This is the third in a four-part lecture series by Terryl Givens called “The Choice to Believe.”
The first, and in some ways most revolutionary, contribution of the Book of Mormon—reinforced by the Book of Moses—is the drastic reconfiguration of the story of Eden. Evil is only part of the story. The focus, in this re-writing, is on the essential truth of the human condition: We inhabit an arena characterized by competing imperatives, cognitive dissonance, a “messy middle” in which no simple solutions to the perils of life exist. Mortality is “difficult by design.” Eve’s heroic decision, coming at such great cost, exemplifies the collateral damage inevitable in a crucible of learning. Christ’s role as Savior can be greatly enhanced in our lives when we learn that the Greek word, sodzo, also carries the valence of healing.
9/23—Lecture 1, “The Doors of Faith” | WATCH ONLINE
10/21—Lecture 2, “Awful Woundedness” | WATCH ONLINE
11/18—Lecture 3, “Great Plan of Happiness” | 4 PM
12/9—Lecture 4, “Worlds Without End” | 4 PM
This lecture series is sponsored by the Office of the Associate Academic Vice President for Undergraduate Studies and the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship, in partnership with:
The Office of the Dean of Students
Office of the International Vice President
Dean of Undergraduate Education
Department of Religious Education
Wheatley Institution
Harold B. Lee Library
Enrollment Services
Center for Teaching and Learning
BYU Continuing Education
David O. McKay School of Education
J. Reuben Clark Law School
College of Physical and Mathematical Science
College of Humanities
College of Life Sciences
College of Engineering
College of Nursing