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Analogy of A Beloved Community
by Carol Madsen (This guest post is not a Hebrew Bible post, but I think it so perfectly captures the tensions and agonies of the Bible. The text we’re reading this year is the story of a beloved community who consistently fracture, wound, and separate from each other. This is a very relevant story for…
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Introduction to the Hebrew Bible, Genesis
Contributed by Kristen One of the things I learned in divinity school that surprised me the most was that what we call the “Old Testament” (what I will call the Hebrew Bible out of respect for its ongoing authority in Judaism) is actually not a stand-alone, incomparable text. I had imagined that the Bible was…
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Jesus, Bridgebuilding, and Peace (D&C 121)*
Did you know that there are lots of different names for Jesus that describe different things Jesus does? Here are a few of my favorites: Healer (because Jesus is especially aware of people who are crying, and people who are hurt) Teacher (because Jesus loves to help people to understand about who God is) Shepherd…
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Mystical Theology
Contributed by Kristen Mystical theology is the specific branch of theology focused on encountering the divine. Mystics in many religious traditions describe the paths to the gods, usually through extra-bodily experience. In the Christian tradition, mysticism has a long and fascinating history with various paths of exploration. The famous third century thinker Origen of Alexandria…
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The Word of Wisdom: A Law of Empathy
By Greer Bates Cordner Greer Bates Cordner is a Ph.D. candidate at Boston University. Her primary area of research is American Religious History, with Global Christianity and Mission as a secondary area. Greer also holds a Master of Theological Studies degree (Boston University) and a B.A. in History (Brigham Young University). She is a mom…
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On Empathy
Mother Eve speaks very little in the Genesis account of creation, even between the two woven-together tellings. She speaks very little in Joseph Smith’s reimagination, but what she does say offers a subtle shift on the historical narrative. Where she is silent or silenced after eating the fruit of the tree of life in most…
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The World of Spirits: Reading Section 50
Contributed by Greer Bates Cordner Greer Bates Cordner is a Ph.D. candidate at Boston University. Her primary area of research is American Religious History, with Global Christianity and Mission as a secondary area. Greer also holds a Master of Theological Studies degree (Boston University) and a B.A. in History (Brigham Young University). She is a…
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D&C 46-48
Contributed by Caroline “But ye are commanded in all things to ask of God, who giveth liberally…” D&C 46:7 God’s Gifts Section 46 was given to new converts in Ohio. Filled with zeal but lacking experienced leadership, they soon introduced elements of “enthusiastic worship”—such as shaking, falling unconscious, and sliding on the floor—claiming these to…
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D&C 45
Contributed by Kristen I want to focus this week’s post on the first five verses of D&C 45: 1 Hearken, O ye people of my church, to whom the kingdom has been given; hearken ye and give ear to him who laid the foundation of the earth, who made the heavens and all the hosts…
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The Law and Correlation
Contributed by Kristen Christianity had become the imperial religion. A man named Arius, a presbyter from Alexandria, was concerned about a topic which would become a central theological debate concerning the person of Christ: the relationship between the stated union of Christ’s humanity and divinity in the person of Jesus. Arius was anxious to defend…
milk & honey mamas 