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Latter-day Saint FAIR-Cast

Me, My Shelf, & I – How Latter-day Saints and Evangelicals understand the Bible differently

Apr 3, 2025
In this engaging discussion, Stephen Smoot, a doctoral candidate in Semitic languages, Dr. Ben Spackman, an expert in American religious history, and Travis Anderson, a missionary assistant, delve into the intricate differences in biblical interpretation between Latter-day Saints and Evangelicals. They tackle topics like Sola Scriptura, ongoing revelation, and proof texting, all while sharing personal anecdotes and humorous insights. The panel emphasizes the importance of context in understanding scripture and encourages constructive dialogue across faith traditions.
01:38:22

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

  • The concept of Sola Scriptura emphasizes scripture as the ultimate authority for evangelicals, contrasting with Latter-day Saints' belief in ongoing revelation through living prophets.
  • Latter-day Saints view scripture as dynamic and subject to interpretation, while evangelicals typically see it as a fixed and unchanging text.

Deep dives

Understanding Sola Scriptura

Sola Scriptura, or scripture alone, is a foundational principle for many evangelical Christians, emphasizing that the Bible is the ultimate authority in matters of faith. This concept originated from the Protestant reformers who sought to eliminate what they considered human additions to Christianity that had accumulated over centuries. For many Latter-day Saints, however, the understanding and interpretation of scripture also involves living prophets and continuing revelation, which contrasts with the evangelical view. As a result, there is often a miscommunication between Latter-day Saints and evangelicals due to their differing assumptions about authority in religious matters.

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