The King Follett Sermon is one of Joseph Smith’s best-recorded and most controversial sermons. Records and memories of the sermon shaped many of the doctrines of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but have also been partly rejected within the Church. This interview with William V. Smith discusses the King Follett Sermon and its history.
Joseph Smith established the Council of Fifty in 1844 to address several issues, including the potential relocation of the Latter-day Saints outside the United States. This article includes a sample of interesting Council of Fifty quotes from Part One of the administrative records, including new teachings from the Prophet Joseph and an account of his martyrdom.
Lowell L. Bennion was the most important Latter-day Saint educator, ethicist, and humanitarian of the 20th century, according to biographer George Handley. BYU philosopher Philip Barlow has also called Bennion “the conscience of the 20th century church” and “the Latter-day Saints’ Mother Theresa.” In this interview, Handley explains more about the legacy of Lowell Bennion.
Elder Neal A. Maxwell’s name is synonymous with discipleship (similar to Latter-day Saints like Truman G. Madsen and Henry B. Eyring). But the term meant different things to him at different times. Initially, it was a designation for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. But over time, it evolved to include a wholehearted devotion to the Savior—especially during times of adversity. In this interview, biographer Bruce C. Hafen explains why Elder Maxwell is so closely associated with discipleship.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has had a presence in the islands of the Pacific Ocean since the time of Joseph Smith, but it was only during the decades following WWII that it experienced extensive growth in areas like Micronesia, the Philippines, and eastern Asia. This includes the modern states of Micronesia, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, and Palau, along with the U.S. territories of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands (all of which are referenced as Micronesia and Guam in this interview). These countries have some of the highest per capita memberships in the Church in the world. This interview with R. Devan Jensen discusses the history of the Church in Micronesia and Guam as part of the story of Mormonism around the world.
It might seem unlikely that we can know anything about the ancient owners of the Joseph Smith Papyri. However, the Book of Abraham scrolls included names and genealogies indicating that the owners were ancient Egyptian priests. In this interview, Kerry Muhlestein explains what we know about these ancient Egyptians—and how their circumstances may have made them uniquely aware of extra-biblical Abrahamic traditions.
The law of the gospel is one of several covenants made in the Latter-day Saint endowment ceremony. Interestingly, definitions used by church leaders have shifted since the days of Joseph Smith. For example, David O. McKay taught that it included scripture study, and Bruce R. McConkie referred to it as the “celestial law.” In this interview, independent scholar Samuel R. Weber explains the history of the law of the gospel, culminating in a definition included in the General Handbook.
The Community of Christ and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints share the same roots, including Restoration scriptures like the Book of Mormon. Yet these faith communities have over 170 years of divergent history and evolution, including how they approach the scriptures. This interview with Kat Goheen and Joshua Sears discusses scripture in Community of Christ and in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Thomas Jefferson was a Christian in the sense that he believed in Jesus as a great moral teacher, but not as the Son of God. He even created a “Jefferson Bible” in which he reconstructed the book without references to miracles and divinity. In this interview, biographer Thomas S. Kidd places Jefferson’s beliefs and actions in the context of the Founding Fathers and the Bible.
The genealogy of Jesus in the New Testament includes several women with a hint of sexual scandal. When combined with the wicked men in the Savior’s ancestry, it teaches several subtle lessons—including how Matthew may have prepared his audience for the virgin birth. In this interview, Camille Fronk Olson explains what we can learn from the women in the lineage of Jesus.