Making our history one step at a time
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 →
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.
Spencer's "First Nephi" has given me a chance to be reconciled to Nephi, and for that I am grateful. Despite all our efforts to make Nephi a symbol of perfect obedience-- for better or worse-- Spencer shows us a human side of Nephi you may miss otherwise.
A book with a simple premise, but potentially controversial: Not all of the early apostles and gospel writers viewed Christ the same way. *Gasp!* Don't tell me there were differences of opinion! Say it isn't so!
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.
If I took anything away from this book, it is that turning paradoxes into an either/or is an over-simplification that can have dire spiritual consequences. Trying to retain the mystery of paradox isn't to be lukewarm (neither hot nor cold, as the book of Revelation says), as some may accuse. On the contrary, picking a side is the easy way out, and is morally lazy.
What do you say to someone who has gone through hell itself? Never shall I forget those moments that murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to ashes. You witness. And you mourn.
Peter Enn's new book is simultaneously entertaining and thought-provoking. Herein, I reflect on how Enn's book informs a Latter-Day Saint perspective. #harperonepartner #wisebible #howthebibleactuallyworks
History Engineers 