When traditional Christians and Mormons talk about God, are they talking about the same being and disagreeing with each other, or are they merely talking past one another? This panel will explore the philosophical issue of how we can refer to God and what implications this has for interreligious discourse between Mormons and those of …
Speaker: Blake T. Ostler
Mormon Contributions To Christology And Understanding The Atonement
Sterling M. McMurrin once noted that even among the best Mormon theologians, one can find “a confused combination of the entire gamut of atonement theories.” Panelists in this session will attempt to bring forth clarity from this confusion, as well as suggest areas in which Mormonism has made unique contributions to Christology (how Jesus can …
It’s All In Arminius: Mormonism As A Form Of Hyper-Arminianism
LDS scholars have frequently asserted that the Mormon understanding of salvation is very much akin to the Armenian Protestant tradition in a number of points. This is essentially correct. In fact, I believe Mormonism can be seen as a very radical form of Arminianism (or as “hyper”-Armenian) and that the most important theological dividing line …
INTELLIGENCE AND CREATIVITY: ULTIMATES IN MORMONISM AND PROCESS THEOLOGY
Alfred North Whitehead’s Process and Reality is one of the classic texts of twentieth-century philosophy and laid the foundation of one of the most important movements in contemporary theology, process theology. One of Whitehead’s stunning claims is that the category of the ultimate is made up of three notions. In traditional theology, one would expect …
A RETURN TO LOGIC: BLAKE T. OSTLER AMONG MORMON THEOLOGIANS
For the past several years, I’ve noticed a trend among theologians and philosophers of religion away from the first-person and autobiography-driven work that is part and parcel of the postmodern shift and toward a more conscious placing of their arguments once again in a logical framework. I think this is an important step if philosophers …
Panel. What, Exactly, Is an ‘Anti-Mormon’?
SL03091, This year marks the fortieth anniversary of the March on Washington, at which Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech, and the thirty-fifth anniversary of Dr. King’s assassination. It also marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of the revelation reversing The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ policy of …
How Powerful is God?: Process and LDS Theology in Dialogue
How Powerful is God?: Process and LDS Theology in Dialogue Process theology poses many provocative questions for LDS theologians about the nature and power of God, especially about whether God or some other force or power is the metaphysical Ultimate, how God exerts influence in a universe composed entirely of free agents, and what it …
‘Exploring Mormon Thought: The Attributes of God’
‘Exploring Mormon Thought: The Attributes of God’ In the first volume of a planned series of works on Mormon thought, Blake T. Ostler explores Christian and Mormon notions about God. In it, he provides an overview of the most influential Christian notions of deity, exploring themes and resources within this discourse that might be helpful …
Anti-Masonry In The Book Of Mormon Revisited
Anti-Masonry In The Book Of Mormon Revisited Does the Book of Mormon description of ancient Gadianton bands and its warning about latter- day “secret combinations” reflect 19th-century concerns about Freemasonry? Many in Joseph Smith’s day, including Martin Harris, thought so. So, on what grounds do Mormon apologists resist this early interpretive consensus? In particular, this …
Understanding Mormonism’s Sealed Book: Digging in Cumorah: Reclaiming Book of Mormon Narratives
Understanding Mormonism’s Sealed Book: Digging in Cumorah: Reclaiming Book of Mormon Narratives Stemming from the passion that led to his acceptance at the University of Chicago’s divinity school in 1977, Mark Thomas spent years researching and writing his newly published book, Digging in Cumorah. Following the respected methods of 20th century biblical scholarship, Thomas applies …