Religion Commons^™

Written To The Lamanites: Understanding The Book Of Mormon Through Native Culture And Religion, Gary P. Gillum

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

Latter-day Saints have always been encouraged to seek the truth wherever it can be found. With the Book of Mormon being written especially to the Lamanites, we can assume that the more we know about Lamanite and Native American culture, the more we can understand, appreciate and gain insights as we read that inspired scripture. In this article the writer has compared examples from Native American culture and history to what we read in the Book of Mormon and experience as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Most importantly, as we read through the eyes of …

Full Issue

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Misunderstanding Mormonism In The Mormonizing Of America, Craig L. Foster

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

The Mormonizing of America by Stephen Mansfield has been touted as a solid, impartial look at Mormon history and doctrine. Unfortunately, on closer examination, the book is seriously lacking both in substance and impartiality. This article discusses the book’s numerous problems.

“Endless Forms Most Beautiful”: The Uses And Abuses Of Evolutionary Biology In Six Works, Gregory L. Smith

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

The position of the Church on the origin of man was published by the First Presidency in 1909 and stated again by a different First Presidency in 1925:

Stretching To Find The Negative: Gary Bergera’S Review Of Joseph Smith’S Polygamy: History And Theology, Brian C. Hales

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

At an author-meets-critic Sunstone Symposium on August 2, 2013, Gary Bergera devoted over 90% of his fifteenminute review to criticize my 1500+ page, three-volume, Joseph Smith’s Polygamy: History and Theology. This article responds to several of the disagreements outlined by Bergera that on closer inspection appear as straw men. Also addressed are the tired arguments buoyed by carefully selected documentation he advanced supporting that (1) John C. Bennett learned of polygamy from Joseph Smith, (2) the Fanny Alger-Joseph Smith relationship was adultery, and (3) the Prophet practiced sexual polyandry. This article attempts to provide greater balance by including new evidences …

An Essay On The One True Morality And The Principle Of Freedom, Alma Don Sorensen

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

The author introduces the subject of the essay based on scripture by observing that one true morality governs the heavens and exists to govern mortality, which contains all possible ways to live in time and eternity and orders them into a hierarchy of rational preferability. In order to live their endless lives with enduring purpose and fullness, humankind must undertake two stages of probationary preparation, one as premortals and one that begins with mortality and concludes in the post-mortal world with the final judgment, in which they come to know for themselves the one morality and accept its ordering of …

Where Shall Wisdom Be Found?, Zina Petersen

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

Mormons who know about her are usually fans of Margaret Barker. Disclosure: I am one of them (Mormon who knows about her, and fan). For further disclosure, she paid attention and respect to the writings of Hugh Nibley, to whom I was and am filially devoted. So it isn’t as if I am unbiased in appreciating Barker’s work. I am also not alone; there are quite a few of us who read and love her. Indeed it may be said we love her because she first loved us—or at least unwittingly agreed with us. With her 2012 book, The Mother …

The Original Text Of The Book Of Mormon And Its Publication By Yale University Press, Royal Skousen

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

An earlier version of the following paper was presented 5 August 2010 at a conference sponsored by FAIR, the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research (now FairMormon). The text of this paper is copyrighted by Royal Skousen. The photographs that appear in this paper are also protected by copyright. Photographs of the original manuscript are provided courtesy of David Hawkinson and Robert Espinosa and are reproduced here by permission of the Wilford Wood Foundation. Photographs of the printer’s manuscript are provided courtesy of Nevin Skousen and are reproduced here by permission of the Community of Christ. The text of the …

Sophic Box And Mantic Vista: A Review Of Deconstructing Mormonism, Kevin Christensen

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

Riskas’s Desconstructing Mormonism claims that believers are trapped in a box for which the instructions for how to get out are written on the outside of the box. He challenges believers to submit to an outsider test for faith. But how well does Riskas describe the insider test? And is his outsider test, which turns out to be positivism, just a different box with the instructions for how to get out written on its outside? Ian Barbour’s Myths Models and Paradigms provides instructions on how to get out of the positivistic box that Riskas offers, and at the same time …

Front Matter

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Passing Up The Heavenly Gift (Part Two Of Two), Gregory L. Smith

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

Claims #4 and #5: The Source of the Authority of Brigham Young and the Apostles After Joseph’s Death

The Late War Against The Book Of Mormon, Benjamin L. Mcguire

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

Recently, the Exmormon Foundation held their annual conference in Salt Lake City.1 A presentation by Chris and Duane Johnson proposed a new statistical model for discussing authorship of the Book of Mormon.2 The study attempts to connect the Book of Mormon to a text published in 1816: The Late War Between the United States and Great Britain.3 The latter is a history of the war of 1812 deliberately written in a

Elder Neal A. Maxwell On Consecration, Scholarship, And The Defense Of The Kingdom, Daniel C. Peterson

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Front Matter

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Book Review, Cassandra Hedelius

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

I expected better things from Professor Fink’s book, as it points out on the cover that he started as the son of a “conservative Christian Minister” and ended as a professor of philosophy; such a life journey, made thoughtfully, ought to sow very interesting things to say. His stated purpose is broad: an “orderly,” “even-handed” analysis of the Bible, Koran, Torah, and Book of Mormon. He invites readers to imagine themselves on a jury—one called to impartially evaluate the evidence regarding these sacred works, with minds cleared of presupposition and bias, and required to conclude with completely logical answers to …

Evangelical Controversy: A Deeply Fragmented Movement, Louis C. Midgley

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

Four Views on the Spectrum of Evangelicalism should be helpful to Latter-day Saints (and others) seeking to understand some of the theological controversies lurking behind contemporary fundamentalist/evangelical religiosity. Four theologians spread along a spectrum speak for different competing factions of conservative Protestants: Kevin Bauder 1 for what turns out to be his own somewhat moderate version of Protestant fundamentalism; Al Mohler 2 for conservative/confessional 3 evangelicalism; John Stackhouse 4 for generic evangelicalism; and Roger Olson 5 for postconservative evangelicalism. Each author introduces his own position and then is critiqued in turn by the others, after which there is a rejoinder. …

In His Footsteps Ammon1 And Ammon2, Val Larsen

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

Mormon is a historian with a literary sensibility and considerable literary skill. Though his core message is readily apparent to any competent reader, his history nevertheless rewards close reading. Its great scope means that much that is said must be said by implication. And its witness of Christ is sometimes expressed through subtle narrative parallels or through historical allegory. This article focuses on parallel narratives that feature Ammon1 and Ammon2, with special attention to the allegorical account of Ammon2 at the waters of Sebus. To fully comprehend the power of the testimony of Christ that Mormon communicates in his Ammon …

The Stromata Vol. 54, No. 2, Calvin Theological Seminary

Stromata (1956-2020)

Inside This Issue

3- Editorial by John C. Medendorp

6- Michigan Springtime Righteousness

7- James E. Adams, War Psalms of the Prince of Peace and Eric Zenger, A God of Vengeance? by Sa Myung Kang

11- William Lane Craig, Reasonable Faith by Shelby Gemmen

12- Timothy Keller, Counterfeit Gods by Matthew Burns

17- John Suk, Not Sure by Brandon Haan

20- I Prayed the Other Day

21- Satisfy Us With Your Unfailing Love by Derek W. Buikema

29- The Man by Tae Kyung Jun

34- But She Will Be Saved Through Childbearing

35- Do Not Grieve the Holy Spirit but …

The Stromata Vol. 54, No. 1, Calvin Theological Seminary

Stromata (1956-2020)

Inside This Issue

4- Editorial by Joshua C. Smith

5- Autumn by Diana Burns

6- Living the Good Life by Matthew Burns

13- Strangers in a Strange Land by Michael Kornelis

10- So, You are a King? by John C. Medendorp

27- Called to Rejection by Ricardo Tavárez

33- “God was with Joseph”: Genesis 39 by Kwang Il Choi

43- The Book of Exodus: Pedagogy for a Youth Ministry of Freedom by Adrian de Lange

55- The Lives of the Saints: An Education in the Good Life by Mark VanderWerf

76- Shalom-Directed Justice and the Church by Adam Van Gelder …

John Wesley’S Approach To Mission, R. Jeffrey Hiatt

The Asbury Journal

John Wesley’s theology is noted for its soteriological emphasis. Most of his life was spent in England ministering among marginalized people. Much of his practical ministry, publications, prison reform, healthcare interest, education, etc., occurred while trekking through the island. Yet, Wesley’s thoughts and writings reflect the broader world. Although he was not as swift at putting Methodist missionaries abroad as Thomas Coke would have liked, Wesley had a plan in place that took in reaching those populations that claimed other religions as their faith. Thus, he wanted “Moslems,” “Hindoos,” “Hottentots,” “Native Americans,” or more inclusive of every part of the …

Christ And The Clue Of History: Lesslie Newbigin's Christocentric Philosophy Of History As The Central Thread Of His Thought., Kyle Brooks

CTS Master of Theology (ThM) Theses

As early as his 1941 Bangalore Lectures, “The Kingdom of God and the Idea of Progress,” Newbigin took a hard look directly at history itself and its various interpreters. In those four lectures at the age of 32, Newbigin laid the foundation for all of his critical theological thinking for the next half century. While Newbigin scholarship is still relatively fresh, it appears that expositors of his work have neglected a, if not the, central motif in his immense corpus: his philosophy of history. I will attempt provide a systematic account of Newbigin’s incredibly consistent thoughts on the topic of …

Correspondence Of Roger Hedlund: Bombay Research, Roger Hedlund

Papers of Roger Hedlund

No abstract provided.

Correspondence Of Roger Hedlund: Cbms Personnel 1984, Roger Hedlund

Papers of Roger Hedlund

No abstract provided.

Correspondence Of Roger Hedlund: Letters July-Sept 1982, Roger Hedlund

Papers of Roger Hedlund

No abstract provided.

Correspondence Of Roger Hedlund: Letters Jan-March 1989, Roger Hedlund

Papers of Roger Hedlund

No abstract provided.

Galatians, Ephesians (Book Review), John B. Roney

History Faculty Publications

Book review by John B. Roney.

Bray, Gerald L., ed. Galatians, Ephesians. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2011. (Reformation commentary on Scripture. New Testament; 10). ISBN 978083082973

Solemnity In A Red Flag (Conflict) Zone, C. A. Chase

Obsculta

Solemn vows into a Trappist community, Roman Rite, D.R. Congo

Apostolic Boldness And The Apostolic Dynamism Of The Marian Charism Of The Consecrated Life, Bertrand Buby

Marian Library Studies

One of the most fundamental principles of all thoughts about Mary and her relationship to a consecrated life is the fact that Scripture is the soul of Marian theology and spirituality. The New Testament has several passages in which Mary is central to the event and these passages furnish us with a point of departure that will carry us through other dimensions of the Marian charism. Like all charisms, the Marian one is totally a grace given through the Holy Spirit within the mother of Jesus that leads her to be sent to others in order to share that charism …

Charism And The Consecrated Life In The Twentieth And Twenty-First Centuries, Danielle Peters

Marian Library Studies

The rapid social, political, and cultural changes at the end of the nineteenth and at the dawn of the twentieth centuries are felt even today. Yet, the Church of that time was still predominantly European concerning her wellanschauung, discipline, and exercise of authority. In addition, "the strong resistance of the institutional church to the uncertainties of the post-Enlightenment world along with the maintenance of a nineteenth-century fortress identity at its institutional center had set up tensions within the various European Catholic communities." How did this mentality influence the communities of religious life and their awareness of being bearers of a …

Charism Made Spirituality, Johann G. Roten

Marian Library Studies

Elusive and multi-faceted as it may be, the meaning of charism creates associations including grace, gratuity, gift, and generosity. It seems widely established that a charism is the result of divine largesse, an expression of God's favor, and a gratuitous gift of his love. Mentioned seventeen times in the New Testament, the term charism is indebted primarily to Paul's theology of grace, and its twofold instrumentalization as gift extraordinaire or grace of state. The division thus marked highlights the complementarity between the special graces of healing, speaking in tongues, and miracles, but also the more utilitarian form of charism destined …