Finding the Good and the Beautiful

It’s possible that there are some people who’ve never experienced the yearnings described by St. Augustine, Rābiʻa al-‘Adawiyya, Jalāl al-Dīn Rūmī, William Wordsworth, Eliza Snow, C. S. Lewis, Alvin Plantinga, and many others. If so, I honestly don’t know what to do for them…

A slogan has been circulating among Mormon intellectuals of late, to the effect that “Richness is the new proof.”³⁹ If this is taken to suggest that historical and other arguments no longer have a place in discussions of the claims of Mormonism, I strongly disagree. But if it’s understood to mean simply that “richness” is a powerful apologetic, I strongly concur. It’s not enough, as I’ve said, to show that the Gospel is true, or at least plausible. We ought also to be trying to show how very good and beautiful it is, how rich and deep. And Interpreter is an excellent place for doing that.