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Y Religion

BYU Religious Education

Each year, religion professors at Brigham Young University (BYU) produce hundreds of publications on subjects related to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This podcast brings this research into one place to enlighten the everyday seeker of truth. Interviewing the author, we discuss why the study was done, why it matters, and why the professor chooses to be both a scholar, and a disciple. This is Y Religion.

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  • 23 episodes
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Episodes 23

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  • S7 · E149
    Yesterday · 37 min

    Episode 149: How Beautiful Are The Feet? Discovering the Power of Footnotes (Scott L. Howell & Lauryn Wilde)

    As General Conference approaches, this episode of Y Religion highlights an inspiring way to enrich your conference experience. Assistant teaching professor Scott L. Howell and project manager of BYU Research Technology Group Lauryn Wilde discuss their research on thousands of general conference footnotes, revealing how these often-overlooked references contain additional doctrinal insights, personal experiences, historical context, and prophetic counsel. Their findings invite listeners to engage more deeply with conference messages and discover how studying beyond the spoken word can strengthen testimony and deepen gospel understanding. Publications: "'How Beautiful Are the Feet': The Use of Footnotes in General Conference Reports," with Scott L. Howell, Jesse Vincent, and Lauryn Wilde, Religious Educator, 24.2, Religious Studies Center (2023) "The Untold Story of Mission Plaques: Fifty Years of Selected Scriptures," with Scott L. Howell, Maclane E. Heward, Gregory L. Snow, Annalyn Sorensen, and Emmalia Cieslewicz, BYU Studies, 65.2, BYU Studies (2026) "'Knocking on People's Computers': Missionary Work in the Digital Age," with Scott L. Howell, Liberty Howell, and Camellia Hill, Religious Educator, 23.4, Religious Studies Center (2022) "Intentional Function and Frequency of Reporting Verbs Across Six Disciplines: A Cluster Analysis," with Jacob D. Rawlins, Grant Eckstein, Elizabeth Hanks, Emily W. Lester, Lauryn Wilde, and Ryan Bartholomew, International Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 4.1, Liverpool University Press (2024) "Introducing TrackEDT: A Tool to Accelerate Empirical Editing Research," with Jordan Smith, Matthew J. Baker, Lauryn Wilde, and Scout McMillan, IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, 68.4, IEEE (2025) Click here to learn more about Scott Howell Click here to learn more about Lauryn Wilde

  • S7 · E148
    September 15 · 46 min

    Episode 148: Seeing God's Love in Suffering (David B. Ridge)

    If God loves His children, why does He allow suffering? In this episode, David B. Ridge, assistant professor of ancient scripture, explores one of the most difficult questions of mortality. Drawing on the book of Job, Professor Ridge explains that scripture does not offer easy answers but instead invites us to deepen our faith and understanding of God through life's trials. He examines Job's devastating losses, the misguided counsel of Job's friends, and the Lord's powerful response from the whirlwind, showing that suffering is not necessarily a sign of sin or divine disfavor. Rather, Job teaches that God's justice, love, and mercy often transcend our mortal understanding. Professor Ridge emphasizes the importance of mourning honestly, resisting the temptation to explain away others' suffering, and continuing to turn to God even when answers do not come. Ultimately, Job's story teaches that faith grows as we trust God, hold fast to what we know, and learn to see His love amid adversity. Publications: "Seeing God's Love in Suffering: Lessons on Faith from Job," in Tender Mercies and Loving-Kindness: The Goodness of God in the Old Testament, Religious Studies Center (2025) "Loving Our Neighbor: Ammon and the Lamanite Queen," in Book of Mormon Insights: Letting God Prevail in Your Life, Religious Studies Center (2026) "How Nephi Defended His Kingship," in In the Eyes of the Ancients: Historical Perspectives on the Book of Mormon, Religious Studies Center (2026) Click here to learn more about David B. Ridge

  • S7 · E147
    September 1 · 50 min

    Episode 147: The Wisdom of Proverbs (Michael J. Biggerstaff)

    In this episode, Michael J. Biggerstaff, assistant professor of ancient scripture, invites listeners to see Proverbs as far more than a collection of memorable sayings. He explains how Proverbs serves as a practical guide to navigating life's hardest decisions, combining faith, reason, observation, and experience to help us develop true wisdom, or "skill in living." He explores how Proverbs teaches us to think deeply, embrace complexity, and exercise agency wisely as we choose between the paths of wisdom and folly. Along the way, he discusses the book's ancient roots, the meaning of the "fear of the Lord," the symbolism of Lady Wisdom, and the role of repentance as a continual course correction back toward God. Professor Biggerstaff shows that Proverbs is not about finding simple answers but about becoming the kind of disciple who can recognize truth, make better choices, and grow through both successes and mistakes. Ultimately, Proverbs teaches that choosing wisdom is choosing Jesus Christ. Publications: "The Wisdom of Proverbs," in From Wilderness to Monarchy: The Old Testament Through the Lens of the Restoration, Religious Studies Center (2025) "An Unconventional Mercy: Prophecies of Destruction as Divine Instruction," in Tender Mercies and Loving-Kindness: The Goodness of God in the Old Testament (2025) "Korihor as a Religious Bully," in Book of Mormon Insights: Letting God Prevail in Your Life, Religious Studies Center (2024) "An Intertextual Reading of Amos 3:7," Vetus Testamentum 76.2, Brill (2026) Click here to learn more about Michael J. Biggerstaff

  • August 17 · 1 hr

    Episode 11: Finding Hope When Children Stray (Justin Dyer & Phil Allred)

    How can parents find hope and resilience when children make difficult choices? In this episode, Dr. Justin Dyer and Dr. Philip Allred address the heartache parents feel when children take unexpected or contrary paths — and share faith‑centered principles that restore hope and strengthen families.

  • August 10 · 57 min

    Episode 10: Families in a Digital World (Padilla-Walker and Schramm)

    How is technology shaping modern family relationships? In this episode, Dr. Laura Padilla-Walker and Dr. David Schramm tackle the impact of smartphones and social media on today's families, revealing the pitfalls, possibilities, and practical strategies for raising kids in a hyper‑digital world.

  • August 3 · 1 hr 2 min

    Episode 9: The Divine Impact of Fatherhood

    What impact do fathers have on children and family life in the world we live in today? In this episode, Dr. David Dollahite and Dr. Justin Dyer explore the meaningful and often underrecognized influence of fatherhood in emotional, spiritual, and social development.

  • July 27 · 56 min

    Episode 8: The Sacred Influence of Motherhood

    What makes the influence of motherhood both unique and sacred, and how does it shape children, families, and society? In this episode, Dr. Jenet Erickson and Jennifer Thatcher explore the role of mothers in nurturing identity, fostering development, and strengthening both family and community life.

  • June 29 · 46 min

    Episode 4: Debunking Marriage Myths (Gaylamarie Rosenberg)

    What misconceptions about marriage can lead to unrealistic expectations? In this episode, Gaylamarie Rosenberg addresses common myths and replaces them with research-based and experience-informed truths about lasting marriage.

  • June 15 · 54 min

    Episode 2: A Divine Blueprint for Families (Mike Goodman & Jenet Erickson)

    How does "The Family: A Proclamation to the World" serve as a divine guide for understanding family life? In this episode, Dr. Michael Goodman and Dr. Jenet Erickson unpack the history and doctrine behind the family proclamation, revealing how it offers a powerful blueprint for creating resilient, eternal families.

  • June 1 · 24 min

    Bonus Episode: Introducing Y Religion Presents - The Eternal Family (John Hilton III & Mark Ogletree)

    Y Religion Presents: The Eternal Family is a limited-series podcast for summer 2026 that explores the doctrine, challenges, and lived realities of family life in today's world. Across thirteen episodes, leading scholars and teachers examine topics including the changing nature of families, the divine framework outlined in The Family: A Proclamation to the World, preparing for and strengthening marriage, effective parenting, and the sacred roles of mothers and fathers. The series also addresses timely issues such as gender, faith, digital culture, and supporting loved ones through hardship. Together, these conversations offer research-based insights and gospel-centered principles to help individuals and families build resilient, Christ-centered homes.

  • S7 · E146
    May 15 · 46 min

    Episode 146: God's Steadfast Love While Everyone Did What Was Right in Their Own Eyes (Aaron Schade)

    How does God's love keep showing up for us, even when we struggle? In this episode Professor Aaron Schade reframes the book of Judges as more than a collection of heroic stories. Instead, he describes it as a sobering account of spiritual decline, broken covenants, and the consequences of living according to "what is right in our own eyes." Professor Schade explores the recurring cycle found in Judges: ancient Israel turns away from God, experiences suffering, cries out for relief, and is delivered only to fall again. Rather than celebrating the judges as flawless leaders, he highlights their imperfections and the deeper message of the text as a lament over moral confusion and a society unraveling without covenant guidance. Further, Professor Schade explains that at the center of the book of Judges is the example of God's steadfast, unwavering love. Even as His people struggle to truly repent, He continues to reach out, deliver, and invite them back into a relationship with Him. This episode invites us to wrestle with difficult questions about agency, obedience, and discipleship while discovering the powerful truth that God's love persists. Even in the midst of our failures, God's love is always calling us back to Him. Publications: "Broken laws as 'Every Man Did That Which Was Right in His Own Eyes,'" in From Wilderness to Monarchy: The Old Testament Through the Lens of the Restoration, Religious Studies Center (2025) From Creation to Sinai: The Old Testament Through the Lens of the Restoration, Religious Studies Center (2021) The Book of Moses: From the Ancient of Days to the Latter Day, Religious Studies Center (2021) "'Many Plain and Precious Things': Using the Joseph Smith Translation in Teaching the Old Testament," Religious Educator 26.3, Religious Studies Center (2025) Phoenician Inscriptions (Writings From the Ancient World, Number 45), with Robert D. Homstedt and Philip Schmitz, Society of Biblical Literature (2026) "Sacred Center: The Iron Age Temple at Biblical Ataroth," Biblical Archaeology Review, Biblical Archaeology Society (2026, forthcoming) Click here to learn more about Aaron Schade

  • S7 · E145
    May 1 · 38 min

    Episode 145: "Thou Shalt Utterly Destroy" Understanding the Biblical Hērem in Scripture

    What do we make of times in scripture where violence occurs, especially when the destruction comes because of God's commands? In this episode, Professor David M. Calabro discusses his article "'Thou Shalt Utterly Destroy': Understanding the Biblical Ḥērem", which grapples with the troubling and often misunderstood concept of ḥērem—the ritualized devotion of people, cities, and goods to God that appears in the conquest narratives of Deuteronomy and Joshua. Calabro explains that while ḥērem is frequently read today as indiscriminate violence or genocide, its ancient meaning is far more complex. Rooted linguistically in ideas of holiness and consecration, ḥērem reflects an ancient Near Eastern way of framing warfare in theological, often hyperbolic terms. By placing Israel's scriptures alongside archaeological evidence, inscriptions from neighboring cultures, and restored gospel truths, the episode shows how biblical language of total destruction functioned within a shared cultural hyperbolic idiom, and that ḥērem is not ultimately about ethnicity or nationality, but about covenant loyalty, repentance, and one's response to God. Rather than resolving all moral and theological questions, Calabro's work invites listeners to read these texts with greater historical awareness, humility, and a willingness to work with God to understand His ways. Publications: "Thou Shalt Utterly Destroy" : Understanding the Biblical Ḥērem in From Wilderness to Monarchy (Religious Studies Center, 2025) "Behold Our God Is with Us": Realism and Divine Focus in Mormon's War Narratives in This Great and Lasting War (Religious Studies Center, 2025) A Third Look at the Lord's Hand "Stretched Out Still" (Isaiah 2–14) in Tender Mercies and Loving-Kindness (Religious Studies Center, 2025) The Arms of His Love: Gesture and Meaning in the Book of Mormon in In the Eyes of the Ancients (Religious Studies Center, 2026) Click here to learn more about David Calabro

  • S7 · E144
    April 15 · 49 min

    Episode 144: Amplifying Prophetic Voices (Scott Esplin)

    How can we better incorporate prophetic messages in our lives, while also using them to bless the lives of those we love? In this episode, Scott C. Esplin, dean of Religious Education at BYU, discusses his article "Department and Individual Efforts to Amplify Prophetic Messages," coauthored with Brad Streeter, Rory Bigelow, Aaron Shumway, and David Peck. Drawing on a panel presentation from the 2024 Church Educational System Religious Educators Conference, Dean Esplin explores how religious educators can more faithfully emphasize and transmit the teachings of living prophets. Responding to counsel from Elder Clark G. Gilbert, the panel framed gospel teaching through the metaphor of an amplifier, namely prophetic messages serve as the input, educators function as the amplifier, and students receive the output. Further, Dean Esplin explains that prophets teach with clarity, repetition, and inspired emphasis, centering their messages on Jesus Christ, covenant belonging, and revealed priorities for our time. Ultimately, gospel teachers succeed when they faithfully proclaim the Lord's words and invite learners, through the Spirit, to hear and act. Publications: "Department and Individual Efforts to Amplify Prophetic Messages," with Brad Streeter, Rory Bigelow, Aaron Shumway, and David Peck, Religious Educator, 25.3 (2024) Raising the Standard of Truth: Exploring the History and Teachings of the Early Restoration, Religious Studies Center (2020) The Voice of My Servants: Apostolic Messages on Teaching, Learning, and Scripture, Religious Studies Center (2010) Elder Clark G. Gilbert, "A Prophet in the Land: Current Prophetic Emphases to Young Adults," Seminaries and Institutes Annual Broadcast (2023) Elder Clark G. Gilbert, "Speak, Lord; for They Servant Heareth," Seminaries and Institutes Annual Broadcast (2024) Click here to learn more about Scott Esplin

  • S7 · E143
    April 1 · 38 min

    Episode 143: Picturing Christ (Daniel Becerra)

    What did Jesus actually look like, and does it matter? In this episode, professor of ancient scripture Daniel Becerra discusses his new book Picturing Christ, co‑authored with Jennifer Champoux, Mark D. Ellison, and Matthew J. Grey. The book traces how Christians, Latter-day Saints and others, have imagined and portrayed Jesus across two millennia of art and what these evolving images reveal about a shared desire to understand the divine through faith and culture. Becerra explains that while what Jesus did matters more than how He looked, the way we picture Him still shapes how we relate to God and understand the scriptures. He dives into how assumptions formed by analyzing familiar artwork can influence our spiritual interpretation in subtle ways. The conversation also highlights what archaeology and historical research can teach us about Jesus's real-world context. Insights from excavations, early Christian artifacts, and material culture help ground scriptural stories in historical reality, enriching the way listeners imagine scenese from the New Testament. Through Picturing Christ, Becerra et al. invites listeners to see the Savior through a broader historical and artistic lens by opening fresh perspectives on the scriptures and deeping our discipleship. Publications: Picturing Christ: Understanding Depictions of Jesus in History and Art, co-authored with Jennifer Champoux, Mark D. Ellison, and Matthew J. Grey, Deseret Book (2026) 3rd, 4th Nephi: The Book of Mormon: Brief Theological Introductions 9, The Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship (2021) Book of Mormon Studies: An Introduction and Guide, co-authored with Amy Easton, Nicholas J. Frederick, and Joseph M. Spencer, Religious Studies Center (2022) Highlighted artwork: Jesus and the disciples at the Last Supper, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Making Space for Us, Michelle Franzoni Thorley Early Morning with the Savior, Sopheap Nhem Homeless Jesus, Timothy P. Schmalz The Christ of the Breadlines, Fritz Eichenberg Last Supper Sculpture, National Museum of African American History & Culture Click here to learn more about Daniel Becerra

  • S7 · E142
    March 15 · 58 min

    Episode 142: A Visual Witness of the Savior's Final Hours (John Hilton III)

    How can sacred art help us feel closer to the Savior and more fully understand his Atonement? In this episode, professor of ancient scripture John Hilton III discusses his new book Behold the Lamb: A Visual Witness of the Savior's Final Hours, created with Anthony Sweat and J. Kirk Richards. The book gathers contemporary Latter-day Saint artwork depicting the final twelve hours of Christ's mortal life and invites deeper reflection on each piece through artist insights, artistic commentary, and cultural context. Professor Hilton explores why Latter-day Saints often favor images of Gethsemane and the Resurrection over those of the Crucifixion, how scripture emphasizes Christ's death as central to His Atonement, and how sacred art can help us "behold the Lamb of God…[who] was lifted up upon the cross and slain for the sins of the world" (1 Nephi 11: 32–33) with greater devotion. This episode offers a meaningful way to enrich your Easter season and deepen your discipleship. Publications: Behold the Lamb: A Visual Witness of the Savior's Final Hours, co-authored with Anthony Sweat and J. Kirk Richards, Religious Studies Center (2026) Considering the Cross: How Calvary Connects Us with Christ, Deseret Books (2021) "The Loving Christ," in The Power of Christ's Deliverence, Religious Studies Center (2022) Highlighted artwork: A Place Called Gethsemane, Anthony Sweat Arms of Mercy, Anthony Sweat Judged of the World, Emilie Buck Lewis King of the Jews, Tyler Swain Advocate, Chad Winks Christ's Cross, Joseph Chu And Israel's Daughters Wept Around, Rose Datoc Dall Finisher of Our Faith, Eva Koleva Timothy How Beautiful upon the Mountain…, Maureen Merrell View His Death, Anthony Sweat Spear in His Side, J. Kirk Richards Descent From The Cross, Brian Kershisnik Held, Kristin Alley Carver At Birth and Death, Esther Candari Nicodemus in the Tomb, Lester Yocum Click here to learn more about John Hilton III, here to learn more about Anthony Sweat, and here to learn more about J. Kirk Richards

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