Dave's Mormon Inquiry

Ph.D. versus Sci-Fi

Beliefnet is hosting an online debate of sorts on the topic (and I'm sure you've never seen this one before) "Are Mormons Christian?" Albert Mohler, who holds a Ph.D. (in systematic and historical theology) and is president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, titles his post "Mormonism Is Not Christianity." Orson Scott Card, an award-winning science fiction writer and an active Latter-day Saint, replies with "Who Gets to Define 'Christian'?" I'll take one paragraph to talk about Mohler, one paragraph to talk about Card, and one paragraph to talk about the mixed bag of comments to Card's post.

Who Owns That Church?

There's always an owner, of course -- there are few concepts more disfavored in the law than real property without an owner. But when it comes to chapels and church buildings, the question of just who owns them can get messy. The latest example: a congregation in Orange County that is trying to leave the Episcopal fold and take its building with it. The congregation just lost the latest round in a fight with the national Episcopal Church and its Los Angeles Diocese over who owns the congregation's building. [Hat tip: the Religion Clause; see also the Orange County Register story or, for all the legal details, the full appellate court decision.] This story raises a couple of interesting questions for Mormon readers.

A Mormon Narrative for the 21st Century

Historians don't just catalog events, they assemble events into stories or "historical narratives." But to really be relevant or worth reading, a given historical narrative has to tap into a bigger theme or "grand narrative" (using the term rather loosely). I'm going to flesh out that concept a bit, then float some observations on the emerging grand narrative that might frame Mormon history in the 21st century.

Biographies of a New World Man

Joseph Smith, it's fair to say, was a rebel and a runner and a restless young man. That, plus his many religious accomplishments, makes him an attractive subject for biographers both in and out of the Church, who have responded by writing dozens of Joseph Smith biographies. In fact, I think that when it comes to history, Mormons are spoiled without generally knowing it. Pull down a denominational history or the biography of any other 19th-century religious figure from the shelf of your local library and you're likely to get a snoozer. By comparison, early LDS history and the adventures of Joseph Smith are religious thrillers. Yet I would say that many, even most, Mormons have not yet read their first book-length biography of Joseph Smith. Why not? And if a Latter-day Saint does decide to buy and read her first biography of Joseph, which of the many available titles should she choose (or avoid)?

Blog Vacation

I have some projects that need my full attention over the next couple of months, so I'm granting myself a blog vacation — no new posts in the center column until August. However, I did plan ahead and things will still be happening here at DMI:

• I will still be posting daily links and comments in the "Posts of the Day" section of the left sidebar (under "Notes from the 'Nacle" and "Notes from the 'Net"). These are almost mini-blog posts (but they only take about five minutes to post).
• The LDS Headlines feeds on the right sidebar update automatically several times per day as the Google News and Deseret News pages post new stories.
• My Bloggernacle Feed (just the shared posts from my Google Reader) farther down the right sidebar will also show three or four new entries per day, sort of a daily "highlights of the Bloggernacle" list.
• Finally, I'm still happy to respond to email from readers with pressing questions on LDS doctrine or history. Just use the "Email Me" link at the top of the right sidebar.

I hope to update the blog features a bit when I return. Gotta keep up with all those fancy WordPress sites.

[Note: First posted June 3, 2007. I've changed the date a time or two to keep this post on top during my "blog vacation."]

A Sad Departure

I interrupt this vacation to note the passing of Richard Rorty last week. For an informative essay discussing one aspect of Rorty's thinking, go read "How Richard Rorty Found Religion" from the May 2004 issue of First Things. I'm sure you'll enjoy it. For a more straightforward summary of Rorty's life, see the New York Times obituary.