Readers of the Bible have wrestled with the narrative of the flood for centuries. How do we approach a text that portrays a God who does such things? What deeper understanding can we see in the symbolism of the story that doesn't require us to view God as vengeful and angry? In attempting to answer this question, a pattern of order, disorder, non-order, and reorder emerges. How does the text of the narratives of Noah and the Tower of Babel reveal an evolving understanding of God and humanity's relationship with the Divine?

Ben is joined by guest Dan Meehan in a discussion of Moses 7, the second half of the canonized "Book of Enoch". In his vision of the divine, Enoch sees a God who expresses emotion and feels sorrow. Enoch experiences the vastness of eternity and comes to know the bitterness of hell, as well as a fullness of joy. This chapter touches on some difficult themes that are often related to racism in scripture. What might these verses have meant to the early Saints and what can they mean to us today? Zion is taken up in process of time and Dan proposes an alternate interpretation of this concept that…

Christopher and Ben return to the previous week’s reading to touch on some themes from the Garden of Eden: trees, cherubim, and the flaming sword. The genealogy put forward in Genesis 5 presents more questions than answers about ante-diluvian longevity. The Book of Enoch as recorded in our canonized Book of Moses is but one of many Books of Enoch that have come to light over the centuries. The narratives and themes it presents are both unique to the Latter-day Saint tradition and similar to other apocryphal texts. What pearls of meaning do we find in the story of Enoch, his travels, his calling as a prophet, and his sermon…

In approaching Genesis 3-4 and Moses 4-5, Ben and Christopher continue their discussion of these creation and fall accounts as temple texts. We are to consider ourselves as Adam and Eve, recognizing our life in their experience in the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve are created as ontological equals, as priest and priestess in the presence of God. What is a serpent doing in the Garden and why do our narratives equate the serpent with Satan? What can we learn from the differences between how Adam and Eve converse with God versus how Cain converses with God?

The Latter-day Saint tradition has canonized five different creation accounts. Despite intriguing differences, each of them can function liturgically—as does the temple account in temple worship. Christopher and Ben discuss all four creation accounts as descriptions of the dedication of the cosmos to God’s purposes rather than accounts of material origins. The teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith and the manner of dedicating a temple in antiquity fit well with this understanding of creation accounts. In discussing these creation accounts, Ben and Christopher lay a foundation for a discussion of humanity’s place in the cosmos and God’s purposes for humanity in the next episode.

themselves and their background for Old Testament studies. They cover where they're coming from, how they'll be approaching the Old Testament, and where they're going with their approach. This wide-ranging discussion deals with many of the questions on the minds of Latter-day Saints approaching the Old Testament such as: What is the Bible, or even scripture, in general, and the Old Testament in particular, and what do we do with them? How does revelation work? Who were the authors and what are the genres of the books that make up the library we call "the Bible" and what was the context and purpose of those authors in writing the texts?…

Ben and Shiloh close out this year's discussion on the Doctrine and Covenants and Church history with guest co-host Christopher Hurtado. It is evident in many places throughout Joseph Smith's life just how much of an impact the death of his older brother, Alvin, had on the way that Joseph saw the world. Section 137 gives us a lot of things to think about concerning how Joseph saw and experienced what he called were his "visions". In this section, while in vision, Joseph sees the great things and the great people in the celestial realm, and he even sees his parents there. It is interesting that his parents are still…

Shiloh and Ben discuss some historical context and the memorial passage from John Taylor dedicated to Joseph Smith after his death in Carthage, IL. How we remember and memorialize those who have come before us are powerful tools in how we frame current identities, and how we remember and memorialize Joseph Smith still speaks to the strong identity that Latter-day Saints have to the founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. There is an interesting shift between Joseph and Brigham between Sections 135 and 136, and in 136 we see Brigham taking practical advice and standards that the Saints should keep and observe along the long journey…

Ben and Shiloh discuss the many repeating themes found in Section 133 from the beginning of the D&C, and they muse over how Section 133 is an interesting original bookend following Section 132. This is as if to show that Section 133 is how things start, and Section 132 is how things ended in Joseph's experience as the leader of the Church. The "declaration of belief" concerning government found in Section 135 has an interesting historical context to the Saints when it was first written and voted on by the Saints while Joseph was away. It shows a very interesting window into the beliefs of the early Saints concerning how…

Shiloh and Ben discuss the instructions given from Joseph Smith to the Church concerning how to deal with angels, the physical nature of God, the state of the earth during the millennium, and other end-of-days prophecies. The “revelation” on polygamy pertaining to the new and everlasting covenant, written by Joseph directly to Emma, merits a bit of historical context. Polygamy is never an easy discussion, and there is still currently a lot of pain and trauma silently endured by Church members concerning these narratives and doctrines. The Church still believes in and continues to practice polygamy today. As one church leader once told Shiloh: “The church still believes in and…