The Gum Tree for 2007 September 13

Nate Oman--always an insightful writer, passed on the challenge that Richard Bushman had given a groups of LDS Scholars: What aspect of Mormonism most excites us, and how can we explain them to the 'outside world' using different frames of reference or language. The post with my response, perhaps a little disappointing to the intellectual, can be found here. He also cites an excellent example of Terryl Givins' attempt to do this in a way that is inclusive of non-LDS people--so often we use specialized termonology that people who aren't members of the church aren't familiar with. That talk can be found here. For those who are too lazy to click on the post here's my commnet: A response to this challenge is very daunting for me, partly because a great deal of what excites me about the restoration is ineffable. I refer to C.S. Lewis who couldn’t even find an English word to describe it and spoke of Sehnsucht or that great longing for the future that consumes the believer. The efficacy of the restored gospel in my life is in the yearning to know and experience all the things that don’t know about for sure, but that I have reasonable grounds to believe exists: e.g. what will it be like to be part of a family in heaven, what kind of body is a resurrected body, and what will it feel like, what kinds of works will I be capable of, etc. The truths are powerful and build hope, but—and I’m hope I’m not being anti-intellectual about this; I am most excited when I see a friend baptized, or a sibling going through the temple for the first time. I suppose I could say that what most excites me about the gospel isn’t necessarily thinking or writing about it; it is living it. Although I do confess it is good to write about the gospel as I write with the hope that others follow the gospel as a result of my efforts.