Distinctive Christianity

In this episode, we welcome Dr. Henri Blocher to discuss his book Original Sin: Illuminating the Riddle. What is the doctrine of Original Sin, and is it essential to the Christian Faith? Is the doctrine Augustine’s invention, or is it Biblical truth? Is it taught in both Old and New Testaments – as well as by Christ Jesus, himself? Dr. Blocher takes us through the contours and complexities of original sin, as well as some pitfalls some have fallen into relative to the genre of Genesis 1-3, Paul’s teaching about Law and guilt – as well as the dangers of compromising our view of the integrity of Creation, itself. Distinguishing humanity as created and humanity as sinful – how does Original Sin make sense of the evil within the human heart, as well as in families, societies, and even the church? Distinguishing originated original sin that is the “tendency to sinfulness with which we are born” and the originating original sin that is “the transgression Adam perpetrated in the Garden and through which sin and death invaded our world”, how do we understand collective guilt relative to the Justice of God? Henri takes us through this and more – as we hear how, in its depth, we understand even David’s psalm of repentance and pleading for mercy in Psalm 51 along with Jesus’ clear teaching to Nicodemus that all of us must be “born again” or we will not “enter the kingdom of God”.

Book: Original Sin: Illuminating the Riddle

Other books by Dr. Henri Blocher:

Faith and Reason

Evil and the Cross: An Analytical Look at the Problem of Pain

Songs of the Servant: Isaiah’s Good News

In the Beginning: The Opening Chapters of Genesis

In this episode, we welcome Dr. G.K. Beale to discuss his commentary on Colossians (BECNT). From a defense of the Pauline authorship of this epistle, to the identity of the Colossian-heresy based on both internal and external evidence, to Paul’s use of Old Testament allusions in this epistle (contrary to what many scholars have thought) – Dr. Beale helps us think through the brilliant theology being taught to us, even today, in this epistle. Paul argues against a heresy that mingles and attempts to synthesize Old Testament terminology with what is at it’s core still Hellenistic theology: a Jesus+local mystery religion - all with the goal of making one’s self worthy of experiencing heavenly temple worship. The correcting epistle argues against this based upon Christ being “the full expression of God’s presence in the end-time temple”, and the Christian church being “part of the latter-day temple, residing in the midst of the divine tabernacling presence”. Listen in as Dr. Beale gives us a sample of the doctrinal insights we can receive in Paul’s Epistle to the Colossians.

Book: Colossians and Philemon (BECNT)

Also: G.K. Beale’s Website

“The Temple and the Anti-Temple at Colossae”

“The Old Testament in Colossians: A Response to Paul Foster”

Check out: CSB Connecting Scripture New Testament as well as the conference here.

Other books and resources by Dr. Beale:

The Temple and the Church’s Mission

- God Dwells Among Us

Union with the Resurrected Christ

We Become What We Worship: A Biblical Theology of Idolatry

The Book of Revelation (NIGTC)

A New Testament Biblical Theology: The Unfolding of the Old Testament in the New

Handbook on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament

Other resources:

The Colossian Syncretism: The Interface between Christianity and Folk Belief at Colossae; Power and Magic: The Concept of Power in Ephesians by Clinton Arnold

A couple of examples of LDS sources:

“Necessity of Building Temples – The Endowment” by President Brigham Young

“The Building of Temples – The Keys of the Apostleship”; “The New Birth – Baptisms for the Dead – Temples” by Elder George Q. Cannon

The Holy Temple by Elder Boyd K. Packer (also here)

Temple and Cosmos; When the Lights Went Out; “Treasures in the Heavens” by Hugh Nibley

In this episode, we welcome Dr. T. C. Schmidt about his book Josephus and Jesus: New Evidence for the One Called Christ. Who was Josephus and why does he matter? Why are his writings so important for our understanding of first-century history? Dr. Schmidt takes us through the “Testimonium Flavianum”, whether it is a genuine passage about Jesus – and how we get at what Josephus originally wrote and originally meant. What does this hostile account of Jesus, his life and reference to his followers aid us in understanding the historical Jesus and the early “tribe” of Christians? Tom also takes us through Josephus’ account of James “the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ" – and what insight we get from early sources about him and his importance.

Book: Josephus and Jesus: New Evidence for the One Called Christ (also here)

Website: JosephusandJesus.com

Also check out: Institute for Christian Reflection

Other work by Dr. Schmidt:

- The Book of Revelation and its Eastern Commentators

- Revelation 1-3 in Christian Arabic Commentary

- “Calculating December 25 as the Birth of Jesus in Hippolytus’ Canon and Chronicon” (also here)

In this episode, we welcome Dr. Charles Harrell to discuss his recent article “John Taylor on the ‘Dark Ages’”. Pure Original, Great Apostasy, Restoration; this has been the mainstream traditional LDS view, overwhelmingly. Yet, many have used a particular quote from an 1873 sermon by Elder John Taylor to complicate this narrative. Did John Taylor believe in the Great Apostasy, or was he open to people in the “dark ages” communing and seeing God, and experiencing the gifts of the spirit in ways much more comparable to the LDS church community than the mainstream traditional narrative has allowed? Does John Taylor, who will later become the third Prophet-President of the LDS Church, actually provide a “historical precedent” in justifying the near-abandonment of the Great Apostasy narrative, thus opening the door for more ecumenism with other religions? Dr. Harrell takes us through both the story of this famous quotation – as well as a proper analysis of the full text of this 1873 sermon, in context, in order to aid us in accurately understanding what John Taylor was actually teaching. This episode includes a lesson in motivated reasoning that should leave the audience wondering why it took nearly 25 years for a scholar to double-check a quotation that should have seemed too good to be true for those with ecumenical aspirations. Moreover, Dr. Harrell will take us into an important 19th century apologetic context that has “faded from LDS institutional memory”.

Article: “John Taylor on the ‘Dark Ages’”

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Some other resources by Dr. Harrell:

“This Is My Doctrine”: The Development of Mormon Theology

“The Development of the Doctrine of Preexistence, 1830-1844”

Elder John Taylor sermon: “The Knowledge of God and Mode of Worshiping Him” (September 7, 1873)

Other President John Taylor resources:

Truth Defended; The Government of God;

JD 13.221-233;16.369-376; 18.306-313; 21.241-256; 22.290-297; 23:320-326;23:368-376

Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: John Taylor

The Last Pioneer: John Taylor, a Mormon Prophet by Samuel W. Taylor

Other resources:

Gospel Principles: here, here, here, and here

JSH-1; Gospel Topics: Apostasy

“The Gathering of Scattered Israel” ;“Hear Him”; “Rejoice in the Gift of Priesthood Keys” by President Russell M. Nelson (also here)

Jesus the Christ; The Great Apostasy by Elder James Talmage

A New Witness for the Articles of Faith by Elder Bruce R. McConkie

“Statement on the First Presidency Regarding God’s Love for All Mankind” (Feb. 15, 1978)

“The Light of Christ” by Elder Boyd K. Packer; D&C 93

The Essential Parley P. Pratt

President Wilford Woodruff: JD 2.191-202; 19.223-230; 22.169-176

Elder Moses Thatcher: JD 26. 327-335

Elder George Bywater: JD 23.142-149

Elder Henry W. Naisbitt: JD 26.228-240

Elder George Q. Cannon: JD 14. 45-58; 14. 122-129

“Inheriting the ‘Great Apostasy’: The Evolution of Mormon Views on the Middle Ages and the Renaissance” by Eric Dursteler

Standing Apart: Mormon Historical Consciousness and the Concept of Apostasy, edited by Miranda Wilcox and John D. Young

Mormonism in Transition by Thomas Alexander

In this episode, we welcome Dr. Benjamin Park to discuss his recent RNS article: “The LDS Historical Department Just Published an 1886 Polygamy Revelation”. John Taylor was the third LDS Prophet-President, and this 1886 revelation was for the LDS church – though it has a controversial history, and an even more surprising entry in the headlines of 2025. In this episode, Dr. Park helps us better understand this oft-neglected LDS President in his context, as well as what this revelation means and does not mean relative to debates within and between the mainline LDS church and the many fundamentalist churches who have championed this revelation for nearly a century.

Article: “The LDS Historical Department Just Published an 1886 Polygamy Revelation”

LDS Church History Catalog: John Taylor revelation, 1886 September 27

Other resources by Dr. Benjamin Park:

American Zion: A New History of Mormonism (new Paperback edition: here)

Kingdom of Nauvoo: The Rise and Fall of a Religious Empire on the American Frontier

- Check out YouTube Channel

Other resources:

D&C 118:6; 124.129; 135

Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: John Taylor (official manual)

Unpublished Revelations, vol. 1 compiled by Fred Collier

The Works of John Taylor, compiled by David Hammer; including significant works, such as:

- The Government of God

- Mediation and Atonement

- “Succession in the Priesthood”

- “The Origin and Destiny of Woman”

Last public discourse before going into hiding: February 1, 1885

A sample of discourses:

“Man” (Feb. 19, 1860)

“Motives and Feelings of the Saints…” (June 12, 1853)

“Blessings of the Saints…” (Jan. 17, 1858)

“Reflections on the Sacrament, the Atonement and the Second Coming of Jesus” (Feb. 22, 1863)

“Blessings of the Gospel Contrasted with the Ideas of Men…” (Dec. 11, 1864)

“God is the Source of All Intelligence and Wisdom…” (Feb. 5, 1865)

“Revelation from God, True Knowledge” (Oct. 7, 1865)

“What the Gospel Teaches…” (Feb. 1, 1874)

“The Death of the Faithful No Cause for Mourning…” (July 24, 1882)

“The Church Based Upon the Principle of Perfect Freedom…” (Jan. 21, 1883)

The Life of John Taylor by B. H. Roberts

The Last Pioneer: John Taylor, a Mormon Prophet by Samuel W. Taylor

Worth including is this passage from The Mormon Jesus by John Turner:

“Young’s immediate successors promptly returned to the former model of revelation. Because Young had held many church properties in his own name, after his death there were conflicts of interest between his family and the church. At the time, John Taylor was president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles; he was formally sustained as church president three years later. Taylor prayed repeatedly for guidance about the thorny legal conflicts over Young’s estate, and he dictated a revelatory answer in November 1877: ‘Thus saith the Lord,’ the revelation began, ‘Be one, be united, be honest, act upon the principles of justice and righteousness to the living and to the dead and to my Church, and I, the Lord, will sustain you and acknowledge your labors.’ Taylor wrote or dictated at least eight additional revelations over the next decade.

Taylor’s revelatory process resembled that of Joseph Smith. Clerk George Reynolds recalled that he sometimes found the church president working on a revelation at the Gardo House (the mansion Young had built for two of his wives). Taylor would then ‘continue the revelation he commenced to write by dictating it to me.’ Reynolds next read it aloud several times. ‘On only one occasion do I remember that he made any alteration in that which was written.’ Taylor published only two of his revelations, and the church did not add any of them to new English-language editions of the Doctrine and Covenants (two were included in certain European editions). Church leaders circulated several of them, however, which were read aloud at local church meetings.

Taylor’s revelations were explicitly dialogic. He brought questions to the Lord and received specific responses. The identity of the divine voice is not clear in some of Taylor’s revelations, but others refer to ‘my father,’ making it clear that it is Jesus Christ who speaks. ‘As thou hast asked me concerning this Temple, thus saith the Lord,’ began a brief revelation about the just-dedicated Logan Temple, ‘I accept his house which thou hast built.’ Taylor’s revelations touched on a range of topics. Several encouraged the church to defend its principle of plural marriage. For example, an 1882 revelation clarified that men called to high offices should ‘conform to my law [of marriage]; for it is not meet that men who will not abide my law shall preside over my priesthood.’ As Joseph Smith had done, Taylor led the church as Jesus Christ’s oracle.” (pp. 110-111)

Joseph White Musser: A Mormon Fundamentalist by Cristina Rosetti

Conflict in the Quorum by Gary Bergera

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)

-“After the Manifesto: Mormon Polygamy, 1890-1906”, found in The New Mormon History, edited by D. Michael Quinn

- “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”

“Unity, etc.”

“Celestial Marriage”

“The Right and Authority of President Brigham Young”

“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.

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