• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

FAIR

Faithful Study Resources for Come, Follow Me

  • Find Answers
  • Blog
  • Media & Apps
  • Conference
  • Bookstore
  • Archive
  • About
  • Get Involved
  • Search

New Testament

Come, Follow Me with FAIR: Faithful Answers to New Testament Questions – John 1

January 16, 2023 by Trevor Holyoak

https://media.blubrry.com/mormonfaircast/www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Week-3-Why-did-Joseph-Smith-change-the-Bible.mp3

Podcast: Download (26.3MB)

Subscribe: RSS

Evangelical Questions: Why did Joseph Smith change the meaning to some verses in the Bible?

by Jennifer Roach, MDiv, LMHC

This week we come to a very important verse in scripture.  John 1:1 traditionally translated, “In the beginning was the word.”  You’ll find it that way in almost every translation. It’s often the first verse beginning Greek students learn, “Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ λόγος” and straight away they are introduced to the complexities of translating. The text literally says, “In the beginning was the logos.” We look at that verse now, with the benefit of centuries of translation on our side and know “logos” means Jesus in some sense. Translators, theologians and scholars have been settled on this for a very long time. So it’s a fair question to ask, “Why did Joseph Smith step out of the established translation on this verse?”  Now, your Evangelical friends or family members may not be able to point to this specific verse and see the differences, but if you’re in conversation with them about the New Testament the issue of Joseph’s variations in translation are going to come up eventually. Let’s look at how Joseph translated the same verse: [Read more…] about Come, Follow Me with FAIR: Faithful Answers to New Testament Questions – John 1

Filed Under: Bible, Book of Mormon, Come Follow Me, Come Follow Me with FAIR, Jennifer Roach, Jesus Christ, Joseph Smith, New Testament, Podcast

Come, Follow Me with FAIR: Faithful Answers to New Testament Questions – Matthew 2; Luke 2

January 9, 2023 by Trevor Holyoak

https://media.blubrry.com/mormonfaircast/www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Week-2-Why-are-temples-still-needed.mp3

Podcast: Download (20.1MB)

Subscribe: RSS

Evangelical Questions: Why are temples still needed?

by Jennifer Roach, MDiv, LMHC

Luke 2:22, 27

And when the days of her (Mary’s) purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him (baby Jesus) to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord…And he (Simeon) came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law.

Again we will be looking at a section of scripture in the Come Follow Me readings that corresponds to a common question Evangelicals have about our faith. Last time we talked about how an Evangelical’s value of showing loyalty to Christ makes them suspicious of some of our claims. This week we’re going to talk about the temple – why Evangelicals are skeptical of the need of a temple, why they think that way, and some of the ways you can have better conversations with them that lead to a natural but confident sharing of your testimony.

What Do Evangelicals Understand About Temples? [Read more…] about Come, Follow Me with FAIR: Faithful Answers to New Testament Questions – Matthew 2; Luke 2

Filed Under: Bible, Come Follow Me, Come Follow Me with FAIR, Jennifer Roach, Jesus Christ, New Testament, Podcast, Temples

Come, Follow Me with FAIR: Faithful Answers to New Testament Questions – Matthew 1; Luke 1

January 2, 2023 by Trevor Holyoak

https://media.blubrry.com/mormonfaircast/www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Week-1-Is-Jesus-God.mp3

Podcast: Download (21.0MB)

Subscribe: RSS

Evangelical Questions: Is Jesus God?

by Jennifer Roach, MDiv, LMHC

Matthew 1:21

21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.

Introduction

So, right off the bat we have an interesting point of conversation that could come up with your Evangelical friends: Who do you believe Jesus is? [Read more…] about Come, Follow Me with FAIR: Faithful Answers to New Testament Questions – Matthew 1; Luke 1

Filed Under: Bible, Book of Mormon, Come Follow Me, Come Follow Me with FAIR, Jennifer Roach, Jesus Christ, Joseph Smith, New Testament, Podcast

Come, Follow Me with FAIR: Faithful Answers to New Testament Questions – Introduction

December 28, 2022 by Trevor Holyoak

https://media.blubrry.com/mormonfaircast/www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Week-0-introduction.mp3

Podcast: Download (2.5MB)

Subscribe: RSS

Jennifer Roach introduces this new video series that will follow our Come, Follow Me study of the New Testament in 2023.

Each week we’ll talk a look at the CFM readings in the New Testament with a specific eye looking for places where there is either a resonance or a dissonance with what the average Evangelical Christian in the US believes. And each week we’ll look at a specific question an Evangelical might ask if they were in conversation with you about this text.

The idea isn’t to give you ammunition to shoot down your Evangelical friends in debate, but to try to better understand their questions and provide an informed and faithful answer.

We have so much in common with our EV friends and neighbors, but sometimes members of the church get a little shy of talking about scripture because the whole thing can end up in a muddle. This series will give some framework for understanding how they hear the same passage and how to answer questions that might come up.

More Come, Follow Me resources here.

 

Jennifer Roach earned a Master of Divinity from The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology, and a Master of Counseling from Argosy University. Before her conversion to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints she was an ordained minister in the Anglican church. Her own experience of sexual abuse from a pastor during her teen years led her to care deeply about issues of abuse in faith communities.

Filed Under: Bible, Come Follow Me, Come Follow Me with FAIR, Jennifer Roach, New Testament, Podcast

Come, Follow Me Week 52 – Christmas

December 19, 2022 by Trevor Holyoak

Christmas Message, Christmas Prophets, Christmas Joy

by David W. Smith

Jerusalem, 600 BC

The year is approximately 600 BC. The place is Jerusalem. It has been about 20 years since a major religious reform has changed how people worshiped. The prophet Jeremiah has been warning the people of Jerusalem that they need to repent or else watch as their city is destroyed and they are taken into captivity. Many other prophets echo his message. Now, after preaching for over 20 years, he is in prison. [Read more…] about Come, Follow Me Week 52 – Christmas

Filed Under: Bible, Book of Mormon, Come Follow Me, Jesus Christ, Joseph Smith, New Testament, Old Testament, Prophets, Testimonies

President Joseph F. Smith Explains What “Mormonism” Really Is

November 20, 2022 by Trevor Holyoak

(submitted by Dennis B. Horne)

Editorial Note: In the below article, President Smith defines the label “Mormonism” very much as President Russell M. Nelson has. These prophets are one in their views on this matter. President Smith also expounds in some detail on many facets of church practice and doctrine, including the future. Most of the material is as true and relevant today as it was a hundred and twenty years ago—there is great consistency in church teachings and practice. One effect of his message is to make one proud to be a faithful member of the Restored Church of Jesus Christ. The original article is titled, The “Mormonism” of Today: [Read more…] about President Joseph F. Smith Explains What “Mormonism” Really Is

Filed Under: Bible, Book of Mormon, Jesus Christ, LDS History, Marriage, Missionary Work', New Testament, Old Testament, Politics, Prophets

Come, Follow Me Week 35 – Psalms 102–103; 110; 116–119; 127–128; 135–139; 146–150

August 24, 2022 by Trevor Holyoak

The Hymns of the Temple

Part 2

by Matthew L. Bowen

Praise is a dominant word in the latter third of the Psalter. The imperative plural Hebrew verbal expression hallelujah (halĕlû-yāh), “praise ye the Lord,” marks the beginning and ending of many of these temple hymns. In ancient Judah, ascending into the temple to praise Jehovah was a fundamental religious obligation. The gospel writer Luke notes that after the Ascension, Jesus’s earliest disciples “were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God” (Luke 24:53). The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ had given the disciples a sense of how the temple pointed to his incarnation and his unique role in saving Israel and all humanity (compare, for example, Mark 14:58; John 1:14; 2:19). [Read more…] about Come, Follow Me Week 35 – Psalms 102–103; 110; 116–119; 127–128; 135–139; 146–150

Filed Under: Bible, Book of Mormon, Come Follow Me, Jesus Christ, Joseph Smith, New Testament, Old Testament, Temples

Come, Follow Me Week 33 – Psalms 1–2; 8; 19–33; 40; 46

August 10, 2022 by Trevor Holyoak

by Carl Trueman

If there is one question that seems to drive so much of modern life it is that of happiness.  What is it?  How does one attain it?  And perhaps more deeply, how does one know when one has attained it?  And it is therefore perhaps fitting that the Psalter, the great hymn book of the soul, begins with a description of what it is that characterized the ‘happy man’.

Readers of the English translation might be surprised by this, for many such translate the first line as ‘Blessed is the man’ not ‘Happy is the man.’  The reason is that the Hebrew word means both things in English.  In fact, we might say that not just the word but the concept of blessedness is the same as that of happiness in the Psalmists mind.  We live in a world where happiness is typically regarded as a psychological state.  The Psalmist’s world is one where happiness is being blessed by God. [Read more…] about Come, Follow Me Week 33 – Psalms 1–2; 8; 19–33; 40; 46

Filed Under: Bible, Come Follow Me, Jesus Christ, New Testament, Old Testament

Come, Follow Me Week 26 – 2 Samuel 5-7; 11-12; 1 Kings 3; 8; 11

June 20, 2022 by Trevor Holyoak

2 Samuel 11: A Presbyterian Reflection

by Carl Trueman

The events described in 2 Samuel 11 are pivotal to the reign of David. His adultery with Bathsheba and his murder of her husband, Uriah, will have consequences far beyond the royal household and the rest of his reign will be marked by political turmoil driven by rebellions from within his own family.

There are a number of points to observe in the text.  First, it is important to notice how the writer echoes the language of Genesis 3.  As Eve saw that the forbidden fruit was pleasing to the eyes and reached out and took it, so David sees that Bathsheba, one who is forbidden to him because married to another, is beautiful and takes her.  As humanity fell in the garden, so David as king in a sense falls here.  Hence his reign will never be the same again.  And in seeing David’s fall, we learn something of the sinful psychology of our own hearts: sin places me at the center and makes everything else instrumental to my satisfaction, desires, and happiness. [Read more…] about Come, Follow Me Week 26 – 2 Samuel 5-7; 11-12; 1 Kings 3; 8; 11

Filed Under: Bible, Chastity, Come Follow Me, Jesus Christ, Marriage, New Testament, Old Testament, Perspective, pornography

Come, Follow Me Week 23 – Judges 2–4; 6–8; 13–16

June 3, 2022 by Trevor Holyoak

https://media.blubrry.com/mormonfaircast/www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/2020-Elder-Kim-B.-Clark.mp3

Podcast: Download (82.9MB)

Subscribe: RSS

Seek the Lord Jesus Christ

By Elder Kim B. Clark

(An address given at the 2020 FAIR Conference)


I am grateful for the opportunity to speak to you today. I am not only grateful to be with you, but I am grateful for all of you who seek to help people strengthen, or recover, or restore, or establish faith in Jesus Christ, and His marvelous work in our day. [Read more…] about Come, Follow Me Week 23 – Judges 2–4; 6–8; 13–16

Filed Under: Bible, Book of Mormon, Come Follow Me, Conversion, Doctrine, Doctrine and Covenants, FAIR Conference, Jesus Christ, New Testament, Old Testament, Podcast, Prophets, Temples, Testimonies

  • « Go to Previous Page
  • Go to page 1
  • Go to page 2
  • Go to page 3
  • Go to page 4
  • Go to page 5
  • Go to Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to Blog

Enter your email address:

Subscribe to Podcast

Podcast icon
Subscribe to podcast in iTunes
Subscribe to podcast elsewhere
Listen with FAIR app
Android app on Google Play

Pages

  • Blog Guidelines

FAIR Latest

  • John 14–17 – Faithful Resources for Come, Follow Me 2023 Week 24
  • Cornerstone: A FAIR Temple Preparation Podcast – Episode 4: The Endowment with Nathan Richardson
  • Letter For My Wife Rebuttal, Part 18: The Early Church – Polygamy [C]
  • Come, Follow Me with FAIR: Faithful Answers to New Testament Questions – John 14–17
  • By Study and Faith – Episode 1: What is Critical Thinking?

Blog Categories

Recent Comments

  • Brittany on Letter For My Wife Rebuttal, Part 18: The Early Church – Polygamy [C]
  • TOTAL Nathan on Letter For My Wife Rebuttal, Part 14: The Early Church – The Endowment [A]
  • Sasha Kwapinski on Come, Follow Me with FAIR: Faithful Answers to New Testament Questions – John 14–17
  • Matt on Beyond the Rainbow: Supporting LGBT+ Saints Faithfully
  • Adam on Come, Follow Me with FAIR: Faithful Answers to New Testament Questions – Matthew 19–20; Mark 10; Luke 18

Archives

Footer

FairMormon Logo

FAIR is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing well-documented answers to criticisms of the doctrine, practice, and history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Our Friends

  • BYU Religious Studies Center
  • BYU Studies
  • Book of Mormon Central
  • TheFamilyProclamation.org
  • Interpreter Foundation
  • Wilford Woodruff Papers Project

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • iTunes
  • YouTube

Donate to FAIR

We are a volunteer organization. We invite you to give back.

Donate Now

Donate to us by shopping at Amazon at no extra cost to you. Learn how →

Site Footer

Copyright © 1997-2023 by The Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

The views and opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of FAIR, its officers, directors or supporters.

No portion of this site may be reproduced without the express written consent of The Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research, Inc.

Any opinions expressed, implied, or included in or with the goods and services offered by FAIR are solely those of FAIR and not those of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research (FAIR) Logo

FAIR is controlled and operated by the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research (FAIR)