I’m into the final about two weeks of trying to finish my dissertation.
However, come January, I’ll teach a class at the primary ASU campus Institute called “Genesis and the Doctrine of Creation.” It will be listed in the courses, and have some options. The course description— still being refined a bit— is this:
This class will focus primarily on the first dozen chapters of Genesis (time permitting), and secondarily, the parallel scriptures in the Pearl of Great Price and JST. We will follow the dictum of Elder John Widtsoe that one can “easily find himself in mistaken notions if he attempts the interpretation of the scriptures without getting a full perspective of the subject and adequate knowledge of human events that led to the giving of the scriptures, including origins and translations.” As students learn about the ancient contexts, modern history, and interpretations of these texts, their relation to each other, and their relation to science, tensions between religion and science will decrease. Students will gain a greater understanding of the Church’s teachings about creation and science, become acquainted with various tools and methods of scripture study, and see their faith increase towards the scriptures and God as creator.
It’s been 10 years since I taught my Genesis class— or any Institute class— and frankly, I know a lot more now and am also probably a bit out of practice. It will certainly be an interesting class for students, and a bit of a challenge for me, but one I look forward to.
October 19, 2023 at 10:35 am
Ben, is there any chance these classes will be recorded and posted online?
October 25, 2023 at 9:43 am
I would say extremely unlikely. It’s experimental, among other things 🙂
October 19, 2023 at 11:51 am
Looks not like the creation of a moon.
Just sayin’ . . .