Ken Wilber is considered by many to be the world’s foremost integral theorist, someone who, according to Huston Smith, has “book by book [been] laying the grounds for a genuine world integration.” So, who is Ken Wilber? What are the basic premises of his integral vision? Panelists will talk about what attracted them to Wilber’s …
Speaker: Dan Wotherspoon
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 …
TELEVISION SHOWS THAT HAVE ENHANCED MY SPIRITUAL LIFE
Is television really the moral and spiritual wasteland it is often accused of being? Does network television offer more than just salacious sleaze and lowest-common-denominator humor? Are there intelligent, well-written shows with a fully functioning moral compass? Are there characters whose example, good, bad, or much more complex, inspire hope and impart transformative wisdom? Panelists …
THE BEST IDEA IN MORMONISM
Thought experiment: Imagine Mormonism without any concern for the concept of being “the one and only true church,” without any worries about how this or that doctrine might “play” in the mission field or among those with whom the Church is forging coalitions to cooperate on moral issues. That imaginary position is the starting point …
HOW ‘CHRISTIAN’ SHOULD MORMONISM STRIVE TO BE?
Abstract Mormonism seems to be in the midst of an identity crisis. For Church members, its founding claim to be the restoration of primitive Christianity along with its theology and worship practices have always made it feel very Christian. But with the Church’s efforts to emphasize Mormonism’s message of Christ even more strongly, subtitling the …
STAGES OF FAITH: MORMON ENCOUNTERS
The model of faith development presented by James W. Fowler in his classic study, The Stages of Faith: The Psychology of Human Development and the Quest for Meaning, has helped many people from a wide variety of religious traditions better understand their own faith journey. It has been embraced especially by many who feel they …
TOWARD A DIALOGUE BETWEEN MORMONISM AND PROCESS THEOLOGY
Many Latter-day Saints and process theologians have noted similarities between the theological flavor of Mormonism and process thought, yet a vigorous dialogue between the two has yet to develop. In this session, two Mormon philosophers share their personal journeys with process ideas, what they’ve incorporated into their personal theologies, and what they believe are the …
STAGES OF FAITH: A MORMON ENCOUNTER
I used to believe a Latter-day Saint who reads Mormon histories, studies LDS theology, attends weekly meetings, and seriously considers the implications of what it all means, had two alternatives: either move toward fundamentalism or become agnostic. enter into my life James Fowler’s book, Stages of Faith: The Psychology of Human Development and the Quest …
THE LIBERAL RELIGIOUS TRADITION IN MORMONISM: A Personal View of Developments in the Late Twentieth Century
Liberal religion believes in a limited God, holds an optimistic view of human nature, and values reason as a source of religious information. Mormonism emerged in the nineteenth century primarily as a liberal religion. This tradition in Mormonism has been strong but has coexisted also with strong conservative elements. Recently, however, Mormonism has clearly become …
Mormonism and Process Theology Part II: The Problem of Evil
The cover of a recent issue of BYU Studies states: “Joseph Smith Resolves the Problem of Evil.” This is an editorial exaggeration of the conclusions reached in the actual article, written by David L. Paulsen, which appeared inside. Still, of all the theological challenges that dominate philosophy of religion, “theodicy,” often called the “problem of …