Episode 130: Welcome to Latter-day Saint Perspectives
May 05, 2021
Welcome to the Latter-day Saint Perspectives Podcast. I’m your host Laura Harris Hales.
I created this podcast over four and a half years ago. As I prepare to shutter the production, I am going to follow the example of fellow podcaster Nick Galieti and post an introductory episode explaining how this podcast got started, what I hoped to accomplish, and what you can expect as you listen.
The story of this podcast began in June 2016. After co-authoring the book, Joseph Smith’s Polygamy: Toward a Better Understanding and the website josephsmithspolygamy.org, my husband and I were asked to speak at a conference held in Sweden.
After our presentation, I was approached by a local member, who mentioned he was grateful my husband and I as well as other conference presenters traveled so far to visit with the Swedish members.
“We don’t have many options when we want to learn about church history,” he said. “Many of the books published in the United States are difficult to get ahold of here,” he continued. “So we are left with only listening to podcasts from antagonistic sources or devotional ones. There is no middle ground.” Then, he looked into my eyes and asked, “Can you help us? Can you give us a podcast that gives us an alternative?”
I was fresh off my experience with compiling and editing, A Reason for Faith: Navigating LDS History and Doctrine. It had been such a positive experience where all of the pieces seemed to fall naturally into place.
So when I returned to the US, I approached this new project with the same fearless gusto. Latter-day Saint Perspectives would interview respected LDS scholars about church history, doctrine, and culture from a faithful perspective.
With new audio equipment and a quivering voice, I taped my first interview with Thomas Wayment, which aired on September 19, 2016. Our topic was the Historical Jesus. It was rough and awkward, but to my great surprise and delight listeners tuned in.
Million of worldwide downloads later, it is with a appreciative heart that I say goodbye to this project.
I am thankful for the man who had the courage to approach me with his request, grateful to the guest podcasters who also shared my vision, indebted to the many outlets among them Meridian Magazine, the Mormon Interpreter, and LDS Living that reposted my material, and forever beholden to the scholars who volunteered to share their knowledge gained from years of study.
When I started this podcast, I hoped to present the most recent academic scholarship to a general audience from a faithful but not necessarily devotional perspective. I also hoped to take a deeper dive into Latter-day Saint topics than listeners could typically find in Sunday School discussions. Through the years, Latter-day Saint Perspectives has done just that. We have interviewed noted scholars about recent works as well as older but influential publications.
I invite those new to the podcast to check out our complete catalog on their favorite podcast application or at Latter-day Saint Perspectives.com. On the website, you can locate additional episodes on similar topics as well as check out a new feature.
While we will not be regularly releasing new episodes (I hesitate to say never here), our newly designed website contains a new feature. Periodically, I will be posting bite-sized blogs about books, podcasts, and video features that promote the best in Latter-day Saint scholarship. If this is something that interests you, then subscribe at latter-daysaintperspectives.com.
I have been the most unlikely of podcast hosts. Not only do I suffer from more social anxiety than average but also my vocal talents are limited. What I do have is a lot of questions. Fortunately, I was able to spend hours with scholars who have become my friends and have answered some of them. Thanks, listeners, for sharing this journey with me.
In 2016, there were not a lot of options for those seeking academic enrichment from a faithful perspective, but the landscape has changed over the last several years. Like me, individuals and institutions are doing what they can with their unique talents, gifts, and means to promote understanding and deeper engagement with our religion and faith. As I leave this venue, I know I leave it in good hands.
If you feel you have benefited from our show, please consider rating and reviewing this podcast in your podcast platform, so others may continue to find our content for years to come.
Episode 129: Learning of Joseph Smith Anew
Apr 06, 2021
The Interview
In this episode of Latter-day Saint Perspectives Podcast, Laura Harris Hales interviews R. Eric Smith and Matthew C. Godfrey about Know Brother Joseph: New Perspectives on Joseph Smith’s Life and Character, the new book that they coedited with Matthew J. Grow.
The Joseph Smith Papers Project has published thousands of pages of transcripts, introductions, footnotes, and supplemental materials in recent years. The project’s print volumes have sold more than 200,000 copies, and last year alone, the project’s website, josephsmithpapers.org, had more than 650,000 unique visitors.
Though the publications are aimed primarily at scholars, these numbers make it clear that Church members are the main consumers. Other recent Church publications, such as Saints: The Story of the Church of Jesus Christ in the Latter Days, have also made information from the Joseph Smith Papers available to many Latter-day Saints.
Still, it is undoubtedly the case that the majority of Church members have not spent time in the Joseph Smith Papers. This is certainly understandable, given the scholarly format and the sheer number of pages.
Enter Know Brother Joseph, a new collection of short essays on Joseph Smith designed to bridge that gap—to share information from the Joseph Smith Papers and other recent works of scholarship with a general Latter-day Saint audience.
The three coeditors, all of whom are general editors of the Joseph Smith Papers, invited more than 40 historians and other scholars who have spent years thinking about the founding prophet to provide insights into his history, teachings, and character attributes.
The writers were asked to share historical perspectives in a faith-promoting way, similar to how they might present information in a fireside. Some essayists also chose to discuss how something from Joseph’s experience had personal relevance to them. The result is a collection of brief, informative, inspiring essays that all Latter-day Saints can read and enjoy.
Some essayists explore familiar topics but in new ways. For example, writing on the First Vision, Robin Jensen of the Joseph Smith Papers discusses why Joseph might have waited twelve years before first writing down what he had experienced. Kathleen Flake, a professor of Mormon Studies at the University of Virginia, examines how the coming forth of the Book of Mormon and the restoration of priesthood authority solved the “problem” identified in the First Vision, namely, “Where is the power of salvation to be found on earth?”
Essays with personal details include those from Eric Smith and Elizabeth Kuehn. After relating episodes showing how Joseph Smith responded to adversity, Eric shares how Joseph’s example has given him strength to bear up against challenges in his own life. Elizabeth, a historian with the Joseph Smith Papers, discusses some of Joseph Smith’s character traits that she has been drawn to. She writes, “Spending the last several years immersed in Joseph’s history has brought him to life for me in ways I would never have imagined. It has made him become someone I feel I know.”
That writers selected their own topics allows personal enthusiasm and expertise to shine through. For example, the essay from Scott Hales, lead writer for Saints: The Story of the Church of Jesus Christ in the Latter Days, looks at how Joseph Smith chose to tell his own history. This kind of “meta” analysis—with one writer of history examining another—is a unique way of approaching Joseph Smith.
Essayists did not shy away from potentially challenging subjects. Chapters discuss, for example, Joseph’s evolving views on race, an altercation he had with his brother William, a disciplinary council considering a case of physical abuse, Joseph’s teaching about Heavenly Mother, and questions about how the doctrine of eternal sealing might apply within a blended family.
The life of Joseph Smith teaches us different lessons as we return to it at different points in our growth, both as a Church collectively and as individuals. Each new generation has different questions and concerns as they read history. Meanwhile, each individual might respond to Joseph’s teachings or events from his life in different ways depending on unique and changing life circumstances. Therefore, even when much has been published about Joseph Smith already, a new collection drawing on recent scholarship provides a new opportunity to come to know him a bit better.
It is the fervent hope of the editors of this collection that the volume will strengthen faith in the restored gospel and increase understanding and admiration for the founding prophet of the dispensation of the fulness of times. Admitting that the essays touch on only a small fraction of all that could be explored, the editors also invite readers to a continuing study of Joseph the man and Joseph the prophet.
About Our Guests
Matthew C. Godfrey is a general editor and the managing historian of the Joseph Smith Papers. Matthew holds a PhD in American and public history from Washington State University. Before joining the Joseph Smith Papers, he was president of Historical Research Associates, a historical and archeological consulting firm headquartered in Missoula, Montana. He is the author of Religion, Politics, and Sugar: The Mormon Church, the Federal Government, and the Utah-Idaho Sugar Company, 1907–1921 (2007), which was a co-winner of the Mormon History Association’s Smith-Petit Award for Best First Book.
R. Eric Smith is a general editor of the Joseph Smith Papers Project and the editorial manager of the Publications Division of the Church History Department, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was formerly an editor for the Curriculum Department, and before that he practiced law in Salt Lake City. With Matthew J. Grow, he coedited The Council of Fifty: What the Records Reveal about Mormon History (2017). He received a BA in English from Brigham Young University and a JD from the University of Utah.
Episode 128: What Is the Restoration? with Patrick Q. Mason
Jan 27, 2021
About the Interview:
Celebrating the two hundredth anniversary of the Restoration has proven to be one of the few highlights of 2020 for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In commemoration, the First Presidency and Twelve Apostles issued a Bicentennial Proclamation that boldly affirmed beliefs in a restored church, restored priesthood authority (including priesthood keys), restored revelation through living prophets, and a restored fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. This declaration affirmed church leaders’ consistent message regarding the importance of past revelations and the Latter-day Saint Church’s future path.
President Russell M. Nelson and otherapostles have repeatedly reminded members of the church that God’s work of restoration began with Joseph Smith, but it didn’t end with him. We believe in an “ongoing Restoration”—an organic, dynamic process by which God continues to breathe life into both the church and the world not just yesterday but today and tomorrow and always. As Latter-day Saints, we hold it as an article of faith that God has much work yet to do, and many things yet to say, in the gradual unfolding of his kingdom in these modern times.
There are indeed many things that needed restoration: the fulness of the gospel, the priesthood, the church, covenants, ordinances, spiritual gifts, and so forth. We call this whole package “the restoration of all things.”[1] But I would suggest that God isn’t concerned with restoring “things,” no matter how important, so much as he is with using those things to restore what matters most.
And what is that? Nephi explained that the restoration of the various branches of Israel—the Jews, the scattered tribes, and the remnant of Lehi—would all be accomplished not just for their own sake but as part of something bigger. What could be more significant than the gathering of Israel? The work of salvation, reconciliation, and healing whereby God will “bring about the restoration of his people upon the earth.”[2]
In other words, “the restoration of all things” is designed with one grand aim in mind: to restore God’s people—our Father and Mother’s children, their eternal family—to wholeness.
Those of us in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints aren’t the only ones called to restore God’s family to wholeness—the work is too big, as 0.2% of the world’s population, to do by ourselves. But we are called to do some very special things. We are called to lives of holiness—that through the gift of the Atonement the title “saint” becomes less aspirational and more actual each day.
We are called to extend that holiness beyond our personal lives into our communities, thereby working toward the establishment of God’s social ideal, which we call Zion. We are called to proclaim the name and gospel of Jesus to every corner of the world. We are called to seal together the whole human family, alive and dead, in one great web of mutuality.
But if we are to fulfill our mission, we cannot be content with restoring things, no matter how powerfully those things work in our lives and our world. We are called to restore God’s people. We do so in imitation of Jesus, who loves all humanity but whose heart beats in sympathy with the oppressed and marginalized children of God. When he first proclaimed his messiahship, he did so by quoting Isaiah, the great prophet of Israel’s scattering and restoration:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised.[3]
The poor. The brokenhearted. The captives. The blind. The bruised. These are the people to whom the Messiah’s anointing is specially directed. Any restoration we claim to participate in as disciples of Jesus must therefore be primarily oriented toward those who have suffered on the margins of history and currently suffer on the margins of society.
Those who are despised, and rejected, scattered, and deemed “filthy.”[4] Refugees and displaced persons. Immigrants. The poor. The homeless. Racial and sexual minorities. Those who suffer from disabilities or mental illness. Victims of physical, sexual, and emotional abuse. It is toward these precious souls that our particular work of restoration must be focused, as we do our small part in bringing about the “restoration of his people upon the earth.”
This post has been adapted from Patrick Q. Mason, Restoration: God’s Call to the 21st-Century World (Meridian, ID: Faith Matters Publishing, 2020).
About Our Guest: Patrick Mason holds the Leonard J. Arrington Chair of Mormon History and Culture at Utah State University, where he is an associate professor of religious studies and history. Educated at Brigham Young University and the University of Notre Dame, Mason is a nationally recognized authority on Latter-day Saint history, theology, and culture. He is the author or editor of several books for both academic and LDS audiences, including Restoration: God’s Call to the 21st-Century World (Faith Matters, 2020); What Is Mormonism? A Student’s Introduction (Routledge, 2017); and Planted: Belief and Belonging in an Age of Doubt (Maxwell Institute/Deseret Book, 2015).
Episode 127: The Kinderhook Plates with Mark Ashurst-McGee
Dec 23, 2020
Mark Ashurst-McGee discusses the story of the translation of the Kinderhook Plates by Joseph Smith, a curious episode in Latter-day Saint history.
Episode 126: From Conflict to Closeness with Emil Harker
Nov 11, 2020
About the Interview:
Many relationships may be improved simply by practicing good communication skills.
In this interview, Emil Harker discusses a program for improving our ability to communicate well in crucial conversations.
Over the past 20 years, he has counseled thousands of couples on how to improve their marriages by applying 7 critical skills:
Assuming Good Intent
Defining and Accepting Reality
Communicating with the Desired Outcome in Mind
Clear, Direct, and Sensitive Communication
Killing Criticisms
Fencing Conflict
Disarming Landmines
Listen as Emil Harker discusses how we can improve our most important relationships.
You can receive a free book by here on Emil’s website: emilharker.com.
About Our Guest:
Emil Harker graduated with a master’s degree in family and marriage therapy in 1999 from Utah State University. He is a popular speaker for public and professional organizations and companies as he teaches his innovative communication and conflict resolution strategies from his book “You Can Turn Conflict into Closeness”: 7 Communication Skills of Successful Marriages.
Episode 125: Latter-day Saint Beliefs on the Apocalypse with Christopher J. Blythe
Oct 14, 2020
About the Interview: The mayhem of 2020 has brought the Apocalypse to the forefront of many people’s minds, but for Latter-day Saints, this kind of thinking is nothing new. Christopher J. Blythe describes in his new book, Terrible Revolution: Latter-Day Saints and the American Apocalypse, how apocalypticism has presented itself throughout the church’s history.
Blythe notes, “Latter-day Saints of the nineteenth century belonged to an apocalyptic tradition. Their very identity was entangled with the belief that society was headed toward cataclysmic events that would uproot the current social order in favor of a divine order that would be established in its place” (p. 8). Nearly 200 years later, that tradition is still alive within Latter-day Saint culture.
In this episode, Christopher J. Blythe discusses how end-times narratives have evolved and been perpetuated not only through official Latter-day Saint leadership channels but also folk traditions and lived religion.
About Our Guest: Christopher James Blythe is a faculty research associate at the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship at Brigham Young University, as well as the coeditor of the Journal of Mormon History. He completed a PhD in American religious history from Florida State University, an MA in history from Utah State University, and BA degrees in religious studies and anthropology from Utah State University and Texas A&M University, respectively. He was a documentary editor at the Joseph Smith Papers between 2015 and 2018. Blythe lives in Springville, Utah, with his wife and three boys.
Episode 124: Producing Ancient Scripture with Mark Ashurst-McGee
Sep 16, 2020
The Interview: In this episode of the LDS Perspectives Podcast, Laura Harris Hales interviews Mark Ashurst-McGee, a co-editor of a new book, Producing Ancient Scripture: Joseph Smith’s Translation Projects in the Development of Mormon Christianity.
The Book of Mormon is well known, but there were several subsequent texts that Joseph Smith translated after the Book of Mormon. This collaborative volume is the first to provide in-depth analysis of each and every one of Joseph Smith’s translation projects. The compiled chapters explore Smith’s translation projects in focused detail and in broad contexts, as well as in comparison with one another. The various contributors approach Smith’s sacred texts historically, textually, linguistically, and literarily to offer a multidisciplinary view.
While most of the contributors are Latter-day Saints, not all are. From its inception, the book was meant to be a scholarly work that anyone could read and engage in—whether a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or from any other branch of the Restoration or any denomination of Christianity or any other faith or no faith. Due to this intentional editorial decision, there is nothing in the book asserting or excluding supernatural involvement. The various translation projects are studied not in terms of the ancient origins they claim for themselves but rather in terms of their translation into English by Joseph Smith in the modern age.
Here is a brief overview of the comprehensive coverage provided in the book:
A chapter by religious studies scholar Christopher James Blythe examines Joseph Smith’s translation projects broadly within the Christian tradition of spiritual gifts, especially the gifts of speaking in tongues and the interpretation of tongues.
A chapter by literary scholar Jared Hickman compares Smith’s teachings about the “translation” of scripture and the “translation” (bodily transfiguration and ascension) of prophets such as Enoch and Elijah, showing how these two types of translation are related.
A chapter by historian Michael Hubbard MacKay investigates Joseph Smith’s earliest efforts toward translation, when he transcribed characters from the golden plates and sent a transcript thereof with Martin Harris to have it translated by prominent scholars like Samuel Mitchill and Charles Anthon.
A chapter by scholars Amy Easton-Flake and Rachel Cope shows how Emma Hale Smith, Mary Musselman Whitmer, and other women made Joseph Smith’s translation work possible and how they took on the roles of witnesses to the golden plates and their translation.
A chapter by scholarly writer Samuel Morris Brown investigates what the Book of Mormon has to say about the method of translation and related forms of scriptural generation.
A chapter by religious studies scholar Ann Taves compares Joseph Smith and the “translating” of the Book of Mormon with Helen Schucman and the “scribing” of A Course in Miracles—another long and complex religious text produced within a relatively short period of time.
A chapter by historian Richard Lyman Bushman explores how the Book of Mormon has a heightened and unusual awareness of its own construction as a book. It also considers how the early American history and culture of books and bookmaking may have influenced the way people understood this and other translation projects.
A chapter by historian and comparative religion scholar Grant Hardy explores the similarities and differences between the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith’s “thus saith the Lord” genre of commandments and other revelations (like those found in the Doctrine and Covenants), along with giving special attention to the rhetorical effect of the narrative history found in the Book of Mormon.
A chapter by scholars David W. Grua and William V. Smith thoroughly investigates the text of the new account of John now found in Doctrine and Covenants 7.
A chapter by New Testament scholars Thomas A. Wayment and Haley Wilson-Lemmon presents parallels between Joseph Smith’s “New Translation” of the King James Bible (JST) and an influential Bible Commentary by Methodist scriptorian Adam Clarke.
A chapter by historian Gerrit Dirkmaat plumbs the inner logic of Smith’s revelation that he should not carry on his “New Translation” of the Bible to include the Apocrypha.
A chapter by New Testament scholar Nicholas J. Frederick examines the extract from the “Record of John” that is embedded in what is now Doctrine and Covenants 93.
A chapter by historian David Golding investigates the concept of a pure and primordial language in Smith’s scriptural productions and closely inspects Smith’s circa 1832 document, titled “A Sample of Pure Language,” which consisted of a few words from this pure language as well as their English translations.
A chapter by Brian M. Hauglid, a scholar of the ancient near east, examines the early period of Joseph Smith’s translation of the Book of Abraham and compares the resulting text with content in the Egyptian language study documents that Smith and others were producing during the same period.
A chapter by Matthew J. Grey, a scholar of Judaism and other ancient Mediterranean religions, examines the influence of the Hebrew language, and Smith’s study of the language, as it is found in the Book of Abraham.
Finally, a chapter by historians Don Bradley and Mark Ashurst-McGee investigates Smith’s attempt in 1843 to translate a set of inscribed brass plates that were disinterred from an Indian mound near Kinderhook, Illinois, but were later shown to be modern forgeries planted in the mound as a prank on local Latter-day Saints.
About our Guest: Mark Ashurst-McGee is a senior historian in the Church History Department and the senior review editor for the Joseph Smith Papers Project, where he serves as a specialist in document analysis and documentary editing methodology. He is a co-editor of several volumes of the Joseph Smith Papers (Church Historians Press, 2008–), of Foundational Texts of Mormonism (Oxford University Press, 2018), and of this podcast’s featured book, Producing Ancient Scripture (University of Utah Press, 2020).
Episode 123: Producing Ancient Scripture: “Approaching Egyptian Papyri through Biblical Language: Joseph Smith’s Use of Hebrew in His Translation of the Book of Abraham” with Matthew J. Grey
Aug 26, 2020
Dr. Matthew J. Grey discusses his research for his chapter, “Approaching Egyptian Papyri through Biblical Language: Joseph Smith’s Use of Hebrew in His Translation of the Book of Abraham.”
Episode 122: Producing Ancient Scripture: Thomas Wayment on Joseph Smith’s Use of Adam Clarke in the JST
Aug 12, 2020
Dr. Thomas A. Wayment covers his research for his chapter “A Recovered Resource: The Use of Adam Clarke’s Bible Commentary in Joseph Smith’s Bible Translation.”
Episode 121: Despite All We Can Do with Daniel O. McClellan
Mar 18, 2020
Daniel O. McClellan discusses the literary, historical, and rhetorical meanings of a popular verse in the Book of Mormon.
Episode 120: Spiritual Anxiety with Debra Theobald McClendon
Mar 04, 2020
Dr. Debra Theobald McClendon discusses the management of anxiety and scrupulosity (Religious OCD).
Episode 119: The First Vision with Spencer W. McBride
Feb 05, 2020
Spencer W. McBride of the Joseph Smith Papers discusses a new podcast he wrote and produced about Joseph Smith's first vision.
Episode 118: Part 2–How the Book of Mormon Counters Anti-Semitism with Bradley J. Kramer
Jan 08, 2020
Bradley J. Kramer discusses how the Book of Mormon counters anti-Semitism in the New Testament.
Episode 117: Part 1–A New Approach to Studying the Book of Mormon with Bradley J. Kramer
Jan 08, 2020
Bradley J. Kramer explains how a rabbinical approach can improve your study of the Book of Mormon.
Episode 116: Joseph Smith, Nauvoo Leader with Christian Heimburger
Dec 18, 2019
Christian Heimburger of the Joseph Smith Papers Project reviews some interesting documents from the newly released volume 9 of the document series.
Episode 115: Jesus Christ in the Topical Guide with Stephanie Dibb Sorensen
Dec 04, 2019
Stephanie Dibb Sorensen discusses the journey she trod as she accepted President Russell M. Nelson's challenge to study the references to Christ in the scriptures.
Episode 114: The Book of Revelation with Nicholas J. Frederick
Nov 13, 2019
Dr. Nick Frederick discusses the contemporary significance of the Book of Revelation, and its use by Joseph Smith in the Doctrine and Covenants.
Episode 113: Religion, Politics, and Community Involvement with George B. Handley
Oct 30, 2019
George Handley discusses the similarities between civic involvement and religious stewardship.
Episode 112: The Council of Nicaea and Its Creed with Lincoln H. Blumell
Oct 09, 2019
Dr. Lincoln Blumell discusses the landmark Council of Nicaea, the Nicaean Creed, and a new book he edited about New Testament times.
Episode 111: A Church History Moment with J. B. Haws
Sep 06, 2019
J. B. Haws reviews the trajectory of Latter-day Saint church history study and notes a current special moment in church history research.
Episode 110: The Global Church and Lived Religion with Melissa Inouye
Aug 14, 2019
Melissa Wei-Tsing Inouye talks about her experiences studying global religions.
Episode 109: The Power of Godliness with Jonathan Stapley
Jul 10, 2019
Dr. Jonathan Stapley discusses the evolution of Latter-day Saint liturgy and sacred rituals.
Episode 108: The Latter-day Saint’s and Zion with Matthew C. Godfrey
Jun 12, 2019
Matthew C. Godfrey discusses the various Latter-day Saint Zion settlement projects.
Episode 107: Why Does Latter-day Saint Art Matter? with Jennifer Champoux
May 08, 2019
Jennifer Champoux discusses how Latter-day Saint art affects our religious understanding.
Episode 106: The Symbol of the Cross with Gaye Strathearn
Apr 10, 2019
Dr. Gaye Strathearn reviews scripture to emphasize the important symbol the cross is in LDS theology.
Episode 105: Discipleship with Eric Huntsman
Mar 20, 2019
Eric Huntsman talks about what the Gospel of John teaches us about discipleship.
Episode 104: Silent Souls Weeping with Jane Clayson Johnson
Mar 06, 2019
Journalist Jane Clayson Johnson talks about her findings from hundreds of Latter-day Saints touched by mental illness.
Episode 103: The Need for Historicity of the Book of Mormon with Stephen Smoot
Feb 20, 2019
In a recent article published in Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship titled “Et Incarnatus Est: The Imperative for Book of Mormon Historicity,” Stephen Smoot maintains the credibility of the Book of Mormon is intricately linked to its historicity. He discusses the article in this episode.
Episode 102: The Fourth Gospel with Joshua Matson
Feb 06, 2019
Joshua Matson discusses his Sperry Symposium article on the messianic message of the Fourth Gospel.
Episode 101: Studying the Book of Mormon with Grant Hardy
Jan 16, 2019
Grant Hardy talks about the new Maxwell Institute Study Edition of the Book of Mormon that he edited.
Episode 100: The Myth of Redemptive Violence with David Pulsipher
Jan 02, 2019
David Pulsipher discusses an alternate reading of the violence in the Book of Mormon. He sees it as showing us that nonviolence has the greatest blessings.
Episode 99: Luke’s Jesus with S. Kent Brown
Dec 12, 2018
S. Kent Brown discusses the beautiful message of the gospel of Luke.
Episode 98: Translation of the New Testament with Thomas A. Wayment
Nov 21, 2018
Dr. Thomas Wayment discusses the history of the New Testament manuscript and a new study guide and translation intended for an LDS audience.
Episode 97: The Book of Abraham with Robin Scott Jensen
Nov 07, 2018
LDS Church historian Robin Scott Jensen discusses the Joseph Smith Paper's project exploration of the Joseph Smith papyri.
Episode 96: The Apocrypha with Jared Ludlow
Oct 24, 2018
Jared Ludlow walks Latter-day Saints through the gems of the Old Testament Apocrypha.
Episode 95: The LDS Church in India with Taunalyn Rutherford
Oct 10, 2018
Dr. Taunalyn Ford Rutherford shares her research on the Hyderbad India Stake as a window into how the LDS Church is globalizing.
Episode 94: Day of Atonement Symbolism in LDS Discourse with Shon Hopkin
Sep 19, 2018
Dr. Shon Hopkin discusses the overlap of symbolism in the Jewish Day of Atonement and Latter-day Saint ordinances.
Episode 93: Isaiah 2.0 with Joseph M. Spencer
Sep 05, 2018
Dr. Joseph M. Spencer gives some tips for understanding the Book of Isaiah.
Episode 92: Intertextuality in the Book of Mormon with Nick Frederick
Aug 22, 2018
Dr. Nicholas Frederick discusses New Testament intertextuality in the Book of Mormon.
Episode 91: Part 2: W. W. Phelps and Early Mormonism with Bruce Van Orden
Aug 08, 2018
Part 2 of Laura Harris Hales' interview of Bruce A. Van Orden about the life and work of W. W. Phelps, a unique witness to the events of the early Church.
Episode 90: Part 1: W. W. Phelps and Early Mormonism with Bruce Van Orden
Aug 08, 2018
Bruce A. Van Orden discusses the life and work of W. W. Phelps, a unique witness to the events of the early Church.
Episode 89: Wisdom Literature with Dan Belnap
Jul 25, 2018
Dr. Dan Belnap discusses the wisdom literature tradition in the Bible and the ancient Near East.
Episode 88: Israel’s Kings with Dana M. Pike
Jul 11, 2018
Dr. Dana Pike discusses the time period from the reign of Judges in Israel through the fall of the Southern Kingdom as recorded in Bible.
Episode 87: The Millennial Temple – R. Jean Addams
Jun 27, 2018
R. Jean Addams discusses the temple lot in Independence, Missouri.
Episode 86: 19th Century Restorationists – RoseAnn Benson
Jun 27, 2018
Author RoseAnn Benson discusses nineteenth-century restorationists Joseph Smith and Alexander Campbell and their legacies.
Episode 85: Old Major, Joseph Smith’s Dog – Alexander L. Baugh
Jun 27, 2018
A lighthearted look at the companionship Joseph Smith shared with his dog, Old Major.
Episode 84: Violence in the Bible with George A. Pierce
Jun 13, 2018
Dr. George A. Pierce probes for deeper meaning behind the violence in the conquest narratives of the Old Testament.
Episode 82: The LDS Church and the Sugar Industry – Matthew C. Godfrey
May 23, 2018
Historian Matthew C. Godfrey discusses the LDS Church's involvement in the US sugar industry.
Episode 81: A Closer Look at the Foundational Texts of Mormonism – Sharalyn D. Howcroft
May 09, 2018
Sharalyn Howcroft gives insight into how "History of Joseph Smith by His Mother" came to be.
Episode 80: A Philosophical Look at God – Blake T. Ostler
Apr 25, 2018
Blake Ostler looks at the philosophical components of the nature of God.
Episode 79: Nauvoo, the Beautiful and Malaria Infested – Christopher Blythe
Apr 11, 2018
Christopher Blythe of the Joseph Smith Papers project shares insights into interesting documents from the early Nauvoo period.
Episode 78: Beauty for Ashes – Scott Livingston
Mar 28, 2018
Scott Livingston discusses practical ways we can call on the Atonement.
Episode 77: Old Testament Peoples and Places – Jared Ludlow
Mar 14, 2018
Jared Ludlow talks about the ancient Near East and its peoples.
Episode 76: Abinadi – Shon Hopkin
Feb 28, 2018
Shon D. Hopkins discusses the aspects of the Abinidi narrative as you look at it through narrative, theologic, historical, and philosophical lenses.
Episode 75: The Dead Sea Scrolls – Joshua Matson
Feb 14, 2018
Josh Madsen, a student of the Dead Sea Scrolls, reviews their discovery, contents, and meaning.
Episode 74: What was on the Lost 116 Pages? with Don Bradley
Jan 31, 2018
Brian Hales interviews Don Bradley about cutting-edge research regarding the lost 116 pages of the Book of Mormon.
Episode 73: Symbolism and the Flood in the Old Testament – Paul Hoskisson
Jan 17, 2018
Retired BYU Professor Paul Hosskisson discusses the account of Noah's flood in the Bible and possible interpretations for a needed cleansing of the earth.
Episode 72: The Missouri War and Liberty Jail Letters – David W. Grua
Jan 03, 2018
Joseph Smith Papers volume editor David W. Grua discusses the Missouri War and Joseph Smith's Liberty Jail letters.
Episode 71: Genesis 1 – Benjamin Spackman
Dec 20, 2017
Ben Spackman discusses the meaning of Genesis in light of the message its ancient priestly authors were trying to convey.
Episode 70: The Documentary Hypothesis – Cory Crawford
Dec 13, 2017
Dr. Cory Crawford describes how the documentary hypothesis describes what may have been the process used to create the first 5 books of the Old Testament.
Episode 69: Introduction to Higher Biblical Criticism – Philip Barlow
Dec 06, 2017
Philip Barlow wrote his landmark book Mormons and the Bible over 30 years ago.Here he presents an introduction to higher criticism of the Bible for Mormons.
Episode 68: #LightTheWorld 2017 – David Archuleta
Dec 01, 2017
Nick Galieti sits down with David Archuleta and discusses what members can do for the #LightTheWorld 2017 Campaign through acts of service.
Episode 67: #LightTheWorld – Jenny Oaks Baker
Dec 01, 2017
Tune in as Taunalyn Rutherford interviews Jenny Oaks Baker about being a mom, concert violinist, and performing with her children.
Episode 66: After the Mountain Meadows Massacre – Richard E. Turley
Nov 29, 2017
Richard Turley coauthor of a comprehensive volume on the Mountain Meadows Massacre details the legal trial of perpetrators of the crime by federal officials.
Episode 65: The Early Mormon Search for Religious Liberty – Paul Reeve
Nov 22, 2017
Utah historian Paul Reeve discusses what we learn from the records of the Council of the Fifty and the timeless issues these early Mormons grappled with.
Episode 64: Religious and Financial Panic in Kirtland – Elizabeth Kuehn
Nov 15, 2017
Elizabeth Kuehn shares research done by the Joseph Smith Papers team regarding the Kirtland Safety Society started by Joseph Smith and associates.
Episode 63: Becoming Like God – Terryl Givens
Nov 08, 2017
Terryl Givens discusses the somewhat controversial "Becoming Like God" Gospel Topics essay, and how some Mormons are confused about what becoming like God actually means.
Episode 62: The Christ Who Heals – Fiona Givens
Nov 01, 2017
In this extended episode, Fiona Givens discusses one of the most important concepts restored by Joseph Smith -- a Christ who heals our woundedness.
Episode 61: Mark’s Human Portrait of Jesus – Julie M. Smith
Oct 25, 2017
Julie Smith discusses her new translation of the first gospel, attributed to "Mark," which presents a human, earthy Christ concerned with discipleship.
Episode 60: Keeping the Records – Keith Erekson
Oct 18, 2017
Keith Erekson, director of the LDS Church History Library, discusses preserving the artifacts, reconstructing, and interpreting of history.
Episode 59: Women in the Old Testament – Heather Farrell
Oct 16, 2017
Heather Farrell discusses forgotten women of the Old Testament.
Episode 58: The Martin Luther that Mormons Don’t Know – Craig Harline
Oct 11, 2017
Though often credited for laying groundwork for the Restoration, Martin Luther actually shared few religious views in common with those of the Mormon faith.
Episode 57: The Evolution of Temple Doctrine – Jennifer Ann Mackley
Oct 09, 2017
Jennifer Ann Mackley shares from 15 years of research of Wilford Woodruff's journal and letters about his involvement in the development of temple doctrine.
Episode 56: The World of Digital Natives
Oct 04, 2017
Michelle Linford, DaNae Handy, and Greg Trimble provide practical tools for living in a digital world whether you are a concerned parent or a new blogger.
Episode 55: Joseph Smith’s Use of Bible Commentaries in His Translations – Thomas A. Wayment
Sep 27, 2017
Dr. Thomas A. Wayment discusses correlations between the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible and entries in Adam Clarke's commentary on the Bible.
Episode 54: The JST in the D&C – Kenneth Alford
Sep 20, 2017
Dr. Kenneth Alford has used his familiarity with the JST to located its presence in the published revelations of Joseph Smith as found in the D&C.
Episode 53: Young Priests, Ancient Priests – Daniel Smith
Sep 13, 2017
Young scholar Daniel Smith builds replicas of elements of the ancient Israelite temple to teach LDS youth about its symbolism.
Episode 52: The (Im)patient Job – Michael Austin
Sep 06, 2017
The details Austin shares in this episode of LDS Perspectives provide a more complete understanding of the book of Job in the Bible.
Episode 51: Joseph’s Study of Hebrew and the Book of Abraham – Matthew J. Grey
Aug 30, 2017
Matthew J. Grey shares research into how Joseph Smith's study of Hebrew in the Kirtland School later influenced his translation of the Book of Abraham.
Episode 50: A Religion of Both Prayers and Pterodactyls – Steven Peck
Aug 23, 2017
Steven Peck discusses the intersection of science and religion and urges members to teach the compatibility rather than the conflict of the two.
Episode 49: Schooling and Being Schooled in Religious Education – Casey Paul Griffiths
Aug 16, 2017
Casey Paul Griffiths discusses the history of the Church Education System and its globalization efforts in Mormon religious education.
Archival historian Ardis Parshall reviews how Mormon have been portrayed in literature and how that has affected public perception worldwide.
Episode 47: Recreating the Book of Mormon World – Taylor Halverson and Tyler Griffin
Aug 02, 2017
Tyler Griffin and Taylor Halverson are working on an app to situate the Book of Mormon not within America but rather within the text itself.
Episode 46: The Delicate Art of Critical Judgment – George Handley
Jul 26, 2017
George Handley expounds on the concepts he shared in his November 2015 speech entitled "Criticism, Compassion, and Charity" to include critical judgment.
Episode 45: Misunderstanding the Bible – Benjamin Spackman
Jul 19, 2017
Ben Spackman discusses how approaching the Bible like a library made up of separate books of different genres can help us avoid misunderstanding scripture.
Episode 44: Mystery Solved: Who Wrote the Lectures on Faith? – Noel Reynolds
Jul 12, 2017
Retired BYU professor Noel Reynolds discusses his investigation into the mystery of who wrote the Lectures on Faith and how he cracked the case.
Episode 43: Discussing the Priesthood Ban with Members of the Genesis Group
Jul 05, 2017
The Presidency of the Genesis Group and their wives introduce their organization and discuss the race and priesthood gospel topics essay.
Episode 42: The Divine Council with Stephen Smoot
Jun 28, 2017
Stephen Smoot discusses how the divine council is depicted in the standard works of the LDS Church and Joseph Smith's 1844 discourses.
Episode 41: The Word of Wisdom with Jed Woodworth
Jun 21, 2017
Jed Woodworth offers insights into the reception history of the Word of Wisdom or what is often referred to as the "Lord's Law of Health."
Episode 40: Help! Teaching in Church Settings – John Hilton III
Jun 14, 2017
John Hilton III, a veteran of teaching in LDS Church settings, shares some tips for teaching more effectively through the "know, do, and feel" model.
Episode 39: Mere Christians? with Robert Millet
Jun 07, 2017
Robert L. Millet has spent years engaging in interfaith dialogue and answering the question: “Are Mormon’s Christian?”
Episode 38: Mormon Stories in Shorts – Scott Hales
May 31, 2017
In the graphic novel The Garden of Enid, Scott Hales owns the good, the bad, and the sublime in Mormon stories, helping members heal and grow.
Episode 37: Tough Questions about Mormon Polygamy – Brian and Laura Hales
May 24, 2017
Daniel C. Peterson of the Interpreter Foundation interviews Brian and Laura Hales about common questions asked about Joseph Smith's practice of polygamy.
Episode 36: Susa Young Gates and the Vision of the Redemption of the Dead – Lisa Olsen Tait
May 17, 2017
Joseph F. Smith shared a vision he had had of the redemption of the dead with his friend Susa Young Gates shortly before his death. It later became D&C 138.
Episode 35: A Heavenly Mother – Rachel Steenblik and Caitlin Connolly
May 10, 2017
Rachel Hunt Steenblick and Caitlin Connolly describe notions of the divine feminine or a Heavenly Mother with Russell Stevenson.
Episode 34: The Problem of Pain – David F. Holland
May 03, 2017
With so many today feeling the pain of depression and other mental health issues, Holland feels mental illness is the next great frontier for discipleship.
Episode 33: Personal Boundary Maintenance – Leta Greene
Apr 26, 2017
Leta Greene tips on overcoming our feelings of inadequacy to build our self esteem and achieve our life goals despite our past challenges.
Finding a balance between loyalty or commitment to one’s faith and sympathetic openness to other faiths is one of the biggest challenges Mormons face.
Episode 31: Tithing and the Law of Consecration – Steven C. Harper
Apr 12, 2017
Host Nick Galieti interviews Steven C. Harper about two essays he wrote for the Revelations in Context series on the law of consecration and tithing.
Episode 30: Jewish Holy Days – Gale T. Boyd
Apr 05, 2017
Gale T. Boyd discusses her experience living in Israel and the relationship between Jewish holidays, the Restoration, and religious history.
Episode 29: Art in Sacred Spaces – Rita Wright
Mar 29, 2017
Art historian Rita Wright gives us tools to help us better understand art in sacred space of other religions and especially early Christianity.
Episode 28: The Witnesses of the Book of Mormon – Larry Morris
Mar 22, 2017
Joseph Smith was relieved when he was able to share the witness of the Nephite plates with several men chosen for that role.
Episode 27: What is LDS Doctrine? – Michael Goodman
Mar 15, 2017
Dr. Michael Goodman discusses three criteria for determining doctrine: it is eternal, sustained by the united voice of the Brethren, and is salvific.
Episode 26: New Directions in Mormon Studies – Patrick Mason
Mar 08, 2017
Historian Patrick Mason discusses how the field of Mormon Studies has changed over the past 100 years and what we have to look forward to.
Episode 25: Another View of the Mormon Trail with Laura Allred Hurtado
Mar 01, 2017
Artists Josh Clare, John Burton, and Bryan Mark Taylor worked for years on Saints at Devil's Gate. Tells story of the Mormon Trail in landscapes.
Episode 24: LDS Women at the Pulpit – Jenny Reeder and Kate Holbrook
Feb 27, 2017
At the Pulpit editors Jenny Reeder and Kate Holbrook discuss their multi-year project to bring LDS women's speeches together for use in lessons and talks.
Episode 23: Depression and Mental Health Myths – Nick Galieti interviews Brian Murdock
Feb 22, 2017
Therapist Brian Murdock discusses common myths surrounding mental health issues, roadblocks to getting treatment, and its effect on family members.
Episode 22: In Brigham Young’s Words – Gerrit Dirkmaat and LaJean Carruth
Feb 15, 2017
Gerrit Dirkmaat and LaJean Carruth are co-authors of an article on the discrepancies between George Watt's shorthand and Brigham Young's published speeches.
Episode 21: Learning from Pakistan – Robert Eaton
Feb 09, 2017
BYU-I is using teaching through metaphor to help students analyze the way they view other cultures and to enhance learning.
Episode 20: D&C 76, The Vision of the Resurrection – Matthew McBride
Feb 01, 2017
While revising the Bible, Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon saw a vision that touched on the most controversial issue of the time: Who is saved. D&C 76.
Episode 19: The Book of Mormon as Literature – Grant Hardy
Jan 25, 2017
In this podcast episode, we explore with Grant Hardy how we can see the different voices of the Book of Mormon narrators at every turn of the page.
Episode 18: Of Governments and Laws (D&C 134) – Spencer W. McBride
Jan 18, 2017
Spencer McBride,a specialist in early American religions, explains how Mormons can understand their religion better as they learn about 19th century America
Episode 17: Exploring Near Death Experiences – Brent Top
Jan 11, 2017
Brent Top who has written on near-death experiences identifies several common elements such as a life review, meeting loved ones, and spirit communication.
Episode 16: Joseph Smith’s Papyri – John Gee
Jan 03, 2017
Dr. John Gee traces the history of rolls of enigmatic papyri from Egypt to Ohio to Chicago and finally to Salt Lake City in this fascinating discussion.
Episode 15: Women’s Voices – Janiece Johnson and Jenny Reeder
Dec 28, 2016
The Witness of Women contains the testimonies of early LDS women in an easy-to-use format for more easy use in gospel teaching.
Episode 14: Curriculum and Correlation – David B. Marsh
Dec 21, 2016
From his years teaching and writing curriculum, David Marsh dispenses wisdom about how to approach our Sunday experience in order to minimize frustration.
Episode 13: When Was Jesus Born? – Jeffrey R. Chadwick
Dec 14, 2016
Dr. Jeffrey Chadwick theorizes on the date of Christ's birth using clues from history and scripture. You may be surprised at his conclusion.
Episode 12: Revelations in Context – “An Elect Lady” with Matthew Grow
Dec 01, 2016
Matthew J. Grow, publications director for the LDS Church History Department, discusses the Revelations in Context project and his essay on Emma Smith.
Episode 11: Joseph, Mary, and Jesus – Eric Huntsman
Nov 29, 2016
We learn how we began to celebrate Christmas, which was first seen as soft idolatry and the timing of the addition of the birth narratives in the Gospels.
Episode 10: Book of Mormon Scholarship, Theories, and Folklore – Brant A. Gardner
Nov 23, 2016
Brant A. Gardner discusses the didactic model of translating the Book of Mormon, and discusses a possible Mesoamerican setting for the Book of Mormon.
Episode 9: Joseph’s Seer Stones – Michael Hubbard MacKay
Nov 15, 2016
Michael MacKay explores how the seer stones used by Joseph Smith to translate the Book of Mormon are still relevant to Mormons today.
Episode 8: What is Isaiah Doing in the Book of Mormon? – Joseph Spencer
Nov 03, 2016
Joseph Spencer describes how making sense of Isaiah's place in the Book of Mormon is the essential key to making sense of the Book of Mormon.
Episode 7: Pursue-Withdrawal Relationship Syndrome – Jonathan Sherman
Nov 02, 2016
Emil and Jonathan discuss avoiding pursue-withdrawal relationship syndrome, a common pitfall that hinders rather than invites intimacy in marriages.
Episode 6: DNA Detective Work – Ugo Perego
Oct 26, 2016
Dr. Perego shares his findings on three topics: Joseph Smith's posterity, DNA of North American peoples, and victims of the Mountain Meadows Massacre.
Episode 5: Book of Mormon Central – Neal Rappleye
Oct 19, 2016
Neal Rappleye explains Book of Mormon Central resources from KnoWhys to a new program that integrates Book of Mormon scholarship with scriptural text.
Episode 4: Homosexuality and the Gospel – Ty Mansfield
Oct 12, 2016
Nick Galieti and Dr. Ty Mansfield openly discuss the need for dialogues regarding appropriate sexual boundaries in family, marriage, and church settings.
Episode 3: LDS Artwork Revisited – Anthony Sweat
Oct 04, 2016
Russell Stevenson and Anthony Sweat discuss how artists have helped shape perceptions of LDS scriptures and historical events over the past seventy years.
Episode 2: What is Grace? – Brad Wilcox
Sep 28, 2016
In this episode, Dr. Brad Wilcox joins Nick Galieti to discuss the grace of Christ, a central doctrine in the LDS Church.
Episode 1: The Historical Jesus – Thomas Wayment
Sep 19, 2016
Often we concentrate on the teachings and ministry of Jesus, but there is value in studying the historical Jesus, a man born over 2000 years ago.
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