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Previous Posts
The meanings of Zion
This is the third post on Richard L. Bushman's Mormonism: A Very Short Introduction (OUP, 2008). [See Part 1 and Part 2.] In Chapter Three, Bushman reviews the several meanings of the term "Zion" in LDS doctrine and thinking.
The Mormon sense of Zion has no real parallels in Protestant though
posted 11:00:37pm Jul. 29, 2009 |
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A statistical portrait of Mormons
The Pew Forum recently issued a detailed summary of survey information about Mormons gathered as part of a much larger survey of religious life in the United States. It is a very readable summary, noting that Mormons comprise 1.7% of adults in the US; 35% of Mormon adults live in Utah and 13% live i
posted 12:33:08pm Jul. 29, 2009 |
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July 24th: Pioneer Day in Utah
July 24th is a state holiday in Utah, designated Pioneer Day. It commemorates the entry of the first wagon train of Mormons into the Salt Lake Valley in the summer of 1847. They came down Emigration Canyon, somewhat north of the present I-80 corridor which comes down Parley's Canyon. Brigham Young w
posted 5:38:50pm Jul. 23, 2009 |
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Finding heretics in strange places
A very interesting post at Mormon Matters, reviewing a 1989 book titled "Will the Real Heretics Please Stand Up?" The book was written by an attorney who grew up a Jehovah's Witness, then became an Evangelical Christian. That lasted until he conducted a thorough reading the original writings of the
posted 6:27:09pm Jul. 22, 2009 |
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Reason and revelation in Mormonism
This is a second piece on Bushman's Mormonism: A Very Short Introduction (OUP, 2008). [See Part 1.] Every faith and denomination has an approach for balancing faith and reason. In Chapter Two of the book, Bushman briefly outlines the LDS approach.
The context, of course, is how a faith or den
posted 12:46:47am Jul. 17, 2009 |
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posted January 30, 2009 at 4:49 pm
If the Honors program is anything like what it was when I attended, BYU must still be doin’ just fine. I remember feeling patronized by the folks at NYU when I was interviewing there after my stint at BYU. And after enrolling at NYU, I can say this, the Student Review was an altogether better paper than the rag that NYU managed to put out.
The BYU I knew was nothing like the Worldwide LaRouche Youth Movement …
posted January 30, 2009 at 10:21 pm
“Also, I wonder, in the wake of Correlation, how much of what looks like teaching and learning in church settings on Sunday is actually a form of training or socialization.”
Good question Dave. It harkens back to Marshall McLuhan’s old idea of the medium being the message. I suppose one could also try and look at such classes as a one piece of a learning organization’s structure. However, I doubt our mature church really fits all the components necessary for a robust learning organization. It certainly did during its inception, but organizational maturity means old forms tend to different purposes over time. So I guess it gets back to your original question – what is the functional purpose of Sunday school now – training, socialization, capacity building, organizational knowledge management, etc?