Welcome, dear readers, to the Spring 2024 issue of SquareTwo! We have an outstanding issue for your reading pleasure.
First up, V.H. Cassler asserts that we know far more about women, their power and their authority in a spiritual sense than we are willing to say openly—and that maybe it’s time we said some of it. In response to the recent outpouring of tens of thousands of comments by faithful sisters in the Church who do not feel power and authority in the Church, Cassler suggests we may be beginning from the wrong starting point. Reframing these questions away from the male perspective helps us recognize that we’ve known some of these answers all along, and they are good, uplifting answers. In this one essay, Cassler tries to distill twenty years of her thinking on this topic.
Second, Sam and Savannah Eccles Johnston excavate some intriguing aspects of the situation of women in the Book of Mormon. There are so few mentioned, but even in this record written by the Nephites primarily about the Nephites, there are as many Lamanite women mentioned as Nephite women. Furthermore, the Nephite women referenced are in a completely different situation than the Lamanite women mentioned, who generally hold significant political and social power. The Johnstons assert that a closer reading of the role of women in the Book of Mormon forces us to move beyond the oversimplified dichotomy of the Nephites as the good guys and the Lamanites as the bad guys.
Third, we have a short second piece by V.H. Cassler that highlights the story of Mary Whitmer. Mary Whitmer, mother of several witnesses to the Book of Mormon, was given her own special witness of the Book of Mormon that was afforded no other woman of that time period. What is the significance of this almost-forgotten story? Is it part of a larger pattern of male/female relations observable in the work of the kingdom of God on earth?
Fourth, Darla Porter Driggs offers a beautiful personal reflection on the verb “to cleave,” which is a contronym—a word that has two meanings which are opposites. These two opposed meanings can both be found in scripture, and they also offer the basis for a heartfelt reflection on the problem of polygamy in Church history. Weaving in the stories of ancestors and other historical figures from early Church history with her own story, the author creates an essay that will linger long in the mind and heart.
Fifth, Ashley Alley offers a moving discussion of how she, and perhaps others who are single in the Church, sometimes make the ideal of marriage an “idol” in their lives. What does this look like and feel like? What harm is wrought thereby? And how can those wrestling with that temptation move beyond it? Alley’s insights are both spiritual and practical, making this essay especially helpful.
Sixth, Brent Yergensen posits an analogy between the types of visions seen by prophets in the scriptures and the types of visions we see today on our small and large screens. Is there a way to produce media on our digital screens that is as enlightening and empowering as the types of visions that, for example, Father Lehi saw? Yergensen offers the concept of a “digital iron rod” as a real possibility, and analyzes a Church media production that he believes gives us a template for that undertaking.
Seventh, we have a new review by our book review editor, Kent Harrison. This issue, Harrison takes a look at the last book written by the redoubtable Kate Holbrook, who passed away too early, in 2022. The book, published by the Maxwell Institute, is entitled Both Things Are True, and is a selection of her spiritual reflections. In this volume, Holbrook examines the “contraries” of the true church, revelation, housework, forgiveness and accountability, and legacy. Her own legacy is a lasting one.
Eighth, we have some thoughtful responses to our last issue’s Readers’ Puzzle on what our board and readers see as the greatest challenges(s) that will faced by the Church in the next ten years, and thoughts on how to meet those. And we have a new Readers’ Puzzle as well—check it out!
Enjoy this great new issue of SquareTwo!
Full Citation for this Article: Editorial Board, SquareTwo Journal (2024) "Editors’ Intro, Spring 2024," SquareTwo, Vol. 17 No. 1 (Spring 2024), http://squaretwo.org/EditorsIntroSpring2024.html, accessed <give access date>.
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