Gospel Essays

LDS.org/Topics - Encouraging Gospel Scholarship

Apologetics becomes mainstream

It's been about two years since the Church quietly launched their own explanation of "thorny issues" of both doctrine and history in the form of 13 essays. They can be found on lds.org/topics as well as mormonessays.com. Interestingly, none of the essays are dated or have authorship credit - which appears to show they were designed to have updates and or changes going forward. Here's the main reasoning behind why the Church has gotten into apologetics:

On September 9, 2014 the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sent a letter to all Priesthood leaders. The letter instructed Priesthood leaders to send doubting or inquisitive members to a series of essays recently published in the Gospel Topics section of LDS.org. The following is an excerpt from the letter:
In 2013, the current Church historian, Elder Steven E. Snow of the 1st Quorum of the Seventy, said the following in regards to this effort:
The move toward transparency and discussion can be seen in the Joseph Smith Papers project and other sites maintained by Church members such as Joseph Smith's Polygamy. Many of the essays discuss controversial events or topics that haven't previously been addressed by the governing body of the church. Some of these topics include the practice of Polygamy by the church's founder Joseph Smith, the previous ban that prevented African males from receiving the Priesthood, Book of Mormon translation and DNA research, and the Book of Abraham translation. The efforts to be more open with the complete history of the Church will lead to a better understanding of the founding events for both members and investigators.

"The purpose of the Gospel Topics section is to provide accurate and transparent information on Church history and doctrine within the framework of faith…when Church members have questions regarding Church history and doctrine, possibly arising when detractors spread misinformation and doubt, you may want to direct their attention to these resources."

"I think in the past there was a tendency to keep a lot of the records [of the Church] closed or at least not give access to information. But the world has changed in the last generation-with the access to information on the internet, we can't continue that pattern; I think we need to continue to be more open."

Gospel Scholarship

I remember when I joined the Church in the Eighties, I often heard the term "Gospel Scholar" used in General Conference talks, etc. We don't seem to hear it any more. Back then, I was given the seminal volume Mormon Doctrine as a present for my baptism. Inscribed therein were words with the hope that I would pursue a life-long course of study. I'm not sure this would happen as matter of course today. The world has changed. Forget the Bruce R. McConkie's tome (out of print since 2010) is not as influential as it was 30 years ago. Instead, focus on the internet and open-source information. Technology has leveled the playing field, giving access to both accurate and inaccurate information to all. This necessitated the Church to provide their own channel, albeit unannounced and launched without fanfare, to counter information that may not be faith promoting.

From my perspective, this is a wonderful thing, because Gospel Scholarship has come full circle. Today, we are reminded again --this time in a landmark talk given to CES resources by Elder Ballard -- that scholarship matters. The theme seems to be that we must emphasize study and faith, and to seek out the "best books". That's a return to emphasizing a balanced approach to learning the gospel and one that I completely support.

The Essays

While some have seen the Church's attempt to address these issues head-on with cynicism and satire, the fact is - this is a marvelous start. Likely intended mainly for those who already have a base foundation in the gospel, these essays provide historical context and frank explanations that we aren't accustomed to hearing. The theme with most of the essays seems to be "acknowledgement with caveat". That is a good approach since it will also help to ease and assuage those who may not have that foundational testimony or knowledge. Either way, it's a positive and necessary first step.

Here, then, are the topics that Elder Ballard said Church Teachers needed to know "like the back of their hand" ...

1. Are Mormons Christian?
2. Becoming Like God
3. Book of Mormon and DNA Studies
4. Book of Mormon Translation
5. First Vision Accounts
6. Joseph Smith’s Teachings about Priesthood, Temple, and Women
7. Mother in Heaven
8. Peace and Violence among 19th-Century Latter-day Saints
9. Plural Marriage in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
10. Race and the Priesthood
11. Translation and Historicity of the Book of Abraham

Implications for Teachers

I would say these essays are relevant to every teacher, regardless of whether your class members are facing these topics themselves. Why? Because as teachers, as Church Members, as fathers and mothers and brothers and sisters -- we will all have the need to call upon both the Spirit and what we have learned out of the "best books" to defend, explain and hopefully testify of what we know to be true. Here's a few of the nuggets from Elder Ballard's talk:

Gone are the days when a student asked an honest question and a teacher responded, “Don’t worry about it!” Gone are the days when a student raised a sincere concern and a teacher bore his or her testimony as a response intended to avoid the issue. Gone are the days when students were protected from people who attacked the Church. Fortunately, the Lord provided this timely and timeless counsel to you teachers: “And as all have not faith, seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith.”

You can help students by teaching them what it means to combine study and faith as they learn. Teach them by modeling this skill and approach in class.

Our curriculum at that time, though well-meaning, did not prepare students for today—a day when students have instant access to virtually everything about the Church from every possible point of view. Today, what they see on their mobile devices is likely to be faith-challenging as much as faith-promoting. Many of our young people are more familiar with Google than they are with the gospel, more attuned to the Internet than to inspiration, and more involved with Facebook than with faith.

For you to understand the doctrinal and historical content and context of the scriptures and our history, you will need to study from the “best books,” as the Lord directed. The “best books” include the scriptures, the teachings of modern prophets and apostles, and the best LDS scholarship available

Teach them about the challenges they face when relying upon the Internet to answer questions of eternal significance. Remind them that James did not say, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him Google!”

You should be among the first, outside your students’ families, to introduce authoritative sources on topics that may be less well-known or controversial so your students will measure whatever they hear or read later against what you have already taught them.

You know we give medical inoculations to our precious missionaries before sending them into the mission field so they will be protected against diseases that can harm or even kill them. In a similar fashion, please, before you send them into the world, inoculate your students by providing faithful, thoughtful, and accurate interpretation of gospel doctrine, the scriptures, our history, and those topics that are sometimes misunderstood. To name a few such topics that are less known or controversial, I’m talking about polygamy, seer stones, different accounts of the First Vision, the process of translation of the Book of Mormon or the Book of Abraham, gender issues, race and the priesthood, or a Heavenly Mother.

It is important that you know the content in these essays like you know the back of your hand.

Full Address here.