Religious Education Commons^™

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 …

Historical Context Of The Doctrine And Covenants And Other Modern Scriptures, Volume 1, Kurt Elieson, J. B. Haws

BYU Studies

Kurt Elieson's Historical Context of the Doctrine and Covenants and Other Modern Scriptures is a nice self-published surprise. Elieson, a Texas attorney, saw a hole in the corpus of Doctrine and Covenants commentaries and study guides, and he aimed to fill it. He has succeeded on several fronts.

...Elieson has woven together in one helpful book an up-to-date and remarkably thorough collection of diary accounts and documentary evidence to give depth and context to the story of the receipt (and, importantly, the early circulation) of Joseph Smith's revelations. Because of that, Elieson's book should earn a place on many desks …

Between Pulpit And Pew: The Supernatural World In Mormon History And Folklore, Curtis Ashton, Michael S. Van Wagenen, W. Paul Reeve

BYU Studies

In an address to a joint meeting of the Utah Historical Society and the Folklore Society of Utah in 1991, folklorist William A. Wilson applauded the two organizations for their cooperation over the previous twenty years and then urged even greater cooperation between history and folklore in Utah over the next twenty years. Between Pulpit and Pew serves as one benchmark for measuring just how seriously a rising generation of historians have taken Wilson's challenge. The editors, Paul Reeve and Michael Van Wagenen, are firmly planted in their chosen discipline, each with an impressive start to developing careers that explore …

One Eternal Round, Hugh W. Nibley, Michael D. Rhodes, Gary P. Gillum

BYU Studies

Hugh Nibley began serious research on One Eternal Round as early as 1988. When Nibley's long-time colleague Michael D. Rhodes took over the project following Nibley's death in 2005, he was faced with thirty boxes of research notes and drafts, 450 computer files, and as many as twenty versions of one chapter. Fortunately, Michael is familiar with most of Nibley's prodigious output, as well as the subjects listed in the preface, which are a reflection of Nibley's mind and interests and which are all within the scope of One Eternal Round.

Throughout Nibley's long career, his critics have seen him …

The Current State Of Primary Historical Soures Online, Richard Hacken

BYU Studies

As a vital first step in substantiating and documenting historical details, there can be no substitute for a primary source derived from as close and contemporaneous an observation of a given event as possible. A historian unable to consult authoritative and honest voices from the past can verify little but is left to tinker with tradition and supposition. Until quite recently, the main mode of examining a primary source has been one on one—one scholar face-to-face with one original document in one physical space. Historiography has been slowed by travel expenses, time constraints, vagaries in obtaining permission, and other logistical …

The Bible In English: Its History And Influence. By David Daniell, Richard Y. Duerden

BYU Studies

David Daniell. The Bible in English: Its History and Influence. New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2003

Joseph Smith's Many Histories, Richard L. Bushman

BYU Studies

In 1992 my wife, Claudia, published a book titled America Discovers Columbus: How an Italian Explorer Became an American Hero. The book argued that until the American Revolution, Columbus was almost completely neglected in histories of the British colonies. Not until three centuries after the fact did North Americans honor him as the discoverer of America. Even in 1792, it required a stretch of the imagination to give him the credit, since he never touched foot on the North American continent and for centuries the British had distanced themselves from the hated Spanish exploiters of the New World. But …

Cholera And Its Impact On Nineteenth-Centry Mormon Migration, Patricia Rushton

BYU Studies

Nineteenth-century migrants traveling across America suffered from many diseases as they journeyed to new homes in the West. The disease that was most common and caused the highest rate of illness and death was cholera. Historian Robert Carter notes, "It was a disease with which people were... familiar, yet it was little understood. It would strike suddenly, with no warning, often killing the victim within hours of the first symptoms. It was so uncontrollable that often entire families, even whole emigrating companies, would be wiped out." While cholera was not always fatal, it brought fear and suffering into the lives …

“Twenty Years Ago Today”: David O. Mckay's Heart Petals Revisited, Mary Jane Woodger

BYU Studies

David Oman McKay and Emma Ray Riggs were married January 2, 1901, making them, as David noted, the first couple sealed in the Salt Lake Temple in the twentieth century. As David's public profile rose with his call as Apostle in 1906 and then as President of the Church in 1951, the McKays became known popularly as the Church's happiest couple. During their marriage, President McKay wrote poems and other expressions of endearment for Emma Ray. He delivered these "heart petals," as he called them, from the Tabernacle pulpit and in the Deseret News Church Section on their anniversary, her …

Memoirs Of The Relief Society In Japan, 1951-1991, Yanagida Toshiko

BYU Studies

My poems are my tears,

as my eyes are moistened at once

in joy and in sorrow.

—Yanagida Toshiko

“The Scriptures Is A Fulfilling”: Sally Parker's Weave, Janiece L. Johnson

BYU Studies

Sally Bradford Parker is not a name most LDS Church members recognize, but her faith, exemplified through the letter featured below, weaves an important fabric distinctive to early Latter-day Saint women. The limited number of known early Mormon women's voices, especially prior to the organization of the Relief Society in 1842, makes this document particularly valuable. As Sally shares her experience, she augments and supports the testimony of Hyrum Smith as a Book of Mormon witness and particularly the witness of another woman—the Prophet's mother, Lucy Mack Smith. When Sally arrived in Kirtland she was in awe of the many …

An Examination Of The 1829 “Articles Of The Church Of Christ” In Relation To Section 20 Of The Doctrine And Covenants, Scott H. Faulring

BYU Studies

The 1829 "Articles of the Church of Christ" is a little-known antecedent to section 20 of the Doctrine and Covenants. This article explores Joseph Smith's and Oliver Cowdery's involvement in bringing forth these two documents that were important in laying the foundation for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

What Does God Think About America?: Some Challenges For Evangelicals And Mormons, Richard J. Mouw

BYU Studies

I visited an Evangelical church once in my younger years where the sermon of the day featured a straightforward exposition of the teachings associated with dispensationalist premillennialism. The signs of the time are clear, the preacher said. Wars and rumors of wars. Earthquakes and famine. Widespread lawlessness. The prophetic clock is ticking. God's plan for the future of the earth centers on the Jewish people, who will eventually recognize the true Messiah and inherit all the earthly promises given to them of old. All other nations are doomed to pass away. The destiny of Gentile Christians is a spiritual and …

“Every Book…Has Been Read Through” The Brooklyn Saints And Harper's Family Library, Lorin K. Hansen

BYU Studies

On February 4, 1846, two groups of Latter-day Saints in the United States began their emigration out of the United States. The main body of the Church was leaving from Nauvoo, Illinois, under the leadership of Brigham Young, going overland to the West. The same day, also under instructions from Brigham Young. Samuel Brannan led a group from New York aboard the ship Brooklyn, going by sea around Cape Horn to San Francisco Bay.

European Views Of Egyptian Magic And Mystery: A Cultural Context For The Magic Flute, Kerry Muhlestein

BYU Studies

Composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and librettist Emanuel Schikaneder lived and created during the height of eighteenth-century interest in and fascination with Egypt. The Magic Flute's Egyptial setting would therefore evoke in their contemporaneous audience notions of a distant land with an exotic and magical culture. The numerous Egyptian elements of the world are representative of its era and are situated near the end of a continuum of European thought about ancient Egypt before the solid foundation of modern day Egyptology had been laid. To Europeans, Egypt was a murky and mysterious landscape, one that easily lent itself to imaginative …

“We Navigated By Pure Understanding”: Bishop George T. Sevey's Account Of The 1912 Exodus From Mexico, Michael N. Landon

BYU Studies

During July and August 1912, thousands of Mormon colonists fled the turmoil of the Mexican Revolution (fig. 1). As bishop of the Colonia Chuichupa ward, George Sevey led his ward members out of war-torn Mexico and into the United States. The scene was not unfamiliar. During the nineteenth century, Latter-day Saints had fled from Missouri and Illinois, and thousands more had experienced the great exodus across the plains to the Salt Lake Valley. Such epic events enrich the heritage of Latter-day Saints, providing cultural meaning and shared identity forged by hardship and tragedy. Perhaps the effort to chronicle flight from …

Heber J. Grant's European Mission, 1903-1906, Ronald W. Walker

BYU Studies

Elder Heber J. Grant landed in Liverpool, England, in November 1903, and by the first of the year he officially assumed his new position as president of the European Mission. The mission began at Tromso, Norway; and ran to Cape Town, South Africa; with Iceland and India serving as distant east-west meridians. While the church had branches in each of these extremities, Grant's field of labor was more compact. Most of the mission's effort was reserved to the Netherlands, Germany, Scandinavia, and Switzerland, where he had a general superintendency, and especially in the British Isles, where he had duties that …

The Roman Province Of Judea: A Historical Overview, John F. Hall

BYU Studies

Rome's acquisition of Judea and subsequent involvement in the affairs of that long-troubled area came about in largely indirect fashion. For centuries Judea had been under the control of the Hellenistic Greek monarchy centered in Syria and known as the Seleucid empire, one of the successor states to the far greater empire of Alexander the Great, who conquered the vast reaches of the Persian empire toward the end of the fourth century B.C. as thee decaying Seleucid monarchy disintegrated, Rome was compelled to take control of the eastern littoral of the Mediterranean and its hinterland in order to prevent ambitious …

History Of The Graduate Theology Program, St. Mary's University, 1959-1994, John G. Leies Sm

Documents

No abstract provided.

The Ancient State: The Rulers And The Ruled, Hugh Nibley

Maxwell Institute Publications

One important key to understanding modern civilization is a familiarity with its ancient background. Many modern principles and practices–social, political, and even economic–have clear parallels in antiquity. A careful study of these forerunners of our traditions, particularly as they contributed to the downfall of earlier civilizations, may help us avoid some of the mistakes of our predecessors.

The Ancient State, by Hugh Nibley, is a thought-provoking examination of assorted aspects of ancient culture, from the use of marked arrows to the surprisingly universal conception of kinship, from arguments of various schools of philosophy to the rise of rhetoric. Author Hugh …

Tinkling Cymbals And Sounding Brass: The Art Of Telling Tales About Joseph Smith And Brigham Young, Hugh Nibley

Maxwell Institute Publications

The apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal” (1 Corinthians 13:1). Since then, the terms “tinkling cymbals” and “sounding brass” have often been used to signify words of emptiness and confusion – describing perfectly most writings critical of the Latter-day Saints. Trained in history and interested in classical rhetoric, Hugh Nibley brings a broad perspective to his study of anti-Mormon writings.

Oral Roberts University 25th Silver Anniversary, Holy Spirit Research Center Oru Library

ORU Archival Collection

This is a 65 page, full color publication celebrating the 25th Anniversary of Oral Roberts University. The publication contains valuable information on ORU's history including photos from every year at ORU, quotes from various ORU faculty and staff, and a list of ORU Board of Regents members.

Warfare In The Book Of Mormon, Stephen D. Ricks, William J. Hamblin

Maxwell Institute Publications

“People may well ask: Why study warfare in the Book of Mormon? There are so many answers, among which are these: to understand better the events in the Book of Mormon, to develop a perspective against which to understand its teachings and messages, to enjoy the interesting lives of a remarkable people, and to aid in assaying the historicity of the book, ” writes John W. Welch at the beginning of Warfare in the Book of Mormon.

Oh! Brother Joseph; Historian's Corner, Ronald W. Walker, David H. Pratt

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

Finalizing Plans For The Trek West: Deliberations At Winter Quarters, 1846-1847, Richard E. Bennett

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

Authorship Of The History Of Joseph Smith: A Review Essay, Howard C. Searle

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

Quest For The Whole Man Address By President Oral Roberts (1965), Oral Roberts

Chapel AV & Transcripts

An address by President Oral Roberts to the First Class at ORU on September 7, 1965.

The Doctor Corvin Story, Oral Roberts

ORU Archival Collection

Oral Roberts tells the story of Dr. R. O. Corvin, his life-long friend and partner in creating Oral Roberts University. Despite their friendship, Dr. Corvin left ORU in 1968 after a falling out over the direction of the University.

From the HSRC-Vertical Files.

Graduate School Of Theology Brochure (1965), Holy Spirit Research Center Oru Library

ORU Archival Collection

The ORU graduate school of theology was the first college within the university. This is a informational brochure from before the school opened in 1965. It outlines the administration of the school, the curriculum design, purpose of the theological school, entrance requirements and a statement of faith.

Oral Roberts University: Information For Perspective Students (1965), Holy Spirit Research Center Oru Library

ORU Archival Collection

Published in the months before Oral Roberts University opened in September of 1965, this brochure for perspective students offers an early look at the plans, curriculum design, and campus layout for ORU. The opening page records these words:

"This bulletin is prepared to provide information for the student who is considering a college career and for others who are interested in the program of the University. Course offerings are listed, and except for the minor in Christian Education and in Geography, a major may be pursued in all other departments. If after reading the bulletin you still have questions, please …