Maxwell Institute Podcast

One Hundred Birds Taught Me to Fly is the latest book in the Maxwell Institute's Living Faith series. In this episode, author Ashley Mae Hoiland joins Blair Hodges, co-editor of the series, to talk about the revelatory nature of writing. The book is for restless souls who [...] The post #57—One Hundred Birds Taught Me to Fly, with Ashley Mae Hoiland [MIPodcast] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The deep red state of Utah is surprising pundits as the 2016 presidential election approaches. For the first time in over fifty years, the state is poised to vote for someone other than the Republican nominee. Mormons within the Republican party have been singled out as a significant reason Utah is looking elsewhere. It’s useful to […] The post #56—Mormons and American politics, with David E. Campbell and J. Quin Monson [MIPodcast] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

As the twentieth century dawned, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints remained at odds with the United States, a country that had provided fertile soil for the growth of their faith, but also a country they felt alienated from. Some of the things Mormons did to keep themselves separate from the outside world ended […] The post #55—American Universities and the Birth of Modern Mormonism, with Thomas W. Simpson [MIPodcast] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

Perhaps you’ve experienced moments of doubt about your religious faith. Or maybe you’re one of the people who find doubt to be a more frequent companion in your spiritual life. Either way, doubt can be unsettling and uncomfortable. Biblical scholar Peter Enns suggests that part of the problem is that many Christians have come to […] The post #54—The Sin of Certainty, with Peter Enns [MIPodcast] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

James L. Kugel is one of the foremost scholars of the Hebrew Bible of our time. Kugel recently visited BYU’s Neal A. Maxwell Institute to talk about his work and about the relationship between religious faith and scholarship about scripture. Kugel is an orthodox Jew and biblical scholar who became somewhat legendary for revisiting ancient paradigms. […] The post #53—James L. Kugel on how to read the Bible [MIPodcast] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

“Be fruitful and multiply.” According to the book of Genesis, these are the first words God speaks to humanity. People have understood these words over the centuries as a commandment to procreate, and the ability to bear and raise children has been understood as a divine blessing. But what about people who can’t bear children due […] The post #52—Reconceiving infertility in the Bible, with Candida Moss and Joel Baden [MIPodcast] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

What good is a dead body? How have humans cared for dead bodies through the ages and why do we do it? What do dead bodies tell us about the things we value most and about the things we’re afraid of? All of us will be dead bodies someday, so these questions are relevant for everyone. […] The post #51— The Work of the Dead, with Thomas W. Laqueur [MIPodcast] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

In some ways it’s been a lonelier than usual summer at the Maxwell Institute. Since it was founded in 2006 we’ve had the privilege of hosting the Summer Seminar on Mormon Culture, a remarkable research opportunity that is somewhat legendary for the people that have passed through it, like Reid Neilson of the Church History Library, […] The post #50—The Summer Seminar on Mormon Culture, 2015 [MIPodcast] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

When the Protestant Reformer John Calvin published his book Institutes of the Christian Religion in the 1500s, he couldn't have anticipated the incredibly different purposes his book would come to serve long after he died and was buried somewhere in an unmarked grave by his own request. The Institutes was a blockbuster[...] The post #49—The unexpected life of Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion, with Bruce Gordon [MIPodcast] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

What do you know about African American religious history? Julius H. Bailey joins us in this episode to talk about his new overview, Down in the Valley: An Introduction to African American History. Bailey’s book operates on a few different levels. The ground floor contains a general story beginning with African traditional religions. It moves through slavery and […] The post #48—(Almost) all about African American religious history, with Julius H. Bailey [MIPodcast] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

If you surveyed Americans, asking them to identify themselves as: A) Catholic B) Muslim C) Evangelical D) Mormon ...and so on, an increasing number will select the very last option—none of the above. [...] The post #47—The spiritual lives of America’s “Nones,” with Elizabeth Drescher [MIPodcast] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The New York Times Review of Books says Marilynne Robinson “is not like any other writer. She has created a small, rich, and fearless body of work in which religion exists unashamedly, as does doubt, unashamedly.” Robinson is perhaps best known for her Pulitzer Prize winning novel Gilead (2004). This year she received the Library of […] The post #46—Marilynne Robinson on The Givenness of Things [MIPodcast] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

Why was it virtually impossible not to believe in God in, say, 1500 in our Western society, while in 2016 many people find it more difficult to believe than not? This is the question that Charles Taylor tackles in his massive book A Secular Age. In this episode, James K. A. Smith joins us to talk […] The post #45— How (Not) to Be Secular, with James K. A. Smith [MIPodcast] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

Even if you’ve never heard of a Christian movement scholars call “the prosperity gospel,” chances are you know some of its most famous proponents, like Joel Osteen or Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker. “The prosperity gospel” is not officially associated with any particular denomination. It’s more a style of Christianity, one that emphasizes God’s desire to […] The post #44—Kate Bowler’s history of the prosperity gospel movement [MIPodcast] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

C. S. Lewis died in 1963 on the same day John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Before the decade was over, few expected his works to last. “We think Lewis’s star has risen and is about to set,” said one Catholic publisher. “His day is over. No one will be reading C. S. Lewis twenty years […] The post #43—The life of C. S. Lewis’s Mere Christianity, with George Marsden [MIPodcast] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

In the land of Israel, rain falls during a single, crucial, season of the year beginning in October or November and continuing through the spring. Lives depended on successful harvests which depended on healthy rainfall. According to the Hebrew scriptures, weather proved God's blessing or cursing the people of Israel: "From the rain of the heavens, you will drink water— a land that the Lord your God seeks out perpetually; the eyes of the Lord your God are upon it" [...] The post #42—The rabbis and the rain, with Julia Watts Belser [MIPodcast] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

In the last episode we heard from three editors of a new book of Relief Society documents published by the LDS Church. Jill Mulvay Derr, Kate Holbrook, and Matt Grow talked about the origins of the Relief Society and why its activities were suspended in 1844. Today is the Relief Society’s 174th anniversary. In this episode […] The post #41—The First Fifty Years of Relief Society, with Jill Mulvay Derr, Kate Holbrook, and Matthew Grow (2 of 2) [MIPodcast] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The Church Historian’s Press just released a landmark book of documents all about the Relief Society, the women’s organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was organized in 1842 with high hopes for benevolent service and holiness, and it was suspended in 1844 in the midst of conflict and controversy. Thursday, […] The post #40—The First Fifty Years of Relief Society, with Jill Mulvay Derr, Kate Holbrook, and Matthew Grow (1 of 2) [MIPodcast] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

The New Testament records seven phrases Jesus uttered as he hung on the cross: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” (Luke 23.34) “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23.43) “Woman, behold your son. Son, behold your mother.” (John 19.26–27) “My God, My […] The post #39—The seven last words of Jesus, with James Martin, SJ [MIPodcast] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.