Category: Gospel Doctrine

An essay on the nature of prophetic knowledge, with a side helping of evolution

March 20, 2018 /

Ben contemplates his words, at Petra.

Regardless of what you think about evolution, it poses a problem. In the past, the issue might have been framed as “since we know scripture is true, the science behind evolution must be false. How do we make sense of this?”

Today, the hypothetical teenager might wrestle with this question from the other side. “Since we know human evolution is true, and God knows all truth, why don’t God’s earthly proxies like scripture and prophets seem to know it?” Continue reading

van Leyden's 1520 depiction of Sodom and Gomorrah

Lesson 08- Genesis 13; 14:1-2, 8-24; 18:16-33; 19:1-29

February 24, 2018 /

I suspect this lesson will be somewhat charged and sensitive, given the variety of experiences and views among LDS. And be aware, due to the nature of the text, some of the discussion below could be traumatic to people who have been sexually assaulted. Note also that  I do not consider what I write in these posts to be “how I would teach the lesson” as much as useful background, details, and resources; I don’t think I would use language this blunt in a class unless I was certain no one would be traumatized by it.

I expect many people will approach the story of Sodom and Gomorrah from one of three perspectives. Continue reading

Original mudbrick gate at Tel Dan, dating to the Patriarchal period

Gospel Doctrine Lesson 7- Abraham 1:1-4; 2:1-11; Genesis 12:1-8; 17:1-9

February 16, 2018 /

Original mudbrick gate at Tel Dan, dating to the Patriarchal period

First, here’s a Spotify playlist of mine to put you in mind to read the Old Testament. It’s Middle Eastern, foreign, archaic, a little mystical and mysterious. It’s probably not anything like actual Israelite music, but it fits my preconceptions.

Second, let’s establish some basic facts. Continue reading

Adam and Eve Mourn the Death of Abel

Gospel Doctrine Lesson 5- Moses 5:16-41; 6:26-63; 7:13, 17-47, 68-69

February 3, 2018 /

Text: Moses 5:16-41; 6:26-63; 7:13, 17-47, 68-69

Adam and Eve Mourn the Death of Abel. Bouguereau, The First Mourning, Public Domain, via wikipedia.

As always, time compels us to be selective in what we focus on. Today, it’s all about Cain.

First off, we need to understand that Cain has nothing to do with Canaan. That association is an accident of English transliteration and pronunciation. They sound similar in English, but in Hebrew Cain/qayin (accent on first syllable) has no relation at all with Canaan/kena’an (kuh-nah-ahn, accent on middle syllable.) If there’s any descent of Cain in the Bible, it’s… Moses’ father-in-law Jethro, who is a Kenite. Or rather, a Cain-ite, if we’re being more consistent.  As the intro paragraph of the Anchor Bible Dictionary article on Kenites says, “The Kenites—or more correctly the Qenites—were a community or clan whose ancestry was traced to an eponym, biblical Cain (Heb qayin ). The Kenites constituted a non-Israelite group, frequenting the wilderness near Sinai…” The text thus portrays Moses marrying  Jethro’s daughter Zipporah, a non-Israelite who is the namesake of Cain, if not a descendant.

If Cain has nothing to do with Canaan, he does have something in common with Cainan/qeynan who appears in Genesis 5:9-12. (See the genealogy discussion below.)

Cain and Master Mahan- I think this is a great opportunity to bring a human-centric and Christ-centric focus to the lesson. Continue reading

Old Testament Gospel Doctrine Lesson 04- Moses 4; 5:1-15; 6:48-62

January 26, 2018 /
Adam and Eve, by Michaelangelo.

Adam and Eve, by Michaelangelo.

Let’s talk about origins. We seem to think origins are important; “where we came from” forms a part of our our identity, helps us understand ourselves. This is pretty deeply embedded and reinforced in our culture in a number of ways.  Superhero movies tend to begin with an origin story. Even Batman movies, as often as we’ve seen it and as much as we know it, typically begin by retelling the trauma of young Bruce seeing his parents shot. Jennifer Lopez sang, “Don’t be fooled by the rocks that I got; I’m still Jenny from the block; Used to have a little, now I have a lot; No matter where I go, I know where I came from.” Or look at arguments about the importance of Rey’s parentage in the recent Star Wars film (SPOILERS!) Continue reading

Rubens, Cain Slaying Abel (Public domain)

D&C Gospel Doctrine Lesson 42: Some important background and resources on OD2

November 2, 2017 /
Rubens, Cain Slaying Abel (Public domain)

Rubens, Cain Slaying Abel (Public domain)

This, I think, is important enough for a post. Lesson 42 on Continuing Revelation highlights Official Declaration #2, the written aftermath of the 1978 revelation. So whether you’re teaching or commenting, you should get informed, because there’s a lot of misinformation and tradition out there.

First, get familiar with the Gospel Topics Essay called Race and the Priesthood. If you’re a teacher, Elder Ballard thinks you ought to know this material “like the back of your hand” and “If you have questions about them, then please ask someone who has studied them and understands them.” Well, below are two. Continue reading

From BYU Special Collections

The Blog in the Coming Year and D&C

December 27, 2016 /
From BYU Special Collections-

From BYU Special Collections

I’ve agonized a bit over how to handle D&C this year. Here’s what I have decided and why.

If you compare my posts from the last few months to virtually any of my Old Testament posts, you’ll notice a distinct difference in length and quality. I’ve not been very happy with what I put out for the 2nd half of the Book of Mormon; I’ve taught that half much less, and so had far fewer blog-ready notes. I’ve also been wrestling with challenging coursework and papers, which do not allow much luxury time to overcome my note deficiency to write posts I’m happy with.

For the D&C and my next semester of coursework, I have even fewer notes and anticipate even less time. Consequently, I’m not going to try to write a weekly post on D&C lessons. The quality won’t be there, which would only increase my stress as I tried to crank out a weekly post in a timely way. I bet several wards are already into D&C lesson 2 or so.

What I will do is write on D&C occasionally, interspersed with my normal topics of LDS history, scripture, science, and Genesis. I have a few rough drafts of posts (both D&C and other) that can go up without too much effort, and then I anticipate slowing to 2-4 posts a month.

During my winter break, and now that family has returned home, I’m making a sustained Herculean attempt to finish my Genesis 1 manuscript and get it submitted in January. I have managed to set aside everything but writing for the next 20 days, so wish me luck.

Lastly, it is the season of gratitude. For all of you have supported me and my research by making Amazon purchases through my book links (that is, if you go to Amazon through here, I get a small referral credit. You just shop like normal though) or by donating directly to help me cover tuition (get an autographed copy of my book, once published!) I am deeply grateful.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year