Tag: faith
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“Members partake with their right hand when possible.”—General Handbook: Serving in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 18.9.3 Imagine this: An apostle of God visits your church meeting. He tells you that God has impressed something specific on his heart—something he feels prompted to say, just for you. You lean in, expecting a…
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(Image created with OpenAI’s ChatGPT) My kids have been playing K-Pop Demon Hunters on repeat this week, and as I have watched and rewatched it, I have been struck by the films surprising spiritual depth. While the film is not a Christian film, its themes still resonate with Biblical truths especially regarding the nature of…
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One of the passages I frequently cited when teaching about the Great Apostasy as an LDS missionary was Acts 20:28–31: “Keep watch over yourselves and the entire flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which He purchased with His own blood. I know that after…
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Just today, someone posted a clip of President Dallin H. Oaks speaking in what appears to be a recent sacrament meeting. In the clip, Oaks bears his testimony: “We know that we are children of heavenly parents. So we know that we have a Heavenly Mother—or mothers.” Unsurprisingly, the line is getting attention—especially for its…
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A Tale of Two Testimonies: From “I Know the Church Is True” to “Jesus Saved Me” How LDS and Evangelical Christians Use the Word “Testimony” Very Differently This evening we went to a baptismal service at a local church. Before each person was baptized, they were asked to share their “testimony.” Each one, without exception,…
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As a Latter-day Saint I used to love to speak about the United States Constitution as “divinely inspired.” Although I didn’t see it on par with the scripures, I still saw God’s hand in the document in a very direct manner. Today, I still view the Constitution very highly. But I’ve grown uncomfortable with that…
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Mysterious Visions and Glorious Purpose A few Biblical figures received powerful and life changing glimpses of the glory of heaven.This imagery is not meant to be a literal picture of heaven. Instead, this is apocalyptic imagery meant to stretch our imaginations and and reveal transcendent truths that ordinary language cannot capture. One of the most…
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One additional scriptural metaphor that reflects and echoes the trinity is that of the Church as the Body of Christ. This metaphor not only teaches us about Christian community, but it also quietly echoes the eternal relationship of Father, Son, and Spirit—three persons united in perfect love and purpose. Paul expands on this metaphor in…
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In a recent post, I pleaded with my Latter-day Saint friends to defend the Bible—not just parts of it, but the whole of it as God’s Word. Sadly, some current trends in LDS scholarship threaten to do the opposite. Recently I have seen an explosion of popularity among Latter-day Saint apologists of the theory that…
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Grace is one of the most difficult topics for Latter-day Saints and Evangelicals to talk about. Even though Evangelicals Latter-day Saints use the same terminology, there are some pretty significant differences that are difficult to fully unpack. But often, it’s not our definitions that say the most—it’s our metaphors. Metaphors paint with vivid colors. They…