Mormon Studies Commons^™

John G. Turner, Brigham Young: Pioneer Prophet, Reviewed By David J. Howlett

Mormon Studies Review

No abstract provided.

The Oak And The Banyan: The "Glocalization" Of Mormon Studies, Melissa Wei-Tsing Inouye

Mormon Studies Review

No abstract provided.

Armand L. Mauss, Shifting Borders And A Tattered Passport: Intellectual Journeys Of A Mormon Academic, Reviewed By David E. Campbell

Mormon Studies Review

No abstract provided.

Temple Insights, William J. Hamblin, David Rolph Seely

Interpreter Foundation Books

This conference was originally conceived and organized by Matthew B. Brown. Matt, who passed away in October 2011, hoped that events such as these would help to promote faithful Latter-day Saint scholarship and increase understanding about the temple. On behalf of Matt’s wife Jamie, thank you to all those who have helped to bring this event to fruition.

Ancient Temple Worship, Matthew B. Brown, Jeffrey M. Bradshaw, Stephen D. Ricks, John S. Thompson

Interpreter Foundation Books

The purpose of this paper1 is to draw attention to several sets of matching themes which are found in descriptions of the ancient Israelite temple and portions of the apocalypse written by the apostle John. The information associated with these sets can be applied to the task of interpreting the respective texts where they are found and they can also be used to demonstrate a surprising way whereby the covenant people of the Old and New Testaments were interconnected.

"Let A Hundred Flowers Blossom": Some Observations On Mormon Studies, Daniel C. Peterson

Mormon Studies Review

No abstract provided.

Joanna Brooks, The Book Of Mormon Girl: A Memoir Of An American Faith, Reviewed By Zina Petersen

Mormon Studies Review

No abstract provided.

Stephen H. Webb, Jesus Christ, Eternal God: Heavenly Flesh And The Metaphysics Of Matter, Reviewed By Adam S. Miller

Mormon Studies Review

No abstract provided.

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

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

No abstract provided.

Textual And Comparative Explorations In 1 & 2 Enoch, Samuel Zinner

Interpreter Foundation Books

My beloved late father introduced me as a child to the mysterious Ethiopic Book of Enoch. My father was of mixed ancestry, his mother being of Native American and English-Scottish descent, while his father was a Protestant Volga German who observed Saturday Sabbath rather than Sunday, and perhaps not surprisingly his ancestors were Ashkenazi Jews who in the high Middle Ages had been forced to convert to the Christian faith under pain of death. My father had a fundamentally indigenous soul, so much so that even his Christianity, like that of his mother, was of a fundamentally indigenous character. Although …

In God's Image And Likeness 2 Enoch, Noah, And The Tower Of Babel, Jeffrey M. Bradshaw, David J. Larsen

Interpreter Foundation Books

As I neared completion of the first volume of In God’s Image and Likeness in 2009, I had a chance to discuss the project with my former mission president, Virgil J. Parker. Grateful for the lasting influence President and Sister Parker have had on my life and still being in awe of the great store of practical and spiritual knowledge they have accumulated over decades of learning and service, I was thrilled when Virgil told me that the Moses was his favorite book of scripture. When I asked him what part he liked best, he spoke without hesitation, “The story …

The Fifth Principle Of The Gospel, Noel B. Reynolds

Faculty Publications

With the 2004 publication of Preach My Gospel as the new handbook for LDS missionaries, the official explanation of Christ’s gospel incorporated a previously unrecognized fifth principle—enduring to the end. This article will review ways in which this principle surfaced occasionally in early Mormon missionary work and writings. It will also demonstrate that the principle is explicitly and consistently emphasized in Book of Mormon presentations of the gospel in passages that are now generally recognized as authoritative foundations for LDS gospel teaching.

“The Frontier Thesis In Transnational Migration: The U.S. West In The Making Of Italy Abroad,” In Immigrants In The Far West: Historical Identities And Experiences, Edited By Jessie L. Embry And Brian Q. Cannon (Salt Lake City: University Of Utah Press, 2014), 363-381., Mark I. Choate

Faculty Publications

In 1879, a young postal worker in the small town of Lendinara, Italy, decided to emigrate. Adolfo Rossi, twenty-two years old, was discouraged with his prospects in his small town near Venice. Adolfo lived at home with his mother in the heavily populated Polesine valley. Although he had a steady job, he wanted to become a journalist. In Adolfo’s words, while taking a walk along the Adige river one night, a strange idea struck my mind like a bolt of lightning. I reflected only a moment and committed myself to an audacious resolution. “No, I will not stay vegetating here,” …

On A Dawning Era For The Book Of Mormon, Joseph M. Spencer

Mormon Studies Review

No abstract provided.

Matthew Kester, Remembering Iosepa: History, Place, And Religion In The American West, Reviewed By Hokulani K. Aikau

Mormon Studies Review

No abstract provided.

Prophets Rendering Christlike Service: Looking To Peter As An Example, Kenneth L. Alford Ph.D.

Faculty Publications

This chapter (from the 2014 book “An Eye of Faith,” a festschrift for Dr. Richard O. Cowan, published by the Brigham Young University Religious Studies Center) shares examples of prophetic service from Peter the Apostle to each of the prophets of the Restoration—from Joseph Smith, Jr. to Thomas S. Monson. Many of the stories included about modern prophets are not widely known.

Teaching With The 2013 Edition Of The Doctrine And Covenants, Kenneth L. Alford Ph.D., Gerrit J. Dirkmaat

Faculty Publications

An overview of many insights to numerous sections in the Doctrine and Covenants made by the Joseph Smith Paper Project. A discussion of how to incorporate this updated information while teaching Latter-day Saints (Mormons).

Visions Of Faith: Early Church Pioneers In Ghana, Kenneth L. Alford Ph.D., Jeanmarie Stewart

Faculty Publications

This chapter (from the 2014 book “An Eye of Faith,” a festschrift for Dr. Richard O. Cowan, published by the Brigham Young University Religious Studies Center) shares the story of the establish of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the nation of Ghana. This essay shares numerous individual stories and is divided into “Before Official Declaration 2” and “After Official Declaration 2” sections.

The Influence Of Faith On Marital Commitment, Michael A. Goodman

Faculty Publications

Religion significantly influences many American marriages. Ninetyfive percent of married couples in the United States report a religious affiliation (Mahoney, Pargament, Tarakeshwar, & Swank, 2001). Not only is a religious affiliation almost universal, but around 60% of Americans report that religion is important or very important to them (McCullough, Larson, Hoyt, Koenig, & Thoresen, 2000). Over half of American married couples say they attend religious services at least monthly (Heaton & Pratt, 1990, p. 196). Even with a tendency to exaggerate religious participation, these statistics indicate that religious involvement is an important part of American marriage and family life (Christiano, …

Loyal Opposition: Ernest L. Wilkinson's Role In Founding The Byu Law School, Galen L. Fletcher

BYU Studies

Ernest L. Wilkinson is best known for being the president of Brigham Young University for twenty years (1951–1971). He should also be remembered for his role as catalyst for the existence of the J. Reuben Clark Law School at BYU. Wilkinson's diaries and personal papers tell the story of the J. Reuben Clark Law School founding prior to its March 9, 1971, public announcement. This article discusses the first mention in Wilkinson's papers of a law school at BYU, Wilkinson's work behind the scenes for a year to start it, and his important contributions to the law school's early foundation. …

Suffrage By Jenifer Nii, Directed By Cheryl Ann Cluff, Melissa L. Larson, Cheryl Ann Cluff, Jenifer Nii

BYU Studies

Jenifer Nii's new and original play Suffrage, set in 1880s territorial Utah, is the story of Frances (played by April Fossen) and Ruth (played by Sarah Young), two plural wives in a household under siege by the federal government. Their husband, Benjamin, is in prison awaiting trial, and his five wives and numerous children must find ways to make ends meet. Frances is stalwart and traditional, loving her sister wives' children as she does her own and thinking constantly of her dear husband and his welfare. Considerably younger, Ruth is a firecracker of high ideals and modern thought, getting deeply …

Revisiting The Seven Lineages Of The Book Of Mormon And The Seven Tribes Of Mesoamerica, Diane E. Wirth

BYU Studies

The number seven was significant to the pre-Columbian communities of Mesoamerica, as it was in the Book of Mormon. A pan-Mesoamerica legend tells of a core people descended from seven tribes, which may coincide with the seven lineages mentioned three times in the Book of Mormon. While no verifiable evidence ties these two accounts together, a closer look at the Mesoamerican legend is warranted. This article examines numerous depictions of the seven tribes in Mesoamerican art contained in their lienzos (pieces of fabric with historical drawings or maps), illustrated books called codices, and post-Conquest documents that were shown to and …

"My God, My God, Why Hast Thou Forsaken Me?": Psalm 22 And The Mission Of Christ, Shon D. Hopkin

BYU Studies

Perhaps no Old Testament texts have exerted more influence on the New Testament understanding of Christ's mission than Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53. Among Latter-day Saints, however, Isaiah 53 has received much more attention than Psalm 22. This paper aims to illuminate the powerful, Christ-centered nature of Psalm 22. It first discusses Psalm 22 in detail, demonstrating its prophetic connections with Christ's ministry, including early Christian insights regarding the Psalm. It then discusses the importance of Christ's quotation from the cross of Psalm 22:1--"My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?"--and analyzes LDS statements regarding it.

What Happened To My Bell-Bottoms?: How Things That Were Never Going To Change Have Sometimes Changed Anyway, And How Studying History Can Help Us Make Sense Of It All, Craig Harline

BYU Studies

Craig Harline explains perhaps the most valuable and fundamental benefit of studying history is the insight it can offer into change, including change that people once thought would never occur. What can be learned from such changes by people of the present, as they argue about potential changes in their own world? Harline offers historical examples of change in Western Christianity regarding acceptable views of language, left-handedness, sacred music, slavery, interracial relations, and usury, and viewing them in the context of changes still being heavily or somewhat debated by Christians, such as women's role, evolution, and more. He shows that …

Likening In The Book Of Mormon: A Look At Joseph M. Spencer's An Other Testament: On Typology, Alan Goff

BYU Studies

Doctrine and Covenants section 84 places Latter-day Saints under condemnation "until they repent and remember the new covenant, even the Book of Mormon" (D&C 84:55-57). From the beginning of the Restoration, neglect of the Book of Mormon has been a hallmark of both those who accept and reject it. Before the 1980s, Latter-day Saint readings were often characterized by summary, with little or no exegetical analysis. Readings by Book of Mormon critics were similarly superficial, dismissing the book as not worthy of their attention. The value of capable and close readings of the scripture became more apparent with the work …

The Weir Family, 1820–1920: Expanding The Traditions Of American Art, Marian Wardle, Herman Du Toit

BYU Studies

Marian Wardle, curator of American art at the Brigham Young University Museum of Art and part-time faculty member at BYU in art history, has assembled a remarkable group of writers from across the country for an anthology that focuses on the lives and artistic production of three of America's most notable artists: Robert Walter Weir (1803-1889) and his sons John Ferguson Weir (1841-1926) and Julian Alden Weir (1852-1919). The BYU Museum of Art became the beneficiary of a collection of the Weirs' artworks when one of Julian Weir's daughters, Dorothy, passed away in 1947, leaving much of her family's extensive …

Rube Goldberg Machines: Essays In Mormon Theology, Adam S. Miller, Thomas F. Rogers

BYU Studies

Philosopher Adam S. Miller, who teaches at Collin College in McKinney, Texas, and presently serves as director of the prestigious Mormon Theology Seminar, has written a small book that deserves big attention.

In his thoughtful preface, historian Richard L. Bushman asserts that "Adam Miller is the most original and provocative Latter-day Saint theologian practicing today" and that, like other philosophers and theologians, his writings reflect his possible doubt that his subject "can be reduced to a rational orderly system." But, for me, there is immense continuity to the book's fourteen essays, each of which interfaces with the restored gospel in …

Banishing The Cross: The Emergence Of A Mormon Taboo, Michael G. Reed, Alonzo L. Gaskill

BYU Studies

This first book by Michael G. Reed is a revamp of his 2009 master's thesis, "The Development of the LDS Church's Attitude toward the Cross" (California State University, Sacramento). In this current work, Reed beefs up his text with some additional sources and graphics, and he adds a chapter on the cross as a symbol in the Strangite and Community of Christ (RLDS) traditions.

The book's aim is to delineate the place of the cross as a symbol in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and in the two aforementioned Restoration churches, though the book largely focuses on …

Matched; Crossed; Reached. The Matched Trilogy, William Morris, Ally Condie

BYU Studies

Ally Condie, a Latter-day Saint and graduate of Brigham Young University, is best known as the author of the Matched trilogy. These three books contain all the ingredients for a successful YA (young adult fiction) series: a plucky heroine, a love triangle, a dystopian setting. And a success it is: each volume has spent numerous weeks on various best-seller lists, Disney has optioned the film rights to the trilogy, and numerous fan sites and social media groups are active online. If it were just those ingredients alone, the trilogy would not be worth noting amid the outpouring of YA novels …

Benemérito De Las Américas: The Beginning Of A Unique Church School In Mexico, Barbara E. Morgan

BYU Studies

In 1957, President David O. McKay instructed Church leaders to investigate creating Church-sponsored schools in Mexico. The vision of Church leaders reached beyond educating the students and focused on training faithful Latter-day Saints that would teach and influence children and youth throughout Latin America. Marion Romney and others assessed the educational needs of Church members in Mexico; membership in the Church reached twenty-five thousand by 1961. They worked to find and purchase land, develop building plans, and select directors for these Church schools. They created a society that had the legal authority to purchase land and run schools in Mexico, …