The Laura F. Willes Center for Book of Mormon Studies has invited Kristin L. Matthews to deliver the 2015 Book of Mormon lecture. Professor Matthews has chosen to speak on the theme:
“Come Into the Fold of God”:Caring for the Poor and Needy
The Book of Mormon is a cautionary tale about the destructive effects of materialism and a also a call to love and serve “the least of these.” Book of Mormon prophets foresaw how a love of riches would be the central challenge among those who “professed to belong to the church of God” (Helaman 4:11) in the latter days. Consequently, they offered extensive counsel on—and examples of—how believers might avoid falling prey to “that lucre which doth corrupt the soul” (Mosiah 29:40) and answer the Savior’s call to discipleship by caring for the poor among them. Given the recent addition of “caring for the poor and needy” to the stated mission of the LDS Church, examining what the Book of Mormon has to say about charity, humility, and service is key to understanding both individual salvation and the creation of a Zion people in this last dispensation.
When & Where
Date: Tuesday, October 6Time: 7:00 PMPlace: Assembly Hall, Hinckley Center, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah
About Kristin L. Matthews
Kristin L. Matthews teaches courses in American literature and culture at Brigham Young University. She specializes in twentieth-century literature and culture with an emphasis on the Cold War. Her sub-specialty is twentieth-century African American literature. She employs an American Studies methodology in her research and teaching, putting literature into conversation with a range of political, historical, sociological, and popular texts in order to best examine American letters and life. Since 2011 she has been the Program Coordinator of BYU’s American Studies Program.Professor Matthews received her BA in English from Brigham Young University in 1995 and her Ph.D. in American Literature from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2004. Her work has appeared in American Studies, Arizona Quarterly, Modern Drama, Journal of American Culture, Journal of Popular Culture, and CEA: Critic (among other journals). Her book “A” is for “America”: Cold War Literature and the Politics of Reading is forthcoming from the University of Massachusetts Press. Professor Matthews has received various awards, including American Studies Professor of the Year (2007), the English Department Teaching Award (2007), Alcuin Fellow of GE and Honors from BYU (2011), and thhe Faculty Women’s Association Teaching Award (2012), as well as an Albert J. Colton Fellowship from the Utah Humanities Council (2010), and the Stone-Suderman Prize awarded by the American Studies Journal for best article in 2009 (2013).When not at work, Dr. Matthews can be found reading a book, cheering on the Green Bay Packers (she’s part owner), baking fancy desserts, hiking in the mountains, playing the piano, or singing with her jazz combo.