In this special episode, co-produced with the Mormon Sunday School and Feminist Mormon Housewives podcasts, Eric Huntsman, Jared Anderson, and Lindsay Hansen Park join me for a fascinating examination of the what has often been referred to as the "quest for the historical Jesus," and especially the ways in which the Jesus who lived and breathed and walked the roads of ancient Palestine (or, if not that, at least the Jesus we can uncover through historical methods) might differ from the "Christ of faith." This is a hotly contested subject, made all the more difficult because of the fragmentary nature of the sources, but also because of the complication that most commentators (including the authors of the Gospels and other New Testament and apocryphal writings) have religious or faith stakes in the question, Most everyone who goes into this scholarship "wants" the actual Jesus to be who their faith has led them to believe he was. The panelists discuss what it is we can know about the historical Jesus, taking us through a history of the various "quests" to discover him, the main sources scholars have to deal with, the criteria they use to determine the likelihood of various sayings and actions being things Jesus really did versus later creations/amplifications, and the ancient settings in which he lived and in which Christianity took root. Most importantly, they also address questions such as: "If the historical record can’t determine something conclusively, does it mean that Jesus did not do/say it?" and "Does/Should faith commitments hinge on the accuracy of the biblical presentations of Jesus?" The panelists also specifically evaluate claims in the recent book that has launched new interest in this question, Zealot, by Reza Aslan.

One of the most difficult but important things we can do as Mormons who are alerted to the complexities of cultural differences and sacred writings is to learn how to share in church settings insights we’ve gleaned from our studies. We have a dual challenge: (1) to try to be as faithful as possible to the scriptural text and the context in which it was written and the people who lived in those places and times, while (2) still honoring in some way the Christian and LDS overlays that have become deeply ingrained in ours and others’ faith journeys and worldviews--framings and understandings that can only graft in a few new pieces at a time. In this episode, panelists Jana Riess, Philip Barlow, and Carrie Miles join Mormon Matters host Dan Wotherspoon for an exploration of the Old Testament, paying particular attention to this delicate dance of faithfulness to both text and communities. What important framings might we offer as teachers or class members that can help open the discussion beyond just literal readings or approaches that assume that ancient Israelite rituals, temples, and practices were really just like ours of today, that these ancient peoples were essentially "proto-Mormons," hardly different at all from us in their doctrines of God and sense of what things mean? What riches does the Old Testament possess that would be wonderful to convey even if they might complicate current LDS assumptions?

The recent official statement on Race and the Priesthood has highlighted in a fresh way the difficult issue of prophets and apostles who are subject to the influences of culture and largely unexamined assumptions of their day that color their understandings of and impact their statements about sometimes very important matters. If this is so, how then should we view them and the nature of "prophetic inspiration"? What does it mean for us as church members when we come to understand "revelation" as a much more human-saturated process than the "hotline phone with God" model that we perhaps once assumed? In this episode, Joanna Brooks, Ronda Callister and Mormon Matters host Dan Wotherspoon go personal on this subject, sharing their own wrestles and journeys to peace within Mormonism, including coming to honor even very human leaders who don’t always know or teach God’s will. As Brooks puts it within the discussion, how is it that she feels comfortable saying Mormonism can be both "special and wrong"? We hope you’ll listen and then share your own ideas and personal wrestles with these issues!

On 6 December 2013, the LDS Church posted on its website, LDS.org, a new document titled, "Race and the Priesthood," along with videos and other resources for better understanding the history of race issues within Mormonism, as well clarifying its current positions. The key piece of the statement is a renunciation of past teachings about black persons descending from Cain and Canaan, which teachings through centuries of biblical exegesis have been used as justifications for black slavery, and within Mormonism for the withholding of priesthood and temple blessings. The statement also repudiates the teaching that persons born with black skin were less valiant in their support for God and the Plan of Salvation in the premortal realm; it disavows all sensibilities that would suggest that mixed-race marriages are sinful; and it further torpedoes any claim that "blacks or people of any other race or ethnicity are inferior in any way to anyone else." Another main feature of the document is a brief overview of racialized thinking and discourse in the United States during the church’s formative and later years that affected the ideas and attitudes of LDS leaders, including prophets adn apostles, leading them to think and make statements that are not in accord with the scriptural view of "all are alike unto God," and that God offers the same salvation to all. It also mentions key moments in the church’s history that led to shifts in position, including several factors leading up to the 1978 revelation that reversed the ban on priesthood and temple access for those of black African descent. In this episode, panelists Gina Colvin, Margaret Blair Young, and Janan Graham join Mormon Matters host Dan Wotherspoon for a discussion of the new statement, with each sharing their assessments of its importance and the ways in which it might shift discourse within Mormonism and lead to important reassessments of not only race but also Americentrism and other forms of privileging that seldom receive scrutiny. The panelists share not only what they think needs to be next steps, but also possible ways to help these challenging but rewarding tasks take root. They further consider the use of certain wordings within the statement, as well as its lack of an apology for the negative and painful effects these teachings have had on blacks and other persons of color. Should an apology be forthcoming? Why or why not? Much of the discussion also focuses on our responsibilities to take the starting point offered by this statement and to move the discussion and examinations forward in our families, wards, and other circles.

On 6 December 2013, the LDS Church posted on its website, LDS.org, a new document titled, "Race and the Priesthood," along with videos and other resources for better understanding the history of race issues within Mormonism, as well clarifying its current positions. The key piece of the statement is a renunciation of past teachings about black persons descending from Cain and Canaan, which teachings through centuries of biblical exegesis have been used as justifications for black slavery, and within Mormonism for the withholding of priesthood and temple blessings. The statement also repudiates the teaching that persons born with black skin were less valiant in their support for God and the Plan of Salvation in the premortal realm; it disavows all sensibilities that would suggest that mixed-race marriages are sinful; and it further torpedoes any claim that "blacks or people of any other race or ethnicity are inferior in any way to anyone else." Another main feature of the document is a brief overview of racialized thinking and discourse in the United States during the church’s formative and later years that affected the ideas and attitudes of LDS leaders, including prophets adn apostles, leading them to think and make statements that are not in accord with the scriptural view of "all are alike unto God," and that God offers the same salvation to all. It also mentions key moments in the church’s history that led to shifts in position, including several factors leading up to the 1978 revelation that reversed the ban on priesthood and temple access for those of black African descent. In this episode, panelists Gina Colvin, Margaret Blair Young, and Janan Graham join Mormon Matters host Dan Wotherspoon for a discussion of the new statement, with each sharing their assessments of its importance and the ways in which it might shift discourse within Mormonism and lead to important reassessments of not only race but also Americentrism and other forms of privileging that seldom receive scrutiny. The panelists share not only what they think needs to be next steps, but also possible ways to help these challenging but rewarding tasks take root. They further consider the use of certain wordings within the statement, as well as its lack of an apology for the negative and painful effects these teachings have had on blacks and other persons of color. Should an apology be forthcoming? Why or why not? Much of the discussion also focuses on our responsibilities to take the starting point offered by this statement and to move the discussion and examinations forward in our families, wards, and other circles.

In this two-part episode, we continue our series on the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible by examining one of scripture’s most difficult stories--God choosing to unleash a flood designed to kill all living beings on the planet except a select few. In this episode, panelists David Bokovoy, Tom Roberts, and Brian Hauglid examine the scriptural text itself, including the interwoven (and quite different) J and P sources and the stories and traditions that they borrow from. The also explore takes and angles on the story presented by LDS thinkers, the wider Christian world, and Islam. What theological or devotional value can we find in this story? How can we still honor the text’s mythic truths even as its cosmological worldview and claims about a global deluge fly in the face of scientific evidence? Can open up room in LDS discourse for non-literal but still theologically uplifting readings of such claims as it must be understood as a universal flood because the earth needed to be "baptized"?

In this two-part episode, we continue our series on the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible by examining one of scripture’s most difficult stories--God choosing to unleash a flood designed to kill all living beings on the planet except a select few. In this episode, panelists David Bokovoy, Tom Roberts, and Brian Hauglid examine the scriptural text itself, including the interwoven (and quite different) J and P sources and the stories and traditions that they borrow from. The also explore takes and angles on the story presented by LDS thinkers, the wider Christian world, and Islam. What theological or devotional value can we find in this story? How can we still honor the text’s mythic truths even as its cosmological worldview and claims about a global deluge fly in the face of scientific evidence? Can open up room in LDS discourse for non-literal but still theologically uplifting readings of such claims as it must be understood as a universal flood because the earth needed to be "baptized"?