Making our history one step at a time
How did we get from there to here? Honestly, when the Church started putting out its new Church history, I was most excited about volume 3 because it addresses this question. We are all familiar with the events of the Restoration, but the Church today is so different. This fills part of the gap, covering the events of 1893 to 1955.
The Church history department didn't disappoint with Saints Vol II. I will say, this one will be harder to talk about around the dinner table (I already sparked one family fight) A gripping tale with complex characters, moral ambiguity, and great pacing.
Coming from a Latter-Day Saint perspective, some aspects of Paul may not fit into our cookie-cutter Sunday School version of the gospel, but his vision of a unified church across cultural boundaries is more relevant than ever.
Hot take: If I were ever to apostatize, I'd become an Orthodox monk. But seriously, Orthodoxy has so many surprising affinities to the Latter-Day Saint tradition, you'd be surprised.
Lesson from 4th century Christianity: if someone excommunicates you, you excommunicate them right back. This book covering the history of Constantine, the Nicene creed, and the Arian heresy is a fascinating mirror in which to reflect on the doctrinal disputes and approaches of our own day.
Why this book Life of Moses is my first attempt at reading a work by the early church fathers. It was written by St. Gregory of the small town of Nyssa in Cappadocia, a region in present day Turkey. Gregory lived during the last days of the Roman empire (born AD 335, died AD 395).... Continue Reading →
I am shamelessly proud of my Church and the great strides they have made in the publishing of Saints: The Standard of Truth. This is fantastic history and beautiful prose. I have always been an avid reader, my early encounters with Church history weren't positive: I remember reading excerpts from Our Heritage in Sunday School... Continue Reading →
I added this one to my reading list after I found it in the references of a compelling article at Times and Seasons on the development of the LDS hymnbook. The LDS Church recently announced that they are beginning the process of compiling a new hymnbook, and the documented history of how hymns have been... Continue Reading →
I just finished listening to Papa Ostler's interview with a young Mormon, Taylor Christensen. I first found Papa Ostler through his inspiring Facebook posts about being more understanding towards the experiences of LGBT Mormons (for instance, see the article here on KUER). Papa Ostler has since founded an inspiring podcast entitled "Listen, Learn, Love" with... Continue Reading →
History Engineers 