Maxwell Institute Podcast

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MIConversations #7—Thomas Wayment with Terryl Givens, “Translating a new New Testament” Jan 11, 2019

Show notes

Maxwell Institute Conversations are special episodes of the Maxwell Institute Podcast, hosted by Terryl Givens and created in collaboration with Faith Matters Foundation. Audio and video available.

A lot has changed for Thomas Wayment since this he sat down for this conversation with Terryl Givens. At the time, Thom was a professor of ancient scripture working on a new translation of the New Testament intended for Latter-day Saints. Now he’s teaching classical studies and his translation has been published by the Religious Studies Center and Deseret Book—just in time for Latter-day Saint Sunday school’s focus on the New Testament. This conversation focuses on his new translation and other insights from his work in biblical scholarship.

About the Guest

Thomas A. Wayment is a professor of Classical studies at Brigham Young University, where he previously worked as publications director of the Religious Studies Center and as a professor of ancient scripture. He received his BA in Classics from the University of California at Riverside and his MA and PhD in New Testament studies from the Claremont Graduate School. Dr. Wayment’s research interests include the historical life of Jesus, New Testament manuscript traditions, the life of Paul, and the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible.

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William Bickerton: Forgotten Latter Day Prophet, with Daniel P. Stone [MIPodcast #87] Dec 13, 2018

Show notes

William Bickerton was a coal miner from England who emigrated to the United States and joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1845. Without ever having met the church’s founding prophet, he soon came to see himself as Joseph Smith’s true heir, leading what came to be called simply The Church of Jesus Christ, but more commonly referred to as the Bickertonites.

Despite founding the third largest church tracing its lineage back to Joseph Smith, Bickerton’s biographer Daniel P. Stone calls him a forgotten prophet—and he’s not referring to the memories of members of the Salt Lake-based church. He says in many ways Bickerton has been forgotten in his own movement.

About the Guest

Daniel P. Stone holds BA and MA degrees in history from the University of Florida and Florida Atlantic University. He has taught classes at Broward College, Schoolcraft College, University of Detroit Mercy, and Wayne County Community College. Currently he is a researcher at a private library-archive in Detroit, where he and his wife Laura, and daughter, Lily, live. He is a deacon in the Church of Jesus Christ established by William Bickerton.

The post William Bickerton: Forgotten Latter Day Prophet, with Daniel P. Stone [MIPodcast #87] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

MIConversations #6—Terryl Givens with Margaret Blair Young, “The deep waters” Nov 27, 2018

Show notes

Maxwell Institute Conversations are special episodes of the Maxwell Institute Podcast, hosted by Terryl Givens and created in collaboration with Faith Matters Foundation.

In this episode Terryl Givens sits down with Margaret Blair Young to talk about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Congo, faith transitions, spiritual healing, writing, and more.

About the Guest

Margaret Blair Young is an American author, filmmaker, and writing instructor who taught for 30 years at Brigham Young University. She’s written with Darius Grey about early black Latter-day Saints and her latest project is a film about more recent black converts in Africa. The film is called Heart of Africa.

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Danes, Lutherans, and Latter-day Saints, with Julie K. Allen [MIPodcast #86] Nov 13, 2018

Show notes

The religious marketplace in Denmark was thrown wide open in 1849 when the country ratified its first democratic constitution. After nearly a thousand years of state control, the people were guaranteed religious freedom. No more would Danes automatically be Lutheran. Missionary-minded Christians from around the world flocked to Denmark. Thousands upon thousands of Danes joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

In this episode, Dr. Julie K. Allen joins us to talk about these converts as described in her new book Danish But Not Lutheran: The Impact of Mormonism on Danish Cultural Identity 1850-1920.

About the Guest

Julie K. Allen is a professor of comparative literature at Brigham Young University and author of Danish, But Not Lutheran: The Impact of Mormonism on Danish Cultural Identity, 1850-1920. Before coming to BYU she held the position of Paul and Renate Madsen Professor of Danish in the Scandinavian Studies Department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

The post Danes, Lutherans, and Latter-day Saints, with Julie K. Allen [MIPodcast #86] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

Race and the Making of the Mormon People, with Max Mueller [MIPodcast #85] Oct 16, 2018

Show notes

This year marks forty years since The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints began, once again, to ordain black members of African descent to its priesthood. Forty years since the church began administering it sacred temple ordinances to black women and men. Over the past forty years the body of scholarship on race and the Church has expanded, with the biggest advances happening over the past ten years.

Max Perry Mueller’s book is one of the latest offerings. It’s called Race and the Making of the Mormon People (University of North Carolina Press).

About the Guest

Max Perry Mueller is assistant professor of religious studies at the University of Nebraska. He is author of Race and the Making of the Mormon People.

The post Race and the Making of the Mormon People, with Max Mueller [MIPodcast #85] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The making of Jane and Emma, with Chantelle Squires and Melissa Leilani Larson [MIPodcast #84] Oct 09, 2018

Show notes

Jane and Emma is a new film based on the historical relationship of Jane Manning—one of the few black converts to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints during its infancy—and Emma Smith, who presided over the Church’s women’s organization, the Relief Society, and who was married to the prophet Joseph Smith. It’s an emotional film that delves into some of the most sensitive issues in Latter-day Saint history, including racial tension, polygamy, and the death of Joseph Smith. In this special episode we’re joined by the director of Jane and Emma, Chantelle Squires, and Melissa Leilani Larson who wrote the screenplay. Learn about the challenges and rewards of film-making, the intricacies of creating historical fiction, and more. Trailer About the Guests

Chantelle Squires is producer and director of Jane and Emma. Among other things she also produced and directed “Reserved To Fight,” a feature length documentary that aired nationally on PBS. She won an Emmy for her work on the third season of “The Generations Project” with BYUtv.

Melissa Leilani Larson wrote the screenplay for Jane and Emma. She’s written and produced a number of plays including “Little Happy Secrets” and “Pilot Program,” some of which appear in the book Third Wheel from BCC Press. Larson also wrote the screenplay for Freetown, winner of the Ghana Movie Award for Best Screenplay and the Utah Film Award for Best Picture.

The post The making of Jane and Emma, with Chantelle Squires and Melissa Leilani Larson [MIPodcast #84] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

MIConversations #5—Brian Kershisnik with Terryl Givens, “Surprising angels” Sep 28, 2018

Show notes

Maxwell Institute Conversations are special videocast episodes of the Maxwell Institute Podcast, hosted by Terryl Givens and created in collaboration with Faith Matters Foundation.

In this episode Terryl Givens sits down with Brian Kershisnik to talk about art, creativity, and worship.

About the Guest

Brian Kershisnik is an American painter. He studied art at the University of Utah, Brigham Young University, and the University of Texas at Austin. He started a studio in Kanosh, Utah, in 1991 and in 2006 he established another studio in Provo, Utah, where he currently lives. His notable works include a portrait of Leslie Norris, Nativity, and She Will Find What Was Lost.

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MIConversations #4—Thomas F. Rogers with Terryl Givens, “Risk-taking discipleship” Aug 31, 2018

Show notes

Maxwell Institute Conversations are special videocast episodes of the Maxwell Institute Podcast, hosted by Terryl Givens and created in collaboration with Faith Matters Foundation.

In this episode Terryl Givens sits down with Thomas F. Rogers to talk about the risks of discipleship, and worshiping God with all one’s heart, might, mind, and strength.

About the Guest

Thomas F. Rogers is a noted playwright, essayist, and scholar who taught Russian at Brigham Young University from 1969 to 2000. He also served as director of the BYU Honors Program in the 1970s. From 1993 to 1996, he was president of the LDS Church’s Russia St. Petersburg Mission, the subject of his memoir A Call to Russia: Glimpses of Missionary Life (Provo, UT: BYU Studies, 1999). Subsequently, he and his wife, Merriam, served in the Stockholm Sweden Temple. From 2007 until his release in 2014, Rogers was a traveling LDS patriarch assigned to the LDS Church’s Europe East Area. He is author of Let Your Hearts and Minds Expand: Reflections on Faith, Reason, Charity, and Beauty (Neal A. Maxwell Institute, 2016). Tom and Merriam currently live in Bountiful, Utah, where he spends time painting and visiting their seven children and forty grandchildren.

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Christianity and American politics, with Matthew Bowman [MIPodcast #82] Aug 14, 2018

Show notes

What comes to mind when you hear the term “American Christians”? Most people today think of the so-called Religious Right, a loosely knit group of conservative Christians who oppose legal abortion, favor gun rights, and hail Ronald Reagan as one like unto Moses. Matthew Bowman’s latest book is a wake-up call, reminding us that there’s no such thing as American Christianity. There are Christianities, ranging from conservative to liberal, all over the political spectrum.

In this episode we’ll complicate the simple story and try to find out who gets to decide what counts as Christian in the United States. Matthew Bowman talks about his latest book, Christian: The Politics of a Word in America.

About the Guest

Matthew Bowman is Associate Professor of History at Henderson State University. He is the author of The Mormon People, and a new book called Christian: The Politics of a Word in America from Harvard University Press.

The post Christianity and American politics, with Matthew Bowman [MIPodcast #82] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

MIConversations #3—Kate Holbrook with Terryl Givens, “Extraordinary Women in Mormon History” Jul 27, 2018

Show notes

Maxwell Institute Conversations are special videocast episodes of the Maxwell Institute Podcast, hosted by Terryl Givens and created in collaboration with Faith Matters Foundation.

In this episode Terryl Givens sits down with Kate Holbrook to talk about extraordinary women in Latter-day Saint history.

About the Guest

Kate Holbrook is Managing Historian of Women’s History at the LDS Church History Department and co-editor of At the Pulpit: 185 Years of Discourses by Latter-day Saint Women and the award-winning The First Fifty Years of Relief Society: Key Documents in Latter-day Saint Women’s History. She also co-edited Women and Mormonism: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives and Global Values 101: A Short Course. For her dissertation work on religion and food, she received the first Eccles Fellowship in Mormon Studies at the University of Utah. Her current projects include a history of the LDS young women organization and a monograph on LDS foodways.

The post MIConversations #3—Kate Holbrook with Terryl Givens, “Extraordinary Women in Mormon History” appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

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