Dave's Mormon Inquiry

Policy or Revelation?

Facebook is ablaze with dismay over statements made by Elder Russell M. Nelson in Sunday night's Worldwide Devotional, titled "Becoming True Millennials." Initially, when the details of the new provisions were first disclosed and when Elder Christofferson publicly defended them, they were simply portrayed as a policy. Now, many are suggesting Elder Nelson has declared that the policy regarding Mormons in gay marriages and the status of their children (hereinafter, the "New Policy") is more than a policy, it is a Revelation. The media is now picking up on this: here is a CBS News story titled "Mormon leader says policy against gay marriage was word from God." If you go visit the home page at LDS.org, you will indeed find a box with a link to the Elder Nelson broadcast — just below "Youth: Ask Your Questions Here" and a couple of boxes to the right of "Meet the New Presiding Bishopric." Somehow I kind of expected a new big-R Revelation to get a little bigger headline at LDS.org. So ... is it a policy or a revelation? What's the difference? In light of the key LDS principle of continuing revelation, is the distinction between policy and revelation meaningful or simply confusing?

Modern Christology

I recently read Alan Spence's Christology: A Guide for the Perplexed, a short but very helpful discussion of the topic. I'm going to use it to reflect a bit on Mormon Christology, particularly as it relates to modern Christological commentary on and criticism of the doctrines that emerged from theological debates in the early Church. First, let's define the problem.