Religious Education Commons^™

Full Issue, Byu Studies, Richard N. Holzapfel

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

Brigham Young University Remembers Walter Kempowski, Alan F. Keele

BYU Studies

David Paulsen, Jacob Hawken, and Michael Hansen discuss Sir Anthony Buzzard's work Jesus Was Not a Trinitarian (2007). In this theological review essay, the authors show that the problems inherent in the doctrines of unitarianism and trinitarianism are addressed elegantly in the doctrines of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Editor's Note: At the authors' request, we have posted two versions of this article--the shorter version that was printed in the journal and the longer 22-page version that is only available here.

Renowned German writer Walter Kempowski, who passed away in late 2007, had a long and interesting …

The Schooled Heart: Moral Formation In American Higher Education, Ronald E. Bartholomew, Michael D. Beaty, Douglas V. Henry

BYU Studies

The Schooled Heart: Moral Formation in American Higher Education is a deeply provocative work. Editors Michael D. Beaty and Douglas V. Henry, both of Baylor University, put forth the objectives of the book in what I found to be an enlightening and engaging introduction. Tracing the history of the institutional position of moral formation once held in higher education, they argue that the traditional emphasis on building morality was displaced primarily by the epistemological shift that occurred during the 1930s. According to their view, in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, liberal education at universities embraced revelation from God as …

What Americans Really Believe, Roger Terry, Rodney Stark

BYU Studies

Forty years after Rodney Stark and Charles Y. Glock published the results of the first two major surveys of American religious beliefs and practices, Stark finally picked up where American Piety (Berkeley: University of California, 1968) left off. Now codirector of the Institute for Studies of Religion at Baylor University, Stark has published an analysis of data gathered in two Baylor Surveys of Religion--one in 2005, the other in 2007--as well as a 2006 survey focusing on economics and religion. The results are surprising in many regards. In fact, Stark delights in debunking popular misconceptions and myths about what Americans …

Edwin Rushton As The Source Of The White Horse Prophecy, Don L. Penrod

BYU Studies

The so-called white horse prophecy has been cited in news media as the source of a prophecy that Latter-day Saint elders will preserve the US Constitution as it hangs by a thread. It is commonly claimed that the white horse prophecy was written and made public among Latter-day Saints in the 1850s. However, Don Penrod shows in this article that it was written around 1900 by Edwin Rushton, a Mormon living in Utah.

Penrod shows that while Brigham Young (in 1854) and Eliza R. Snow (in 1870) reported that Joseph Smith once said that the US Constitution would hang by …

Jesus Was Not A Unitarian, David L. Paulsen, Jacob Hawken, Michael Hansen

BYU Studies

David Paulsen, Jacob Hawken, and Michael Hansen discuss Sir Anthony Buzzard's work Jesus Was Not a Trinitarian (2007). In this theological review essay, the authors show that the problems inherent in the doctrines of unitarianism and trinitarianism are addressed elegantly in the doctrines of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Editor's Note: At the authors' request, we have posted two versions of this article--the shorter version that was printed in the journal and the longer 22-page version that is only available here.

The Ursinusiana Project: How The Religious History Of Ursinus College Yielded Today's Liberal Arts Curriculum, Karen Boedecker

Religious Studies Honors Papers

My project is divided into two parts. The first part is a heavily annotated timeline. I have organized all of the bits and pieces I encountered during my time in the Ursinusiana archives in a clear and concise manner that addresses each historical occurrence that led to the abolition of chapel attendance at Ursinus College. I hope that this timeline can serve not only as a reference for the casual reader who is interested in the religious history of the College but also as a guide to my analysis in the second part of the project.

Although constructing the timeline …

The Great Commission Inside The Church, Kathleen Beagles

Memory, Meaning & Faith

No abstract provided.

Full Issue, Byu Studies

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

Acknowledging Differences While Avoiding Contention, Renata T. Forste

BYU Studies

At the institutional level, BYU's statement on fostering an enriched environment notes that "it is the University's judgment that providing educational opportunities for a mix of students who share values based on the gospel of Jesus Christ and come from a variety of backgrounds and experiences is an important educational asset to BYU." Diversity is also valued at the college and department level. For example, one of the program objectives for the undergraduate sociology degree is instruction in the "diversity of social life, the origins of inequality, social conflict, and the relations of power in modern society." As sociology faculty, …

Integration, Inquiry, And The Hopeful Search For Truth, Thomas S. Hibbs

BYU Studies

Over the past five to ten years, a strange discontent has bubbled up out of the nation's leading universities. If I had to put my finger on the source of this discontent-- and this is out of Harvard, Yale, Princeton-- I'd say that leading administrators at many institutions are confronting the perplexing realization that universities seem unable to be universities. Universities seem unable to gain and implement the self-understanding of what they are as an institution, the purpose of what they do in the classroom with their students, and what they hope to form in their students and to produce …

Beehive And Portico, John S. Tanner

BYU Studies

BYU, alas, did not continue to build in the Neoclassical Revival style. Few now study and teach in the Maeser Building on the far end of campus. But in a deeper sense, we all live in its extended shadow. The tradition of the beehive and portico continues in our practices. This is evident every week in the way the campus transforms classrooms into chapels and back again. This transformation never fails to move me. I recall as a student blessing the sacrament in the same classroom in which I studied geology. There, where I learned about dinosaurs and the age …

Clinton F. Larson: "I Miss His Booming Laugh", Neal E. Lambert

BYU Studies

Certainly, the last word regarding Clinton Larson's poetry has not been written. We can be grateful that this collection will make possible a better understanding and a fuller appreciation of what this extraordinary person and pioneer has done. I think it appropriate to conclude with Richard Cracroft's own assessment of his friend. He said to be, as he regretfully handed this assignment off, "I love Clinton. He was a wonderful colleague, good-humored friend, remarkable poet; his contribution to Mormon letters is considerable, influential, and ongoing. I miss his booming laugh." So do we all.

Would That All God's Children Were Poets, Casualene Meyer

BYU Studies

BYU Studies poetry editor Causalene Meyer discusses the qualities of high-quality poetry. She tells how poetry is selected for publication in the BYU Studies journal and as winners in the BYU Studies poetry contest. Winning poems are more than just images, advice, stories, or snapshots. Insightful and elegant poems combine a view with a vision; the best poetry serves readers with substance and purity. Meyer includes statements by three poetry judges, Professors Justin Blessinger, Sirje Kiin, and Jack Walters.

Inquiry, Scholarship, And Learning And Teaching In Religiously Affiliated Colleges And Universities, Gerrit W. Gong

BYU Studies

Overall, the BYU Inquiry Conference sought to affirm by policy statement and living practice BYU's deep commitment to the shared values and approaches of the American academy and to our own unique mission. This collection of contributions to the conference seeks to capture this ongoing campuswide discussion. It invites readers to join the continuing open dialogue, so pertinent in this time, regarding approaches, roles, and relations as they involve inquiry, scholarship, and learning and teaching in religiously affiliated colleges and universities, including Brigham Young University.

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 …

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.