In the introduction to the first volume of Why I Stay: The Challenges of Discipleship for Contemporary Mormons, editor Bob Rees states, “Deciding whether to stay in or leave one’s faith tradition is among the most difficult and soul-wrenching decisions a person can face.” It is a decision that is at the heart of what …
Speaker: Bob Rees
Living Trees, Living Water, and the Renewal of the Earth
Living Trees and Living Waters stand at the heart of spiritual traditions around the world. As potent symbols of sustainability and vitality, can these images help us construct a vision of Zion and a renewed Earth? The shadow of the Anthropocene hangs over us all as the threat of Climate Change grows each year. Can …
Does God Care about Aesthetics?: A Dialogue
Will heavenly beings go to services in a grand church like Gaudi’s La Sagrada Familia or something akin to the Provo Temple? Will such a building be adorned with Rafael’s paintings or propagandistic illustrations by Mormon artist Jon McNaughton? Will the Telestial Kingdom hear only Muzak while Celestial Choirs inspire with the Hallelujah Chorus? Bob …
Mercy: A Devotional
Everyone needs mercy because everyone faces questions of justice. And everyone needs to be merciful because, as Shakespeare says, it is a virtue that is “twice blest”/It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.” Shakespeare also identifies mercy as “an attribute of God himself.” The Psalms say God’s mercy “endures forever.” As a virtue, …
Radiant Mormonism
Richard Bushman coined the term “Radiant Mormonism,” which suggests that certain Latter-day Saints radiate their influence “like rays of light and beams of energy from the sun.” He adds, “They are not official, but a part of each of them originates in the church and in core Mormonism. They are part of a great Mormon …
Jon McNaughton Mormon Artist, Right-Wing Propogandist: Take Two
Latter-day Saint painter Jon McNaughton, who promotes himself as “America’s Artist,” continues to produce paintings that are reminiscent of the propagandistic art of totalitarian regimes. For all the color McNaughton uses in his paintings, the vision of the world he presents is starkly black and white—Obama, Democrats, liberals, and progressives are all shown as being …
Would Jesus Attend Sunstone?
Some Latter-day Saints feel that attending or presenting at Sunstone or publishing in Sunstone Magazine—or even reading it is—inappropriate or, worse, dangerous. It is popular for Latter-day Saints and other Christians to ask WWJD—”What would Jesus do?” This session attempts to answer that question in relation to Sunstone. Bob Rees, Bill McGee
Imagining Mormonism: The Church at Mid-Century
Thirty years ago, no one—likely not even prophets and visionaries—could have imagined today’s LDS Church, especially with the advent of modern technology like the Internet, iPhones, and other inventions. So, how can we begin to imagine the Church at mid-century? This session consists of a panel of futurists and other visionaries who gaze into the …
Hope: A Devotional
Emily Dickinson says that “hope is a thing with feathers.” St. Paul included hope in his golden triad of Christian virtues, in between faith and love. This devotional considers the dimensions of hope in a world that often seems hopeless, examining it through the prism of scripture, art, poetry, and music. Bob Rees, Stephen Carter
The Malnourished Children of Madagascar
The Bountiful Children’s Foundation is an NGO that addresses malnutrition among Latter-day Saint and other children in the developing world. The foundation is currently serving the needs of malnourished children in over 200 congregations in 20 countries. Recently the Foundation expanded its operation to Madagascar, one of the poorest (and yet most beautiful) countries in …