religious history, with Julius H. Bailey [MIPodcast] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post #47—The spiritual lives of America’s “Nones,” with Elizabeth Drescher [MIPodcast] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post #46—Marilynne Robinson on The Givenness of Things [MIPodcast] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

In this episode, James K. A. Smith joins us to talk about Taylor’s work. What was it like to believe in God in the past and what is it like for many believers today—and how did we get from there to here? Whether you find it easy or difficult to believe in God today, you’ll find much food for thought in Smith’s book How (Not) to be Secular: Reading Charles Taylor.

James K. A. Smith is professor of philosophy at Calvin College and author of How (Not) to be Secular: Reading Charles Taylor. His latest book is called You Are What You Love: The Spiritual Power of Habit. He recently visited Brigham Young University to deliver a guest lecture sponsored by the Wheatley Institution.

The post #45— How (Not) to Be Secular, with James K. A. Smith [MIPodcast] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post #44—Kate Bowler’s history of the prosperity gospel movement [MIPodcast] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post #43—The life of C. S. Lewis’s Mere Christianity, with George Marsden [MIPodcast] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

If you heed My commands with which I charge you today to love the Lord your God and to worship Him with all your heart and with all your being I will give the rain of your land in its season, early rains and late, and you shall gather in your grain and your wine and your oil. And I will give grass in the field to your herds, and you shall eat and be satisfied. (Deuteronomy 11.11–15, trans. Robert Alter)

The post #42—The rabbis and the rain, with Julia Watts Belser [MIPodcast] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The post #41—The First Fifty Years of Relief Society, with Jill Mulvay Derr, Kate Holbrook, and Matthew Grow (2 of 2) [MIPodcast] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.