Carthage Jail, where Joseph and Hyrum Smith were killed, is visited by thousands of people annually as Church missionaries guide them through the building, reviewing the heartrending event. How did the Church acquire this tragic site—and why? In this episode, BYU professor and Nauvoo historian Dr. Scott Esplin shares his fascinating research on this history, discussing why visiting and memorializing sites where tragedy and suffering have occurred, such as Carthage Jail, can lead to understanding and healing.

Publications:

“Dark Tourism: Healing at Historic Carthage Jail” (Journal of Mormon History, vol. 46, no. 1, 2020)

You may or may not be able to visit foundational Church history sites like the Sacred Grove or Nauvoo, but thanks to Professor Craig Ostler and others at BYU you can go on a professionally guided video tour. For the last 20 years Dr. Ostler has worked to produce a series of 100 peer-reviewed videos of Church History locations called Hallowed Ground and Sacred Journeys.  In this episode, get ready to go on an auditory Church history tour as Dr. Ostler gives insights from places like Palmyra, Mendon, Kirtland, Nauvoo, and Salt Lake City.  What he shares helps us understand why there is power in experiencing the spirit of sacred sites.

Creative Publications:

BYU Virtual Tours “Hallowed Ground Sacred Journeys”

It’s not uncommon to hear popular narratives that link depression and suicide with the Church.  Are those claims accurate? Dr. Justin Dyer finds the research suggests a different narrative. In this episode, professor Dyer shares his important studies about Latter-day Saint youth suicide, depression, LGBTQ members, and religiosity that can help us act in more informed and compassionate ways.

Publications:

“Depression, Religiosity, and Parenting Styles among Young Latter-Day Saint Adolescents” (Religions, vol. 10, 2019).

“Guest opinion: The church and LGBT youth suicide: Inaccurate claims may do more harm than good” (Deseret News, May 2019)

“Commentary: Did the same-sex marriage policy of the LDS Church coincide with an increase in youth suicide?” (Salt Lake Tribune, September 2018)

“Op-ed: Responding to Ellen on Mormons and teen suicide” (Deseret News, June 2018)

Other links:

Suicide Prevention and Ministering (churchofjesuschrist.org)

Utah Suicide Prevention Coalition

https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/

Although we all come from different backgrounds and situations, we all are coming unto the same Savior.  In this episode, Professor Eric Huntsman discusses insights from his book publication, Becoming the Beloved Disciple, about a purposeful theme in the gospel of John that highlights people in varied circumstances, and what we can learn from each of them about becoming beloved disciples of Christ.  

Publications:

Becoming the Beloved Disciple (Cedar Fort, 2018)

The Lord told Emma Smith to “expound scriptures” by the Spirit, saying this was his “voice unto all.” So how did women of the Church in the 19^th century use the scriptures, in particular the Bible, in their teaching, exhorting, and writing? In this episode, Dr. Amy Easton-Flake discusses her research publications about how early Latter-day Saint women used scripture to understand their divine roles and change their society, and why modern Latter-day Saint women should do the same.

Publications:

“The Bible in the Millennial Star and Woman’s Exponent” (forthcoming in BYU Studies, 2020)

“Merging Mormon Women and Women of Genesis: Hannah Tapfield King's Women of the Scriptures” (Women’s History Review, vol. 27 no. 7, 2018)

“Biblical Women in the Woman’s Exponent: Nineteenth-Century Mormon Women Interpret the Bible” (The Bible in American Life, Oxford 2017)

Joseph Smith’s First Vision is often the first story we tell in the narrative of the Restoration. But that was not always the case. It took about 50 years for the First Vision to become solidified as a foundational story of the Church. In this episode, BYU professor Steven Harper discusses his landmark research publication about how the First Vision was remembered and interpreted by Joseph Smith, and why thoughtfully doing the same today is essential for Latter-day Saints.

Publications:

First Vision: Memory and Mormon Origins (Oxford, 2019)

“Remembering the First Vision” (A Reason for Faith, 2016)

“Forming a Collective Memory of the First Vision” (An Eye of Faith, 2015)

It’s not uncommon to have vivid dreams. Sometimes we may even feel like our dreams have a divine message. How do we differentiate when our dreams are random, and when they are revelatory? In this episode, Dr. Craig Manscill discusses examples and principles of dreams as revelation, and why he and his co-authors researched this important religious subject.

Publications:

Dreams as Revelation (Deseret Book, 2019)

Questions about Latter-day Saint women and priesthood have been swirling for years. In this episode, Dr. Barbara Morgan Gardner shares her research that provides insights into why Latter-day Saint women have priesthood, and why understanding differences between ecclesiastical, familial, and covenantal priesthood can help us grasp the divine power and authority available to us all.

Publications:

“Connecting Daughters of God with His Priesthood Power” (Ensign/Liahona, March 2019)

The Priesthood Power of Women: In the Temple, Church, and Family (Deseret Book, 2019)

It’s not uncommon for Latter-day Saints to say that Christ atoned in the Garden of Gethsemane, but not on the cross.  In this episode, Dr. John Hilton III explores why this typical answer doesn’t align with our own scriptural teachings on the crucifixion, why it should, and why the cross can be a symbol of a living, and a loving Savior. 

Publications:

“Teaching the Scriptural Emphasis on the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ” (Religious Educator, vol. 20, no. 3 2019)