Engaging Gospel Doctrine

I can’t believe we have been producing Engaging Gospel Doctrine for ten years! This special episode discusses the purpose and past of the podcast as well as milestones in my own journey and process. I also discuss the future of the podcast and the Olam Institute and its projects. Olam SiteWorkplace Wellness Presentation

I can’t believe we have been producing Engaging Gospel Doctrine for ten years! This special episode discusses the purpose and past of the podcast as well as milestones in my own journey and process. I also discuss the future of the podcast and the Olam Institute and its projects. Olam SiteWorkplace Wellness Presentation

The Reign of the Judges Judges is one of the most memorable books of the Bible, but also one of the darkest. We must first grapple with the moral ambiguity of these stories before we can learn from the power and courage of Deborah, the vulnerability and trust of Gideon, and appreciate Samson for the… Continue Reading

The Reign of the Judges Judges is one of the most memorable books of the Bible, but also one of the darkest. We must first grapple with the moral ambiguity of these stories before we can learn from the power and courage of Deborah, the vulnerability and trust of Gideon, and appreciate Samson for the… Continue Reading

Covering the Old Testament this year in Sunday School means that we get to study the Exodus, Passover, and Easter at the same time. This striking alignment invites us to explore where in our lives we are in need of Liberation (Exodus), Commemoration (Passover/Sacrament), and Resurrection (Easter). Reading: Exodus 1-17; Easter You can access my… Continue Reading

Covering the Old Testament this year in Sunday School means that we get to study the Exodus, Passover, and Easter at the same time. This striking alignment invites us to explore where in our lives we are in need of Liberation (Exodus), Commemoration (Passover/Sacrament), and Resurrection (Easter). Reading: Exodus 1-17; Easter You can access my… Continue Reading

While Joseph seems tricky and somewhat annoying, a deeper reading of Genesis 37-50 reveals themes of accountability and reconciliation. These chapters invite us to reflect on how we can remain true to ourselves and make the best of difficult situations, and how we can live in such a way that we are ready for whatever… Continue Reading

While Joseph seems tricky and somewhat annoying, a deeper reading of Genesis 37-50 reveals themes of accountability and reconciliation. These chapters invite us to reflect on how we can remain true to ourselves and make the best of difficult situations, and how we can live in such a way that we are ready for whatever… Continue Reading

In these chapters we read about the inter-generational machinations and drama around the family of Rebekah and her twin sons Jacob and Esau. We are invited to reflect on marriage and family, culture, mindset, relationships, and reconciliation. Class Reading: Genesis 24-27; 28-33 Related Episodes

In these chapters we read about the inter-generational machinations and drama around the family of Rebekah and her twin sons Jacob and Esau. We are invited to reflect on marriage and family, culture, mindset, relationships, and reconciliation. Class Reading: Genesis 24-27; 28-33 Related Episodes

How do we move forward when the world feels like it is ending? How do we bear the pain of feeling the pain of the world? We learn from Noah and Enoch in this episode, who teach us lessons of preparation and compassion. Reading: Genesis 5-11; Moses 6-8 You can access my Reading Notes hereYou… Continue Reading

How do we move forward when the world feels like it is ending? How do we bear the pain of feeling the pain of the world? We learn from Noah and Enoch in this episode, who teach us lessons of preparation and compassion. Reading: Genesis 5-11; Moses 6-8 You can access my Reading Notes hereYou… Continue Reading

This episode grapples with the fundamental questions of human nature and purpose. How do we increase and responsibly use our agency, given human limitations? Reading: January 16: Genesis 3-4; Moses 4-5   January 9: Genesis 1-2; Moses 2-3; Abraham 4-5     You can access my Reading Notes hereYou can access my Lesson Notes here Related Episodes

This episode grapples with the fundamental questions of human nature and purpose. How do we increase and responsibly use our agency, given human limitations? Reading: January 16: Genesis 3-4; Moses 4-5   January 9: Genesis 1-2; Moses 2-3; Abraham 4-5     You can access my Reading Notes hereYou can access my Lesson Notes here Related Episodes

We have our greatest chance to progress toward our divine potential when we take seriously our human nature. This introductory episode for Come Follow Me 2022 reviews the schedule and approach of the podcast for next year, reviews the nature and approaches to scripture, explores the Old Testament and Pearl of Great Price. Class Reading:… Continue Reading

We have our greatest chance to progress toward our divine potential when we take seriously our human nature. This introductory episode for Come Follow Me 2022 reviews the schedule and approach of the podcast for next year, reviews the nature and approaches to scripture, explores the Old Testament and Pearl of Great Price. Class Reading:… Continue Reading

Celebrating Easter and resurrection is incomplete if we do not also celebrate the Holy Week, which is full of not just life and resurrection, but also disappointment, betrayal, and death. Easter invites us to increase our acceptance of death, which allows us to increase our engagement with life. We, like the women at the tomb,… Continue Reading

Celebrating Easter and resurrection is incomplete if we do not also celebrate the Holy Week, which is full of not just life and resurrection, but also disappointment, betrayal, and death. Easter invites us to increase our acceptance of death, which allows us to increase our engagement with life. We, like the women at the tomb,… Continue Reading

This is a time to celebrate renewal and resurrection. In this bonus episode I explain the purpose and contribution of Engaging Gospel Doctrine, comparing its approach to other Sunday School podcasts. There are so many great resources out there! I also reread Carol Lynn Pearson’s Holy Week, which applies the Easter message to our every… Continue Reading

This is a time to celebrate renewal and resurrection. In this bonus episode I explain the purpose and contribution of Engaging Gospel Doctrine, comparing its approach to other Sunday School podcasts. There are so many great resources out there! I also reread Carol Lynn Pearson’s Holy Week, which applies the Easter message to our every… Continue Reading

It is a shame we shorten this phrase to “The only true Church”, because I think “living” is a very important part of the statement. What does it mean to say the LDS Church is the “only true and living Church”? How do our Heavenly Parents interact with their children? What is the relationship between… Continue Reading

It is a shame we shorten this phrase to “The only true Church”, because I think “living” is a very important part of the statement. What does it mean to say the LDS Church is the “only true and living Church”? How do our Heavenly Parents interact with their children? What is the relationship between… Continue Reading

Thank you to all of you who have continued to support the podcast! My goal is to create a library of content indexed to scripture sections so that the podcast will be useful for the foreseeable future. That said, I will also continue to produce the podcast while you continue to support it! This Bonus… Continue Reading

Thank you to all of you who have continued to support the podcast! My goal is to create a library of content indexed to scripture sections so that the podcast will be useful for the foreseeable future. That said, I will also continue to produce the podcast while you continue to support it! This Bonus… Continue Reading

So much to discuss as we conclude our study of the Book of Mormon this year. Points we will explore this lesson: Mormon’s sublime letter on faith, hope, and charity in Moroni 7 Moroni’s promise in chapter 10–perhaps the most read section of the Book of Mormon. How do we know what is true? What does… Continue Reading

These chapters are straightforward–Moroni, shocked he hasn’t been killed yet, shares information about the organization of the church. He introduces: The Gift of the Holy Ghost Ordination of priests and teachers The sacrament prayers Baptism and Church order This is an ideal time to discuss the question: Why do we go to Church? What is… Continue Reading

This lesson contains one of the crown jewels of the Book of Mormon–the sublime verse on weakness and strength in 12:27.   There are other gems worthy of study, discussion, and application in this chapter. We have the idea that we can be the angels whom God uses to answer prayers, and Moroni comments on how God… Continue Reading

In this lesson we get to discuss the sealed portion of the Book of Mormon (which made up the bulk of the plates as Joseph described them)! What is contained in the sealed portion? What can we learn from the instructions regarding how to access them? We are going to examine these chapters on several… Continue Reading

After Mormon’s final plea to the House of Israel, Moroni takes over the record. His despair and loneliness is palpable and touching in the beginning of Mormon 8. There are several thought provoking gems in these chapters about weakness, pride, caring for the needy, and theological points about the nature of God and judgment. Moroni’s… Continue Reading

Poignantly placed after the description of the Lehite utopia, these are the darkest, most disturbing chapters in the Book of Mormon. It seems a fitting time to wrestle with the human potential for evil, the reality of the terrible things we do to each other, almost as a rule. And after reading his life’s work,… Continue Reading

hese chapters include an account of the happiest, most righteous, productive years in all of Book of Mormon history, the model utopian society that endured almost two hundred years after Jesus’ appearance. Unfortunately,  we only read about that time period (which surpasses the time covered by Mosiah, Alma, Helaman, and 3 Nephi!) for eighteen brief… Continue Reading

These chapters function as a sermon and reflection about the scriptures. Jesus quotes from Isaiah 54 and Malachi 3-4. He recommends the writings of Isaiah and urges Nephi to supplement his own records. Then in a bittersweet twist, we are excluded from the climax of the story–Mormon tells us that Jesus reveals all things, that… Continue Reading

Am I correct in concluding that these chapters fall in that category of scripture that most members read without comprehension? When we think “Isaiah chapters” 2 Nephi comes to mind, but 3 Nephi has its share as well, with some Micah thrown in. These chapters in brief talk about how in the latter days Israel… Continue Reading

These chapters of the Book of Mormon contain some of the most moving and tender moments in all of scripture. Jesus heals the sick, one by one. The crowd weeps with joy. Jesus blesses little children and the scene becomes ineffable. Angels minister to the children and Jesus weeps. All take the sacrament and Jesus… Continue Reading

These chapters give a literal chance to “feast upon the words of Christ” since they consist almost exclusively of Jesus’ teachings. Chapters 12-14 parallel the Sermon on the Mount and focus on issues of the happy life (Beatitudes), discipleship, the relationship of Jesus to the Law of Moses, and proper prayer and fasting. Other points… Continue Reading

 Nephi 11 is one of the most familiar chapters in Mormon scripture, shared by missionaries daily in countless languages. 3 Nephi 11-28 recount the personal ministry of Christ to the Lehites. Some of the most touching and powerful chapters in the Book of Mormon are found in this section. But before that ministry, there is… Continue Reading

The beginning of 3 Nephi overflows with intense extremes as it describes the decades leading up to the appearance of Jesus to the Lehites. The sign of Jesus’ birth is given; people believe then disbelieve. A protracted war with the Gadianton robbers forces the people to prepare and unite. Society is rebuilt and then collapses.… Continue Reading

These chapters are about Samuel the Lamanite posting to his wall (I know, bad joke, but some of us can relate to the stones and arrows). Samuel’s wall top preaching alternates between predictions of destruction, contrasting the Lamanite reaction to the truth, and prophesying concerning the coming of Christ. This lesson and discussion will focus… Continue Reading

Pretty much everyone is depressed in these chapters. The prophet Nephi and editor Mormon both complain about human nature and the state of wickedness of the people at this time. This is where the Lamanites become more righteous than the Nephites. Highlights will include Lessons from Lamanite and Nephite reactions to the Gadianton Robbers Book… Continue Reading

Even with the impending ministry of Christ among the Nephites, Mormon sees this section as the beginning of the end (Hel. 2:13). Helaman is a dark book with powerful highlights. This is a bad time to be a chief judge, and a bad time for the Nephites. The Nephites expand their territory, but wars divide… Continue Reading

The Book of Alma concludes with a bang as we read of wars of multiple fronts and severe internal turmoil and dissent. We can learn a great deal from the behavior of Moroni, Helaman, and their armies. And of course we can’t forget the 2000 stripling warriors and their mothers! There are several embedded letters… Continue Reading

With this lesson we march into the “War chapters” of Alma. Sometimes it seems readers of the Book of Mormon don’t know quite what to do with these twenty odd chapters, but there are many important lessons and intriguing details we can glean. Reading: Alma 43-52 Highlights of this lesson include: Important themes about motivation… Continue Reading

For my next trick, I will work through the entirety of Alma in one episode! It was a rewarding experience to look through the longest book of the Book of Mormon in one sitting, and I saw details and patterns that I had missed before. Alma is a rich and complex book that reveals some… Continue Reading

This core episode puts the provocative idea of God losing godhood in the context of the Plan of Happiness and its opposite, the Plan of Damnation. Reading: Alma 39-42 You can access my Lesson Notes here.

These chapters are chock full of doctrinal substance touching upon the “Great Plan of Happiness”. We will explore: Resurrection and Spirit World Justice and mercy Role of this life The nature of God, including the unusual and compelling idea of a “limited God”. Reading: Alma 39-42 Look forward to an engaging discussion with Jennifer, Stefanie, Keith and Dan. You can… Continue Reading

In this bonus episode, I describe my process of preparing for the podcast and reading the scriptures, as well as make recommendations for scripture reading in general. I discuss literary, personal, intertextual, and historical approaches, and send scripture reading down the rabbit hole. The takeaway is that we can both find personal scripture that nourishes and… Continue Reading

Alma’s intimate words to his sons model a way to use honest sharing about the past to better the present and future. This core episode covers Alma’s path to peace, the principle that we cannot feel greater joy than we have experienced pain, the underappreciated figure of Shiblon, and finally, challenge to the unhealthy idea… Continue Reading

This lesson and the next provide a precious and intimate window in the family life of Alma, one of the great Book of Mormon prophets. These chapters fit into the genre of “Testament”, which records the wisdom and blessings imparted by the patriarch of a family (unfortunately, we don’t have any records of  a matriarch… Continue Reading

This reading proves not only interesting for discussion, but can be life changing. This core episode discusses the power and importance of experimenting on the word, the distinction between belief, knowledge, and faith, and how we can experience heaven on earth. Reading: Alma 32-35 You can access the Lesson Notes here.

Plant this Word in your Hearts How many superstars of theology can we fit into a few chapters? Truth. Prayer. Atonement. These chapters contain some of the most memorable lessons and gems in the Book of Mormon. The “experiment upon the word” in Alma 32, Amulek’s powerful sermon on the Atonement and role of this… Continue Reading

“All Things Denote There Is a God” One of the problems with our beliefs is that they are obvious–to us. The familiar is so self-evident that often we can’t even imagine how anyone could believe anything different. Further, even if “all things denote there is a God”, we as humans are not equipped to understand… Continue Reading