Latter-day Saints are turning to the Book of Mormon for our home and Sunday school curriculum this year. Supplement your Come Follow Me study with these great episodes of the Maxwell Institute Podcast, with more to come as the year progresses!
Episode #98 Briefly First Nephi, with Joseph M. Spencer Listen | Read
'I, Nephi...' We begin at the beginning, as Joseph M. Spencer offers a brief theological introduction to the book of First Nephi. What questions does Nephi's book ask of us readers, and what questions are readers asking of the text today? This is the first in a series of interviews with authors of the Maxwell Institute's new book series, The Book of Mormon: Brief Theological Introductions.
Episode #99 Briefly Second Nephi, with Terryl Givens Listen | Read
Terryl L. Givens says many readers consider Second Nephi to be the most challenging part of the scripture. His brief theological introduction helps readers see the patterns and desires of Nephi, who used his own prophecies and the words of Isaiah to restore a vision of God's covenant with Nephi's descendants, and with believers today.
Episode #103 Briefly Jacob, with Deidre Green Listen | Read
Deidre Nicole Green presents Jacob as a vulnerable and empathic religious leader deeply concerned about issues of social justice. The prophet insists that religious and social life should not be separated into distinct spheres. His testimony of Jesus Christ is inseparable from his personal experiences of suffering and his compassion for those on the margins of society.
Episode #104 Briefly Enos, Jarom, & Omni, with Sharon J. Harris Listen | Read
Literary scholar and theologian Sharon J. Harris investigates the messy middle era between the genesis of the Nephite people and their reorganization under King Benjamin. What keeps things relatively together through Enos, Jarom, and Omni? Harris uncovers the personalities, concerns, and patterns of righteousness and wickedness that are often overlooked in these short books.
Episode #106 Briefly Mosiah, with James E. Faulconer Listen | Read
In his book on Mosiah, philosopher and theologian James E. Faulconer untangles a complicated narrative a fragmentary history about a fragmented people, written by a record keeper obsessed with unity. Faulconer unpacks what King Benjamin had in mind in speaking of the "mysteries of God."
Episode #110 Briefly Alma 1�29, with Kylie Nielson Turley Listen | Read
Alma is an idolatrous man in the Book of Mormon, a wicked man according to the text until an angel's rebuke leads to his repentance and then two decades of righteous service in realms both political and religious. But even then, Alma's past haunts him, as English professor Kylie Nielson Turley discusses in this episode.
Episode #113 Briefly Alma 30�63, with Mark Wrathall Listen | Read
The Book of Mormon prophet Alma was on the wrong path. But much like the Apostle Paul on the road to Damascus, Alma experienced a shocking vision that changed everything. His sermons are the product of a person who understood what it meant to receive the grace of Christ and have a mighty change of heart.
Episode #116 Briefly Helaman, with Kimberly Matheson Berkey Listen | Read
Author Kimberly Matheson Berkey says the book of Helaman is one of the best-kept secrets in the Book of Mormon. It marks a dramatic reversal in the history of Book of Mormon peoples. The spiritual tables turn. While the Lamanites righteously cast their eyes toward heaven, the Nephites take their first steps toward a surprising precipice where final destruction awaits.
Episode #118 Briefly 3rd, 4th Nephi, with Daniel Becerra Listen | Read
Daniel Becerra says 3rd and 4th Nephi are pivotal books, depicting Christ's visit to ancient peoples on the American continent. They serve as a guidebook in the disciple's pursuit of Christ and Christlikeness. What do they reveal about the nature of God, about human nature, and how the gap between the two might be bridged?
Episode #120 Briefly Mormon, with Adam Miller and Spencer Fluhman Listen | Read
Adam Miller is here to talk about his volume on Mormon a book that he calls "a beginner's guide to the end of the world." Mormon testifies of Christ even as everything he loves seems to be slipping through his fingers. Series co-editor Spencer Fluhman leads this moving discussion.
Episode #121 Briefly Ether, with Rosalynde Welch & James E. Faulconer Listen | Read
Literary scholar Rosalynde Frandsen Welch explores the book of Ether as a sweeping history in which Moroni, absorbed in the past, turns his heart to future readers whose spiritual fate will be at stake. This latest episode in our series about the brief theological introductions to the Book of Mormon focuses on Welch's Ether. James E. Faulconer takes the lead as guest host.
Episode #122 Briefly Moroni, with David F. Holland & Spencer Fluhman Listen | Read
David F. Holland joins us in this episode to talk about his brief theological introduction to the final book the book of Moroni. Spencer Fluhman, executive director of the Maxwell Institute, returns as guest host. To Dr. Holland, Moroni is the theologian of the gifts.
Episode #109 The Book of Mormon's ethic of mournful wakefulness, with David Charles Gore Listen | Read
The Book of Mormon has important things to say about how we say important things, according to David Charles Gore. He's author of The Voice of the People: Political Rhetoric in the Book of Mormon. Gore says it's not enough to be in possession of the truth. We also have to know how to share it in ways that actually reach other people's hearts. The Book of Mormon shows readers how.
Episode #07 "Joseph Smith's American Bible," by Terryl Givens Listen | Read
Terryl L. Givens presented the 2009 Laura F. Willes Book of Mormon lecture, "Joseph Smith's American Bible: Radicalizing the Familiar." Terryl L. Givens explores four motifs woven throughout the Book of Mormon revelation, Christology, Zion, and scripture. Givens says these motifs are introduced in the visionary experiences of Lehi in the very beginning of the book, and are woven throughout the rest of the ancient record.
#32 The printer's manuscript of the Book of Mormon, with church historian Robin Scott Jensen Listen | Read
Most of the original manuscript of the Book of Mormon was tragically destroyed by the elements long ago. But the printer's manuscript which was used to typeset the Book of Mormon is almost completely intact. Robin Scott Jensen co-edited the printer's manuscript for the Joseph Smith Papers Project. It offers fascinating insight into the production of this keystone Latter-day Saint scripture.
#90 Editing and illuminating the Book of Mormon, with Grant Hardy and Brian Kershisnik Listen | Read
The Maxwell Institute Study Edition of the Book of Mormon was published in 2019. We see it as a watershed moment in the history of Latter-day Saint scripture publishing the first study edition ever published by a church affiliate, and it includes new formatting, useful footnotes, original artwork, and more. Editor Grant Hardy and artist Brian Kershisnik offer an insider's look at the process of loving and publishing scripture.
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