Mormon Studies Commons^™

The Return Of The King, Larry Y. Wilson

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

From a Brigham Young University devotional address on 1 December 2015.

Today I would like to talk about some of the big issues of our time through the lens of history and literature as well as the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. We live in a day of technological and scientific marvels. It is also a time of uncertainty—one in which many question whether or not faith and religion have a place in their lives or in the public square. You too will have to decide whether faith has an enduring place in your own life.

Discussing Difficult Topics: Politics And The Church, Richard Davis, Thomas A. Wayment

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

Wayment: I’ll just start out by saying that we’re here with Richard Davis, professor of political science and director of the Office of Civic Engagement. Richard is also the author of The Liberal Soul: Applying the Gospel of Jesus Christ in Politics, published by Greg Kofford Books in 2014, and he is the author of Fathers and Sons: Lessons from the Scriptures. Richard is also a weekly columnist for the Deseret News and was chair for the Utah County Democratic Party from 2007 to 2011.

End Matter

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

No abstract provided.

Joseph Smith, Robert Foster, And Chauncey And Francis Higbee, Andrew H. Hedges

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

On 7 June 1844, seven dissenters from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—William and Wilson Law, Francis M. and Chauncey L. Higbee, Robert and Charles Foster, and Charles Ivins—published the first and only issue of the Nauvoo Expositor, a four-page, six-column paper whose purpose was to provide “a full, candid and succinct statement of facts, as they exist in the city of Nauvoo, fearless of whose particular case they apply.” Concerned that the paper’s accusations and inflammatory rhetoric would result in violence against Nauvoo, the city council three days later ordered Joseph Smith, in his capacity as mayor …

Front Matter

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

No abstract provided.

The Great Plan Of Happiness: A Christ- Centered Visual Approach, Tyler J. Griffin

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

The greatest concept we can study or teach is the plan of redemption—sometimes called the plan of salvation or the plan of happiness. The doctrines of the plan of redemption have more power to bring men to God than any other truth or concept.

Review Of An Other Testament: On Typology, Andrew C. Smith

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

Typology has held a place of importance in the Christian tradition as a method of theology, scriptural exegesis, and history from the composition of the New Testament onward. In An Other Testament: On Typology, Joseph Spencer examines the place of typology within the Book of Mormon in order to understand the book’s theological complexity: “By theological complexity, I do not primarily mean that the ideas presented in the Book of Mormon are complex, though sometimes they are. Rather, I mean that it can be difficult to bring into focus some of the Book of Mormon’s overarching theological claims, given the …

The Word Made Flesh: Teaching The Gospel Concretely, Stephan Taeger

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

When compared to other Christian denominations, the restored gospel emphasizes the role of the body in unique ways. For Latter-day Saints, obtaining a body is not just a footnote in the plan of salvation; it is central to the very purpose of life. Joseph Smith taught, “We came to this earth that we might have a body and present it pure before God in the celestial kingdom. The great principle of happiness consists in having a body.”

The Doctrine Of Inclusion: Reaching Students With Disabilities, Reginald S. Slocombe

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

I remember the first time I walked into a class for students with special needs when I was a teacher at the Logan Seminary in Cache Valley, Utah. I was asked to assist Sister Wendy Parker with her second-hour class. She did not have all of her students with disabilities paired up with their traditional peer tutors, so I needed to help maintain order as she continued to organize the class. As I saw many students within that looked and sounded different than traditional students, I realized I had no idea what to do in this classroom! After a moment, …

Book Of Mormon Citations In General Conference, 1965–2014, Sharon Black, Brad Wilcox, Kyle Lyons

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

Joseph Smith referred to the Book of Mormon as the keystone of our religion; however, the book was not frequently studied in worship services or in gospel instruction in the early Church. In the 1970s, focus on the scriptures increased as the curriculum for adult gospel study shifted from manuals discussing the scriptures to the actual scripture texts. The Book of Mormon became part of the correlated curriculum for Sunday School Gospel Doctrine lessons, and Seminaries and Institutes also increased their use of scriptural content. In response, Church leaders oversaw the preparation of a fully cross-referenced version of the standard …

Review Of By Study And Also By Faith: One Hundred Years Of Seminaries And Institutes Of Religion, Scott C. Esplin

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

“In the history of the Church,” President Boyd K. Packer taught, “there is no better illustration of the prophetic preparation of this people than the beginnings of the seminary and institute program. These programs were started when they were nice but were not critically needed. They were granted a season to flourish and to grow into a bulwark for the Church. They now become a godsend for the salvation of modern Israel.” Seeking to chronicle this history, the recent volume, By Study and Also by Faith: One Hundred Years of Seminaries and Institutes of Religion, captures the system’s rise from …

End Matter

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

No abstract provided.

By Study And By Faith, M. Russell Ballard

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

In a General Authority training meeting, President Gordon B. Hinckley (1910–2008) said regarding the teaching of Church doctrine: “We cannot be too careful. We must watch that we do not get off [course]. In our efforts to be original and fresh and different, we may teach things which may not be entirely in harmony with the basic doctrines of this the restored Church of Jesus Christ. . . . We had better be more alert. . . . We must be watchmen on the tower.”

Developing Scripture Literacy: What Good Scripture Readers Know And Do, Eric D. Rackley

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

This article identifies ten practices that can improve youths’ abilities to make sense of scripture in ways that get them underneath the words to the principles and doctrine that they so desperately need but may struggle to understand. These ten scripture reading practices are based on decades of reading research and empirical work that examine Latter-day Saint youths’ literacy practices and the motivations that drive them. I also include examples, where appropriate, from a two-year ethnographic study of Latter-day Saint youths’ experiences with scripture literacy.

Full Issue

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

No abstract provided.

Doctrine: Models To Evaluate Types And Sources Of Latter-Day Saint Teachings, Anthony Sweat, Michael Hubbard Mackay, Gerrit J. Dirkmaat

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

In early 1833, the presiding elder of a small branch in Benson, Vermont, wrote to his brother at Church headquarters in Kirtland, Ohio, hoping to receive guidance from Joseph Smith on a very important question: How do I know what teachings in my branch I should accept as doctrine? He was writing because Jane Sherwood, a woman in his congregation, asserted that she had seen visions of angels and of God that had given her revelation “concerning that which must come hereafter, p[u]rporting indeed that the power of God’s Judgment has come & astonishing things soon are to take place.”

Front Matter

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

No abstract provided.

Discussing Difficult Topics: Race And The Priesthood, W. Paul Reeve, Thomas A. Wayment

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

Wayment: Paul, tell us a little bit about your background on race and Mormonism. What brings you to this discussion?

Reeve: I started research for the book Religion of a Different Color: Race and the Mormon Struggle for Whiteness (New York: Oxford University Press, 2015) in 2007. I was familiar with some of the existing historiography in the field of whiteness studies. The whiteness historiography has largely revolved around immigration and labor history. There have been studies of Irish immigrants who were racialized as not white or not white enough. The histories of Irish immigrants trace the ways in which …

The Willie And Martin Handcart Companies: Application And Insights Into A Recurring Rescue, Jeffrey D. Meservy

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

The purpose of this paper is not to retell the stories of the handcart companies, one led by James G. Willie and another led by Edward Martin; many have done that very well. Rather, the purpose of this paper is to draw from their examples and experiences and find application for us today. Context, stories, and quotes of these pioneers are used here only in a supportive effort to identify principles, which can guide us today as we strive to live the gospel. President Gordon B. Hinckley stated, “Stories of their rescue need to be repeated again and again. They …

Taking Mormon History Into All The World, D. Brent Smith

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

The Mormon History Association (MHA) has sought, per its vision statement, to be “the preeminent catalyst worldwide for encouraging the scholarly study and appreciation of the Mormon past.”1 In connection with the MHA’s fiftieth anniversary and the 2015 MHA Conference in Provo, I surveyed the degree to which MHA, as well as other scholarly and even social media organizations that are engaged in the study and writing of Mormon history, have achieved a broad and integrated global focus. While much progress can be noted, I suggest that more should be attempted with regard to broader international participation and engagement. My …

S&I In-Service Meetings: A Global Perspective, P Nien (Felipe) Chou

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

In-service meetings have facilitated the opportunity for the Seminaries and Institutes (S&I) to teach and train both full-time and volunteer teachers for many decades. These S&I in-service meetings would expand from Utah to the rest of the United States and then to various locations outside the United States. How are these in-service meetings operating and functioning in various parts of the world? What are the perceptions of S&I leaders and teachers regarding how these in-service meetings assist them to achieve the S&I objective and goals? This article examines these questions from a global perspective. It also considers a global perspective …

Narrating The Scriptures: Using A Literary Approach To Enhance Scripture Teaching, Adam P. Hock

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

Evaluating the scriptures from a literary perspective can enhance reading and teaching the scriptures, yet it remains an untapped resource for many religious educators. Bible and literary scholar Robert Alter queried, “What role does literary art play in the shaping of biblical narrative?” The question extends beyond biblical narrative to scriptural narrative and teaching. A literary approach to scripture enhances the classroom experience for teachers and students. Literary analysis allows a class to explore the nuances of a text and identify authorial intent of the scripture while encouraging students to see a complex, beautiful narrative.

Teaching Teachers: Five Features Of Effective Teacher Training, Mark A. Mathews

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

No abstract provided.

"As He Thinketh In His Heart", Dallin H. Oaks

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

No abstract provided.

Joseph Smith And The First Principles Of The Gospel, Richard E. Bennett

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

No abstract provided.

The Doctrine And Covenants: A Roundtable Discussion, Richard Neitzel Holzapfel [email protected], Richard E. Bennett, Susan Easton Black, Alexander L. Baugh, Andrew H. Hedges

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

No abstract provided.

From Calvary To Cumorah: What Mormon History Means To Me, Richard E. Bennett

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

This presentation was made to a combined audience of Latter-day Saint and Evangelical Protestant scholars at a special interfaith dialogue conference held in Nauvoo on May 17, 2006.

A Grove, A Hill, And A Mountain: Lessons On Overcoming Evil, Cameron J. Packer

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

No abstract provided.

Welcoming All Of God's Children In His House: Supporting Members With Disabilities, Tina Taylor

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

No abstract provided.

“That Every Man Might Speak In The Name Of God The Lord”: A Study Of Official Declaration 2, Richard E. Bennett

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

No abstract provided.