What is SquareTwo?

SquareTwo is a forum for those building upon "square one," the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ (RGJC) as taught by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or Restored Church of Jesus Christ (RCJC). With square one in place, what would square two be? With the Restored Gospel as a foundation, how would one articulate thought on the pressing issues of the world, the nation, the community, the family, and the individual? It is not to be expected that faithfulness to square one would produce consensus on square two, but agreement on foundational matters should provide the groundwork for meaningful exchange of new ideas and insights. At the very least, it is worth the attempt.

The purpose of SquareTwo is to develop the finest online journal of thought based on the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ concerning the important issues of the world today, whether those be international issues, domestic issues, ethical issues, technological issues, etc. There are not many fora for serious scholarship based on the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ, and the few existing outlets have their own priorities that preclude the publication of many fine works. Consider SquareTwo as an option for thoughtful RGJC scholarship and commentary. SquareTwo aims to web-publish insightful, well-written, well-referenced scholarship and commentary informed by an RGJC perspective. A small section for doctrinal scholarship/commentary is included, but issues concerning RCJC doctrine are not the main focus of SquareTwo.

For an exposition of our aims, editor John Mark Mattox has written a new manifesto for the journal, entitled "'By Study and Also by Faith': SquareTwo and Scholarship in Light of the Restoration," which was published in the Fall 2011 issue.

More About Us: SquareTwo's Origins and the SquareTwo Editorial Board

“Teach ye diligently and my grace shall attend you, that you may be instructed more perfectly in theory, in principle, in doctrine, in the law of the gospel, in all things that pertain unto the kingdom of God, that are expedient for you to understand; of things both in heaven and in the earth, and under the earth; things which have been, things which are, things which must shortly come to pass; things which are at home, things which are abroad, the wars and the perplexities of the nations, and the judgments which are on the land; and a knowledge also of countries and of kingdoms--that ye may be prepared in all things when I shall send you again to magnify the calling whereunto I have called you, and the mission with which I have commissioned you.” D&C 88:78-80

The charge given in the scripture above encourages us to think broadly about the world in which we live. We should be interested in scientific advances and discoveries, as well as the drama of human collectivities, whether those be small or large. The world is our university--what do we learn from it in light of the Restored Gospel of Christ?

Scholarship and commentary of at least 500 words are sought; we are happy to publish longer papers, up to approximately 15,000 words. Broad categories of work are given at right. Essays, research, commentary, political analysis, and book/film reviews have all been published in SquareTwo. All submissions are reviewed by the editorial team of SquareTwo. As a result of that review, submitted works may be posted without revision, or authors may be asked to make revisions to their work, or submissions may be rejected outright. Proper footnotes/endnotes and bibliography are required if the material of others is referenced or quoted. We also publish responses to published articles: such responses are subject to the same guidelines and editorial review process as the original article, and we ask for a minimum of 200 words on such responses.

Instructions for Submitting Work to SquareTwo