Episode 105: Biblical Criticism for Scriptural Insight (Jason R. Combs)
Release Date: 06/02/2024
Episode 5: Teaching with the Scriptures (Gaye Strathearn & Joe Spencer)
Y Religion
The scriptures are our most powerful tools for teaching. President J. Reuben Clark Jr. explained that "[we] are to teach this Gospel using as [our] sources and authorities the Standard Works of the Church and the words of those whom God has called to lead His people in these last days." In this episode Professors Gaye Strathearn and Joe Spencer discuss the power of teaching with the scriptures. They highlight ways teachers can draw knowledge from and incorporate the scriptures into their teaching.
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Episode 4: Teaching by the Spirit (Hank Smith & Ryan Sharp)
Y Religion
How does the Holy Ghost assist in our preparation and delivery of lessons? In this episode professors Hank Smith and Ryan Sharp demystify what it means to teach by the Spirit. They discuss ways to invite the Spirit to guide both teachers and learners. Y Religion Presents: Gospel Teaching is a limited series podcast where, each week during summer 2025, expert teachers share insights that highlight key principles and practices of effective gospel teaching.
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Episode 3: Organizing a Lesson (Mark L. Pace and Ken Alford)
Y Religion
The Lord has invited, “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” (Doctrine & Covenants 88:78, emphasis added). In this episode President Mark L. Pace and Professor Ken Alford discuss resources and methods for organizing ourselves and preparing to teach a lesson. Y Religion Presents: Gospel Teaching is a limited series podcast where, each week during summer 2025,...
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Episode 2: Knowing Your Audience (Emily Belle Freeman & Brad Wilcox)
Y Religion
How do you prepare and adjust a message to connect with those you are leading? What methods can teachers—from all backgrounds and experiences—use when preparing for different teaching moments? In this episode, sister Emily Belle Freeman and Professor Brad Wilcox discuss tips on knowing and connecting with your audience when preparing and leading lessons. Y Religion Presents: Gospel Teaching is a limited series podcast where, each week during summer 2025, expert teachers share insights that highlight key principles and practices of effective gospel teaching.
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Episode 1: The Power of Teaching (Clark Gilbert & Chad Webb)
Y Religion
What makes powerful gospel teaching? What are the effective elements that any teacher— no matter their training, situation, or personality—can implement so that deepened faith and conversion can happen in the lives of learners? In this episode, brother Chad Webb and Elder Clark Gilbert highlight essential principles and practices that invite the influence of the Spirit of God to foster powerful gospel teaching. Y Religion Presents: Gospel Teaching is a limited series podcast where, each week during summer 2025, expert teachers share insights that highlight key principles and practices of...
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Bonus Episode—Introducing “Y Religion Presents: Gospel Teaching” (John Hilton III and Casey Griffiths)
Y Religion
President Dallin H. Oaks has taught that “every member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is, or will be, a teacher. Each of us has a vital interest in the content and effectiveness of gospel teaching.” How might we prepare ourselves to teach with clarity and the inspiration of the Holy Ghost? In this episode professors John Hilton III and Casey Griffiths introduce “Y Religion Presents,” a special series of weekly episodes on a common theme. The 2025 motif focuses on gospel teaching. In the following eleven episodes, leading experts discuss a variety of approaches,...
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Episode 128: Following Prophets When We Have Questions (Travis Searle)
Y Religion
When some elders criticized the language of Joseph Smith’s revelations in 1831, the Lord provided powerful truths in Doctrine and Covenants 67 to strengthen their faith—truths that remain vital for us today. In this podcast, Professor Searle outlines five key principles from the section that can help us build greater trust in prophetic counsel: (1) act on the prophet’s invitations, (2) recognize righteousness within revelations, (3) sincerely seek Jesus Christ, (4) follow the guidance of the Spirit, and (5) move forward in faith. Trusting prophets is crucial for spiritual growth and...
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Episode 127: Understanding Our Jewish Neighbors (Shon Hopkin)
Y Religion
The John A. Widtsoe Foundation recently introduced the series to “foster respect and interfaith dialogue.” In this episode Professor Shon Hopkin, Department Chair of BYU Ancient Scripture, discusses the second book in this series Understanding Our Jewish Neighbors co-written with Rabbi Mark S. Diamond. The book presents guide to understanding the similarities and differences between The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and leading Jewish traditions. Professor Hopkin explains how listeners can take away a succinct understanding, reverence, and appreciation for both faiths,...
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Episode 126: Women Witnesses of the Easter Events (Gaye Strathearn)
Y Religion
The first witnesses of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ were some of his female disciples. Mary Magdalene witnessed the empty tomb and was the first to encounter the risen Savior. Additionally, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and other unnamed women, who had come to the tomb to anoint the body of Jesus, saw the empty tomb and reported it to the apostles. In this episode, Professor Gaye Strathearn explores the profound impact of the Easter events through the experiences of the women who witnessed the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. She explains how Luke’s narrative, with...
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Episode 125: Envisioning the Last Supper (Matthew Grey)
Y Religion
According to the earliest gospel accounts, on the night before his crucifixion, Jesus dined with his disciples to observe the feast of the Passover and institute what would later become the Christian eucharist (or sacrament). What would it have looked like to sit down with them that night? In this episode, Professor Matthew Grey reassesses the New Testament narratives of the Last Supper, especially its physical setting and manner of dining, by examining modern research on early Jewish dining customs with archaeological data. He challenges traditional views of Jesus and his disciples dining in...
info_outline“Latter-day Saints believe in the pursuit of truth through ‘study and faith’ and are thus not opposed to intellectual examination of scripture” (Dr. David R. Seely). One way we might examine the scriptures is through the use of biblical criticism, or historical criticism, an approach regularly used by biblical scholars to assess the meaning of a text—it's original context, audience, and authorship. In this episode Dr. Jason Combs, associate professor of ancient scripture, discussed his chapter “Historical Criticism of the Bible among the Latter-day Saints.” He outlines the history of biblical criticism and explains how it may serve as a tool to aid our scripture study. Further, Dr. Combs details how such approaches may provide a more well-rounded vision of the scriptures, especially in studying the Old and New Testaments and comparing multiple accounts of the same events. In doing so we should balance biblical criticism with the application of scriptures and the gospel to our daily lives.
Publications
- Jason Robert Combs, “Historical Criticism of the Bible among the Latter-day Saints” (in The Bible and the Latter-day Saint Tradition, eds. Taylor G. Petrey, Cory Crawford, and Eric A. Eliason (Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 2023), 202–16.).Used courtesy of the University of Utah Press.
- Jason R. Combs, et al., eds. Ancient Christians: An Introduction for Latter-day Saints (Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship, 2022)
- “‘Christ’ after the Apostles: The Humanity and Divinity of the Savior in the Second Century” (in Thou Art the Christ, the Son of the Living God: The Person and Work of Jesus in the New Testament, Religious Studies Center, 2018)
- Professional Website, https://www.jasonrobertcombs.com/
- “A Modern Perspective on Ancient Christians” (Y Religion, episode 70, 2022)
- “The Humanity and Divinity of Jesus Christ” (Y Religion, episode 37, 2021)
Click here to learn more about Jason Combs