Welcome dear readers, to a new issue of SquareTwo!
First up, Ryan Strong draws upon the work of C.S. Lewis, in particular That Hideous Strength and The Abolition of Man, to challenge our cultural emphasis on freedom as the good that trumps all other goods. Is it possible Satan actually offered us what looked like complete freedom? Is there a way in which complete freedom leads to slavery? And what does that mean for our society? Read this excellent essay for Strong’s thoughts on the matter.
Next, Emilee Pugh Bell, our book review editor, reviews Barbara Morgan Gardner’s book, The Priesthood Power of Women in the Temple, Church, and Family. Morgan Gardner is careful to distinguish between what she terms the familial priesthood versus the hierarchical priesthood, and raises (and suggests answers to) many questions women might have about the subject. But it is Bell that raises perhaps the most intriguing question of all: “Could we be exercising priesthood power when we [women] persist in spite of others’ attempts to curtail our divine knowledge and purpose?”
Third, V.H. Cassler takes us on a trip down memory lane, reviewing Andrea Dworkin’s classic tome, Right Wing Women, first published in 1983, recently republished by Macmillan. Cassler asserts that “Dworkin was always ahead of her time, but she is perfect for our time.” In fact, Cassler believes members of the Church should be reading Andrea Dworkin not only for her insights on the situation of women, but also for policy advice on how to tackle the civilization-ending evils that target women today.
Fourth, Stephanie Barello takes seriously the assertion in the D&C that everything we think of as temporal may have an important spiritual dimension as well. In her essay, Barello asks what the spiritual dimension of our national economy might be, and decides it revolves around whether our economy facilitates family formation and strengthens the family’s ability to survive and thrive over time. Barello offers suggestions for how policy might help nudge our economy into a more family-friendly direction.
Fifth, Stephen Cranney tackles a small, but important empirical question about the membership of the Church. We often hear that women in the Church are unhappy and increasingly disaffected. Does survey data bear that out, or not? Not, says Cranney. Take a look at his analysis, and decide for yourself.
Last, but not least, we have responses from our editorial board members to the last issue’s Readers’ Puzzle on how Congress’ weakness may be fueling a constitutional crisis pitting the executive and judicial branches against one another, and we have a new Readers’ Puzzle on what spiritual challenges for members of the Church arise with the advent of artificial intelligence.
Enjoy this new issue! And consider a submission of your own!
Full Citation for this Article: Editorial Board, SquareTwo Journal (2025) "Editors’ Intro, Spring 2025," SquareTwo, Vol. 18 No. 2 (Summer 2025), http://squaretwo.org/EditorsIntroSummer2025.html, accessed <give access date>.
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