\u201cWelding Another Link in Wonder\u2019s Chain:\u00a0The Task of Latter-day Saint Intellectuals in the Church\u2019s Third Century\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
Abstract:<\/strong>\u00a0This is a\u00a0challenging moment for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-\u200aday Saints. Both its efforts at retention and missionary work are less effective than they have been in the past. At this moment, what is the most important task facing Latter-day Saint intellectuals? In contrast to those who argue that faithful thinkers and writers should focus either on defending the faith or providing criticisms of the Church\u2019s failings, this essay argues that the Latter-day Saint clerisy should focus on celebrating the Restoration and finding new language in which to express what makes the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ a\u00a0compelling and attractive force in people\u2019s lives. The language which we have used in the past no longer seems to be as compelling as once it was. This is unsurprising. The history of the Church shows a\u00a0cyclical pattern focused on missionary work, with seasons of harvest giving way to fallow times and seasons of planting. However, over time the Church tends to transform itself in the image of its most successful messages for proclaiming the Gospel. Latter-day Saint intellectuals have an important, albeit subordinate, role in finding such messages. Pursuing the project of celebrating the Restoration need not involve either usurping the prerogatives of Church leaders nor compromising one\u2019s intellectual integrity. In this moment in the history of the Church, it is the most important project to which Latter-day Saint thinkers can turn their attention.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
I\u2019m pleased that we were able to publish Professor Oman\u2019s article. \u00a0Not merely because it\u2019s very good and because I like what it says (which isn\u2019t quite<\/em> the same thing), but because Nate was one of the brightest students that I\u2019ve ever had at Brigham Young University.<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
Today represents the 368th consecutive Friday on which Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship<\/em> has published at least one article. \u00a0Not bad for an\u00a0organization \u2014 the Interpreter Foundation \u2014 that was established 369.5 weeks ago with literally no money. \u00a0Not even a bank account. \u00a0I\u2019m grateful to everybody who has made this possible.<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
***<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scott Gordon<\/a>, the long-serving (long-suffering?) president of FairMormon, opened the Friday afternoon session of the 2019 FairMormon Conference with a hard-hitting presentation under the title \u201cCES Letter: Proof or Propaganda?\u201d \u00a0Having only about fifty minutes for his remarks, he focused (to devastating effect) on the first chapter of the Letter. \u00a0 I understand why he would so limit his attention: \u00a0At the request of others, I myself responded to the CES Letter at the 2014 FairMormon Conference. \u00a0(See \u201cSome Reflections On That Letter To a CES Director.\u201d) \u00a0I attempted to cover the whole thing, and I found it incredibly frustrating. (\u201cSo many errors, so little time!\u201d)<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
Posted from Provo, Utah<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u00a0 \u00a0 It being Friday, Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship has published yet another new article. \u00a0That new article is Professor Nathan B. Oman\u2019s\u00a0\u201cWelding Another Link in Wonder\u2019s Chain:\u00a0The Task of Latter-day Saint Intellectuals in the Church\u2019s Third Century\u201d \u00a0 Abstract:\u00a0This is a\u00a0challenging moment for The Church of Jesus Christ of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1019,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-76926","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n
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<\/a>