Adam Powell’s MI Guest Lecture is now available to watch online: “Crisis Converted: Opposition, Salvation, and Elasticity in Early Mormonism.” Why do some new religious movements succeed while others fail? Why are notions of deification—the belief that humans progress toward divinity—found in both early Christian history and in early Mormon history? Did the opposition experienced by Joseph Smith and his followers have lasting effects? […]
Read MoreI’m excited to announce the publication of the fifth and final volume of medical aphorisms by the great Medieval Jewish physician and theologian Moses Maimonides, translated from the Arabic by Gerrit Bos, a world authority on Maimonides. Moses Maimonides is among the most celebrated rabbis in the history of Judaism and the author of works […]
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How the Reformation rebelled against Luther, with Brad S. Gregory [ 1:06:22 | 91.51 MB ] Play Now | Play in Popup | DownloadWhen Martin Luther published his 95 Theses in October of 1517 he had no intention of starting a revolution. But he became a rebel and the Reformation took off. And then the Reformation rebelled against Luther, and we’re still dealing with consequences that would have horrified the reformer five hundred years later. That’s how historian Brad […]
Read MoreI am certainly not alone in remembering where I was sixteen years ago today. Roommates gone, I was working at home in the avenues of Salt Lake City reading nineteenth-century newspapers on the velvety green couch. The Today show on in the background suddenly became an inescapable foreground as I saw a plane collide with […]
Read More Martin Luther and the birth of the Reformation, with Craig Harline [ 1:20:44 | 111.24 MB ] Play Now | Play in Popup | DownloadWhat was Martin Luther trying to accomplish when he nailed his ninety-five theses to the Wittenburg church door? Would you believe he didn’t intend to start a new religious movement at all? Down the centuries Martin Luther has been lauded by some, lambasted by others. Was he an amazing hero or an arch heretic, or perhaps […]
Read MoreApplying to the Mormon Theology Seminar was something of an exercise in confronting vulnerability for me. I have always been interested in theology, but my career path thus far has taken me in a decidedly non-academic direction, and I felt a bit fearful that I would be out of my depth in a project of […]
Read More Womanist theology and Mormonism, with Janan Graham-Russell [ 54:06 | 74.64 MB ] Play Now | Play in Popup | DownloadWhen you think about your religious beliefs, your theology, how much consideration have you given to your race? How has the color of your skin affected your understanding of God, of Jesus Christ, or of your religious community? Maybe you’ve never thought much about it. If you’re a black Latter-day Saint in America, you virtually […]
Read MoreEspecially to those outside the faith, the beliefs and practices of the Mormon religion are largely unknown, and this has led to caricatures of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Below are 10 facts about Mormonism taken from Feeding the Flock: The Foundations of Mormon Thought: Church and Praxis.
1. In Mormon theology, the purpose and project of man is not […]
Read MoreThe Mormon Theological Seminar has been a wonderful experience. The two weeks we spent together was an amazing time with deep insights and many positive aspects. While there are many things about the experience I could speak to here, I’ll highlight one aspect of note. Academics can be an isolating occupation. Peddling in ideas and thoughts […]
Read MoreThe symposium for the 2017 Summer Seminar on Mormon Culture wrapped up yesterday at Brigham Young University. Terryl Givens and Philip Barlow directed this year’s group of twelve scholars who focused on the subject, “Mormonism Engages the World.” The Maxwell Institute is thrilled that we have the opportunity to co-sponsor these seminars along with the […]
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