BYU Studies

"Salad Days," is a poem by Alixa Brobbey. It won second place in the 2022 Clinton F. Larson Poetry Contest, sponsored by BYU Studies.

Charity is more than a Christlike virtue we show towards others. It is a virtue we should employ in reading the scriptures as well. In his article "Charity as an Exegetical Principle in The Book of Mormon," Matthew Scott Stenson explains that when we read the scriptures with an open mind, real intent, and the love of God in our hearts, we are reading with charity as we are slow to judge and critique. He teaches us that while we need to be cautious of our own fallacies, we can learn to find more joy and receive unique revelation in the scriptures if we interpret with the Spirit of God.

The testimonies of Len and Mary Hope are among the earliest audio-recorded testimonies of Black Latter-day Saints. In this article, learn more about these faithful members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and how they came to be baptized.

When covenant women are together, they become each other’s shelter. The storms might be raging around them, but they don’t feel the rain or hear the thunder because they’re so busy laughing and loving each other.

In ““Show Them unto No Man: Part 1. Esoteric Teachings and the Problem of Early Latter-day Saint Doctrinal History” Barry R. Bickmore examines how two texts, the Book of Mormon and the book of Moses, demonstrate exotericism (doctrine available to all) and esotericism (doctrine intended for a select group of people). The article also discusses how believing Latter-day Saint historians tend to couch doctrinal modifications over time in terms that suggest natural outgrowth from previously revealed knowledge. Conversely, historians with a more secular outlook tend to depict doctrinal modifications as abrupt reversals driven by environmental influences, even though ignoring the possibility of supernatural intervention does not require such an interpretation. Barry Bickmore argues that doctrinal changes should be viewed from the lens of Joseph Smith's intent to restore primitive Christianity.

From BYU Studies Quarterly Volume 62, Number 1 In this essay, Cristie Cowles Charles reflects on her journey coming to terms with ADHD as an adult. This essay took first place in the BYU Studies Essay Contest in 2023.

In this article, Jenet Jacob Erickson explains that fathers and mothers tend to play distinctive roles nurturing children’s development. It reviews social science research that shows how mothers and fathers differ in their psychological orientations, strengths, and styles of interaction with children, but also how they complement each other in influencing children’s social and emotional development. The article uses biblical, doctrinal, and prophetic sources to support its claim that gender is an essential characteristic of individual and eternal identity and purpose, and that both parents are capable of providing the essential nurturing for children. The article concludes that the combination of complementary differences and similarities between mothers and fathers enables them to influence children’s development in a way that is greater than the sum of the individual parts. Read "It Takes Two: What We Learn from Social Science about the Divine Pattern of Gender Complementarity in Parenting" by Jenet Jacob Erickson on byustudies.byu.edu.

In this interview between Jenet Jacob Erickson and Steven C. Harper, they discuss Professor Erickson's recent article in BYU Studies, "It Takes Two: What We Learn from Social Science about the Divine Pattern of Gender Complementarity in Parenting."

The authors of A Guide to the Book of Abraham offer their concluding thoughts. From BYU Studies Quarterly, volume 61, number 4. If you enjoyed this issue of BYU Studies Quarterly, please consider sharing it with a friend.

Figure 5 in Facsimile 3 of the Book of Abraham is identified as “Shulem, one of the king’s principal waiters.” We don’t know anything more about the man Shulem beyond this brief description because he does not appear in the text of the Book of Abraham. Presumably, if we had more of the story, we would know more about how he fit in the overall Abrahamic narrative. However, there are some things we can say about Shulem and his title “the king’s principal waiter.” From⁠ BYU Studies Quarterly, volume 61, number 4⁠.