Join Terryl Givens to explore The Big Questions
A new Faith Matters lecture series to accompany your Come Follow Me study
Join scholar, theologian and author Terryl Givens for a 12-month series of conversations we are calling The Big Questions. Each month at The Compass in downtown Provo, Terryl will invite a special guest expert for conversations around some of the most fascinating theological and historical questions that will come up during this year’s study of the Doctrine and Covenants. Questions like:
Was there really a “great apostasy?”
Do the gold plates matter?
What is a prophet?
Do we misunderstand Christ’s suffering?
Can doubt be a spiritual gift?
Is ours the only “true and living” church?
Can we offer a more expansive understanding of “the gathering?”
What is priesthood? How should we think about covenants and ordinances?
What do Joseph’s revelations reveal about the nature of God and about our human nature?
Are our modern temples a restoration of ancient practices and rituals?
Who was the historical Jesus?
What have Church leaders taught about eternal progression? Is it ever too late?
What revolutionary new ideas, doctrines and practices emerged from Joseph’s revelations?
What could Restoration look like as the 21st century unfolds?
These mind-expanding, soulful conversations will include time for some open and honest Q&A, and you’ll have a chance to meet fellow seekers and make new friends.
We expect this series to fill up fast, so don’t wait! Tickets are $25 per session, $125 for 6 sessions (1 free) or $225 for 12 sessions (3 free).
For those who can’t make it in person, livestream access is $15 per session, or free for Friends of Faith Matters ($10/month donation, or being a paid subscriber on Substack).
Join our First “Big Questions” Session: Thursday January 30th — How “Great” was the Great Apostasy?
Latter-day Saints regularly hear that they are part of a restored church or an ongoing restoration, but a restoration of what exactly? What do we know about the early Christian church? How was it like or unlike our church today? What was actually lost and what is worth recovering from our Christian past? Join Terryl Givens and Dr. Ariel Laughton (PhD Duke), for a fascinating evening as they explore these questions.
Listen to a past conversation with Dr. Laughton on the Wayfare podcast “Meet the Early-day Saints”:
And don’t miss Terryl’s conversation with author Jonathan Rauch, happening Friday January 24th!
What happens to American democracy if Christianity is no longer able, or no longer willing, to perform the functions on which our constitutional order depends?
In his provocative new book, Cross Purposes, the award-winning journalist Jonathan Rauch reckons candidly with both the shortcomings of secularism and the corrosion of Christianity.
Thin Christianity, as Rauch calls the mainline church, has been unable to inspire and retain believers. Worse, a Church of Fear has distorted white evangelicalism in ways that violate the tenets of both Jesus and James Madison. What to do?
Surprisingly, given that Rauch is gay, Jewish, atheist and liberal, he finds powerful answers in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which has placed the Constitution at the heart of its spiritual teachings. In particular, Rauch finds a great deal to admire about the political wisdom of Dallin H. Oaks and the recent legacy of compromise and peacemaking in Utah.
Join us for this conversation between Rauch and Terryl Givens, whose writings on agency played an important role in Rauch’s argument. Those who purchase books can have them signed by the author afterwards.
Our Compass events are subsidized and made possible by private rentals of the space for wedding receptions, business retreats, birthday parties, and more. If you or someone you know has an event coming up, consider supporting Faith Matters by recommending The Compass!