Religious Education Commons^™

Faith And Inquiry, Justin F. White

BYU Studies

My wife's uncle recently, and somewhat smugly, said something to the effect, "It's too bad you're studying philosophy (or perhaps any subject) at BYU since you only get one perspective." For the most part, I've found this is simply not true. I've found professors and students not nearly as homogeneous as often portrayed. Though I agree with my wife's uncle that we should engage in dialogue with those of differing opinions, since there are, of course, disadvantages when only a single perspective is represented on a topic, I'd like to focus on one potential positive interpretation of the sameness he …

Poetry, The Other, And Byu: Tolerance And Diversity Within Our Campus Community, Natalie Quinn

BYU Studies

If there is any homogeneity at BYU, it is a homogeneity that we believe extends well beyond the bounds of the university's campus to include and encompass the whole world. We believe that we are all children of God, that we have the same Heavenly Father and therefore have an obligation to treat one another with love and respect, or with charity, which is the Christian theological version of Levinas' philosophical concept of acknowledging the Other. As we charitably and respectfully acknowledge the Other, we can promote tolerance and diversity without our campus community. I learned as a junior in …

Individual And Institutional Academic Freedom, James D. Gordon Iii

BYU Studies

Both individual and institutional academic freedom are essential for colleges and universities. Individual academic freedom involves the freedom of an individual faculty member to teach, to research, and to speak as a citizen. Institutional academic freedom is the freedom of the institution to pursue its mission and to be free from outside control. Both dimensions of academic freedom are important, and both need to be understood and respected.

Questions I Ask Myself, Cecil O. Samuelson

BYU Studies

If you will tolerate a few moments of personal privilege as I begin my comments today, I will confess to you that for virtually all of my life I have lived with the notions that faith and learning, questions about life and help from heaven are all part of a consistent whole. My mother and father were people of great faith and religious devotion but were also not afraid to ask or pose questions about almost everything. My mother was an elementary school teacher in her early years and never deserted that role with her five children. My father was …

Robert J. Matthews And The Rlds Church's Inspired Version Of The Bible, Thomas E. Sherry

BYU Studies

Matthews' developing reputation as a scholar, along with his persistent interest in and efforts to gain access to the original New Translation manuscripts, occurred during a period in RLDS Church history that included evolving views relative to the publication, assessment, and use of the Inspired Version. Those developments, along with advances in archival preservation of the original manuscripts, resulted in the phone call with RLDS Church Historian Richard Howard, allowing Matthews to study the documents. Ironically, as the RLDS Church's interest in and commitment to Joseph Smith's revelations decreased, they rose to new prominence in the LDS Church.

Covered Wagons And A Child's Eye, Clinton F. Larson

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

Legal Insights Into The Organization Of The Church In 1830, David K. Stott

BYU Studies

While much has been written about the organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in upstate New York, questions remain regarding the events of April 6, 1830. This article examines the organizational events of the Church from a legal perspective. In the nineteenth century, individuals desiring to form a church had two legal alternatives: forming a religious corporation or organizing a religious society. Understanding the requirements of each and considering which legal entity the Church would have preferred provide new insights into the organizational events.

The Vision That You Have . . . Augurs Well For The Development Of Still Better Things: The Role Of Accreditation In Securing The Future Of Brigham Young University, 1921–1928, J. Gordon Daines Iii

BYU Studies

In 1921, Franklin S. Harris was appointed president of Brigham Young University, During his first visit to campus, Harris articulated his vision for the future of the young institution. He said, "The President of the Church Commission of Education, and all who have anything to do with Church schools are determined to make this 'the great Church University.'" President Harris had a different vision about what it meant to be "the great Church University" than did his predecessors. While they had focused on the importance of teacher education, Harris believed that the institution needed to equip students with the skills …

Mere Mormonism, Thomas B. Griffith

BYU Studies

Devotees of C. S. Lewis will recognize that I have adapted the title of my remarks from Mere Christianity, his classic exposition of the fundamentals of the Christian faith. An hour lecture is not the forum to attempt for Latter-day Saint Christianity what Lewis achieved for traditional Christianity. In any event, I lack the skill to pull that off. What follows is something much more modest. I will speak from my own observation and try to identify what is at the heart of the Mormon experience in an attempt to provide an introduction to the faith. A disclaimer is …

Christ The Mariner, Clinton F. Larson

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

A Local Faith, Nathan B. Oman

BYU Studies

On October 22, 1844, men and women across America were disappointed when the world did not come to an end. They were the followers of a lay Baptist preacher named William Miller. Beginning in 1833, Miller, a native of New York's Burned-over District, began producing elaborate biblical commentaries indicating that Christ's Second Coming was imminent. Working with these writings, his followers converged on October 22 as the day of the Savior's coming, much to their ultimate disappointment.

The Temple Of Jerusalem: Past, Present, And Future, John M. Lundquist, Jared W. Ludlow

BYU Studies

John M. Lundquist is the Susan and Douglas Dillon Chief Librarian of the Asian and Middle Eastern Division of the Humanities and Social Sciences Library within the New York Public Library. He has written many books and articles on diverse subjects for both general and Latter-day Saint audiences. The title of this book--The Temple of Jerusalem: Past, Present, and Future--captures well the scope of Lundquist's work. He addresses the role of the Jerusalem temple in ancient Israelite society, its role in the contemporary world, and the prophecies and apocalyptic notions about its future. The book mostly focuses on …

On Zion's Mount: Mormons, Indians, And The American Landscape, Jill T. Rudy, Jared Farmer

BYU Studies

On Zion's Mount: Mormons, Indians, and the American Landscape tells the tale of a beloved mountainous landmark and a disregarded lake. Jared Farmer's penetrating and sweeping gaze invites readers to view connections between land, landscape, and peoples that have remained, like Poe's purloined letter, hidden in plain sight. Farmer's story of "Timp" relates directly to the story of Indians native to the land and Mormon settlers who became "neonatives," in part by creating a significant landmark in Timpanogos and seeing imagined Indians while forgetting and displacing Utah Lake and real Indians. By illuminating these interwoven narratives with interdisciplinary research involving …

Pastors’ Perspectives On Assimilating New Members: Part 2–Discipling Strategies, Jane Thayer

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Pastors’ Perspectives On Assimilating New Members: Part 1–Challenges And Needs, Jane Thayer

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

2010 Perihelion - Oru Yearbook, Holy Spirit Research Center Oru Library

Perihelion: ORU Yearbooks

The Oral Roberts University Student Yearbook, the Perihelion, is produced by ORU Media and Communications department.

The images and files are copyrighted to Oral Roberts University and cannot be reproduced in any form without permission from ORU administration.

Faith, Philosophy, Scripture, James E. Faulconer

Maxwell Institute Publications

Faith, Philosophy, Scripture is a collection of ten path-breaking essays informed by Professor James E. Faulconer’s work as a philosopher and his abiding faith as a Latter-day Saint.

“The confidence of my faith, a confidence that came by revelation,” Faulconer writes,” has allowed me to hear the questions of philosophy without fear, and philosophy has never asked me to give up my faith, though it has asked questions about it.” Faith is the starting point, scripture offers the data, and philosophy more supplement than competitor. Faith, philosophy, and scripture help make sense of each other.

These essays ask what it …

A Textual History Of The Book Of Abraham: Manuscripts And Editions, Brian M. Hauglid

Maxwell Institute Publications

In July 1835 at Kirtland Ohio, a traveling antiquities dealer brought to Joseph Smith, the Mormon Prophet, four Egyptian mummies and several rolls of papyri. Upon inspection Smith determined that one of the rolls contained a lost record of the patriarch Abraham. After purchasing these artifacts for $2400 Smith generated through translation five chapters that appeared during March 1842 in Nauvoo, Illinois in the Times and Seasons, a Mormon periodical, under the title “The Book of Abraham”. This book has since become a canonized text of scripture for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

A Textual …

One Eternal Round, Hugh Nibley, Michael D. Rhodes

Maxwell Institute Publications

Preface

On 23 February 2005, I, along with a group of colleagues including John W. Welch, John Gee, and others, gathered in the front room of Hugh Nibley’s home. Hugh was there in a hospital bed, but was unconscious. His wife, Phyllis, and some of their children were also present. We were meeting to decide what to do with Hugh’s unfinished book, One Eternal Round. He had been working on it for more than f ifteen years before he became too ill to continue. A few months before, we had gathered together all the materials on the book from Hugh’s …

On Music Angels: God Only Knows, David M. Kirkham

BYU Studies

The trek from my office at the Air Force Academy history department to the faculty parking lot was long enough--about a ten-minute walk--sufficient time for some substantive thinking. One winter evening in about 1992, as I made the walk, my Comparative Revolutions course weighed on my mind. As I pondered how I might introduce the next day's discussion on causes of revolutions, I climbed into my 1987 red Dodge Colt more out of habit than deliberation. At the turn of the ignition key, the radio's boom broke my reverie and jarred me back to the reality of my immediate surroundings. …