Distinctive Christianity

Original title: "We are His Offspring": Distinguishing Universal Image-Status from Particular Adoption-Status

In this episode, Brendon and Skyler discuss the thirty-first lesson in the LDS Come, Follow Me sunday school manual. This week (July 24-30) is titled "The Lord Had Called Us for to Preach the Gospel" and covers Acts 16-21.

We invite you to worship with us on any Sunday - either at First Baptist Church of Provo or Christ Presbyterian Church in Magna. We welcome visitors!

"I Am A Child of God" LDS Hymn #301

The Family: A Proclamation To The World

Seminary Manual (*correction: only one day of the curriculum, not two)

Gospel Principles Manual

The New Testament Made Easier by David Ridges

Joseph Smith: here and here

Brigham Young: JD 1: 46-53; JD 4:218; JD 10.319-320; JD 11:268 

A Rational Theology by John Widtsoe

"Joseph Smith and the Forging of Community" by Terryl Givens

Eternal Man by Truman Madsen

Core Christianity; Christless Christianity by Michael Horton

Christianity and Liberalism by J. Gresham Machen

• Reformed Forum episode- particularly Lane Tipton's commentary on the Liberal phrase "the universal fatherhood of God and brotherhood of man". (Also see his very excellent book The Trinitarian Theology of Cornelius Van Til)

The Trinity: An Introduction by Scott Swain

The Attributes of God: An Introduction by Gerald Bray

Simply Trinity; None Greater by Matthew Barrett

The Holiness of God by R.C. Sproul

God In the Whirlwind by David Wells

The Incarnation of God by John Clark and Marcus Peter Johnson

Contemplating God with the Great Tradition by Craig Carter

The Bible Among the Myths by John Oswalt

Created In God's Image by Anthony Hoekema

Being God's Image by Carmen Imes

Paul: An Outline of His Theology by Herman Ridderbos

We Become What We Worship: A Biblical Theology of Idolatry; Union with the Resurrected Christ by G.K. Beale

The God Who Is There; The Difficult Doctrine of the Love of God; How Long, O Lord? by D.A. Carson (also here)

Thanksgiving by David Pao

Kingdom Prologue by Meredith Kline

The Dragon, the Mountain, and the Nations by Robert Miller III

n the Beginning...We Misunderstood by Johnny Miller and John Soden

The Hope of Israel: The Resurrection of Christ in the Acts of the Apostles by Brandon Crowe

The Acts of the Apostles by Joseph Fitzmyer

The Spirit, the Church, and the World by John Stott

"The Encounter of Jerusalem with Athens" by Greg Bahnsen (see also here and here)

"Resurrection, Proof, and Presuppositionalism: Acts 17:30-31" by Lane Tipton, found in Revelation and Reason: New Essays in Reformed Aopologetics, edited by K. Scott Oliphant and Lane Tipton

The Idol of Our Age: How the Religion of Humanity Subverts Christianity by Daniel Mahoney

Destroyer of the Gods by Larry Hurtado

The Rise of Christianity by Rodney Stark

Abortion and the Early Church by Michael Gorman

Embryo: A Defense of Human Life by Robert P. George

Dominion by Tom Holland

Slavery, Abortion, and the Politics of Constitutional Meaning by Justin Dyer

American Awakening by Joshua Mitchell

The Harvest of Hellenism by F. E. Peters

Stoicism; Epicureanism

Ancient Greek Religion; Ancient Roman Religion by H.J. Rose

The Politically Incorrect Guide to Western Civilization by Anthony Esolen

The Consequence of Ideas by R.C. Sproul

A History of Western Philosophy and Theology by John Frame

On some further issues of concern pertaining to OUR, which don't even include, to put it nicely, his books of basically straight-up fake history - see Lynn Packer. (also here) Packer's track-record includes the exposing of LDS General Authority Paul H. Dunn. For this, see his book Lying For the Lord - the Paul H. Dunn Stories.

relatedly: The QAnon Deception by James Beverley (also here)

Original title: Racism: Cultural or Doctrinal?

In this episode, Brendon and Skyler discuss the thirtieth lesson in the LDS Come, Follow Me sunday school manual. This week (July 17-23) is titled "The Word of God Grew and Multiplied" and covers Acts 10-15.

We invite you to worship with us on any Sunday - either at First Baptist Church of Provo or Christ Presbyterian Church in Magna. We welcome visitors!

Pastor Brendon's sermon on Colossians 1.9-14

Seminary Manual

2 Nephi 5.21, Alma 3. 6-9, Abraham 1. 24-27

The New Testament Made Easier by David Ridges

Brigham Young: JD 2.143; 2.268; 7.290-291; 10.110; 11.272

Official Declaration 2

"All Are Alike Unto God" (Bruce R. McConkie)

• The same General Authority who wrote: "Negroes in this life are denied the priesthood; under no circumstances can they hold this delegation of authority from the Almighty." Mormon Doctrine, p. 527

"Race and the Priesthood"

• Interview on Ancient Paths TV
• The LDS Gospel Topics Essays: A Scholarly Engagement, edited by Matthew Harris and Newell Bringhurst

First Estate; Second Estate

"Fourteen Fundamentals to Follow the Prophet" (Ezra Taft Benson)

"Let God Prevail" (Russell Nelson)

Brad Wilcox fireside: here

Joseph Smith told Alexander Neibaur that he saw Jesus with a light complexion (white skin) and blue eyes (A.N. Journal, May 24,1844) - thus, looking a lot like...Joseph Smith. Whiteness is also true of Mary in 1 Nephi 11.13-15, who is even claimed by some LDS to actually be from England, based on legend.

The First 2,000 Years by Cleon Skousen

The Church and the Negro by John L. Lund

Prophets, Principles and National Survival compiled by Jerreld Newquist

• "Given the LDS notion that Ham was the one through whom the 'Negro lineage' continued after the flood, some Mormon critics have considered it ironic that Joseph Smith, whom Brigham Young called a 'pure Ephraimite,' would not have also been cursed as to the priesthood since, according to LDS scholar Hugh Nibley, 'Joseph [of the Old Testament] married Asenath [an Egyptian], who was the daughter of the high priest of Heliopolis and a direct descendant of Ham.' This would make both Ephraim and Manasseh - from whom the majority of church members have been told they descend - half Hebrew and half Egyptian, carrying the blood of Ham." ("This Is My Doctrine": The Development of Mormon Theology by Charles R. Harrell, p. 388)

The Mound Builder Myth: Fake History and the Hunt for a "Lost White Race" by Jason Colavito

Mormonism - Shadow or Reality by Jerald and Sandra Tanner (esp.ch. 21)

"Mormonism's Negro Doctrine: An Historical Overview" by Lester Bush

Religion of a Different Color by W. Paul Reeve

The Mormon Church and Blacks; Watchman on the Tower: Ezra Taft Benson and the Making of the Mormon Right; Thunder from the Right: Ezra Taft Benson in Mormonism and Politics by Matthew L. Harris

David O. McKay and the Rise of Modern Mormonism by Gregory Prince

Black Mormon: The Story of Elijah Ables by Russell Stevenson

Banishing The Cross by Michael Reed

The Doctrine of the Word of God by John Frame

The Religious Affections by Jonathan Edwards

From Every People and Nation: A Biblical Theology of Race by J. Daniel Hays

Recovering Our Sanity: How the Fear of God Conquers the Fears that Divide Us by Michael Horton (also here, and here)

Christianity and Liberalism by J. Gresham Machen

• Defending the Faith by D.G. Hart
• The Presbyterian Controversy by Bradley Longfield
• Also see here, and here

Fault Lines by Voddie Baucham; also see here, here, and here

The Vanishing Lamanites; Mormonism's Changing "Revelations" on Blacks; The Atheist Illusion (Jason Wallace)

American Awakening by Joshua Mitchell

Union With Christ by J. Todd Billings

More Than A White Man's Religion by Abdu Murray

Michael Heiser; Gospel Coalition

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

The Curse of Ham by David Goldenberg

"Noah's Nakedness and the Curse of Canaan" by John Bergsma and Scott Hahn

Gregory of Nyssa, Fourth Homily on Ecclesiastes (here, here and here)

The First Thousand Years by Robert Louis Wilken

Granville Sharp (also here); also did some groundbreaking work in Greek grammar (see The KJV Only Controversy by James White)

The Victory of Reason by Rodney Stark

Dominion by Tom Holland

Destroyer of the Gods by Larry Hurtado

All Mankind Is One by Lewis Hanke

Columbus and the Crisis of the West by Robert Royal

Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches; Rebel Yell: The Violence, Passion and Redemption of Stonewall Jackson by S.C. Gwynne

Illiberal Reformers: Race, Eugenics, and American Economics in the Progressive Era by Thomas Leonard (also see here)

Intellectuals and Race; Black Rednecks and White Liberals; Civil Rights: Rhetoric or Reality? by Thomas Sowell (also see here)

The Guarded Gate by Daniel Okrent

Coming to Terms with John F. Kennedy by Stephen F. Knott (esp. the chapter on Civil Rights)

Ordinary Men by Christopher Browning

Black Sun: Aryan Cults, Esoteric Nazism, and the Politics of Identity by Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke

On Juneteenth by Annette Gordon-Reed

Friedrich Schleiermacher (1768-1834) is the "father of modern theology".

• "[He] found the church's confession of Jesus Christ, as articulated by the Definition of Chalcedon, to be illogical. Christ, he said, cannot be God the Son in and as man. He must be man like all others, distinguished only 'by the constant potency of His God-consciousness, which was a veritable existence of God in Him.' Christ's God-consciousness should not be confused with divine self-knowledge, for that it is not. Yet the ideal God-consciousness that Christ possessed and exhibited suffices for what Christians have called his 'divinity'. Moreover, Christ's ability to model his fully realized God-consciousness for others, and summon forth the latent God-consciousness of others, constitutes his redemptive activity. Schleiermacher's Christ signals the prospect of human ascent without the paradox of divine descent, man's coming of age without God's coming in the flesh." (The Incarnation of God by John Clark and Macus Peter Johnson, p. 108)
• see here and here for this influence today
• see Contemplating God with the Great Tradition by Craig Carter

Original title: Jesus Standing *as* the Right Hand of the One God

In this episode, Brendon and Skyler discuss the twenty-ninth lesson in the LDS Come, Follow Me sunday school manual. This week (July 10-16) is titled "What Wilt Thou Have Me Do?" and covers Acts 6-9.

We invite you to worship with us on any Sunday - either at First Baptist Church of Provo or Christ Presbyterian Church in Magna. We welcome visitors!

• Salt Lake School of Theology
• For a concise summary of what Christians would mean when we say "the real Jesus" - see, e.g., The Person of Jesus: Radio Addresses on the Deity of the Savior by J. Gresham Machen
• If the kai is epexegetical, it would read: '[Stephen] saw the glory of God, that is, Jesus standing at the right hand of God."

Seminary Manual: here, here, and here

The New Testament Made Easier by David Ridges

Guide to the Scriptures (also here); Topical Guide (also here)

Gospel Principles: here and here

"The Light of Christ" (Boyd Packer)

The Words of Joseph Smith; e.g.: "[Stephen] says that Jesus Christ sat on the right hand of God. Any person that has seen the heavens opened knows that there are three personages in the heavens holding the keys of power." (pp.214); also here, and here

"The Only True God and Jesus Christ Whom He Hath Sent" (Jeffrey Holland) - wherein he states: "We declare it is self-evident from the scriptures that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost are separate persons, three divine beings, noting such unequivocal illustrations as the Savior’s great Intercessory Prayer just mentioned, His baptism at the hands of John, the experience on the Mount of Transfiguration, and the martyrdom of Stephen—to name just four."

A Rational Theology by John A. Widtsoe

"His Grace Is Sufficient" (Brad Wilcox); also here

Joseph Smith told Alexander Neibaur that he saw Jesus with a light complexion (white skin) and blue eyes (A.N. Journal, May 24,1844) - thus, looking a lot like...Joseph Smith. This is related to some racial issues in LDS history and has clearly impacted LDS art to this day, as should be obvious throughout any official sources, including the painting of the martyrdom included in the manual for this week. Whiteness is also true of Mary in 1 Nephi 11.13-15, who is even claimed by some LDS to actually be from England, based on legend. (Also see Mormonism - Shadow or Reality by Jerald and Sandra Tanner, ch. 21.)

An Insider's View of Mormon Origins by Grant Palmer; specifically, he outlines ten points that, when considered, make it clear that Paul is the "model" by which Joseph Smith wrote the story about Alma the Younger. (see An Insider's View of Mormon Origins, pp. 50-55f) The evidence is striking, especially if the verses cited are gone through point-by-point.

None Greater; Simply Trinity; God's Word Alone; and The Reformation as Renewal by Matthew Barrett

We Become What We Worship; The Temple and the Church's Mission; God Dwells Among Us by G.K. Beale

• on pp. 216-232 of The Temple and the Church's Mission, Beale has an excellent analysis of Stephen's sermon. Even the headings alone are helpful: Stephen's defence of Christ as the true temple in contrast to the old temple, Stephen's appeal to Isaiah 66 in defence of Christ as the true temple, Stephen's contention that God's eternal end-time temple cannot be 'handmade', Early Christian evidence confirming the above interpretation of Isaiah 66 in Stephen's speech, Paul's contention that a permanent temple for God's presence cannot be 'handmade'.

The Trinitarian Theology of Cornelius Van Til by Lane Tipton

All That Is In God by James Dolezal

The Bible Among the Myths by John Oswalt

Who Is God? by Richard Bauckham

The Hope of Israel by Brandon Crowe

Temple of Presence by Andrea Robinson

The Angel of the Lord by Douglas van Dorn and Matthew Foreman

The Ascension of Christ by Patrick Schreiner

Uncovering the Theme of Revelation in Romans 1.16-3.26: Discovering A New Approach to Paul's Argument by Marcus Mininger

Scholar Murray Harris makes a fascinating point when discussing "at the right hand of God": "To be or sit at someone's right hand is to be in the position of unparalleled honor and privilege (1 Ki 2.19). In the case of Christ this meant sharing God's throne (Rev. 3. 21; 22.1, 3) or occupying the second throne alluded to in Da 7.9 and Mk 14.62 (cf. Heb 1.8). When Paul speaks of Christians' spiritual identification with Christ, he can say, 'God has enthroned us with him [Jesus] in the heavenly realms' (Eph. 2.6), but significantly he does not add 'at his right hand [and greek equivalent]' a phrase that is applied to Christ in a comparable statement in Eph 1.20. Christ's exalted status cannot be shared. Angels stand or fall down in worship in God's presence (1 Ki. 22.19; Rev. 4.10); the enthroned Son sits." (Prepositions and Theology by Murray Harris, pp. 106-107)

Original title: Restoration as Surrealism; precise past-event, or vague forward-focus?

In this episode, Brendon and Skyler discuss the twenty-eighth lesson in the LDS Come, Follow Me sunday school manual. This week (July 3-9) is titled "Ye Shall Be Witnesses unto Me" and covers Acts 1-5.

We invite you to worship with us on any Sunday - either at First Baptist Church of Provo or Christ Presbyterian Church in Magna. We welcome visitors!

Sunday School: here, here, here and here

Individuals and Families

Gospel Principles: here, here, here

The New Testament Made Easier by David Ridges

History of the Church 1.297 - wherein Brigham Young speaks in tongues (twice), a little controversy ensues, and then Joseph Smith calls it "the pure Adamic language" and "of God". It also speaks of the spread of the "gift of tongues". Also see HC 1.323

The Words of Joseph Smith, compiled and edited by Andrew Ehat and Lyndon Cook - under Franklin D. Richards "Scriptural Items":

"Joseph also said that the Holy Ghost is now in a state of Probation which if he should perform in righteousness he may pass through the same or a similar course of things that the Son has." (p. 245) Footnote 26 in the cited quotation states: "George Laub's report of the 16 June 1844 discourse includes the following similar statement: 'But the Holy Ghost is yet a Spiritual body and waiting to take to himself a body, as the Savior did or as God did, or the gods before them took bodies.' Franklin D. Richards's account is less vague and represents the clearest statement on the personal identity of the Holy Ghost." (p. 305)

See here and here; also here

Lectures on Faith

"The Light of Christ" (Boyd Packer)

"Stand As True Millennials" (Russell Nelson); also here, and here

"The Constitution: A Heavenly Banner" (Ezra Taft Benson)

"Socialism and the United Order" (Marion Romney)

The Inevitable Apostasy and the Promised Restoration by Ted R. Callister

The Great Apostasy; Jesus the Christ by James Talmage

Statements of the LDS First Presidency (compiled by Gary Bergera)

• "In His birth, His ministry and glorious Resurrection, and His ascension into heaven, He symbolized the story of our own lives. He taught us that those mortal bodies of ours shall put on immortality, and that we shall rise as He rose, to inherit the glory of everlasting life. This was the purpose for which He came to earth." (Deseret News, Dec. 17, 1932) on pg. 377

Brigham Young:JD 2. 310 JD 3.247

Heber C. Kimball: JD 6.38, 125-126

Jedediah M. Grant: JD 4.49-51

The Gospel Trilogy by Cleon Skousen

"His Grace Is Sufficient" (Brad Wilcox); also here

The Great and Abominable Church of the Devil by H. Verlan Andersen

World and Prophets; Mormonism and Early Christianity; Approaching Zion by Hugh Nibley

• Nibley's teaching that the gnostic texts are a deposit of what Christ taught during the 40-days may sound intriguing to those already gnostically-inclined, like LDS. Morover, as an example, Nibley's assertion that Apocryphon of John was written by John might be usefully confronted by the treatment of Moses in (the actual) John's writings in the NT, versus this gnostic text wherein "the Savior" teaches "John" that "It is not as Moses wrote and you heard". Perhaps it may be more practical to simply invite the Nibley-disciple to publicly read aloud the pages and pages of esoteric names contained therein and see if they can keep a straight face.

Joseph Smith and World Government by Hyrum Andrus (e.g. on p.9 - he includes a quote from President George Q. Cannon stating: "We are asked, Is the Church of God, and the Kingdom of God the same organization? And we are informed that some of the brethren hold that they are separate. This is the correct view to take. The Kingdom of God is a separate organization from the Church of God.")

Conflict In the Quorum by Gary Bergera; note esp. his coverage of the disputes over the power and place of the First Presidency, and the power-move to shift the order of the Quorum of the Twelve.

The Mormon Hierarchy: Origins of Power; The Mormon Hierarchy: Extensions of Power by D. Michael Quinn

In Sacred Loneliness by Todd Compton

The Mormon Jesus by John Turner; this scholar does a great job of emphasizing the dedication of the Kirtland Temple as what was seen as a kind of "new pentecost" (e.g., pp. 73-77). This was a topic not addressed in the episode.

Mormonism: Shadow or Reality? by Jerald and Sandra Tanner; they usefully note the change to the fourth Article of Faith. Originally, in the 1851 edition, it read:

• "We believe that these ordinances are: 1st, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; 2d, Repentance; 3d, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; 4th, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost."

"Later Mormon historians could see that Joseph Smith had failed to mention Temple Work (Temple Work is taught to be essential for the highest exaltation in the Celestial Kingdom), so they altered Joseph Smith's words to read that Faith, Repentance, Baptism and Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost are only the "first principles and ordinances of the gospel." (p.8) Even something as simple as this has implications for the restoration narrative, and then how that narrative is superimposed upon "past dispensations".

• You can find a transcript of even the more tame mention of "penalties" - as well as the "oath of vengeance" here.

As the Tanners, cited above (pp.470, 474-475), documented - the oaths were already softened before the penalties were removed. For example:

• "We, and each of us, covenant and promise that we will not reveal any of the secrets of this, the first token of the Aaronic priesthood, with its accompanying name, sign or penalty. Should we do so; we agree that our throats be cut from ear to ear and our tongues torn out by their roots." (Temple Mormonism, p. 18)

This was changed to, in the 1968 version:

• "I, __(think of the new name) do covenant and promise that I will never reveal the First Token of the Aaronic Priesthood, together with its accompanying name, sign and penalty. Rather than do so I would suffer that my life be taken."

the second oath:

• "We and each of us do covenant and promise that we will not reveal the secrets of this, the Second Token of the Aaronic Priesthood, with its accompanying name, sign, grip or penalty. Should we do so, we agree to have our breasts cut open and our hearts and vitals torn from our bodies and given to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field." (Temple Mormonism, p. 20)

This was changed to, in the 1968 version:

• "I, __(think of the new name) do covenant and promise that I will never reveal the second token of the Aaronic Priesthood, together with its accompanying name, sign and penalty. Rather than do so I would suffer my life to be taken."

the third oath:

• "We and each of us do covenant and promise that we will not reveal any of the secrets of this, the First Token of the Melchizedek Priesthood, with its accompanying name, sign or penalty. Should we do so, we agree that our bodies be cut asunder in the midst and all our bowels gush out." (ibid., p. 20)

This was changed to, in the 1968 version:

• "I covenant in the name of the Son that I will never reveal the first token of the Melchizedek Priesthood or sign of the nail, with its accompanying name, sign or penalty. Rather than do so I would suffer my life to be taken."

On just one page, Michael Reed summarizes well (and quickly) some of the basics of the succession crisis following the assassination of Joseph Smith: "Joseph Smith's death was unexpected and was a terrible blow. The founding prophet had left no clear successor appointed to unify and, in the words of historian Steven L. Shields, 'the church simply blew apart at the seams.' Rival claimants soon emerged, assumed the mantle, and eventually severed into distinct groups of competing organizations. For example, James J. Strang insisted that he was ordained through angelic ministry immediately at the time of Smith's death. Strang also distributed a 'Letter of Appointment' allegedly written by Joseph Smith, assigning him to gather the faithful to a new center of the church in Voree, Wisconsin.

Sidney Rigdon led a group of Mormons to Pennsylvania and Lyman Wight brought another to Texas. William Smith came forward as the last surviving brother of the fallen prophet, Alpheus Cutler claimed leadership through his membership in Joseph Smith's elite 'Council of Seven,' and David Whitmer claimed leadership based on an 1834 appointment as Smith's successor. After some successes, the movements of all of these successors effectively faltered and most of the Mormons who remained in the Midwest were eventually gathered into the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints under the leadership of the deceased prophet's eldest son, Joseph Smith III.

As president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in 1844, Brigham Young was also a strong candidate for succession as church president. Beyond his rank, as a polygamist, Brigham Young appealed to the core of Mormon leaders in Nauvoo, who were also engaged in the practice. As historian D. Michael Quinn noted, Brigham Young's followers naturally did not want 'a new church president who would brand polygamist wives as whores.'" (Banishing the Cross, pg.24)

Jason Wallace: here, here, and here

Christianity and Liberalism by J. Gresham Machen

Grace and Glory by Geerhardus Vos

The City of God by St. Augustine; also, e.g.:

• "What was more proud than for me to have asserted - wondrous madness! - that I was something naturally that you [God] are? For although I am changeable and this was manifest to me by my very desire to be wise - so that from a worse state I could become better - I was nevertheless preferring even to suppose that you were changeable rather than that I was not what you are." (Confessions 4.15.26)

Core Christianity; Christless Christianity; Rediscovering the Holy Spirit by Michael Horton (also here, here, and here)

Redemption Accomplished and Applied by John Murray

The Institutes of the Christian Religion by John Calvin

The Trinitarian Theology of Cornelius Van Til by Lane Tipton

The Forgotten Trinity by James White

Simply Trinity by Matthew Barrett

The Trinity: An Introduction by Scott Swain

The Triune God by Fred Sanders

The Holy Spirit by Christopher Holmes

The Ascension of Christ by Patrick Schreiner

Perspectives on Pentecost by Richard Gaffin

Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God; Concise Theology by J.I. Packer

Union with the Resurrected Christ by G.K. Beale

One with Christ by Marcus Peter Johnson

Divine Government: God's Kingship in the Gospel of Mark by R.T. France

The Kingdom of God and the Church by Geerhardus Vos

The Coming of the Kingdom by Herman Ridderbos

Kingdom Through Covenant by Peter Gentry and Stephen Wellum

Property and Riches in the Early Church by Martin Hengel

Francis of Assissi and His World by Mark Galli

Poverty in the Theology of John Calvin by Bonnie Pattison

The Politically Incorrect Guide to Western Civilization by Anthony Esolen

The Victory of Reason by Rodney Stark

Religion and the Rise of Capitalism by Benjamin Friedman

The Bourgeois Trilogy by Deirdre McCloskey

Idols of Nations by Roland Boer

God and Mammon by Mark Noll

The Enchantment of Mammon by Eugene McCarraher

Original title: Resurrection

In this episode, Brendon and Skyler discuss the twenty-seventh lesson in the LDS Come, Follow Me sunday school manual. This week (June 25-July 2) is titled "He Is Risen" and covers Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, and John 20-21.

We invite you to worship with us on any Sunday - either at First Baptist Church of Provo or Christ Presbyterian Church in Magna. We welcome visitors!

Seminary: here, here, and here

Mosiah 11, 16, Alma 11

D&C 19, 29, 45, 63, 76. 77, 88, 93, 101, 132; Moses 3

"The Resurrection of Jesus Christ" (D. Todd Christofferson)

"The Only True God and Jesus Christ Whom He Hath Sent" (Holland)

"What Has Our Savior Done for Us?" (Dallin Oaks)

"Christ Is Risen; Faith in Him Will Move Mountains" (Russell Nelson)

True To the Faith; Gospel Principles; The Lectures on Faith

Statements of the LDS First Presidency (compiled by Gary Bergera);

• "The Lord's Resurrection completed the process of the Atonement that included His sinless life, His suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane, and His death on the cross. The Resurrection assured immortality for all, and the blessed Atonement provided a pathway to exaltation for those who will adhere to His gospel principles." (Church News, Apr. 3, 1993)
• "When we speak of Jesus being resurrected, we mean that His premortal spirit, which animated His mortal body from His birth in the manger until He died on the cross, reentered that body; and the two, His spirit body and His physical body, inseparably welded together, arose from the tomb an immortal soul. Our belief is, and we so testify, that Jesus not only conquered death for Himself and brought forth His own glorious resurrected body, but that in so doing He also brought about a universal resurrection. This was the end and purpose of the mission for which He was set apart and ordained in the great council in heaven, when He was chosen to be our Savior and Redeemer." (Marion G. Romney, "First Presidency Message", Ensign, Apr. 1985)
• "In His birth, His ministry and glorious Resurrection, and His ascension into heaven, He symbolized the story of our lives. He taught us that those mortal bodies of ours shall put on immortality, and that we shall rise as He rose, to inherit the glory of everlasting life. This was the purpose for which He came to earth." (Deseret News, Dec. 17, 1932)
• "The certainty of the persistence of man's spirit when the body has finished its earthly mission and the progress of the 'better part' in worlds eternal, with the fond assurance of an actual resurrection and a reunion of family associations ordered under divine laws and covenants, robs death of its terrors and sheds light upon the darkness of sorrow or doubt." (Deseret News, Dec. 16, 1916)

The Words of Joseph Smith (also here, and here)

Jesus The Christ by James Talmage

"The Blessing of Scripture" (D. Todd Christofferson); wherein he states: "...faith in the Atonement and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, which animates this plan of happiness..."

A Rational Theology by John Widtsoe

Mormon Doctrine by Bruce R. McConkie

Doctrines of Salvation by Joseph Fielding Smith

Brigham Young: JD 1.118, 9.149, 15.137

David O. McKay and the Rise of Modern Mormonism by Gregory Prince; in a section dealing with McKay's gift for teaching, he provides an example: "With his spirituality came a profound appreciation of the role of earthly life as but one step in the ongoing process. Death is not to be feared, for it is the transition from one step to the next. One general authority stated, 'I talked to President McKay one time in one my question sessions, and I asked him: What is it like to die? He said, 'Oh, that's easy! It's like going from this room to that room.'" He used different, yet equally simple symbolism to explain resurrection to one of his sons...'I don't understand this resurrection-business.' So his father would plan to go to the mountains so he could explain it to him. He would go in the early spring when the flowers were just coming up, and he would say 'We were here in the fall and those flowers were all dead. It's springtime and they are all back.' That is how he would explain the resurrection to his little children and his grandchildren."

The Mormon Jesus by John Turner

"This Is My Doctrine": The Development of Mormon Theology by Charles Harrell: "The only contemporary recorded teaching of the Prophet on the subject was that resurrected children would be enthroned with their childhood stature throughout all eternity...Mormon parents may have found it disconcerting that their children would never grow, possibly explaining why Joseph reportedly later stated that they could raise their children in the hereafter...According to Wilford Woodruff, Brigham Young 'herd Joseph Smith say that children would not Grow after death & at another time that they would grow[,] & he hardly knew how to reconcile it.' Wilford Woodruff's Journal, 1833-1898 6:363" (p. 470)

Temples Made With Hands? (Jason Wallace)

The God of Brigham Young (Jason Wallace)

Resources:

God Dwells Among Us: Expanding Eden to the Ends of the Earth; God Dwells Among Us: A Biblical Theology of the Temple by G.K. Beale

The Temple and the Church's Mission by G.K. Beale

The Doctrine of the Word of God by John Frame

Matthew: The Expositor's Bible Commentary; The Gospel According to John (PNTC) by D. A. Carson

Was the Burning in Your Bosom From God? (Jason Wallace)

Christian Apologetics by Cornelius Van Til

Christianity and Liberalism; The Person of Jesus by J. Gresham Machen

Core Christianity; Christless Christianity by Michael Horton

WHI: here, here, and here

Unmasking the Pagan Christ by Stanley Porter and Stephen Bedard

The Bible v. Bart Ehrman (Jason Wallace)

Jesus and the Eyewitnesses by Richard Bauckham

The Historical Jesus of the Gospels by Craig Keener

The Jesus Legend by Paul Rhodes Eddy and Gregory Boyd

Jesus and the Logic of History by Paul Barnett

Who Moved the Stone? by Frank Morison

The Bedrock of Christianity by Justin Bass

The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus by Gary Habermas and Michael Licona; The Resurrection of Jesus by Michael Licona

Raised on the Third Day: Defending the Historicity of the Resurrection of Jesus by David W. Beck and Michael Licona

The Resurrection of the Son of God by N.T. Wright

Resurrection and Redemption by Richard Gaffin

"Resurrection, Proof, and Presuppositionalism: Acts 17:30-31" by Lane Tipton, found in Revelation and Reason: New Essays in Reformed Aopologetics, edited by K. Scott Oliphant and Lane Tipton

Union with the Resurrected Christ by G.K. Beale

The Hope of Israel: The Resurrection of Christ in the Acts of the Apostles by Brandon Crowe

Note: One point that I wish had been emphasized more was how the Christology links with Resurrection. Mormonism has no distinction between God(s) and man, and thus - the idea that what God assumed in his humanity is essential and necessary for the redemption of humanity is not an obvious equation in the Mormon worldview. This is then shown in how they extend the doctrine of resurrection to all animal and plant life, and even the earth.

Original title: The Cross: Repugnant and Taboo, or Definitive Symbol?

In this episode, Brendon and Skyler discuss the twenty-sixth lesson in the LDS Come, Follow Me sunday school manual. This week (June 19-25) is titled "It Is Finished" and covers Matthew 27, Mark 15, Luke 23, and John 19.

We invite you to worship with us on any Sunday - either at First Baptist Church of Provo or Christ Presbyterian Church in Magna. We welcome visitors!

Brendon's sermon series can be found here; and here's one on Ezra 4.

Sources:

D&C 19, D&C 93, D&C 132

Sunday School: here, here and here

Gospel Principles; True To the Faith

King Follett Discourse; Sermon in the Grove (Joseph Smith)

Mediation and the Atonement by John Taylor

New Testament Made Easier by David Ridges

Answers to Gospel Questions by Joseph Fielding Smith

A Rational Theology by John Widtsoe

Jesus the Christ; The Great Apostasy by James Talmage

First 2,000 Years; The Gospel Trilogy by Cleon Skousen

The Symbol of Our Faith (Gordon Hinckley)

Mormon Doctrine; The Purifying Power of Gethsemane (Bruce R. McConkie)

The Mormon Jesus by John Turner; wherein, the author documents that for some "'since the law of procreation [is] just as binding' as that of baptism or marriage, Jesus must have had children, which helps explain his agony in Gethsemane." (pp. 241-242)

Banishing the Cross by Michael Reed

Mormonism and the Magic World View by D. Michael Quinn

"A Gauge of the Times: Ensign Peak in the Twentieth Century" by Ronald Walker

"Park At Ensign Peak Dedicated" by R. Scott Lloyd; notice Hinckley stated that he's "glad that none of that has ever happened."

"The Garden Atonement and the Mormon Cross Taboo" by Jeremy Christiansen

"The Use of Gethsemane by Church leaders, 1859-2018" by John Hilton III and Joshua Barringer

One example of an early Mormon leader teaching not only that Jesus was a polygamist - but that he was crucified for polygamy is: "The grand reason of the burst of public sentiment in anathemas upon Christ and his disciples, causing his crucifixion, was evidently based upon polygamy, according to the testimony of the philosophers who rose in that age. A belief in the doctrine of a plurality of wives caused the persecution of Jesus and his followers. We might almost think they were 'Mormons.'" (Jedediah Grant, JD 1:346 )

Brigham Young also claimed that the Lord was a polygamist. (JD 13:309)

Compare President Wilford Woodruff and Elder Bruce R. McConkie on the question of eternal progression:

• "If there was a point where man in his progression could not proceed any further, the very idea would throw a gloom over every intelligent and reflecting mind. God himself is increasing and progressing in knowledge, power, and dominion, and will do so, worlds without end. It is just so with us. We are in a probation, which is a school of experience." (Wilford Woodruff, JD 6.120)
• "Now may I suggest the list of heresies. Heresy one: There are those who say that God is progressing in knowledge and is learning new truths. This is false - utterly, totally, and completely. There is not one sliver of truth in it." (Bruce R. McConkie; Seven Deadly Heresies; Notice the condemnation of earlier men of higher church-rank then himself - including but not limited to Presidents/Prophets Brigham Young and Wilford Woodruff.)

Joseph Smith told Alexander Neibaur that he saw Jesus with a light complexion (white skin) and blue eyes (A.N. Journal, May 24,1844). Yes, Jesus is a white man, according to the founding Mormon/LDS prophet. This is related to some racial issues in LDS history and has clearly impacted LDS art to this day, as should be obvious throughout any official sources. (Whiteness is also true of Mary in 1 Nephi 11.13-15, who is even claimed by some LDS to actually be from England, based on legend.) Also see Mormonism - Shadow or Reality by Jerald and Sandra Tanner, ch. 21.

Christianity and Liberalism; Things Unseen; The Person of Jesus by J. Gresham Machen

• Christianity and Liberalism podcast
• Reformed Forum series

Core Christianity; Christless Christianity by Michael Horton (also here and here)

Crucifixion by Martin Hengel

Scandalous: The Cross and Resurrection of Jesus by D.A. Carson

The Apostolic Preaching of the Cross by Leon Morris

American Gospel: Christ Crucified

What is the Gospel? (Voddie Baucham)

"The Power and Message of the Cross" by Alistair Begg

The Cross Before Constantine; The Crosses of Pompeii by Bruce Longenecker

• On pp. 106-110 of the first book listed, Longnecker shows that there are even 5 uses of the staurogram on just one section of John 19 (the very chapter of this lesson) in P.66 - an early manuscript dating from, perhaps, even as early as the middle to late second century. That's long before Constantine was even born.

Destroyer of the Gods by Larry Hurtado (also here)

Gothic Arches, Latin Crosses: Anti-Catholicism and American Church Designs in the Nineteenth Century; also "The Cross: Church Symbol and Contest in Nineteenth-Century America" by Ryan K. Smith

• Michael Reed (cited above, based largely on the work of Ryan Smith) includes examples of Protestant churches being violated because of the public display of the cross: "Protestants were unwilling to risk the threat of mob violence and internal dissent, and so they generally avoided crosses that would have otherwise made their churches appear Catholic...For example, the St. Augustine's Church was destroyed in the Philadelphia riots of 1844, and the Boston chapel was attacked by mobs in 1854, having its cross pulled down from the steeple and set ablaze." (pp. 28-29)

Original title: Christ in the Garden - and you should, too!

In this episode, Brendon and Skyler discuss the twenty-fifth lesson in the LDS Come, Follow Me sunday school manual. This week (June 12-18) is titled "Not My Will, but Thine, Be Done" and covers Luke 22, and John 18.

We invite you to worship with us on any Sunday - either at First Baptist Church of Provo or Christ Presbyterian Church in Magna. We welcome visitors!

Brendon's sermon series can be found here; and here's one on Ezra 4.

Sources:

D&C 19, D&C 93, D&C 132

Sunday School: here, here, and here

Lectures on Faith (lecture 7)

Gospel Principles

King Follett Discourse; Sermon in the Grove (Joseph Smith)

Mediation and the Atonement by John Taylor

New Testament Made Easier by David Ridges

Answers to Gospel Questions by Joseph Fielding Smith

A Rational Theology by John Widtsoe

Jesus the Christ by James Talmage

First 2,000 Years; The Gospel Trilogy by Cleon Skousen

The Symbol of Our Faith (Gordon Hinckley)

The Sacrament - and the Sacrifice (David Haight)

The Purifying Power of Gethsemane (Bruce R. McConkie)

The Mormon Jesus by John Turner; wherein, the author documents that for some "'since the law of procreation [is] just as binding' as that of baptism or marriage, Jesus must have had children, which helps explain his agony in Gethsemane." (pp. 241-242)

Banishing the Cross by Michael Reed

"The Garden Atonement and the Mormon Cross Taboo" by Jeremy Christiansen

"The Use of Gethsemane by Church leaders, 1859-2018" by John Hilton III and Joshua Barringer

Hosea Ballou and his Treatise on Atonement

Jacob Arminius (also see: Saving the Reformation by Robert Godfrey and For Calvinism by Michael Horton; also here and here)

Simply Put: here, here, here, and here

The Consequences of Ideas by R.C. Sproul

"Antithesis, Common Grace, and Plato's View of the Soul" by William Dennsion; found in In Defense of the Eschaton: Essays in Reformed Apologetics

God's Time For Us: Barth's Reconciliation of Eternity and Time in Jesus Christ by James J. Cassidy; see also Christianity and Barthianism by Cornelius Van Til; also here and here

Mormonism: Shadow or Reality? by Sandra and Jerald Tanner

The Trinity: An Introduction by Scott Swain

The Attributes of God: An Introduction by Gerald Bray

The Person of Christ: An Introduction by Stephen Wellum

The Bible Among the Myths by John Oswalt

All That Is In God by James Dolezal

The Trinitarian Theology of Cornelius Van Til by Lane Tipton

The Structure of Biblical Authority by Meredith Kline

The Heresy of Orthodoxy; The Question of Canon by Michael Kruger

The Cross Before Constantine by Bruce Longenecker

Against Heresies by Irenaeus

Christianity and Liberalism; The Person of Jesus by J. Gresham Machen

Core Christianity; Christless Christianity by Michael Horton

The Apostolic Preaching of the Cross by Leon Morris

American Gospel: Christ Crucified

What is the Gospel? (Voddie Baucham)

Original title: One means One, Way means Way, and the Gospel is not Law

In this episode, Brendon and Skyler discuss the twenty-fourth lesson in the LDS Come, Follow Me sunday school manual. This week (Jun 5-11) is titled "Continue Ye in My Love" and covers John 14-17.

We invite you to worship with us on any Sunday - either at First Baptist Church of Provo or Christ Presbyterian Church in Magna. We welcome visitors!

Seminary Manual: here, here, and here

D&C 76, 88, 130 and 131; John 14 (and here)

Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pp. 149-151, 366

New Testament Made Easier by David Ridges

Gospel Principles: here and here

The Light of Christ (Packer)

The Way (Lawrence Corbridge)

A Rational Theology by John Widtsoe

The Second Comforter by Denver Snuffer (also here)

Resources:

The Trinity: An Introduction by Scott Swain

The Forgotten Trinity by James White

The Attributes of God: An Introduction by Gerald Bray

The Person of Christ: An Introduction by Stephen Wellum

The Holy Spirit: An Introduction by Fred Sanders

WHI on Law and Gospel: here and here

Christianity and Liberalism; The Person of Jesus by J. Gresham Machen

American Gospel: Christ Crucified

What is the Gospel? (Voddie Baucham)

Who Is the Holy Spirit? by Sinclair Ferguson

Core Christianity; Christless Christianity; Rediscovering the Holy Spirit by Michael Horton (also here and here)

The Gospel According to John (PNTC) by D.A. Carson

Who Is God?; The Testimony of the Beloved Disciple by Richard Bauckham (also here)

The Gospel of John by F.F. Bruce

The Eye of the Beholder by Lydia McGrew (also here and here)

Father, Son and Spirit: The Trinity and John's Gospel (NSBT) by Andreas Kostenberger and Scott Swain

Living in Union with Christ by Grant Macaskill

One With Christ by Marcus Peter Johnson

Thanksgiving (NSBT) by David Pao

Union with the Resurrected Christ by G.K. Beale

The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan (also here)

The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri (translated by Anthony Esolen)

Original title: Is there One Signified? Wine vs. "Liquid"

In this episode, Brendon and Skyler discuss the twenty-third lesson in the LDS Come, Follow Me sunday school manual. This week (May 29-Jun 4) is titled "In Remembrance" and covers Matthew 26, Mark 14, and John 13.

We invite you to worship with us on any Sunday - either at First Baptist Church of Provo or Christ Presbyterian Church in Magna. We welcome visitors!

CORRECTION: Dante's The Divine Comedy has three major sections called canticles - Inferno, Purgatory, and Paradise. These are made up of, respectively, 34, 33, and 33 cantos. The best English translation is by Anthony Esolen (also here). Dante started writing c. 1306 - and finished it shortly before his death in September 1321, which would be around 700 years ago (that is, to be exact, 702 years), not 800 years ago.

Also, Skyler misstated a point toward the end. He fears that the gap between the views of John Calvin and Thomas Aquinas is actually less that either of their views are to most modern (at least, American) Christians today in modern times.

A World on the Wing by Scott Weidensaul

The Temple by George Herbert

Sources:

D&C 20; D&C 89; 3 Ne 18; Moroni 4; Moroni 5

Sunday School Manual: John 13, "The Sacrament"

Gospel Principles: The Sacrament; Sacrament Prayers

"The Living Bread" (Christofferson)

"This Do In Remembrance of Me" (Jeffrey Holland; notice: here they connect the white shirts that the priesthood holders wear to the sacred clothing of the temple.)

"Sacrament Meeting and the Sacrament" (Dallin Oaks); "the most important meeting of the church"...??... except for all the meetings so sacred they are secret, maybe?)

Joseph F. Smith: JD 15.324-328

Resources:

The Trinity: An Introduction by Scott Swain

God Has Spoken; The Attributes of God: An Introduction by Gerald Bray

The Person of Christ: An Introduction by Stephen Wellum

Heresies: The Image of Christ in the Mirror of Heresy and Orthodoxy by Harold O.J. Brown

Christianity and Liberalism by J. Gresham Machen

Matthew (The Expositor's Bible Commentary) by D.A. Carson

Simply Put (and here), Credo, WHI, and Reformed Forum

Desiring God by John Piper

The Religious Affections by Jonathan Edwards

The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self: Cultural Amnesia, Expressive Individualism and the Road to Sexual Revolution by Carl Trueman

Jacques Derrida by Christopher Watkin (also here)

Dialogue on the Two Natures In Christ by Peter Martyr Vermigli

Transubstantiation: Theology, History, and Christian Unity by Brett Salkeld

Calvin and the Anabaptist Radicals by William Balke

Calvin's Letter to Cardinal Sadoleto

Zwingli: God's Armed Prophet by Bruce Gordon

The Flesh of the Word by K.J. Drake

Thanksgiving (NSBT) by David Pao

Original title: ...And there are also False Prophecies!

In this episode, Brendon and Skyler discuss the twenty-second lesson in the LDS Come, Follow Me sunday school manual. This week (May 22-28) is titled "The Son of Man Shall Come" and covers Joseph Smith-Matthew 1, Mark 12-13, and Luke 21.

We invite you to worship with us on any Sunday - either at First Baptist Church of Provo or Christ Presbyterian Church in Magna. We welcome visitors!

CORRECTION: The JST, when compared with his KJV equivalent - has only 118 changes in Romans. There were 1,554 changes to the Gospels. (Mormons and the Bible, p. 54; also see this issue in the context of ch.'s 1-3 of An Insider's View of Mormon Origins by Grant Palmer.)

It should be noted that in Mark 12 - Jesus, when asked what the greatest commandment is, begins with the Shema and thus, the monotheism denied in Mormon and/or LDS theology.

Contrary to what seems to be popular understanding among LDS, the Trinity is a monotheistic doctrine, and to claim that the Godhead are "three separate beings and persons" is to be polytheistic, no matter the aesthetic preference of someone like Jeffrey Holland. (also see here, and here to see how Joseph Smith spoke about the Trinity; also see The Trinity: An Introduction by Scott Swain for a short introduction to the foundational Christian doctrine.)

Moses warns against false prophets who lead people after other gods (Deut. 13.1-5); and Paul warns in Galatians that "even if we or an angel from heaven" preach a different gospel, let him/her be anathema, as well as warning against false apostles, men who preach "another Christ" - saying that "even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light." (Gal. 1.7, 2 Cor. 11.4,13-14) And of course, the apostle John warns against "false prophets" and commands we "test the spirits". (1 John 4.1-3)

Sources:

Joseph Smith - Matthew (in the 1968 version, the heading above says "Writings of Joseph Smith")

Sunday school manual: here

Why the King James Version by J. Reuben Clark

New Testament Made Easier by David Ridges

Gospel Principles manual: here, here, here

JST Revelation; Sermon in the Grove (Joseph Smith)

A Voice of Warning by Parley Pratt; The Seer by Orson Pratt

The Culture of Christ (William Jackson)

The Office of Patriarch (Boyd K. Packer); also here and here

The Words of Joseph Smith, ed. by Andrew Ehat and Lyndon Cook; wherein it documents Joseph Smith stating: "I prophesy in the name of the Lord God - and let it be written - that the Son of Man will not come in the heavens till I am 85 years old, 48 years hence or about 1890." (p.180)

Brigham Young (JD 13.309); Jedediah Grant (JD 1.346);

Orson Hyde (JD 4.259); Wilford Woodruff (JD 18.37, 21.195)

Brigham Young also taught this in regard to the title "Son of Man", connected to his teaching that Michael is god:"[I]t is most significant that in the Hebrew language the word for man is Adam, hence in the some-odd 84 passages in the gospels when Jesus referred to himself as the Son of Man, it can be taken quite literally as a claim on Jesus' part that he was the son of Adam." (Teachings of President Brigham Young, 3:327)

Conflict in the Quorum by Gary Bergera

Power From On High: The Development of Mormon Priesthood by Gregory Prince

Mormons and the Bible by Philip Barlow

The Mormon Jesus by John Turner

As A Thief In the Night by Dan Erickson

Mormonism: Shadow or Reality? by Sandra and Jerald Tanner

Joseph Smith claimed: "I have more to boast of than ever any man had. I am the only man that has ever been able to keep a whole church together since the days of Adam...Neither Paul, John, Peter, nor Jesus ever did it. I boast that no man ever did such a work as I. The followers of Jesus ran from Him; but the Latter-day Saints never ran away from me yet..." (HC 6:408; here)

D&C 84 (false prophecy about New Jerusalem)

• JD 9.71 (George A. Smith)
• JD 10.344 (George Q. Cannon)
• JD 13. 360,362; JD 14.276 (Orson Pratt)

D&C 114 (false prophecy about apostle David W. Patten - who would die Oct. 25, 1838 in the Battle of Crooked River; also see DHC 3.170-175)

Parley Pratt - the "Apostle Paul of Mormonism" wrote and published: “Now, Mr. Sunderland, you have something definite and tangible, the time, the manner, the means, the names, the dates; and I will state as a prophesy, that there will not be an unbelieving Gentile upon this continent 50 years hence; and if they are not greatly scourged, and in a great measure overthrown, within five or ten years from this date, then the Book of Mormon will have proved itself false.” (Mormonism Unveiled, 1838; found in The Essential Parley Pratt, p. 24) 

D&C 130 (expectation that Jesus would come back in around 1890)

• Prophet/President Wilford Woodruff, alone, predicted British LDS would remain on earth "until the coming of Christ" (Jan. 26, 1840); told the LDS in northern Arizona "There will be no United States in the year 1890" (June 28, 1879); stated (by revelation) that the second coming was "nigh at the door" (Jan. 26, 1880); promised LDS in Manti "that thousands of the children...would not die but would live to see the Saviour come" (Aug. 14, 1881); told LDS in St. George that "there were thousands living in [the] mountains at [that] time that would see the son of God come and many would not taste death" (Mar. 20, 1881) - and similar predictions on Dec. 31, 1885, and then on Feb. 16, 1886. And that is just one of the early apostles/prophets! (As a Thief in the Night by Dan Erickson, pp. 83, 187-88, 190-191, 197)

It should be noted that this is the context for the Manifesto on polygamy - esp. in light of Wilford Woodruff (then senior apostle!) even prophesying in the Manti Temple that "we are not going to stop the practice of plural marriage until the coming of the Son of man." (ibid., p.200, also here)

• Moreover, "in 1879-1880 the church published a new edition of the Doctrine and Covenants, edited by Apostle Orson Pratt and containing footnotes and references for the first time. Canonized at October 1880 general conference, it officially endorsed lay member millennial expectation. Pratt's footnotes for Section 130 highlighted Joseph Smith's 85-year millennial prophecy, adding in the commentary section confirmation of the fateful time frame 'near the end of the year 1890.' Pratt also cross-referenced the revelation to "See prophecy of Joseph, uttered 14 March 1835...'Even 56 years should wind up the scene.'" To many there was no doubt the Son of Man would make his appearance in 1890-91." (ibid., pp.188-189)

On April 28, 1842 - Joseph Smith delivered instruction to the "Female Relief Society of Nauvoo" in which he stated: "This Society shall have power to command Queens in their midst— I now deliver it as a prophecy that before ten years shall roll round, the queens of the earth shall come and pay their respects to this Society— they shall come with their millions and shall contribute of their abundance for the relief of the poor— If you will be pure, nothing can hinder. After this instruction, you will be responsible for your own sins. It is an honor to save yourself yourselves— all are responsible to save themselves."

Joseph Smith told Alexander Neibaur that he saw Jesus with a light complexion (white skin) and blue eyes (A.N. Journal, May 24,1844). Yes, Jesus is a white man, according to the founding Mormon/LDS prophet. This is related to some racial issues in LDS history and has clearly impacted LDS art to this day, as should be obvious throughout any official sources. (Whiteness is also true of Mary in 1 Nephi 11.13-15, who is even claimed by some LDS to actually be from England, based on legend.) Also see Mormonism - Shadow or Reality, ch. 21.

Also see Religion of a Different Color by W. Paul Reeve for many of the ironies in both American and Mormon history on racial issues and race-relations.

On the JST:

• The Joseph Smith Translation and Ancient Texts of the Bible by Kevin Barney; "In short, the JST phrasing is apparently Joseph Smith's way of getting his theological point across...No parallel ancient variants exist for the majority of JST readings. This lack of textual support suggests that the JST does not restore actual textual material. Some scriptural exegetes have hypothesized deliberate and widespread textual corruptions early enough to be incorporated into biblical manuscripts which have survived. Since the original autographs are irrecoverable, this assertion cannot be completely disproven, but it has been weakened with the discovery of Hebrew texts from the Old Testament as early as the second century B.C. which support the basic integrity of the later manuscripts. Some New Testament manuscripts date to the fourth, third, and even second centuries A.D., leaving an increasingly small frame of time in which the hypothesized textual corruptions could have occurred." (p.86) In his conclusion, he states: "We have seen that the majority of JST changes lack ancient textual support. Although we cannot say with complete assurance what stood in the original text, manuscript discoveries have made the argument that there could have been massive early deletions from the text untenable, at least for the New Testament." (p.100)

• Thomas Wayment, who did the translation that even the Interpreter was whole-heartedly promoting on their podcast, did some of the more recent work on the connection of the JST to Adam Clarke's Bible Commentary - which explains even some of the things Smith supposedly did correctly. RFM covers the subject well here, and here. (The main source being a chapter in the book Producing Ancient Scripture: Joseph Smith's Translation Projects in the Development of Mormon Christianity)

Utah Depression Rate

When Prophecy Fails by Leon Festinger

Fundamentalism and American Culture by George Marsden

Turning Points by Mark Noll

God's Strange Work: William Miller and the End of the World by David Rowe

Crucible of the Millennium by Michael Barkun

An Earnest Plea to Charismatics; An Earnest Plea to Seventh-day Adventists (Jason Wallace)

The War for Righteousness: Progressive Christianity, the Great War, and the Rise of the Messianic Nation by Richard Gamble

Woodrow Wilson and the Roots of Modern Liberalism by Ronald Pestritto

Paradise Now: The Story of American Utopianism by Chris Jennings

American Jesus by Stephen Prothero

The Doctrine of the Word of God by John Frame

Matthew (The Expositor's Bible Commentary); The King James Version Debate: A Plea For Realism by D.A. Carson

The King James Only Controversy by James White

Scribes and Scripture by John Meade and Peter Gurry

In the Beginning by Alister McGrath

God's Secretaries by Adam Nicolson

Three Views on the Millennium and Beyond, ed. Darrell Bock (also here)

A Case For Amillennialism: Understanding the End Time; The Man of Sin: Uncovering the Truth about the Antichrist by Kim Riddlebarger

Victory in Jesus: The Bright Hope of Postmillennialism by Greg Bahnsen

The Bible vs. Don Preston; The Church Impotent (Jason Wallace)

The Returning King: A Guide to the Book of Revelation by Vern Poythress

Triumph of the Lamb by Dennis Johnson

The Temple and the Church's Mission; The Book of Revelation (NIGTC); God Dwells Among Us by G. K. Beale

All Things New (NSBT) by Brian Tabb

Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman

No Place For Truth; Above All Earthy Pow'rs by David Wells

Institutes of the Christian Religion by John Calvin

Hearing God's Words: Exploring Biblical Spirituality (NSBT) by Peter Adam

The Word is Worth a Thousand Pictures by Gregory Reynolds

Reformed Forum: here and here

Michael Horton: here and here

War Against the Idols by Carlos Eire

From Icons to Idols, ed. by David Davis