In this episode, we welcome Kenneth L. Cannon II to discuss his book George Q. Cannon: Politician, Publisher, Apostle of Polygamy. Elder George Q. Cannon, known as the Father of Utah Statehood, served in four First Presidencies and is one of the most influential and fearless LDS apostles in Mormon history. From translating the Book of Mormon into Hawaiian, to editing Elder Parley Pratt’s autobiography, to printing some of the Journal of Discourses and giving hundreds of sermons of his own, to simultaneously having a polygamist family and having a prestigious career in politics – Elder Cannon’s influence was enormous. Listen in as Ken takes us through the highlights of the career of an LDS apostle who met several Presidents of the United States, promoted woman’s suffrage, and who was liked and sought after by an ex-Queen of Hawaii. In this interview, Ken helps us understand the significance and legacy of an LDS apostle of whom it is hard to exaggerate his significance.

Book: George Q. Cannon: Politician, Publisher, Apostle of Polygamy

Other resources by Kenneth L. Cannon II:

- “‘Mountain Common Law’: Extralegal Punishment of Seducers in Early Utah in Historical Perspective” (see also JD 1.95-100)

- “Wives and Other Women: Love, Sex, and Marriage in the Lives of John Q. Cannon, Frank J. Cannon, and Abraham H. Cannon” (Dialogue)

- “Do I hear an Echo? The Continuing Trial of the Mormon Church after Smoot’s Retention”, found in The Reed Smoot Hearings, edited by Michael Harold Paulos and Konden Smith Hansen

One thing to note was George Q. Cannon’s impact on the LDS theological debates over the Holy Ghost. Dr. Thomas Alexander (citing Ken Cannon in footnote 16) states: “In response to questions raised by Talmage’s lectures, George Q. Cannon, of the First Presidency, ‘commenting on the ambiguity existing in our printed works concerning the nature or character of the Holy Ghost, expressed his opinion that the Holy Ghost was in reality a person, in the image of the other members of the Godhead – a man in form and figure; and that what we often speak of as the Holy Ghost is in reality but the power or influence of the spirit.’” (“The Reconstruction of Mormon Doctrine”, found in Line Upon Line edited by Gary James Bergera)

Some examples of George Q. Cannon’s sermons:

“The Increase of Faith Among the Saints...”

“Conflict of Truth Irrepressible – Sin Causes Fear, then Apostasy”

“Celestial Marriage”

“The Right and Authority of President Brigham Young”

“Unity, etc.”

“The Building of Temples – The Keys of the Apostleship”

“The New Birth – Baptisms for the Dead – Temples”

“Those Who Hear the Gospel Must Obey It, Or They Cannot Be Saved By It”

“The Rock of New (or Continued) Revelation...”

“Spiritual Gifts Attainable...”

“The Blessings Enjoyed Through Possessing the Ancient Records, etc.”

“Kind of God the Saints Believe In...”

“The Logan Temple...”

See also Collected Discourses, v. 1, 195-204 (February 24, 1889); v. 2, 129-133

In this episode, we welcome back Dr. Miguel Echevarria to discuss his book Engaging the New Testament: A Short Introduction For Students and Ministers. With particular emphasis on the texts themselves as they contribute to the overall story of the Bible as a whole – Miguel explains to us some highlights from his book. What is the connection between covenant and canon? How did we get our New Testament canon? Is the lack of uniformity demonstrate a lack of substantive continuity when it comes to the 27 New Testament books? What was the criterion of canonicity? In addition to these questions, Miguel helps us understand why the order of the books can impact the emphases of other books, and how a canonical flow helps us rightly understand the canonical function of books as they link together into one Bible, and one story. With these answers in mind, it is easier for us to see why the church logically chose to have Revelation last, rather than first – and that the “blessings and cursings” of the last book of the Bible have theological significance as we await the second coming of Christ Jesus.

Book: Engaging the New Testament

Other books by Dr. Echevarria:

- The Future Inheritance of Land in the Pauline Epistles

Also hear interview: here

- 40 Questions about the Apostle Paul

Other resources:

- The Question of Canon; Canon Revisited by Michael Kruger

- Destroyer of the gods by Larry Hurtado

In this episode, we welcome Dr. Camden Bucey to discuss his book Karl Rahner. A Jesuit priest, and one of the most important and influential theologians of the twentieth century, Karl Rahner was known as “the Holy Ghost writer of Vatican II”. Camden takes us through some of the highlights of Rahner’s thought and how they connect on a systematic level. From Rahner’s Rule of Trinitarian theology, to his emphasis on anthropology as theology and man as natural recipients of uncreated grace with the ultimate goal being man’s deificiation – Camden will give us a sample of what a Reformed Protestant perspective should be in response. In addition to the clear influence on the most recent “ecumenical council” of the Roman Catholic Church, many will recognize the influence of Rahner on a thinker and churchman like Pope Francis. How should a confessional Protestant think about Rahner’s theology of the “anonymous Christian”? Camden will help us think through this – as well as why we should affirm a more robust Trinitarian theology, maintain Chalcedonian Christology, and distinguish between Roman Catholic sacramental view of deification and a more Reformed and covenantal “model of aeonic image conformity” that eternally maintains the Creator-Creature Distinction.

Book: Karl Rahner

Also check out: Reformed Forum

Other resources:

Engaging Thomas Aquinas by Leonardo De Chirico (also here)

A Brief Introduction to Karl Rahner; Karl Rahner: Theology and Philosophy by Karen Kilby

The Ecclesiology of Karl Rahner by Richard Lennan

What Happened at Vatican II by John W. O'Malley

In this episode, we welcome Dr. D. G. Hart to discuss his book Defending the Faith: J. Gresham Machen and the Crisis of Conservative Protestantism in Modern America. Who was J. Gresham Machen, and how do we best understand him? Pushing back on the narratives that Machen was either a “fundamentalist” or a villain – Dr. Hart takes us through some highlights of his life and career, and argues that he was a Presbyterian. As a confessional Presbyterian who prioritized the Scriptures and the confessions over social improvement and experience - Machen is not only an example in his time, but for our time. Dr. Hart also helps us understand Machen’s emphasis on the church and value for institutions as a lessons for conservative Christians today.

Book: Defending the Faith: J. Gresham Machen and the Crisis of Conservative Protestantism in Modern America

Other books by Dr. Hart:

- The Lost Soul of American Protestantism

- Seeking a Better Country: 300 Years of American Presbyterianism

- From Billy Graham to Sarah Palin: Evangelicals and the Betrayal of American Conservatism

- Calvinism: A History

- Ben Franklin: Cultural Protestant

Reformed Forum course: Machen and the Presbyterian Controversy

• Also see “The Special Commission of 1925”

Some books by J. Gresham Machen:

- Christianity and Liberalism

- What is Faith?

- The Virgin Birth of Christ

- The Origin of Paul’s Religion

also see J. Gresham Machen: Selected Shorter Writings, edited by Dr. Hart

This week will be some thoughts Skyler shared at the Utah Christian Research Center about how the book Christianity and Liberalism by J. Gresham Machen can aid one in seeing some core similarities between Liberalism and LDS theology, past and present. The question posed by the lecture: Is Mormonism theologically liberal? Many confuse a desire for decorum for core conservative commitments, and the deeper one goes into Mormon history and theology reveals deep progressive commitments that many Christians may miss and/or misunderstand.

Slideshow

In this interview, we interview Dr. Barry Alan Shain about his book The Declaration of Independence in Historical Context. What is the Declaration of Independence, and how does it both fit within and stand out in its context? What were the real “causes” that “impelled” the 13 colonies (now, states) to separate themselves from the British Empire, and what should that mean in how we understand America’s origins – and even America, today? Barry takes us through many of the now largely-neglected debates of the time, as well as some of the evidence that should be considered when telling America’s founding story. Moreover, is it obvious that the American colonists were more on the side of freedom and equality than the British Imperial system? And why should the truth matter when talking about our past and what it means today?

Book: The Declaration of Independence in Historical Context

Other resources by Dr. Barry Shain:

The Myth of American Individualism

The Nature of Rights at the American Founding and Beyond

Other resources:

Peripheries and Center; The Constitutional Origins of the American Revolution by Jack Greene

Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings: An American Controversy by Annette Gordon-Reed

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness: Britain and the American Dream by Peter Moore

The Enlightenment by Norman Hampson

John Wilkes: The Scandalous Father of Civil Liberty by Arthur Cash

LDS Resources:

D&C 98; 101.77-80

President John Taylor: JD 23.63

President George Albert Smith

Sample of President Ezra Taft Benson:

-“The Constitution - A Glorious Standard”

-“Our Priceless Heritage”

-“The Constitution - A Heavenly Banner”

-“Our Divine Constitution”

Also see Many Are Called but Few Are Chosen by H. Verlan Andersen

In this episode, we welcome Dr. W. Paul Reeve to discuss his book Religion of a Different Color: Race and the Mormon Struggle for Whiteness. Though many will know some of the history of the race-based priesthood and temple ban within the LDS community (that was ended in 1978) – most do not know the history of the racializing of the Mormon community itself by the broader American public. In this episode, Dr. Reeve will take us through the history of how Mormons were considered a distinct “race”, a non-white race with degraded bodies – and a “barbaric” society that was a threat to what was considered a “civilized” American democracy. This is, in part, the context for the racial regulation from within – in order to integrate into a segregated American society, and be welcomed as full citizens. Moreover, Paul will take us through the origins of the priesthood and temple restriction upon black LDS, the debate over slavery in Utah territory between Brigham Young and Orson Pratt, and answer the question of whether President Spencer W. Kimball’s revelation in June 1978 was a radical innovation – or part of a conservative “[return of] Mormonism to its universalistic roots” of broad racial acceptance.

Book: Religion of a Different Color: Race and the Mormon Struggle for Whiteness

Also check out these two amazing websites:

- Century of Black Mormons

- This Abominable Slavery

Other books by Dr. Reeve:

- This Abominable Slavery: Race, Religion, and the Battle over Human Bondage in Antebellum Utah

- Making Space on the Western Frontier: Mormons, Miners, and Southern Paiutes

- Between Pulpit and Pew: The Supernatural World in Mormon History and Folklore

Other resources:

- Noah’s Curse: The Biblical Justification of American Slavery; The Last Segregated Hour: The Memphis Kneel-Ins and the Campaign for Southern Church Desegregation by Stephen Haynes

- The Curse of Ham by David M. Goldenberg

- “Miscegenation”: Making Race in America by Elise Lemire

- Conflict in the Quorum by Gary Bergera

- “Mormonism’s Negro Doctrine: An Historical Overview” by Lester Bush

- Gospel Topics Essay: “Race and the Priesthood”

- Second-Class Saints: Black Mormons and the Struggle for Racial Equality; The Mormon Church and Blacks: A Documentary History by Matthew Harris

- E.g. “Celestial Marriage” by LDS apostle George Q. Cannon

In this episode, we welcome back Dr. William Dennison to discuss the new book The Problem of Evil by Christian and Reformed philosopher Cornelius Van TIl. Dr. Dennison has edited this previously unpublished work, and written a very helpful introductory essay to aid the reader in seeing the relevance of Van Til's essay to more contemporary discussions. Dr. D frames both some believing and non-believing attempts at addressing and answering the problem of evil - or the origins of evil, and its implications. How we address the question is framed by our starting points, and our epistemological commitments (whether stated or unstated, consistent or otherwise) will structure how we prioritize aspects of the issue. Dr. Dennison takes us on a tour of the issue, beginning with the question: “Does Christianity have an Achilles’ heel?” How did Van Til frame this same question – and what were some of the highlights of his analysis. Van Til's most poignant and quotable line of the essay is that "God is his own theodicy". Dr. D helps us understand the wisdom of such a point, in spite of what some may superficially see as eluding the problem.

Book: The Problem of Evil by Cornelius Van Til 

Check out: Emmanuel Orthodox Presbyterian Church (also here and here)   

Other writings by Dr. D: 

• Karl Marx (also hear our previous interview: here) 
• The Young Bultmann: The Context for His Understanding of God, 1884-1925  
• Paul’s Two-Age Construction and Apologetics 
• In Defense of the Eschaton: Essays in Reformed Apologetics 

         - including: “Common Grace, Antithesis and Plato’s View of the Soul” 

Other resources: 

• Confessions; The CIty of God by Augustine 
• Reformed Dogmatics by Herman Bavinck 
• Biblical Theology by Geerhardus Vos 
• Greg Bahnsen: here and here 
• “To See Darkness, To Hear Silence”: St. Augustine, Herman Bavinck, and the Incomprehensibility of Evil” by Travis Ryan Pickell 
• Evil and the Cross by Henri Blocher

In this episode, we welcome back Dr. Loren Pankratz to discuss his article: “Mormonism’s ‘Great Secret,’ Freedom, and Evil”. What is the Problem of Evil, both in terms of the existence of evil and of “gratuitous evil”? Is it a problem of equal weight upon the Christian and LDS traditions, given their differing views of the nature of God and gods? Today, Loren takes us through the Christian thinking of Alvin Plantinga and others and how they have argued in defense of God in a way that takes into account the Problem of Evil – and then uses that analysis to see if Mormonism can avail itself of the same philosophical reasoning. Loren argues that the differing accounts of who God is, who/what Jesus is, and of the origin of creation leads to incompatible accounts of why evil exists, and of the hope that eventually it will cease. We end with a discussion of the differing concepts of “grace” and how the differing traditions view the Cross as essential to salvation.

Article: “Mormonism’s ‘Great Secret,’ Freedom, and Evil”

Also hear our previous interview: here

Other resources:

“King Follett Discourse”; “Sermon in the Grove” by Joseph Smith

Gospel Principles: “Jesus Christ, Our Chosen Leader and Savior” and "Exaltation" (also here and here)

"Sister's Participation in the Gathering of Israel" by President Russell M. Nelson

“His Grace Is Sufficient” by Brad Wilcox

Girls Who Choose God: Stories of Courageous Women of the Bible by McArthur Krishna

A Rational Theology by Elder John A. Widtsoe

The Miracle of Forgiveness by Spencer W. Kimball

• hear our interview with Eric Johnson about Kimball's book here

Conflict in the Quorum by Gary Bergera (also see here)

God, Freedom, and Evil by Alvin Plantinga

“The Existence and Irrelevancy of Gratuitous Evil” by Kirk R. MacGregor (Philosophia Christi 14 (2012):165-180)

“The Humean Obstacle to Evidential Arguments from Suffering: On Avoiding the Evils of ‘Appearance’” by Stephen J. Wykstra (International Journal for Philosophy of Religion 16, 1984, 73-93)

Knowledge of the Holy by A.W. Tozer

The Many Faces of Evil: Theological Systems and the Problems of Evil by John S. Feinberg

Evil and the Cross by Henri Blocher

“To See Darkness, To Hear Silence”: St. Augustine, Herman Bavinck, and the Incomprehensibility of Evil” by Travis Ryan Pickell

Also see the “Introductory Essay” by William Dennison in The Problem of Evil by CVT

In this episode, we welcome Dr. Richard M. Gamble to the show to discuss his book In Search of the City on a Hill: The Making and Unmaking of an American Myth. How did the teaching of the Incarnate Lord, Christ Jesus – a warning to Christians, ministers and about the Church – become secularized and mythologized into a defining mission of the political kingdom of the USA? We start off discussing Civic Religion, and in particular the American Civil Religion. The claims of “secularism” notwithstanding, we go through how the American Civil Religion contains doctrines, creeds, hymns – and even has a patriotic form of “social gospel”, with both political right and left claiming a range of the form it takes. Though right and left claim competing narratives of the American Religion, they share a common framework within which they make religious appeals – often without explicit reference to the Christianity they distort. With that framing, Dr. Gamble takes us through the actual history of the reference “city on a hill”, and the story of how a teaching of Jesus became utilized by Governor John Winthrop in the founding of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Richard then takes us through a tour of how it eventually became a defining creedal statement first utilized by the International Left, via President-elect John F. Kennedy – and then used as a rallying call and defining creedal statement for a Republican coalition by President Ronald Reagan. What’s at stake in the twisting of Scripture for contemporary politics, regardless of the political side who does it? This is “the story not of how the metaphor helped make America what it is today but the story of how America helped make the metaphor what it never was”.

Book: In Search of the City on a Hill: The Making and Unmaking of an American Myth

Also, Book TV: In Search of the City on a Hill

Other resources by Dr. Gamble:

- The War for Righteousness: Progressive Christianity, the Great War, and the Rise of the Messianic Nation

- A Fiery Gospel: The Battle Hymn of the Republic and the Road to Righteous War

- “Gettysburg Gospel: How Lincoln forged a civil relgion of American nationalism”

- “Breaking the Spell of American Civic Religion”

- Review of Wolfe’s Case for Christian Nationalism

CSPAN Lectures:

- “American Civil Religion during the Cold War”

- “American Churches during WWI”

Also check out this amazing resource: The Great Tradition: Classic Readings on What It Means to Be an Educated Human Being

Other resources:

The Gospel of Matthew (NICNT) by R. T. France

The Eschatology of the Psalter by Geerhardus Vos

In Defense of the Eschaton; "Dutch Neo-Calvinism and the Roots for Transformation: An Introductory Essay"; "Review of VanDrunen's Natural Law and the Two Kingdoms" (WTJ) by William Dennison

Redeemer Nation: The Idea of America’s Millenial Role by Ernest Lee Tuveson

“Civil Religion in America” by Robert Bellah

The Royalist Revolution: Monarchy and the American Founding by Eric Nelson

Woodrow Wilson: The Light Withdrawn by Christopher Cox

Coolidge by Amity Shlaes

Trump Administration statement, “100 Days in, Trump’s Golden Age puts American workers first”, on the U.S. Department of Labor Blog, by Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer: “We are witnessing a resurgence of the same grit, determination, and ingenuity that built our country into a shining city on a hill.”

Clip 1: Barack Obama’s 2016 DNC speech

Clip 2: President Ronald Reagan’s Farewell Speech

Clip 3: President Reagan Eulogy for Crew-members of USS

Clip 4: President Lyndon B. Johnson Remarks on Vietnam

Clip 5: President-elect John F. Kennedy

Clip 6: President Trump at National Prayer Breakfast

Clip 7: Jeanine Pirro sworn in as interim US attorney for Washington, D.C.

Clip 8: LDS Prophet-President Russell M. Nelson in General Conference

I hope the listener can hear the flexibility of the use of this creedal statement; everything from hope, to ethical government, to pride - to justice, etc.

For the LDS Prophet-President - the "creedal statement" is about stopping "contention" - something he, earlier as an LDS apostle claimed originated in the premortal "war in heaven" when people with bodies here now chose Jesus over Satan in regard to Heavenly Father's plan. (Christians should keep in mind that "Heavenly Father" and "Jesus" are "two separate beings and persons" in LDS theology.)