The Church and Scholars—Ten Years Later July 2003—$5.95 Two Perspectives by Lavina Fielding Anderson and Armand L
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Cover_128.qxd 7/1/2003 4:41 PM Page 2 MORMON EXPERIENCE SCHOLARSHIP ISSUES & ART Center Insert Preliminary Program SUNSTONESUNSTONE 2003 SALT LAKE SUNSTONE SYMPOSIUM England essay contest winner MURKY PONDS AND LIGHTED PLACES by Carol Clark Ottesen (p.4) Sunstone History 1993 – 2001 by Gary James Bergera (p.24) Jana K. Riess on “R-rated movies that have helped me think about the gospel” (p.42) Can Gospel Doctrine lessons be interesting and build faith? Kathleen Petty reflects (p.45) “Stephen’s” story continued” by D. Jeff Burton (p.40) UPDATE Commemorating the priesthood revelation; Church relief efforts; Kirtland dedications; LDS book and film news; and more! (p.50) The Church and Scholars—Ten Years Later July 2003—$5.95 Two Perspectives by Lavina Fielding Anderson and Armand L. Mauss ifc.qxd 6/30/2003 9:02 PM Page 1 What is Sunstone? SINCE 1974, Sunstone has been a strong independent voice in Mormonism, exploring contemporary issues, hosting important discussions, and encouraging honest inquiry and exchange about Latter-day Saint experience and scholarship. THE ORGANIZATION’S flagship is SUNSTONE magazine, which comes out approximately five times per year. The Sunstone Education Foundation also sponsors a four-day symposium in Salt Lake City each summer and several regional symposiums in select cities throughout the year. See insert in this issue for information about this year’s Salt Lake Sunstone Symposium, 13–16 August. Special offer for new subscribers: *7 issues for the price of 6! Mail, phone, email, or fax your subscription request to: SUNSTONE: 343 N Third West, Salt Lake City, UT 84103; 801-355-5926; 801-355-4043 fax; [email protected]. You may also subscribe online: <www.sunstoneonline.com> *A seven-issue introductory subscription is $36. 01_toc.qxd 7/1/2003 4:12 PM Page 1 MORMON EXPERIENCE, SCHOLARSHIP, ISSUES, & ART JULY 2003 Issue 128 FEATURES 4 Carol Clark Ottesen. MURKY PONDS AND LIGHTED PLACES: Paradox and Paragon 2003 Eugene England Memorial Essay Contest Winner . THE CHURCH AND SCHOLARS: Two Perspectives 13 Lavina Fielding Anderson . THE CHURCH AND ITS SCHOLARS: Ten Years After 20 Armand L. Mauss . SEEING THE CHURCH AS A HUMAN INSTITUTION 24 Gary James Bergera. “ONLY OUR HEARTS KNOW”—PART 2: Sunstone During the Elbert Peck Years, 1993–2001 Center Insert . THE 2003 SALT LAKE SUNSTONE SYMPOSIUM PRELIMINARY PROGRAM SUNSTONE (ISSN 0363-1370) is published by The Sunstone Education Foundation, Inc., a non-profit corporation with no POETRY official ties to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 23 Carol Hamilton . A MARVIN BELL READER Articles represent the opinions of the writers only. SUNSTONE is indexed in Religion Index One: Periodicals, 39 Anita Tanner . SPEAK AND BEAR WITNESS the Index to Book Reviews in Religion, Religion Indexes: RIO/RIT/IBBR 47 Spencer Smith . DESERT CRY 1975– on CD-ROM, and the ATLA Religion Database, published by the American Theological Library Association, 49 Brandy McKenzie . AFTER THE FIRE 250 S. Wacker Dr., 16th Flr., Chicago, IL 60606 (e-mail: [email protected], WWW: http://atla.com/). COLUMNS Submissions may be on IBM-PC compatible computer discs (MS Word or WordPerfect format), or by e-mail attachment. CORNUCOPIA Submissions should not exceed 8,000 words and must be accompanied by a signed letter giving permission for the 8 . RIGHTEOUS DOMINION: Blessed Leeway manuscript to be filed in the Sunstone collection at the University 9 Robert Gallagher . AND A TIME TO DANCE . : Cheek to Shoulder of Utah Marriott Library (all literary rights are retained by authors). Manuscripts will not be returned; authors will be 9 . MORMON MEDIA IMAGE: When Pizza’s a “Wild notified concerning acceptance within ninety days. Time” SUNSTONE is interested in feature- and column-length articles 10 Kira Pratt Davis . TWENTY YEARS AGO IN SUNSTONE: The Worship relevant to Mormonism from a variety of perspectives, news of Household Gods stories about Mormons and the LDS church, and short reflections and commentary. Poetry submissions should have one poem per 10 . MORMON MEDIA IMAGE: Hunky Hero of the page, with the poet’s name and address on each page; a self- Book of Mormon addressed, stamped envelope should accompany each submission. Short poems—haiku, limericks, couplets, and one- 11 Dan Wotherspoon . FROM THE EDITOR: Transparency liners—are very welcome. Short stories are selected only through the annual Brookie and D. K. Brown Memorial Fiction Contest 40 D. Jeff Burton. BRAVING THE BORDERLANDS: “Stephen’s” Story (submission deadline: 31 July 2003; $5 fee per story). Continued Letters for publication should be identified. SUNSTONE does 42 Jana K. Riess . ANXIOUSLY ENGAGED . : Seek Ye Out of the not acknowledge receipt of letters to the editor. Letters addressed to specific authors will be forwarded, unopened, to them. Best Flicks: R-Rated Movies that Have Helped Me Think About the Gospel SUNSTONE will not provide subscriber addresses to mail list solicitors. 45 Kathleen Petty. TURNING THE TIME OVER TO . : Build Faith Send all correspondence and manuscripts to: and Be Interesting—Can a Gospel Doctrine Teacher SUNSTONE Do Both? 343 N. Third West 56 Elbert Eugene Peck. AN OLIVE LEAF: Reluctance Salt Lake City, UT 84103-1215 (801) 355-5926 fax: (801) 355-4043 BOOK REVIEW email: [email protected] website: www.sunstoneonline.com 48 Craig L. Foster. THE NOT-SO-ANGELIC ADVENTURES OF TOOM TAGGART: The Angel Acronym: A Mystery United States subscriptions to SUNSTONE are $36 for 6 issues, $65 for 12 issues, and $90 for 18 issues. International Introducing Toom Taggart by Paul M. Edwards subscriptions are $48 for 6 issues; $89 for 12 issues; $126 for 18 issues. All payments must be in U.S. funds drawn on a U.S. bank. UPDATE All international subscriptions will be sent via surface mail. Bona fide student and missionary subscriptions are $10 less than 50 . Church celebrates twenty-fifth anniversary of the priest- the above rates. A $10 service charge will be deducted from hood revelation; LDS relief efforts in Iraq and Ethiopia; refund amount on cancellations. Salt Lake City Council approves shaky Plaza deal, and much more! Printed by A “Green” Shop Copyright © 2003, The Sunstone Education Foundation. Cover Art: Jonathan Coombs All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. 02_03_letters.qxd 7/1/2003 3:42 PM Page 2 SUNSTONE YEA, YEA NAY, NAY lives of their children. Each wanted to be a Founded in 1974 BROTHERS AND SISTERS SCOTT KENNEY 1974–1978 better human being. And each saw the gospel ALLEN D. ROBERTS 1978–1980 UNSTONE’S RECENT REFLECTIONS as the key ingredient in being able to accom- PEGGY FLETCHER 1978–1986 DANIEL H. RECTOR 1986–1991 S on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the plish their spiritual goals. Some of these in- LINDA JEAN STEPHENSON 1991–1992 ELBERT EUGENE PECK 1986–2001 1978 priesthood revelation (Mar. and May terviews lasted nearly three hours. As I Editor 2003 issues) have prompted me to write listened to these fine people speak, all five DAN WOTHERSPOON Publisher about an experience I had just a few weeks grew ten feet tall in my eyes. It was a day- WILLIAM STANFORD ago. It fits in my heart as one of those times long testimony meeting—the best I’d ever Associate Editor CAROL B. QUIST when I am especially grateful and really, re- been to. Had there ever been any doubt, it Managing Editor ally thank God for the blessing of my became clear to me that our differences were JOHN HATCH Mormon brothers and sisters. minor compared to the faith and common Section Editors MICHAEL AUSTIN, book reviews In 1997, I moved to the Atlanta Ward of values we shared. These were my brothers PHYLLIS BAKER, fiction contest SCOT DENHALTER, Cybersaints the Atlanta Stake and immediately found it a and sisters in every way. After every inter- ALAN AND VICKIE EASTMAN, Righteous Dominion refreshing, close-knit, affectionate ward. It is view, I came away thinking, “What impres- HUGO OLAIZ, News/Update DIXIE PARTRIDGE, poetry an inner-city community with wide bound- sive testimonies, what substantial people; MARY ELLEN ROBERTSON, women’s studies MICHAEL SCHOENFELD, Sunstone Gallery aries bringing together people of all incomes they are all much more worthy human be- DARRON SMITH, The Long-Promised Day? and educational levels, immigrants, converts ings than I. .” ALISON TAKENAKA, Margin Notes Editorial Assistants and “lifers,” all ages, traveling Mormons who Each dealt with the former “priesthood NATHAN BANG, JOHN-CHARLES DUFFY, REBECCA ENGLAND ERIC JONES, HUGO OLAIZ, WILLIAM B. QUIST are in downtown Atlanta on business, and a policy” differently. Its legacy remained an is- Contributing Columnists solid core of committed, believing members. sue for most, but a decidedly secondary one. MICHAEL AUSTIN, D. JEFF BURTON DIAN SADERUP MONSON, MICHAEL NIELSEN, JANA RIESS An average sacrament meeting draws a hun- Each of these five people were long-term Photographer and Taping Engineer dred to a hundred fifty people; nearly half are converts and totally committed to the STEVE MAYFIELD Cartoonists black, nearly half are white, with a smatter- Church and gospel. KYLE ANDERSON, PAT BAGLEY, MACADE ing of “other.” On Sunday, we attended the Atlanta Much-Appreciated Volunteers ADRIANE ANDERSEN, SUSAN ANDERSEN, DEVERY ANDERSON, The Atlanta Ward began in 1989 as the Ward. After sacrament meeting, Peggy set up PHYLLIS BAKER, MAXINE HANKS, BARBARA HAUGSOEN Adams Park Branch, with the late Casby in an unused office to interview more black LEANN HILLAM, STEVE MAYFIELD, BRANDON QUIST WILLIAM B. QUIST, KATHY WILSON Harrison as president. In 1996, the Atlanta Latter-day Saints, beginning with our former Ward was created in the new Atlanta Stake, bishop and now first counselor in the stake combining the Adams Park, Flat Shoals, and presidency, Tony Parker.