Category: Features

  • Book Review: David O. McKay: Beloved Prophet

    Julie M. Smith

    I have mixed feelings about the very presence of Woodger’s David O. McKay: Beloved Prophet. On the one hand, as someone who wants to read biographies of all of the prophets of this dispensation, I’m always happy to see a new addition to the fold. While there are other biographies of President McKay, the pickings…

  • Book Review: David O. McKay and the Rise of Modern Mormonism

    Julie M. Smith

    Yes, I’m reviewing two books on David O. McKay. My original intention was to review them together (and explore the larger issue of writing faith-promoting as opposed to warts-and-all history), but I decided that wouldn’t be fair. It didn’t seem fair because David O. McKay: Beloved Prophet is a credible entry in the well-established subgenre…

  • 12(ish) Questions with Senator Robert F. Bennett

    Nate Oman

    A while ago, we announced that Senator Robert F. Bennet (R-Ut) had agreed to do 12 Questions with T&S. Senator Bennett has read all of the posted questions and offers his answers to the questions below.

  • Sunday School Lesson 20

    Jim F.

    Lesson 20: Doctrine and Covenants 76; 131:1-4; 132:19-24; 137 These are longer than usual.

  • Sunday School Lesson 19

    Jim F.

    Lesson 19: Doctrine and Covenants 19:16-19; 76:40-42, 96-112; 88:14-16; 138:55-56

  • Book Review: A Statistical Profile of Mormons: Health, Wealth, and Social Life

    Julie M. Smith

    Anyone and everyone interested in Mormon Studies should read this book.

  • 12 (or so) Questions for Kathleen Flake

    Greg Call

    Back in November, we solicited questions for Kathleen Flake, author of the terrific book The Politics of American Religious Identity (2004). We are now pleased to present her responses. Thanks Professor Flake! 1. How have you negotiated the tension between focusing on Mormon studies versus the broader issues within your discipline? How have your faith…

  • Sunday School Lesson 18

    Jim F.

    Lesson 18: Doctrine and Covenants 95, 109, 110

  • Book Review: Back to the Well: Women’s Encounters with Jesus in the Gospels

    Julie M. Smith

    This statement from The Blog of Happiest Fun got a lot of links from other female bloggernaclites: I would like to spend more time discussing the lives of strong women in the scriptures. Women like Hannah, Deborah, Jael, or Anna the prophetess. There are so many women that I find interesting, and I don’t hear…

  • Sunday School Lesson 17

    Jim F.

    Lesson 17: Doctrine and Covenants 59:13-14, 21; Doctrine and Covenants 119; Doctrine and Covenants 120 Thought questions for D&C 59 were included in lesson 16, so I will not repeat them here.

  • Sunday School Lesson 16

    Jim F.

    Doctrine and Covenants 59

  • Sunday School Lesson 15

    Jim F.

    Lesson 15: Doctrine and Covenants 46

  • Sunday School Lesson 14

    Jim F.

    Lesson 14: D&C 42:30-42; 51; 78; 82; 104:11-18

  • Sunday School Lesson 13

    Jim F.

    Lesson 13: Doctrine and Covenants 5:10; Moses 1:40-41; 2 Nephi 3:11-15; Doctrine and Covenants 84:19-25; 88:15-24; 93:29; 107:23, 33, 35; 124:37-42; 128:16-18; 130:22

  • Book Review: Women in Eternity, Women of Zion

    Julie M. Smith

    Imagine, if you will, that a stalwart member of the Church approached you with some concerns about the theological underpinnings of the Word of Wisdom. What might you do? Castigate him as a rebellious secularizer? Remind her that questioning was the fast road to apostasy?

  • Book Review: City Saints

    Kaimi Wenger

    The interaction of the LDS church and its members with New York City is a fascinating topic. Someday, that story will doubtless be the focus of one or more great works of Mormon regional history which will have truly broad appeal to members. And those works will in turn acknowledge City Saints: Mormons in the…

  • Sunday School Lesson 12

    Jim F.

    Lesson 12: D&C 29:1-8; D&C 33:3-7; D&C 37; D&C 38:24-41; D&C 52:2-5, D&C 52:42-43; D&C 57:1-3; D&C 110:11; Articles of Faith 1:10

  • Book Review: The Latter-day Saint Experience in America

    Julie M. Smith

    Perhaps you can forgive me for taking one look at the supersized price tag on Terryl L. Givens’ new book The Latter-day Saint Experience in America and assuming that the intended audience was luckless university students operating at the behest of their profligate professors.

  • 12 Answers from Philip Barlow: Part 1

    Melissa

    It is nice to be introduced to Times&Seasons.

  • Book Review: Black and Mormon

    Julie M. Smith

    Any etiquette book will tell you: there are certain topics you just don’t bring up in polite society. Any Mormon will tell you: we have a few topics of our own to add to that list. And one of them is the issue of blacks and the priesthood.

  • Sunday School Lesson 11

    Jim F.

    Lesson 11: Doctrine and Covenants 4, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 18, 31, 33, 75 Since most of the other sections for this lesson repeat what we find in section 4, I will focus my questions on it.

  • 12 Questions with Senator Robert F. Bennett

    Nate Oman

    Our next installment of the 12 Questions series will be with Robert F. Bennett, the junior Senator from Utah. Senator Bennett, a Republican, was elected to the Senate in 1992. As Assitant Majority Whip, he is a member of the Republican leadership. Prior to his election, he was a business man, PR executive, lobbyist, and…

  • Sunday School Lesson 10

    Jim F.

    Lesson 10: D&C 25 Verse 1: Christ is speaking here, rather than the Father. Why is it important for us to become his son or daughter rather than to be his brother or sister? He tells us that we become sons and daughters by receiving his gospel. How do we that? (Compare Mosiah 5:7.)

  • Sunday School Lesson 9

    Jim F.

    Lesson 9: D&C 20:1–36, D&C 20:68–69, D&C 20:75–79; D&C 21; D&C 27; D&C 115:1–4

  • Sunday School Lesson 8

    Jim F.

    Lesson 8: D&C 13; D&C 20:38–67; D&C 27:12–13; D&C 84:6–30; D&C 107:1–20; D&C 110:11–16; Joseph Smith History 1:66- 73 This lesson is on the restoration of the priesthood. I will spend two weeks on this lesson, the first devoted to the Aaronic priesthood and its restoration, the second devoted to the Melchizedek priesthood. I’m including…

  • Sunday School Lesson 7

    Jim F.

    Lesson 7: Various scriptures on the First Principles and Ordinances Before I offer some study questions, let me say why I object to this year’s way of organizing our Sunday School lessons.

  • 12 Questions for Philip Barlow

    Melissa

    We are pleased to announce Philip Barlow as our next participant in the Twelve Questions series. My initial encounter with Professor Barlow’s work was almost seven years ago as a first year Bible student at Yale Divinity School.

  • 12 Questions for Terryl Givens

    Jim F.

    Professor Terryl Givens–who has another book out within the last month, The Latter-day Saint Experience in America (Greenwood Press)–has been kind enough to answer twelve questions for us.

  • Sunday School Lesson 6

    Jim F.

    Lesson 6: D&C 6, 8, 9, and 11 You will find study questions for D&C 6, 8, and 9 in the materials for lesson 5.

  • Sunday School Lesson 5

    Jim F.

    Lesson 5: D&C 6, D&C 8, D&C 9, Joseph Smith History 1:8–17 Those who are preparing lessons to teach should notice that the scriptural material for this lesson and for lesson 6 are almost identical.