Theological Insights from the Book of Mormon
Wayfare is pleased to announce Theological Insights from the Book of Mormon, an ongoing series of short essays designed to enrich our collective study of the Book of Mormon in 2024.
In early 2020, the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship at Brigham Young University published a book series titled Brief Theological Introductions to the Book of Mormon. Those volumes, authored by a dozen of our faith’s most perceptive modern writers, explored the words of beloved prophets from a theological angle, as a means of unlocking new insights into our defining work of scripture.
In a November 2019 interview, Joseph Spencer noted that a theological approach “pays attention to the life of devotion and asks about the rich religious meaning of the text, but is also a scholarly endeavor, and wants to make sure it draws on the best historical research,” seeking possible meanings we might use to help us shape religious life. The introduction to the book series describes theology as the scholarly practice of exploring what a scriptural text says about God’s work in the world today.
This 2024 Wayfare essay series, written by the authors of the Maxwell Institute books and timed to correspond to the 2024 Come Follow Me curriculum, will allow us a glimpse into the rich harvest that can be gathered when exceptional scholars learn by study, and also by faith, from one of the best books.
We hope these offerings will help enliven and deepen your own study of the Book of Mormon this year, and serve as a source of learning and inspiration you can share with friends and family.
1 NEPHI
2 NEPHI
JACOB
ENOS, JAROM, OMNI
MOSIAH
ALMA 1-29
ALMA 30-63
HELAMAN
3 & 4 NEPHI
MORMON
ETHER
MORONI
Related Resources
2024 LDS Come Follow Me Book of Mormon curriculum for home use
Maxwell Institute Brief Theological Introductions to the Book of Mormon
Grant Hardy’s new Annotated Book of Mormon (arguably the most useful edition of the text ever, it’s the first ever fully annotated study version, and is published by Oxford University Press)
Esther Candari’s brand new Book of Mormon ARTbook, Volume 1 (inclusive art perfect for teaching)
Benjamin Spackman’s updated 2024 Come Follow Me Resources (other recent scholarly resources on the Book of Mormon)
I'm so grateful for these thoughtful essays as companions to the Brief Theological Introduction series. Thank you for gathering them here. Is there a plan to release a print version of this essay collection in the future?