Maxwell Institute Podcast

Latter-day Saint historians have long demonstrated that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was not established all at once, but that it has unfolded—line upon line, precept upon precept, to borrow a biblical phrase. Ideas about priesthood in Mormonism, for example, have developed in fascinating ways. In a new book from Oxford University Press, […] The post #78—The development of LDS liturgy and cosmology, with Jonathan Stapley [MIPodcast] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The Reverend Billy Graham rose to international prominence in the 1940s preaching an evangelical Christian gospel. Hailing from North Carolina, the charismatic preacher filled stadiums, counseled American presidents, and encouraged millions of people around the world to seek personal transformation by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Historian Grant Wacker joins us to talk […] The post #77—Billy Graham and the shaping of a nation, with Grant Wacker [MIPodcast] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

Adam Miller wrote Letters to a Young Mormon for thoughtful people yearning for a more thoughtful faith. It's a little book, but it packs a powerful punch. In this episode, Miller is talks about the new second expanded edition, which the Maxwell Institute recently published in partnership with Deseret Book. We also talk about the perils of Mormon quasi-celebrity, bad book reviews, apologetics, his future projects, and other things. The post #76—Adam Miller on more Letters to a Young Mormon [MIPodcast] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

Our 75th Episode! The Book of Mormon warns against mistaking intelligence for wisdom, but adds a crucial caveat: “to be learned is good if they hearken unto the counsels of God” (2 Nephi 9:29). Where LDS founding prophet Joseph Smith declared that a person is saved no faster than they get knowledge, historian Richard Bushman adds a corollary: A person gains knowledge no faster than they […] The post #75—“To be learned is good,” with Richard Bushman [MIPodcast] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

Latter-day Saint scholar Terryl L. Givens is back with us again. Dr. Givens spent the summer here at the Institute as a Neal A. Maxwell fellow. It was a real treat to have Terryl here in the building, and he sat down with MIPodcast host Blair Hodges to talk about the second and final book […] The post #74—Feeding the Flock, with Terryl L. Givens [MIPodcast] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

If you’re familiar with African American religious history, you know that black women outnumber black men in the church. There are a lot of theories about why, too. Author Zora Neale Hurston, for example, said that black women were “the mules of the world,” and that the church gave them a place to lay their […] The post #73—Women and power in the Church of God in Christ, with Anthea Butler [MIPodcast] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

When the Qur’an was revealed to the prophet Muhammad, it arrived in the language of his place and time—Arabic. To this day, for virtually all Muslims whether Arab or not, the Qur’an only truly exists in Arabic. You can read an English translation, there are many to choose from, but the Qur’an is said to […] The post #72—The Koran in English, with Bruce Lawrence and David Peck [MIPodcast] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

This special episode is a tribute to and homage of LORE, by Aaron Mahnke. If you haven’t already, you should check it out. In 1888 a Mormon woman in the Southern States mission of the LDS Church requested a visit from the missionaries. She said she was possessed by the devil and asked the elders to […] The post #71—Mormon exorcism lore, with Stephen Taysom [MIPodcast] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

Who owns religion? Who gets to say what is right or wrong, fact or fiction about any religious tradition? Religious believers and scholars of religion don’t always see eye to eye on this question. In this episode, Dr. Ravi Gupta joins us to talk about where the academic study of religion meets the practice of […] The post #70—A Hindu perspective on being a disciple-scholar, with Ravi Gupta [MIPodcast] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

An estimated twelve million Africans were forced into slavery from the seventeenth century until Emancipation. Torn from their land, separated from family and kin, their bodies were stolen and their very identities were at risk of annihilation. So Africans became African Americans. Years before Reconstruction, they began reconstructing their own past. Many of them combined patriotism, […] The post #69—Setting down the sacred past of African Americans, with Laurie Maffly-Kipp [MIPodcast] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

Martin Luther believed the Bible proved that the Catholic Church had gone astray. His efforts to bring reform to the church wound up leading to his excommunication and the Reformation was off and running. In the previous two episodes we heard from Craig Harline and Brad Gregory, talking about Martin Luther’s life and the Reformation […] The post #68—Reforming the sacraments, with Jennifer Powell McNutt [MIPodcast] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

When Martin Luther published his 95 Theses in October of 1517 he had no intention of starting a revolution. But he became a rebel and the Reformation took off. And then the Reformation rebelled against Luther, and we’re still dealing with consequences that would have horrified the reformer five hundred years later. That’s how historian Brad […] The post #67—How the Reformation rebelled against Luther, with Brad S. Gregory [MIPodcast] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

What was Martin Luther trying to accomplish when he nailed his ninety-five theses to the Wittenburg church door? Would you believe he didn’t intend to start a new religious movement at all? Down the centuries Martin Luther has been lauded by some, lambasted by others. Was he an amazing hero or an arch heretic, or perhaps […] The post #66—Martin Luther and the birth of the Reformation, with Craig Harline [MIPodcast] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

When you think about your religious beliefs, your theology, how much consideration have you given to your race? How has the color of your skin affected your understanding of God, of Jesus Christ, or of your religious community? Maybe you’ve never thought much about it. If you’re a black Latter-day Saint in America, you virtually […] The post #65—Womanist theology and Mormonism, with Janan Graham-Russell [MIPodcast] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

Joseph Smith, the founding prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, died at the hands of an angry mob in June of 1844. Shortly before his death he is reported to have made this bold declaration: “I should be like a fish out of water, if I were out of persecutions…the Lord […] The post #64—Heresy, opposition, and becoming gods, with Adam J. Powell [MIPodcast] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

In the late nineteenth century, a newspaper written and published by women and for women sprung up in what most Americans thought was the unlikeliest of locations: Utah, the home of the Mormons. Along the top of the newspaper the masthead proudly declared its concern: “The Rights of the Women of Zion, and the Rights […] The post #62—Laurel Thatcher Ulrich and “A House Full of Females” [MIPodcast] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

There’s a famous passage from First Corinthians: “Let your women keep silence in the churches, for it is not permitted into them to speak. But they are commanded to be under obedience, as also say the law. And if they will learn anything, let them ask their husband at home. For it is a shame […] The post #61—Women at the Latter-day Saint pulpit, with Jennifer Reeder and Kate Holbrook [MIPodcast] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

When the Lotus Sutra arrived in Boston in 1844 the few people who could read it were intrigued by its parables that reminded them of the Bible. For these westerners, the Lotus was like a gateway into a mysterious and profound culture from across the world. But it took a long time to get there, from […] The post #60—The life of the Lotus Sutra, with Donald S. Lopez, Jr. [MIPodcast] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

Are you familiar with the New Atheists? The late Christopher Hitchens wrote biting books about religion as “poison,” Richard Dawkins champions a sort of scientism as a replacement for faith, and people like Bill Maher spend time each evening poking fun at the pious. Despite their unofficial “New Atheist” title, they’re perhaps not actually all […] The post #59—Village atheists, with Leigh Eric Schmidt [MIPodcast] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

People are usually more comfortable talking about their strengths rather than their weaknesses. It’s human nature. The same can be said about religious studies. When scholars talk about it, you can expect them to emphasize the positive. But like many academic fields, religious studies also faces challenges. Some come from the outside—say, when schools and […] The post #58—Some challenges of religious studies, with Thomas Tweed [MIPodcast] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.