Gordon B. Hinckley on Fundamentalism

8808355.jpgI have an interesting book on history written by the historically-notable oldest, living LDS leader. The book is What of the Mormons? Including a Short History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (by the Corporation of the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1947).

Inside the front cover is a two-page, black and white picture of “Historic Temple Square in Salt Lake City” with this verse “And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it” (Isaiah 2:2).

Just inside the back cover is a two-page black and white picture of “The Once Barren Valley of the Great Salt Lake” with this verse “The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose” (Isaiah 35:1).

Sixty years, Hinckley wrote, “It [the Church of Latter-day Saints] is an interesting anomaly in Christianity. Its adherents may be classed as modern in the extent and efficiency of their organization. Yet they maintain that there has been an apostasy from the church and principles of the New Testament to which we must return. In this they are fundamentalists” (12).

In light of Hinckley’s words and disregarding today’s baggage of polygamous fundamentalists, how many of you LDS friends would be comfortable in being labeled a Christian fundamentalist? I am curious.

BSU, the “little guys” showed some real heart!

boise-state.jpgMy wife was on cloud nine last night, the first day of 2007. Do you remember how exciting just awhile ago it was for the entire BYU alumni in the triumph over Utah? Well, as a BSU alumnus, my wife morphed into a wild, screaming bronco last night.

Who would have ever thought Boise State would beat Oklahoma, 43-42, in overtime at the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Arizona?

Unbelievable!

Perhaps part of the success can be attributed to all those spuds; I am sure BSU QB Jared Zabransky ate plenty while growing up as the son of a potato farmer.

I don’t know who dreamed up the idea of putting a falcon on our new Idaho state quarter. They should have put the Broncos on there!

Way to go, BSU! Idaho is celebrating today.

Corrections and Proclamations by Kent Jackson on LDS Ezekiel Interpretation

Corrections

[But with a disclaimer by Kent in the introduction of his book, Lost Tribes & Last Days (Deseret Book, 2005):  “But these chapters are interpretations, not the real thing, and I encourage readers to seek answers not here but in the revealed sources themselves” (3).]

Modern Israel’s non-fulfillment of ancient promises

Jackson quotes Bruce R. McConkie in The Millennial Messiah: 

“As all the world knows, many Jews are now gathering to Palestine, where they have their own nation and way of worship, all without reference to a belief in Christ or an acceptance of the laws and ordinances of his everlasting gospel.  Is this the latter-day gathering of the Jews of which the scriptures speak?  No! It is not; let there be no misunderstanding in any discerning mind on this point.  This gathering of the Jew to their homeland, and their organization into a nation and a kingdom, is not the gathering promised by the prophets.  It does not fulfill the ancient promises”(56).

My personal view:  As an oddball among the huge multitudes of American evangelical dispensationalists who would take issue with McConkie’s words, I agree. (more…)

Deseret Book 2007 Winter Catalog Goal

“THIS is the YEAR . . . I will fully grasp the New Testament”

 

That is quite a New Year’s resolution listed in the catalog.  I don’t think I can do that in a lifetime of study.

But I will try to engage with you over two Biblical books in 2007.

  1. The Gospel of John
  2. Isaiah (just finishing the last chapter of Ezekiel this Wednesday)

Happy New Year!

(And I did appreciate some of the humor for “Top 10 Reasons for a new set of scriptures” on page 18.  You had me laughing in my office chair on this last day of 2006.)

Like the new look?

Chris Leavell does a fantastic job for providing the color to this blog.

If I didn’t already live in Idaho, seeing the pictures that he puts on here would make me want to hightail it to this beautiful area of America.

Thanks Chris for reminding me how blessed I am.

An Encouraging Email – Please Eavesdrop!

I received this email yesterday in discussion on the Gospel. It smashes the curse of legalism that would seek to wrap its ugly claws around my heart and others in Idaho Falls. Permission has been granted by the sender to print this publicly. Believing the Gospel for both nonbeliever and believer transforms the Scream of the heart to an indescribable Song of the soul.

Dear Todd,

This is long, but I think it can be very encouraging to anyone who takes the time to read it. A few days ago you forwarded an excerpt on Romans 7. For years I have been seeing something there that few others seem to be pointing out. Tell me what you think:The book of Romans and Galatians are marvelously complementary. Their messages are very similar. Although Galatians is shorter, there are places in the book where it expounds on concepts introduced in Romans, and vice-versa. Galatians 3 is only one such place. Consider especially the “Schoolmaster” paragraph. A purpose of the Law is to bring men to Christ. (more…)