This post was written by Rebekah Call, a participant in the 2022 Latter-day Saint theology seminar.
Over a decade ago, I learned about favorite cafés of great thinkers in recent centuries. These thinkers, along with groups of intellectual friends, would gather and discuss in these cafés, often daily, for hours on end. This small-group discussion format proved to be the genesis of many key works of western literature and philosophy. When I first learned of this, I remember dismissing this habitude, thinking that it seemed to be a waste of time. After all, who wants to sit in a café day after day? I have matured since then. I have learned that often proliferation of ideas comes, not in solitude, but in conversation. The Latter-day Saint Theology Seminar provided just such a conversation, with three crucial elements for success: the format, the text, and the people.
During the first week of theseminar, we individually studied passages from Enos in the mornings, and thengathered in the afternoons to pick apart our thoughts, arguments, and the textitself. This added to the production of ideas: when I arrived at the seminar,the thought of spending an entire day on two or three verses from the Book ofMormon was daunting. I was not sure I would be able to find enough to say aboutthe text each day. But somehow, I always ended up with much more than would fitin my daily writings. The seminar’s concept of theology also enhanced the valueof the experience. None of us sought the “one and only true interpretation” ofthe passage. Rather, we explored. We questioned. We experimented. And Enos cameto life. I found a wealth of insight into concepts such as faith, knowledge,and agency.
As a Hebrew Bible scholar, I amtrained to study a source language. I am not trained theologically. Thus, in criticallystudying the Book of Mormon, I felt a distinct sense of discomfort in not onlyapproaching a text without a source language, but also drawing theologicalconclusions based on that text. However, in the face of this, the seminarprovided mentorship. I was able to watch great minds think—to see howthey speculated and extracted meaningful conclusions from Enos. In this, everysingle member of the seminar was crucial. Each voice significantly impacted andshaped the conversation and how I related to the text. Observing the thoughtprocess of these colleagues and friends has changed how I think about textualanalysis, and will continue to shape my research going forward. In addition,the opportunity for close interaction built what I hope will be lifelongfriendships, for which I am truly grateful.
It has been a privilege toparticipate in this “café” experience. Far from being a waste of time, it hasleft me wishing that the café format were more common. I am left wanting moresmall-group discussion, more in-person scrutiny of ideas, and more opportunitiesto expand myself both theologically and academically.