Author: Julie M. Smith
I live in Austin, Texas, with my husband, Derrick, an electrical engineer. We have three boys: Simon ('98), Nathan ('01), and Truman ('04). We are a homeschooling family and I also teach at the LDS Institute here in Austin. I have a BA in English from UT Austin and an MA in Biblical Studies (Theology) from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California, where I specialized in the study of women in the New Testament. I wrote my thesis on Mark 14:3-9, which I explored from literary and feminist perspectives to determine how the story teaches the audience about Jesus's identity. I wrote a book, Search, Ponder, and Pray: A Guide to the Gospels. It contains 4,000 questions (no answers) designed to get the LDS reader to really think about the scriptures and to introduce the major findings of biblical studies to the general reader. I like to read, buy books, and go out for ethnic food.
May 2011 FHEs
You can find an explanation of this series here.
What Today Means
Amens
I wonder sometimes if our kids don’t think that “amen” means “thank heavens that’s over!”
Structures
Not every scholar agrees (as if!), but some identify the following structure in Matthew’s Gospel:
April 2011 FHEs
Introduction to this series is here. I only prepared three this month in order to leave time for an Easter FHE (one of my favorites is here).
Book Review: God So Loved the World: The Final Days of the Savior’s Life
Eric D. Huntsman, God So Loved the World: The Final Days of the Savior’s Life, Deseret Book, 2011.
Gospels
Imagine your four favorite meals. Now imagine them cut into bite-sized pieces and combined into one dish.
Parables
The Greek word translated as “parable” means, basically, a comparison. A parable compares one thing with another.
Hypocrites
As every tween knows, a hypocrite is someone who says one thing but does another.
March 2011 FHEs
Previous posts: January and February.
Polygamy, Again
The real reason that polygamy was restored was to decrease the number of children each woman would have, which was necessary in order to
February 2011 FHEs
See this for the introduction to this series.
The Failure that Was a Success: How My Son’s Losing the Spelling Bee Was One of the Proudest Moments of My Life
A guest post from former guest blogger Eric Huntsman:
Reactions to Single, Female, Mormon, Alone
So this column was definitely the digital equivalent of kicking over an anthill.
January 2011 FHEs
FHEs have been somewhat pathetic in the Smith household of late;
A Mormon Image: Greater Love
What the Smith Boys Said This Year
New Handbook Online
Well, this will keep bloggers busy for a good long time.
Church Statement on Immigration
This is interesting stuff.
Mormon Identity: Men and Women in the Church
Go here and either listen to or read (I love transcripts! Thank you!) this episode and then return and report.
It’s That Time Again
The time when it feels like I spend most of Gospel Doctrine translating the scriptures into modern English instead of actually teaching them.
My Testimony
I thought I would ape this post.
Goodbye Satan, Hello World
I don’t have any statistics for you, just a hunch that we now usually say “the world” where twenty or more years ago we would have said “Satan” or “the devil.”
An Open Letter to the Deseret News
Your latest editorial shows a disturbing lack of integrity.
Kids, Conference
I used to worry that my kids weren’t listening to a word of General Conference. Now I worry that my kids are listening to every single word of General Conference.
The Limits of Orthodoxy
Apparently, you can’t say polygamy was not God’s will. But you can say that a male-only priesthood is not God’s will. Go figure.
Mormon Studies on Your eReader
I got a Kindle a few weeks ago, and my affection for it is quickly approaching idolatry. But we aren’t going to talk about that right now; we’re going to talk about how to Mormon-Studies-geek out your ereader. Here’s what I have found so far; I expect you to add to the fun.
A New New Testament
I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but on more than one occasion, I have seriously considered stealing scriptures from the temple.
Eye Single
A dear friend–who is a single, never-married, 40-something, extremely faithful LDS woman–emailed this to a few friends. I share it with her permission, having edited out identifying information: