Contemplations

I recently returned (got back 1:00 am this morning) from the Regional American Academy of Religion/ Society of Biblical Literature conference for the Upper Midwest Region (held at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, MN). These smaller regional conferences are a great place to meet students and professors in your area who are studying topics involving religion.  They are also a great venue for students to present research they have done — a number of my fellow students from Marquette University presented papers there. I had the opportunity to give a presentation on some of the research I’ve been doing on the Priesthood in the Old Testament — a version of the paper that I presented at the SANE conference at BYU in November (for more on this, see here).

Interestingly, a gentleman approached me after my presentation and asked if I was LDS.  I answered in the affirmative, wondering if it was all the talk of Melchizedek and his priesthood that gave me away. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the man’s name, and he hurried on his way, so I don’t know if he was also LDS or not.  It is great, though, how we Latter-day Saints are often so identifiable. We truly are a peculiar people…

So, I’ve had some great things to contemplate lately.  The academic study of religion and the Scriptures is alive and well and it is good to know that so many are still engaging in very strong and serious research in these areas.  And while I consider this type of academic religious research very important and helpful, I always try to remind myself that the most fruitful, useful, and beneficial type of religious study is that which is practically applicable — that which truly motivates us to come unto Christ.   In the end, this is the type of knowledge that is the most satisfying and that will lead us closer to our salvation (John 17:3). For this reason, I was very happy to be introduced recently to a great new blog by Robert and Carol Norman called Contemplations at http://rjnorman.blogspot.com/

Robert Norman is a retired CES employee, having worked for CES  an impressive 39 years. His last assignment was at the Salt Lake City institute that is adjacent to the University of Utah.  He describes his blog as a “spiritual thought for the day type blog” that he hopes will help family, friends, past students and missionaries (he was president of the Manchester, New Hampshire mission of the Church).  The content of Bro. Norman’s site is a great example of the type of knowledge mentioned above — great research that is applicable to our spiritual lives and which helps us draw nearer to God.  Much of what he posts involves identifying important principles in the Scriptures and explaining how they pertain to Christ and how we can apply them in our lives.  He identifies many allegories, types, and parallels that help illuminate the Scriptures in a way that is practical, useful, and inspiring.

Although the blog is fairly new, Bro. Norman has already written many great posts, including a series on how “Malachi Prepares Us for Christ’s Coming“, and the excellent series of “Spiritual Preparation through Sacred Sites” posts that provide some wonderful explanations and reconstructions of ancient sites/events, especially the Mosaic Tabernacle, and illustrates how these relate to, or typify, Christ and the Plan of Salvation.  The emphasis is on how these principles apply to us and to the modern Church.  He includes some wonderful images and videos, such as the following:

Tabernacle of Moses — Court and Linen Fence

I definitely recommend taking a look at this blog, written by good people who have some real experience with teaching and applying the truths found in the Scriptures.  While purely academic/scholarly research has its place and is important, I am always reminding myself that devotional study is of ultimate importance to our lives, both now and in eternity.  Contemplations presents us with both sound research into the scriptural texts and insightful interpretation regarding how we can use them to change our lives.

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