Terryl Givens

Terryl Givens, an author and esteemed voice on agency within Mormonism, returns to delve into the profound concepts of free will and agency from his new book. He challenges the notion of predetermined choices versus true agency, discussing how community influences our personal decisions. The conversation navigates the delicate balance between obedience to divine authority and individual freedom, while also contemplating the dangers of idolatry in faith. Givens shares insights on creating a loving relationship with God that honors both personal conviction and communal ties.

A few weeks ago, we released a conversation with Terryl Givens about the life of Eugene England. England’s work on atonement theology had felt like it necessitated another conversation, but it was too big to fit into the first one. So this week, we brought Terryl back to talk not just about England’s views, but about atonement generally.The conversation starts with the fascinating premise that our faith doesn’t actually have an official theology of Atonement. What is clear, doctrinally, is that Christ brought about something of universal importance: as the Book of Mormon says, "we talk of Christ, rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, (and) we prophesy of Christ." (2nd Nephi 25:26) We accept Christ as both savior and healer — but that doesn’t mean that we’ve achieved a consensus understanding of how Christ’s atonement actually accomplished those goals of “saving” and “healing.”So in this conversation with Terryl, we discussed various atonement theories — what some of the greatest Christian and Latter-day Saint thinkers have posited over the years about how the atonement works; why it’s necessary, and how it can apply in real life. It seemed to us that there was something to value in nearly all of these explorations, and it was fascinating to see how those views have evolved over time.And, as it always does, conversation with Terryl brought us back to what’s really important: how Christ’s atonement can bring less retribution and more healing to society, and how we can participate in that work. Terryl reminded us that Atonement is about reintegration into loving relationship — not just vertically with God, but horizontally with those around us.

Jared Halverson, a scholar adept at navigating faith challenges, and Terryl Givens, a noted religious scholar, engage in a thought-provoking discussion on whether doubt can serve as a spiritual gift. They propose that faith and doubt are not opposites, but rather coexist to foster deeper spiritual growth. The conversation highlights the importance of embracing uncertainties and the evolution of personal spirituality in today's context. Ultimately, they argue that the journey of belief should embrace both faith and doubt as allies in spiritual development.

For today’s episode, we were honored to bring back the inimitable Terryl Givens. Terryl and his son Nathaniel have recently released a new book, called Into the Headwinds: Why Belief Has Always Been Hard  — And Still Is.This is a remarkable book and addresses some of life’s most profound questions, especially as they pertain to the modern world. Terryl and Nathaniel argue that though many of us see faith as “hard” in our scientific and rational age — but the reality is that for many years faith may have been too easy. People of faith, and Christians in particular, have long benefited from being a part of the in-crowd—since Rome adopted Christianity as its official religion, it’s been quite comfortable to call oneself a Christian. But Terryl and Nathaniel say that that may have produced a more fragile discipleship, and one that focused more on how we believe than on how we live.So in this conversation, we dived into all of this with Terryl — including how he defines faith, the limits of agency, how reckoning with our own biases is key to our own spiritual life, and how we can look well outside our own tradition to find examples of true discipleship.We’re sure that most of you know Terryl, but just in case: Terryl Givens is a Neal L. Maxwell Senior Fellow at Brigham Young University. He formerly held the University of Richmond's Jabez A. Bostwick Chair of English, where he was professor of literature and religion. He is the author and coauthor of numerous books, including All Things New, The God Who Weeps, and The Crucible of Doubt.Nathaniel Givens, Terryl’s co-author on this book, has been published in First Things, the Deseret News, and RealClearReligion on the topics of faith and politics. With graduate degrees in economics and systems engineering, Nathaniel works as a data analyst and entrepreneur.

Terryl Givens, a scholar and advisor, explores the peaceable things of Christ including three names of Christ: Creator, Emmanuel, and Paraclete. He discusses the uncertainty of life and finding security and peace through scripture and personal experiences. Givens also delves into the theology of ascent, the purpose of creation, and the concept of God inhabiting our world. The podcast explores witnessing goodness, redefining justice, and finding comfort and joy in the gospel.

Terryl Givens, a speaker with a fascinating background, shares personal stories about near-drowning experiences, investigating infant mortality rates, the power of human connection, understanding God's love, and the provisional nature of structures within the Church.

For today’s episode, we were honored as always to bring back one of our favorite people and conversation partners, and likely one of yours: Terryl Givens.We spoke with Terryl about a book he released in 2021, a biography called Stretching the Heavens: The Life of Eugene England and the Crisis of Modern Mormonism.Terryl’s work on this biography led to a fascinating portrait of a man many of us look up to, and someone we truly wish we could have met (England died in 2001 at the age of 68). His legacy has proven to be both broad and enduring — in addition to a long and storied career in academia, he was a founder of Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought and of the Association for Mormon Letters. His writing continues to move and inspire Latter-day Saints today, including through essays that have become classics like Why the Church is as True as the Gospel.In our interview with Terryl, we talked not just about the arc of Eugene England’s life, but about the principles that arose from the insights he shared and some of the struggles he faced. In particular, we talked through some of the issues that came up for him as a man striving to be both true to his own conscience and to the authority of an institution he fully believed in and loved, when the two didn’t fully align. In many ways, this seems to be the conflict at the heart of discipleship and even of Christianity’s creation story. Regardless, we felt like exploring it through the lens of Eugene England’s life was both relevant and poignant.This book, Stretching the Heavens, was published by UNC Press and is available on Amazon and Audible.

Terryl Givens, a renowned Latter-day Saint scholar and author, joins David Snell to dive into the provocative differences between Latter-day Saint beliefs and mainstream Christianity, particularly regarding the nature of God. They explore the theological shifts in early Christianity and the implications of concepts like divine love and atonement. Givens discusses the complexities of the Trinity and God's embodiment, encouraging a rethinking of traditional views while emphasizing relationships shaped by love and forgiveness.

Terryl Givens, expert in Literature and Religion, discusses Joseph Smith's cultural influences, repurposing of ideas for Mormonism, and the shift towards inclusivity in the faith. They explore the challenges of reconciling historical inaccuracies, the impact of early church leaders on Mormon history, and the resilience showcased in the Mormon hymn 'Come, Come, Ye Saints'.

Terryl Givens, a Professor of Literature and Religion, discusses the importance of historical narratives in LDS origins, challenges to Orthodox accounts, the balance between intellectual exploration and core beliefs in Mormonism, the concept of an empathetic God, the relationship between faith and intellectual compulsion, ethical dilemmas in faith such as polygamy, and the complexities of belief, faith, and the nature of God including Christ's sacrifice and atonement.