Monthly Archives: June 2022

Abide: 1 Kings 17-19

Podcast

Solomon’s reign was glorious, but what he gained in wealth, wives and infrastructure he lost in spiritual standing. He had not been faithful to the God of Israel. Instead, he adopted a cosmopolitanism that accommodated the religious preferences of his wives. However, God kept faith with David and Solomon, and the kingdom was split in two, with the ten northern tribes, the new Kingdom of Israel, being led by Solomon’s servant Jeroboam, and the southern Kingdom of Judah being led by Solomon’s son, Rehoboam.

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Maxwell Podcast Episode #144: A Spiritual Life in Literature, with Matthew Wickman

Living Faith books, Podcast

Spiritual experiences
are famously transformative. They sometimes inspire dramatic effects of
conversion and healing, of vision and new life direction. But even in their
more quotidian forms they expand our cognitive and emotional capacities, help
cultivate virtues, and intensify our feelings of closeness to God, others, and
things we deem ultimate. For Matthew Wickman, spiritual experience makes us feel more deeply alive. And
literature functions as a special medium for capturing the nuances of spiritual
experiences, helping us reflect more deeply on them and become more receptive
to them.

In Wickman’s experience, which he reflects on in his new book from the Maxwell Institute’s Living Faith Series, LIFE TO THE WHOLE BEING: THE SPIRITUAL MEMOIR OF A LITERATURE PROFESSOR, literature has also helped him negotiate the complex relationship between spirituality, faith, and organized religion. He discusses all this by way of deeply personal experiences, theological reflection, and discussion of literary texts by Virginia Woolf, Denise Levertov, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Christian Wiman, and more.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, you cannot currently hear this episode on our website. You can listen on YouTube, at the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5phuSEN0Hw

The post Maxwell Podcast Episode #144: A Spiritual Life in Literature, with Matthew Wickman appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

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Abide: 1 Samuel 8-10; 13; 15-18

Podcast

In Mosiah 29, Mosiah says that “if it were possible that you could have bjust men to be your kings, who would establish the claws of God, and judge this people according to his commandments, yea, if ye could have men for your kings who would do even as my father dBenjamin did for this people—I say unto you, if this could always be the case then it would be expedient that ye should always have kings to rule over you.” However, commandment-keeping kings aren’t always available or a possibility. So, as we go through several chapters in 1 Samuel, what can we learn about Kingship? Both their preparations and their reign? We’ll discuss that and much more in this episode of “Abide: A Maxwell Institute Podcast.”

The post Abide: 1 Samuel 8-10; 13; 15-18 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

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Abide: Ruth; 1 Samuel 1-3

Podcast

The Old Testament names more women, and has more books named for women, than any of the other texts in the Latter-day Saint canon. They fulfill their roles as disciples, family members, and in following their personal integrity with living up to their commitment within community relationships. How do they fulfill those roles? And how can Latter-day Saint better fulfill these roles by following these disciples’ examples? We’ll discuss that, and much more, on today’s episode of “Abide: A Maxwell Institute Podcast.”

The post Abide: Ruth; 1 Samuel 1-3 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

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Abide: Judges 2-4; 6-8; 13-16

Podcast

There’s a difficulty in reading the scriptures. I’m not referring to words on the page. I’m also not referring to the habit of scripture reading, though that could certainly apply, too. No, I’m referring to making the scriptures, whose figures and narratives are familiar to many Latter-day Saints, new and refreshing and insightful. In today’s episode of “Abide: A Maxwell Institute Podcast,” we discuss two figures, and use the tools of academic research to better understand what their stories might mean and our disciples’ hearts to find out what their stories might mean for us.

The post Abide: Judges 2-4; 6-8; 13-16 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.

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