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.
My wife and I read Mormonism and White Supremacy: American Religion and the Problem of Racial Innocence by Joanna Brooks together as a part of our observance of Black History Month. Our Church has its own complicated history of racial issues, and Brooks has assembled a compelling narrative of what happened, how we got here,... Continue Reading →
I was pleasantly surprised to find a copy of Terryl Givens' Doors of Faith in the mail the other week. I had been getting a book here and there from the A Brief Theological Introduction series on the Book of Mormon, but I assumed I had been removed from the list. Good to know I... Continue Reading →
I adapted my talk on worthiness from church a few weeks ago. As a personal expert in making myself feel guilt about anything and everything, this is a topic I have thought a lot about.
For a book that claims not to be about Mormonism, Tara Westover's memoir "Educated" certainly had me worried about Mormonism. While many elements were familiar-- from essential oils to decrying socialism-- I was often left asking, is this the same Mormonism I grew up with?
I am late to the game in discovering the wonderful Eugene England. England is Exhibit A for "to be learned is good if they hearken to the counsels of God" in my book. He stepped on GA's toes, but he was as dedicated to the gospel as they come.
Mason's book is a kind of taking stock of our religion (companionship inventory, anyone?). It isn't apologetics, but it isn't polemics either. It is an honest reflection on where we have been and where we are going.
As a religious person, "The Faith of a Heretic" was hard to read because many if its criticisms were so accurate. But I think such criticisms can only be good as they help us identify the faults that may be invisible to us.
When it comes to Enos, Jarom, and Omni less is more. Sharon Harris has done more with these little books than I thought possible. Harris makes theological space in these pages for those on the edge of the inside of Mormonism, and in an Ozymandian take reminds us that spirituality isn't measured by your real estate on the gold plates.
Hugh Nibley simultaneously affirms faith and challenges the status quo within the Church, and that duality is what I admire so much about him.
History Engineers 