197. The Divinity and Humanity of the Book of Mormon — A Conversation with Jared Halverson
Dec 31, 2023
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Jared Halverson, an enthusiastic scholar of the Latter-day Saint canon, talks about gaining something from engaging with the Book of Mormon regardless of faith. They discuss the ongoing relevance of scriptures and the importance of balancing perspectives and embracing faith. Additionally, they address doubt, apathy, and faith crisis while emphasizing empathy. They explore the world in front of the text, the power of scripture, and the value of teaching.
The Book of Mormon invites readers to engage in an ongoing conversation, both with the text and with other fellow believers, fostering personal growth, transformation, and a deeper connection with the divine.
The Book of Mormon challenges readers to reject racism, embrace inclusivity, and recognize the humanity in all people, promoting unity and positive change in the world.
Sacred texts like the Book of Mormon are dynamic sources of spiritual guidance, allowing individuals to tap into transcendence, develop personal relationships with God, and contribute to collective spiritual growth.
Deep dives
The Book of Mormon as a Catalyst for Transformation
The Book of Mormon is a sacred text that serves as a catalyst for personal and communal transformation. It invites readers to engage in a conversation with the text, bringing their questions, difficulties, and experiences to the table. The book is self-aware, acknowledging its purpose and context, while remaining focused on the ultimate goal of bringing individuals closer to Jesus Christ. It calls readers to ponder the mercies of God throughout history and in their own lives. The Book of Mormon fosters a community of believers who wrestle with its teachings and are inspired to become true disciples of Christ.
Engaging in an Ongoing Conversation
The Book of Mormon invites readers to engage in an ongoing conversation, both with the text and with other fellow believers. It is not a self-absorbed book, but rather one that seeks to engage an audience beyond its original creation. By participating in this conversation, readers can experience personal growth, transformation, and a deeper connection with the divine. They can bring their questions, doubts, and struggles to the text, allowing it to spark new insights and understandings. Through this engagement, the book becomes a living, transformative force in the lives of its readers, continuously inspiring and guiding them.
The Book of Mormon as a Catalyst for Unity and Inclusion
The Book of Mormon addresses topics such as racism, othering, and exclusivity, inviting readers to reexamine their beliefs and behaviors. It challenges individuals to reject racism, embrace inclusivity, and recognize the humanity in all people. The book prompts readers to reinterpret and reimagine its teachings, acknowledging that the cultural context of the past may have limited perspectives. This process allows for a broader understanding and a commitment to building a community that loves and serves one another, breaking down barriers and promoting unity. The Book of Mormon encourages readers to be agents of positive change in the world, reflecting the transformative power of the scripture itself.
The Power of Sacred Texts
What makes a text sacred is its ability to inspire, transform, and connect individuals and communities with something divine. Sacred texts like the Book of Mormon are not static objects, but living and dynamic sources of spiritual guidance. They invite readers to tap into transcendence, reach higher levels of understanding, and become more like the divine. The shared sacred text in a community allows for the formation of an imagined audience, a community of belief, and the fostering of collective spiritual growth. Sacred texts provide a pathway for individuals to develop a personal relationship with God, engage in ongoing conversations with fellow believers, and contribute to the shared understanding and interpretation of the text.
The Labor of Love in Teaching and Sharing
The work of teaching and sharing sacred texts, like the Book of Mormon, is a labor of love. It is driven by a desire to see individuals and communities transform and grow. For those engaged in this work, it is not about personal gain or recognition, but about witnessing the positive impact of scripture in the lives of others. Teachers and sharers of sacred texts have a deep appreciation for the potential of every individual to become more than they currently are. They trust the scriptures, trust God, and trust in the process of engagement and transformation. This labor of love is fueled by a genuine love for the children of God and a belief in their capacity to change and embrace the transformative power of scripture.
Today we’re sharing a conversation that we had a lot of fun with, along with an exciting announcement about the work we’re doing at Faith Matters.
Our guest was our friend Jared Halverson. Few people we know exude as much enthusiasm for scripture—the Latter-day Saint canon in particular—as Jared does. He’s someone who clearly loves and cherishes these holy texts, and has taken the best they have to offer to heart. He’s as genuine, loving, and big-hearted as they come.
So we felt Jared would be the perfect person to talk to to kick off this year’s study of The Book of Mormon, the book Joseph Smith called “the keystone of our religion.” In our discussion with Jared, we talked about how we might be able to gain something from engaging with the Book, regardless of where our faith is at; how scriptures are the means, not the end, and how they’re not frozen in time—they’re part of an ongoing conversation that we’re a part of.
With all that said, we could not be more excited to tell you that Faith Matters is formally teaming up with Jared to bring his podcast, Unshaken, one of the most widely engaged scripture study podcasts out there, into the Faith Matters network of podcast and YouTube shows. We’ll have more to share about that in the future as that network expands and grows. For now, it means that Jared will continue to bring his signature blend of scholarly rigor and devotional reflection to his discussions of scripture that move with the Come Follow Me curriculum. But whereas in the past, Jared’s podcast episodes have been deep dives of 3-5 hours per episode, the new Unshaken format will shoot for an hour or so to make them a bit more digestible.
Unshaken will continue to operate on its own Youtube and Podcast channels, while the Faith Matters podcast will continue to operate on this one. If you’re interested in Jared and his work based on what you hear today, we’d highly recommend you head over to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube to subscribe.
For those unfamiliar with Jared, he’s an associate professor of Ancient Scripture at Brigham Young University, and has taught religion courses at the high school and college level since 1998. He studied history and religious education at BYU and earned a PhD in American religious history at Vanderbilt University.
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