Mission
Sister Zone Leaders
Well, that’s not exactly the right term, but for those who have served LDS missions previously, that’s what the new announcement from the LDS Newsroom amounts to. The term “Zone Leader” is out, and the new term “Mission Leadership Council” is in, and it will include sister missionaries. It wasn’t announced in General Conference, but […]
Facebook Proclamations
I am amazed at how much time people spend on Facebook. Â I post rarely, though it is nice to stay in touch with people growing up, even if I don’t comment. Â A few years ago, I noticed on Facebook an announcement from one of my Facebook “friends.” Â He posted his resignation letter from the LDS […]
Mormon Missions in Islamic Countries
Many of you have read Lengthen Your Stride by Edward Kimball. Â It’s a great book in an of itself, and it includes a CD with a treasure trove of material. Â Included on the CD is a much longer version of the book, but few people read the “long version.” Â Edward Kimball and Deseret Book disagreed […]
Bushman: "The Church Should Stay out of the History Business"
This is the conclusion of Part 1 of the Richard Bushman interview (there are 5 parts–about 5 hours total). Â I’ve previously talked about Growing Up as Richard Bushman, and How he chose to become a Historian. Â In this last section of Part 1, Bushman talks about the important, major biographies of Joseph Smith, his experience […]
John Hamer Interview-Part 1
In January 2010, John Dehlin Interviewed John Hamer on the Succession Crisis following Joseph Smith’s death.  I posted part of this a few days ago when I posted about dissolving the First Presidency.  One of the things I love was the discussion of the Presiding High Council. JD, “Today we’re going to be discussing a brief […]
The Next Lebron James Might Serve a Mission
Jabari Parker, a 17-year old junior in Chicago has been touted as the next LeBron James. Â Sports Illustrated has him on their cover, and has discussed his choice to serve a mission, as well as other high-profile athletes that have/have not served missions. Â Jabari says there is more to his life than basketball: his faith […]
MHA 2011: First Impressions
I’m at the Mormon History Association meetings here in St. George, Utah and thought I would give some first impressions of the conference so far. Yesterday I had the opportunity to be part of the pre-conference tour, and learned a very interesting thing: Sin City was first settled by Mormons! The first non-Indian settlers in […]
Will Mexico Stop Issuing Missionary Visas over Immigration Disputes?
The debate about what to do about immigration problems is a big issue in Utah and other states. Â St. George’s newspaper, the Spectrum has reported that Stephen Sandstrom, a Republican from Orem is sponsoring a bill that would allow local law enforcement to check people’s residency or citizenship status if officers have “reasonable suspicion” they […]
Helvecio Martins: First Black General Authority
Mark L Grover gave a fascinating biography on Helvecio Martins, the first black general authority in the LDS church in the latest issue of the Journal of Mormon History (Summer 2010.) Elder Martins was ordained to the Second Quorum of Seventy in 1990 under President Ezra Taft Benson. In 1995 he was released, and he […]
If They Tarry…
D&C 137 records a vision of Joseph Smith “in the temple at Kirtland, Ohio, January 21, 1836. HC 2: 380–381. The occasion was the administration of the ordinances of the endowment as far as they had then been revealed.†[Preface]. There are 2 important pieces of Mormon doctrine to consider here: (1) baptism for the […]
