Author: Jake Spurlock

New Thinking For Mormons Involved With Foster Care A Forward Look

The Church’s history with adoption and foster care is gray area. Efforts like the Indian Placement Program and sometimes-coercive and secretive practices of LDS Social/Family Services were guided by wrong-headed ideas about the superiority of some familiesÑwhite families, wealthy families, temple-sealed familiesÑover others. Mormons who become foster parents are vulnerable to some of the same …

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Finding Wisdom Amidst The Quest For Certainty

The paradox of being thoughtful while being faithful is a spiritual practice that has failing currency in Mormonism. As the host of A Thoughtful Faith Gina has had the opportunity to interview those at their most spiritually troubled who are seeking a middle-way that feels authentic, honest, faithful, and Mormon. In this audio/visual presentation she …

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Finding Wisdom Amidst The Quest For Certainty

The paradox of being thoughtful while being faithful is a spiritual practice that has failing currency in Mormonism. As the host of A Thoughtful Faith Gina has had the opportunity to interview those at their most spiritually troubled who are seeking a middle-way that feels authentic, honest, faithful, and Mormon. In this audio/visual presentation she …

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EXERCISING DOMINION: SECTION 121 AND THE ABUSE OF POWER

The feminist slogan, “the personal is political,” calls attention to the profound relationship between power structures and personal life. Personal problems are often rooted in political, economic, cultural, and religious systems. Section 121 of the Doctrine and Covenants warns us that even divinely ordained power can be abused. This panel will look at power structures …

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Michael Servetus: Underappreciated Forerunner To The Restoration

Q.: Which religious reformer of the sixteenth century anticipated so many Latter-day-Saint doctrines that he may truly be termed a Mormon theologian avant la lettre? A.: Michael Servetus (Miguel Serveto), the learned Spaniard from Aragon burned alive by the Protestants in 1553. Latter-day-Saints honor Luther, Calvin, Wycliffe, and others as path-pavers for the Restoration, but …

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