There’s an article in this month’s Ensign that makes two interesting moves. (There are also a few really unpleasant aspects of this article, but that’s a topic for a different post.)
Author: Julie M. Smith
I live in Austin, Texas, with my husband, Derrick, an electrical engineer. We have three boys: Simon ('98), Nathan ('01), and Truman ('04). We are a homeschooling family and I also teach at the LDS Institute here in Austin. I have a BA in English from UT Austin and an MA in Biblical Studies (Theology) from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California, where I specialized in the study of women in the New Testament. I wrote my thesis on Mark 14:3-9, which I explored from literary and feminist perspectives to determine how the story teaches the audience about Jesus's identity. I wrote a book, Search, Ponder, and Pray: A Guide to the Gospels. It contains 4,000 questions (no answers) designed to get the LDS reader to really think about the scriptures and to introduce the major findings of biblical studies to the general reader. I like to read, buy books, and go out for ethnic food.
New Testament Gospel Doctrine Lesson #11
New Testament Gospel Doctrine Lesson #10
New Testament Gospel Doctrine Lesson #9
On Not Giving a Fig for Historicity Debates
There’s a lot of discussion lately about the relationship between scripture and history. In this post, I suggest, by way of a case study, that the trees are obscuring the view of the forest for those gazing at historicity questions.
New Testament Gospel Doctrine Lesson #8
Religion of a Different Color
Congo! Heart of . . .
New Testament Gospel Doctrine Lesson #7
New Testament Gospel Doctrine Lesson #6
So here’s the plan: each week that the gospels are covered in Sunday School, I will post one question from my book along with a brief discussion of the issues that it raises.
Guest Post: The World Is Improving
New Testament Gospel Doctrine Lesson #5
New Testament Gospel Doctrine Lesson #4
New Testament Gospel Doctrine Lesson #3
New Testament Gospel Doctrine Lesson #2
What Role Should the JST Play in LDS Biblical Studies?
Did Jesus Cleanse the Temple?
The standard Mormon reading of Mark 11:15-19 goes something like this: the temple was corrupt and so Jesus cleansed it by kicking out the wicked money changers so that the temple, now purified of evil, could get back to business. But this may not be the best reading.
New Testament Gospel Doctrine Lesson #1
What the Smith Boys Said This Year
Guest Book Review: The Early Prophets by Everett Fox
My Testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith
I was asked to share a brief testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith in sacrament meeting last week. To the best of my recollection, this is what I said:
Book Review: Jesus the Christ Study Guide
The Teachings and Doctrine of the Book of Mormon, Take Five
And now we hear from Joe Spencer:
The Teachings and Doctrine of the Book of Mormon, Take Four
Today’s entry was written by Grant Hardy:
Two Thoughts on President Eyring’s Talk at the Vatican Colloquium
Family Home Evening: Repentance
I think I’ve kvetched before about how hard it is to plan meaningful FHEs with older kids.
The Teachings and Doctrine of the Book of Mormon, Take Three
This entry is a bit different because it is a sample assignment for one day, not a complete syllabus.
The Teachings and Doctrine of the Book of Mormon, Take Two
Our next entry comes from Matt W. (see the first post and explanation here).
The Teachings and Doctrine of the Book of Mormon, Take One
One big change resulting from the new CES and BYU Religious Ed curriculum will be that, instead of two classes on the Book of Mormon, now only one will be required; here is its description:
2015 Summer Seminar on Mormon Theology
The Second Annual Summer Seminar on Mormon Theology “Christ and Antichrist: Reading Jacob 7” Union Theological Seminary, New York, New York June 8—June 20, 2015