Categories
Book of Mormon Come Follow Me Doctrine and Covenants Joseph Smith

How Did the Joseph Smith Papers Project Influence the 2025 Scripture Updates?

A photo of someone reading D&C 106 on a tablet, illustrating the 2025 updates to Latter-day Saint scriptures such as the Doctrine and Covenants, Book of Mormon, and Study Helps.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints made several updates to its scriptures in 2025. Roughly half of the changes approved by the Scriptures Committee provide additional historical context, while the other half make minor factual adjustments to details like dates and places. This includes updates to “Study Helps” such as Doctrine and Covenants section headers and Book of Mormon chapter introductions. In this interview, scholar Matthew Godfrey introduces the scripture updates and illustrates how many of them were made possible by the Joseph Smith Papers Project.

Continue reading “How Did the Joseph Smith Papers Project Influence the 2025 Scripture Updates?”
Categories
Latter-day Saint History Theology

How Did Latter-day Saint Doctrine of the Holy Ghost Develop?

An artistic depiction illustrating the Latter-day Saint doctrine of the Holy Ghost development. The image features the Nauvoo Temple (with its central spire), the Book of Mormon, a dove, and a full-body Holy Ghost silhouette, against a background of fire and spirit. It visualizes the transition from early scriptural views to the modern understanding of the Spirit as a distinct personage.

Latter-day Saint doctrine about the Holy Ghost has unfolded over time. Early Restoration scripture (e.g., Book of Mormon, Lectures on Faith) often referred to the Holy Spirit as “it,” echoing 19th-century Christian usage. In the 1840s, Joseph Smith began teaching that the third member of the Godhead was a distinct spirit personage. Willard Richards and Brigham Young later added new details, culminating in the 1876 canonization of D&C 130. Afterward, general authorities such as Joseph F. Smith and James E. Talmage clarified the extent to which the Spirit of God is a power or a person, leading to today’s doctrine. In this interview, scholar Charles Harrell traces the development of the Holy Ghost in Latter-day Saint theology.

This is Part 1 of a two-part series about the Holy Ghost in Latter-day Saint theology. In Part 2, Robert L. Millet addresses common questions about How to Receive and Recognize the Holy Ghost.

Continue reading “How Did Latter-day Saint Doctrine of the Holy Ghost Develop?”
Categories
Latter-day Saint History

Let’s Talk About Race and Priesthood

The history of race and the priesthood in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints reveals a journey from early inclusion to exclusion and, ultimately, restoration. Black Saints such as Elijah Able once held priesthood offices before racial restrictions took hold in the mid-19th century—a policy that endured until the 1978 priesthood revelation. Recent research has clarified how those restrictions arose and why confronting them matters for the modern Church. In this interview, historian W. Paul Reeve discusses his book Let’s Talk About Race and Priesthood and what the past can teach today’s Saints.

Continue reading “Let’s Talk About Race and Priesthood”
Categories
American West Brigham Young

Who Was Chief Wakara?

Painting of Chief Wakara, the 19th-century Ute leader, by artist Solomon Nunes Carvalho

Chief Wakara (also known as “Chief Walker” or “Walkara”) was a 19th-century Ute leader who shaped the American West. He partnered—and clashed—with Brigham Young, defended Native sovereignty, and led legendary horse raids. In 1850, Wakara was baptized into the Latter-day Saint faith, treating it as one strand in his broader spiritual life, while many pioneers interpreted it as a step toward his skin becoming “white and delightsome.” Modern Utes caution against calling him “chief,” noting it’s a derisive term that misrepresents their culture’s situational leadership. In this interview, historian Max Perry Mueller explains how Wakara influenced westward expansion and why his role has largely been erased from history.

Continue reading “Who Was Chief Wakara?”
Categories
19th Century Book excerpts Theology

Who Was the Early Mormon Jesus?

Anthony Sweat painting of the Mormon Jesus.
Anthony Sweat, "Man of Joy"

Christology—literally the “study of Christ”—was not one of the points of contention between early Mormons and their many antagonists. When Joseph Smith and his few followers founded a church in 1830, they drafted a set of Articles and Covenants that explained the church’s organization. In the tradition of creeds, they also listed a few core beliefs.

Continue reading “Who Was the Early Mormon Jesus?”
Categories
Doctrine and Covenants Theology

Redeeming the Dead: Themes in the Doctrine and Covenants

Baptismal font used for baptism for the dead, central to the Latter-day Saint doctrine of the redemption of the dead.

Redeeming the dead is central to Joseph Smith’s vision of uniting all humanity in a heavenly kinship. In Latter-day Saint practice, this doctrine is enacted through proxy ordinances—performed in temples—through which Christ’s gift of salvation is offered to every soul by linking the living with the departed. From Malachi’s prophecy in the Old Testament to Joseph F. Smith’s 1918 vision, scripture underscores that human connection is the heart of redemption. In this interview, Dr. Amy Harris shares insights from her contribution to the Maxwell Institute’s Themes in the Doctrine and Covenants book series.

Continue reading “Redeeming the Dead: Themes in the Doctrine and Covenants”
Categories
Devotional Quotes

D. Todd Christofferson Quotes You’ll Use Again and Again

Sepia pencil sketch profile of D. Todd Christofferson with the title “D. Todd Christofferson Quotes (By Theme)” on the right.

If you’ve felt steadied by President D. Todd Christofferson’s voice, you’ll recognize the pattern: Christ at the center, covenants as the path, Zion as the aim, and family sealed by priesthood power. Now Second Counselor to Dallin H. Oaks in the First Presidency, he has offered 40+ General Conference messages over more than 30 years of service as a Seventy and Apostle. This page includes quotes from his conference talks organized by theme so you can find the right words quickly—whether you’re preparing a lesson, drafting a talk, or studying at home.

Continue reading “D. Todd Christofferson Quotes You’ll Use Again and Again”
Categories
Latter-day Saint History Polygamy

Insights From Andrew Kimball on Heber C. Kimball’s Life and Family

Portraits of Heber C. Kimball, his daughter Helen Mar Kimball, and grandson Orson F. Whitney, key figures in early Latter-day Saint history, illustrating Heber C. Kimball biography and family legacy.

Heber C. Kimball was a central figure in early Latter-day Saint history, serving as Brigham Young’s first counselor and helping shape the church’s westward migration. He led a complex family life with 43 wives and 64 children, balancing loyalty, faith, and leadership amid the challenges of polygamy and frontier life. His daughter, Helen Mar Kimball, navigated personal tragedy while leaving a rich record of her experiences, and her son, Orson F. Whitney, carried forward the Kimball legacy through poetry, preaching, and church leadership. In this interview, biographer Andrew Kimball explores the lives, struggles, and enduring influence of the multi-generational Heber C. Kimball family.

Continue reading “Insights From Andrew Kimball on Heber C. Kimball’s Life and Family”
Categories
New Testament

What Language Did Jesus Speak? Aramaic and the Historical Jesus

Aramaic Jesus depicted in Jorge Cocco’s Sermon on the Mount painting, showing Christ teaching his followers
“Sermon on the Mount” by Jorge Cocco. Used by permission.

Jesus spoke Aramaic, the common language of Galilee in the first century. The Gospels preserve traces of this in words like Abba and ṭalîta’ qûmî, even though they were written in Greek. But the real significance goes beyond vocabulary: Aramaic-speaking circles that contributed to the accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John remembered Jesus in distinct ways. For example, Peter’s circle emphasized forgiveness, that of Mary Magdalene focused on purity, and so on. Together, they form overlapping but distinct “streams of tradition” in the Gospels, revealing that no single community preserved the whole picture of Jesus. In this interview, Bruce Chilton discusses his book Aramaic Jesus and what it reveals about the language Jesus spoke, memory, and the earliest church.

Continue reading “What Language Did Jesus Speak? Aramaic and the Historical Jesus”
Categories
19th Century American West Latter-day Saint History

Who Was Responsible for the 1856 Handcart Tragedy?

Broken handcart with shattered wheel in the snow, symbolizing the 1856 Mormon handcart tragedy and pioneer endurance

The tragedy of the Willie and Martin handcart companies can’t be blamed on one person. It resulted from delayed departures, flawed handcart designs, and leadership decisions under pressure. For example, Brigham Young’s instructions, Levi Savage’s warnings, and Franklin D. Richards’s missteps all shaped the outcome. Beyond blame, the story also highlights the faith, resilience, and sacrifice of the emigrants and their rescuers. In this interview, Don H. Smith and Mark C. Austin provide insights that challenge myths while honoring the courage of the 1856 pioneers, drawing from their book, Bring Them to Zion: The 1856 Handcart Emigration Organization, Leadership, and Issues.

Continue reading “Who Was Responsible for the 1856 Handcart Tragedy?”