Religious Education Commons^™

Plain And Precious Things, Lexi Devenport

BYU Studies

Plain and Precious Things, by D. John Butler (N.p.: D. John Butler, 2012).

The Church And Religious Persecution (Calvin Shorts), Kevin R. Den Dulk, Robert J. Joustra

Calvin Press

So begins The Divine Comedy, a classic meditation on the Christian life, written by Dante Alighieri in the fourteenth century. Dante’s three images—a journey, a dark forest, and a perplexed pilgrim—still feel familiar today, don’t they? We can readily imagine our own lives as a series of journeys, not just the big journey from birth to death, but also all the little trips from home to school, from school to job, from place to place, from old friends to new. In fact, we often feel we are simultaneously on multiple journeys that tug us in diverse and sometimes opposing directions. …

Sexual Encounters And Manhood Acts: Evangelicals, Latter-Day Saints, And Religious Masculinities, Kelsy Burke, Amy Moff Hudec

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

The experiences of men in traditional religions are complex, at times inconsistent, and not necessarily the direct result of religious teachings. This article draws from two qualitative case studies to examine the ways in which evangelical and Latter-Day Saint men understand masculinity and their spiritual beliefs in the context of sexual activity. The authors present two masculine practices—acceptance of sexual rejection and sexual indifference— that allow religious men in this study to simultaneously challenge and uphold the system of hegemonic masculinity that their traditions promote. These findings point to the moments when creative, interpretative work helps religious men to reconcile …

Joseph B. Keeler, Print Culture, And The Modernization Of Mormonism, 1885-1918, David J. Whittaker

BYU Studies

The years flanking the start of the twentieth century represented a time of transition for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Seventy years old in 1900, the Church and the larger Mormon society in which it resided still displayed much of their traditional character. Although some members congregated in urban densities that edged out along the Wasatch Front from Salt Lake City (Utah’s capital and the Church’s headquarters), most still lived in small, relatively self-contained agricultural communities in the Great Basin’s interior. Wherever they lived, however, they expected charismatic leaders to continue organizing the Church, directing devotional life, …

The Inception Of Brigham Young University's Archival Program, 1956-1962, J. Gordon Daines Iii

BYU Studies

Brigham Young University today houses thousands of documents and photographs about the history of the university as well as millions of other documents and photographs on Mormonism, Utah history, and Western history. These materials are housed in the L. Tom Perry Special Collections in the Harold B. Lee Library. The Perry Special Collections is well known as a place to study historic documents, read rare books, find photographs, and much more. Among the treasures found in the Perry Special Collections are the Brigham Young University Archives. This paper examines the establishment of the BYU Archives, with Ralph W. Hansen as …

Dead Wood And Rushing Water: Essays On Mormon Faith, Culture, And Family, Mark Brown

BYU Studies

Boyd Jay Petersen. Dead Wood and Rushing Water: Essays on Mormon Faith, Culture, and Family.

Sandy, Utah: Greg Kofford Books, 2013.

Front Matter

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

Helen Andelin And The Fascinating Womanhood Movement, Mary Jane Woodger

BYU Studies

Julie Debra Neuffer. Helen Andelin and the Fascinating Womanhood Movement.

Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 2014.

Dating The Death Of Jesus Christ, Jeffrey R. Chadwick

BYU Studies

In December 2010, BYU Studies published a study I prepared entitled “Dating the Birth of Jesus Christ.” It presented historical and scriptural evidence showing that Jesus was not born in April of 1 BC, as popular Latter-day Saint thought supposed, but most likely in December of 5 BC. The article attracted considerable attention; was covered in both print and broadcast news stories as well as by radio shows, blogs, and other forums of discussion; and received positive response in many venues.

The Christus In Context: A Photo Essay, John W. Welch

BYU Studies

Among the many good reasons to go to Copenhagen, Denmark, is to experience firsthand the famous Christus statue by Bertel Thorvaldsen (1770–1844) in the Vor Frue Kirke (The Church of Our Lady), the Lutheran Cathedral of Copenhagen. While this classic sculpture of Christ, in stunning white Carrara marble, would be impressive in any setting, it is especially meaningful and emotive in its original architectural setting.

Mormons And Midrash: On The Composition Of Expansive Interpretation In Genesis Rabbah And The Book Of Moses, Avram R. Shannon

BYU Studies

One of the intriguing things about religious texts is how long of a life and how long of an afterlife they have. Once a text becomes a part of a “canon,” once it becomes in a way fixed, it becomes open to further discussion and elaboration. Different groups and religious traditions create different genres of interpretation to work with and understand their scriptures according to the needs of their traditions. One form of interpretation involves reopening the Bible and expanding on the narrative of the already canonized text, such as is found in the rabbinic genre of midrash and in …

Roads In The Wilderness: Conflict In Canyon Country, Brian Q. Cannon

BYU Studies

Jedediah S. Rogers. Roads in the Wilderness: Conflict in Canyon Country.

Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 2013.

Feast Of Epiphany, John Alba Cutler

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

Stranded In The Stars, Sheldon Lawrence

BYU Studies

My wife asked me if I had the keys, but only after the car door locked shut, so her question was asked in suspense and hope—waiting to see what damage had been done to our trip to the sand dunes. I did not have the keys. I had left them in the car so they would not get lost in the sand. Our spontaneous trip to the dunes just got more interesting.

Front Matter

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

From The Editor, John W. Welch

BYU Studies

This issue of BYU Studies Quarterly proudly leads off with the 2015 Karl G. Maeser Distinguished Faculty Lecture by political science professor David Magleby. I am confident that all current readers will enjoy and benefit from the timely insights that this speech offers regarding the persistent pressures on political parties to justify their existence and to seek opportunities for mutually beneficial accommodations and compromises.

Grace In The Book Of Mormon, Brent J. Schmidt

BYU Studies

This chapter is excerpted from Relational Grace: The Reciprocal and Binding Covenant of Charis, by Brent J. Schmidt (BYU Studies, 2015).

Santa Biblia: The Latter-Day Saint Bible In Spanish, Joshua M. Sears

BYU Studies

After the release of the first Latter-day Saint edition of the Bible in 1979 and a new edition of the Triple Combination containing the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price in 1981, Elder Boyd K. Packer declared:

With the passing of years, these scriptures will produce successive generations of faithful Christians who know the Lord Jesus Christ and are disposed to obey His will. . . . The revelations will be opened to them as to no other in the history of the world. . . . They will develop a gospel scholarship beyond that …

For Zion: A Mormon Theology Of Hope, Lauren Mccombs

BYU Studies

For Zion: A Mormon Theology of Hope, by Joseph M. Spencer (Salt Lake City: Greg Kofford Books, 2014)

Nauvoo & Hancock County, Illinois: A Guide To Family History And Historical Sources, Gerrit Van Dyk

BYU Studies

Nauvoo & Hancock County, Illinois: A Guide to Family History and Historical Sources, by Kip Sperry. Provo, Utah: Religious Studies Center, 2014.

Kirtland Temple: The Biography Of A Shared Mormon Sacred Space, Elwin C. Robinson

BYU Studies

David J. Howlett, a professor and member of the Community of Christ, opens up a view of the Kirtland Temple that is not often considered by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Howlett chronicles the various ways that the Kirtland Temple has been a point of conflict and confluence, influencing the interaction between faith traditions stemming from Joseph Smith’s religious experiences.