willes lecture

John W. Welch’s recent Laura F. Willes Book of Mormon Lecture is now available online: “Hours Never to Be Forgotten: Timing the Translation of the Book of Mormon.” WatchIn this lecture, John W. Welch meticulously tracks the timeline of the Book of Mormon’s translation. More details can now be known about the key events that anchor our historical understandings of the pace of translation, about witness testimonies that credibly document the impressive work, and other considerations regarding the keystone Restoration scripture.Follow along with Welch’s lecture using the program booklet, which includes a translation timeline adapted from Welch’s edited volume, Opening the Heavens: Accounts of Divine Manifestations, 1820-1844 (Provo, UT: BYU Studies).PDF Handout About John W. Welch John W. Welch is the Robert K. Thomas Professor of Law at the J. Reuben Clark Law School. He was founding president of FARMS (the Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies) in the 1980s. Since 1991 he has served as the editor-in-chief of the BYU Studies Quarterly, the latest issue being his 100th. He also served as the general editor of the Collected Works of Hugh Nibley, as a member of the Jewish Law Association, and on the executive committee of the Society of Biblical Literature section on Biblical Law. He was a member of the board of editors for Macmillan’s Encyclopedia of Mormonism. He was honored as the Karl G. Maeser Distinguished Faculty Lecturer at BYU in 2010, and since 2016 has served with the John A. Widtsoe Foundation as a Distinguished Scholar in Residence at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. His many authored or edited books include Chiasmus in Antiquity (1981), The Sermon on the Mount in the Light of the Temple (London: Ashgate, 2009); the Legal Cases in the Book of Mormon (Provo: FARMS, 2008), and Sustaining the Law: Joseph Smith’s Legal Encounters (Provo: BYU Studies, 2014). He is married to Jeannie Sutton, who recently retired from the French Department at Brigham Young University. They have four children and seventeen grandchildren.

The Laura F. Willes Center for Book of Mormon Studies invited Kristin L. Matthews to deliver its 2015 Book of Mormon lecture. Professor Matthews spoke on the theme: “Come Into the Fold of God”Caring for the Poor and NeedyThe 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. 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 the 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 theAmerican 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.

I think the Institute's Twitter feed got more traffic than ever last week when Kristin Matthews delivered the 2015 Laura F. Willes Book of Mormon Lecture, 'Come Into the Fold of God: Caring for the Poor and Needy.' Here are a few highlights in case you missed it. (For all you non-Twitterites, keep in mind Tweets are limited to 140 characters each.) Kristin Matthews begins the 2015 Willes Book of Mormon Lecture #willesbom pic.twitter.com/ubF2UEy0TV

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 & WhereDate: 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.

As the keystone scripture of the Latter-day Saint faith, the Book of Mormon has spiritually nourished millions of Latter-day Saints. But over the past decade it has received increasing attention beyond Mormonism. Scholars and students from a variety of backgrounds have come to better appreciate the richness, complexity, and messages of the Book of Mormon. Scholars like Laurie Maffly-Kipp, Krister Stendahl, and Paul Gutjahr bring fresh eyes to the text, often recognizing things that have previously gone unnoticed.