AuthorCast
Authorcast #121: Kofford Lecture Series - Charles R. Harrell and the Development of Mormon Theology, Part 3 April 24 2020
Show description: Part 3 of our lecture series with Charles R. Harrell, author of This is My Doctrine: The Development of Mormon Theology. In this installment, we discuss the developing theology of Godhead within Mormonism examining shifts through Joseph Smith's scriptural output as well as later developments in Utah under Brigham Young.
Part 1 - What is Doctrine?
Part 2 - Joseph Smith and Restoration
Part 3 - The Godhead
Part 4 - Premortal Existence
This is My Doctrine: The Development of Mormon Theology “Succeeds in providing a non-apologetic yet sympathetic interpretation of Mormon doctrine, warts and all.” —James McLachlan, Professor of Philosophy and Religion at Western Carolina University |
Now available through Spotify!
Authorcast #120: Kofford Lecture Series - Charles R. Harrell and the Development of Mormon Theology, Part 2 April 17 2020
Show description: Part 2 of our lecture series with Charles R. Harrell, author of This is My Doctrine: The Development of Mormon Theology. In this installment, we discuss Joseph Smith's theology of restoration, examine the use of restoration in the Old and New Testaments, and compare how restoration was understood among evangelical, Universalist, and Christian Primitivist movements during the Second Great Awakening.
Part 1 - What is Doctrine?
Part 2 - Joseph Smith and Restoration
Part 3 - The Godhead
Part 4 - Premortal Existence
This is My Doctrine: The Development of Mormon Theology “Succeeds in providing a non-apologetic yet sympathetic interpretation of Mormon doctrine, warts and all.” —James McLachlan, Professor of Philosophy and Religion at Western Carolina University |
Now available through Spotify!
Authorcast #119: Kofford Lecture Series - Charles R. Harrell and the Development of Mormon Theology, Part 1 April 10 2020
Show description: Coming to you via Facebook Live! We are pleased to bring you a lecture series with Charles R. Harrell, author of This is My Doctrine: The Development of Mormon Theology. In this four-part live series, we'll be discussing the nature of doctrine as well as Joseph Smith's theology of restoration, the Godhead, and premortal existence.
Part 1 - What is Doctrine?
Part 2 - Joseph Smith and Restoration
Part 3 - The Godhead
Part 4 - Premortal Existence
This is My Doctrine: The Development of Mormon Theology “Succeeds in providing a non-apologetic yet sympathetic interpretation of Mormon doctrine, warts and all.” —James McLachlan, Professor of Philosophy and Religion at Western Carolina University |
Now available through Spotify!
Authorcast #110: Bradley J. Kramer, author of Gathered in One: How the Book of Mormon Counters Anti-Semitism in the New Testament September 24 2019
Show description: For devotees of Christian scripture, the suggestion that the New Testament contains anti-Semitic rhetoric is challenging. After all, how could the New Testament, largely written by Jewish authors about the Jewish Messiah contain any trace of disdain towards its own people? However, centuries of Christian hatred towards Jews demonstrates its roots in the New Testament portrayals of the Jews as a corrupt, conspiring, and murderous people. Take for example the near absolution of Pontius Pilate regarding the crucifixion of Jesus. The Gospels make clear that the blame for Jesus’s death rests upon the corrupt Jewish leaders and people who handed the Savior over to Roman authorities and, when given the chance to redeem him, shouted: “crucify him!” This New Testament depiction has led to the labeling of Jews as “Christ-killers.” Horrifically, this attitude has inspired pogroms against the Jewish people, the killing of Jews during the Crusades, and, in more recent times, the Jewish Holocaust. We are still dealing today with negative stereotypes of Jews that stem from early Christian attitudes.
For author Bradley Kramer, a scholar dedicated to interfaith studies and relations between Jews and Latter-day Saints, the Book of Mormon offers a different, decidedly pro-Jewish take while not undermining the authority of the New Testament. In his book, Gathered in One: How the Book of Mormon Counters Anti-Semitism in the New Testament, Bradley demonstrates how The Book of Mormon contains an intentionally pro-Judaic stance. For example, Bradley argues that the Book of Mormon minimizes Jewish involvement in the crucifixion of Jesus and rejects supersessionist claims by portraying the Jewish people as still being God’s covenant people. Taken together with the New Testament, the Book of Mormon smooths out the sharp edges of anti-Semitic imagery, settings, and language.
Gathered in One: How the Book of Mormon Counters Anti-Semitism in the New Testament “His thesis is fresh, provocative, and rigorously argued. A signal contribution to Book of Mormon studies.” — Terryl Givens |
Authorcast #109: David B. Ostler, author of Bridges: Ministering to Those Who Question August 08 2019
In this episode of the Greg Kofford Books Authorcast, we chat with David B. Ostler about his book, Bridges: Ministering to Those Who Question. We discuss his personal story and what led him to write this topic as well the larger trends of disaffection and disaffiliation from religion in Western society and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as well as ways to reach out and minister to those whose faith has changed.
Bridges: Ministering to Those Who Question “A deeply Christian book that calls upon us all to seek understanding and minister to the wounded.” —Terryl Givens |
Authorcast #104: Laura Rutter Strickling, author of On Fire in Baltimore: Black Mormon Women and Conversion in a Raging City October 11 2018
On this episode, we chat with Laura Rutter Strickling, author of On Fire in Baltimore: Black Mormon Women and Conversion in a Raging City.
On Fire in Baltimore: Black Mormon Women and Conversion in a Raging City
By Laura Rutter Strickling
$20.95 paperback
$34.95 hardcover
197 pages
Free sample preview
Q&A with the author
Authorcast #103: The Expanded Canon August 24 2018
Episode 103: The Expanded Canon
Hosted by Brian Whitney
On this episode, editors Blair Van Dyke, Brian Birch, and Boyd Petersen discuss the development of the Mormon Studies program at Utah Valley University, their annual conferences, the new UVU Comparative Mormon Studies series with Greg Kofford Books, as well as the contributors and topics in the first volume: The Expanded Canon: Perspectives on Mormonism and Sacred Texts.
For those in the Utah area, please join us for the following events with the editors:
Tue Sep 18 | Writ & Vision (Provo) at 7:00 PM | RSVP on Facebook
Wed Sep 19 | Benchmark Books (SLC) at 5:30 PM | RSVP on Facebook
The Expanded Canon: Perspectives on Mormonism and Sacred Texts
Edited by Blair G. Van Dyke, Brian D. Birch, and Boyd J. Petersen
Part of the UVU Comparative Mormon Studies series
Pre-order your copy
AuthorCast #102: Interview with Charles Randall Paul July 25 2018
Episode 102: Interview with Charles Randall Paul
Hosted by Brian Whitney
In this episode, Charles Randall Paul discusses his forthcoming book, Converting the Saints: A Study of Religious Rivalry in America, as well as the interfaith organization he founded, the Foundation for Religious Diplomacy, and offers a few suggestions for dealing with religious, political, and ideological conflict. Be sure to check out his recent article, "Contesting Truth through Mutual Openness."
Converting the Saints: A Study of Religious Rivalry in America
By Charles Randall Paul
Available August 7, 2018
Pre-order your copy
AuthorCast #101: Interview with Blake Ostler July 11 2018
Episode 101: Interview with Blake Ostler
Hosted by Brian Whitney
Blake T. Ostler is an independent scholar residing in Salt Lake City, Utah,and the author of the multi-volume Exploring Mormon Thought series. Volume 1: The Attributes of God has recently been re-issued in paperback. In this interview, Blake discusses his background, the series, some of the key philosophocal discussions in The Attributes of God, such as the nature of free will, God's existence within time, and Mormon Christology.
“These books are the most important works on Mormon theology ever written. There is nothing currently available that is even close to the rigor and sophistication of these volumes.” — FARMS Review, Neal A. Maxwell Institute, Brigham Young University
AuthorCast #100: Gospel Doctrine with David Bokovoy (1 & 2 Samuel) June 14 2018
Episode 100: Gospel Doctrine with David Bokovoy (1 & 2 Samuel)
(See the full list of Gospel Doctrine episodes here.)
It's our 100th episode! In this episode, David discusses both 1 Samuel and 2 Samuel, covering the stories of King Saul and King David.
David Bokovoy holds a PhD in Hebrew Bible and the Ancient Near East and an MA in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies both from Brandeis University. He is the author of Authoring the Old Testament: Genesis–Deuteronomy and the forthcoming Authoring the Old Testament: The Prophets, both part of the Contemporary Studies in Scripture series.
“This book should be basic reading for serious LDS students of the Bible.” — Eric D. Huntsman, Coordinator of Ancient Near Eastern Studies, Brigham Young University