Blog – Jana Riess
The best way to remember Mormon business leader Clayton Christensen? With small moral choices.
Second thoughts about the Mormon curriculum
5 Advent Devotionals
I know it's old hat to say "keep Christ in Christmas," yada yada, but I find that this time of year I need a daily reminder that the month of December is about more than just decking the halls. Here are five daily devotional suggestions I like for the holiday season.
Hey, Mormon Woman! A No-Guilt Christmas Present
Hey, you! Mormon woman with the minivan. Does visiting teaching bog you down with miles of guilt? Do you pretend to have a fussy toddler when it's time for the annual visiting teaching conference, just so you can stay in the hall? When If you read the Ensign's monthly visiting teaching message to your assigned sister, do you feel like you're not measuring up and hope like hell you don't make her feel that way, too?
Shopping for Jesus
Am I giving to charity via these glossy catalogs of chickens and goats, or am I just satisfying an insatiable need to shop?
5 Things Not to Say If You Want to Get Your Book Published, #3: “This Book Is Ready for Publication”
“This book is like a baby that needs to be born and I am looking for a stable.” Can we just say that as a general rule it’s a bad idea to compare your book to baby Jesus? Baby Jesus did not need editing. Mary didn’t send the bambino back and say, “Well, all the basic baby organs are in place, but his eyes are too far apart, and he has redundant navels, and I’m not thrilled with the proposed Jesus title. Can you fix those problems in the second draft?” Those are the kinds of things an editor does.
5 Things Not to Say If You Want to Get Your Book Published, #2: “I’m Happy to Do Interviews”
I started this series with some softball advice: Don't mention in a query letter that God told you to write this book. Most of you were probably patting yourselves on the back when you read that, because you're not psychotic. (Well done, you!) So today's advice is a little less intuitive to sane people: don't tell your publisher that you're happy to do interviews.
5 Things Not to Say If You Want to Get Your Book Published, #1: “God Told Me to Write This Book”
This first short post in a five-part series aims to help authors avoid five all-too-common pitfalls that can instantly derail their query letters. First up: "God told me to write this book."
AAR/SBL Conventioneering
This weekend when I got into an elevator at a convention hotel, one of the four guys already inside was whistling. It was a bit annoying. "Stop whistling," one of his friends said. "He's not whistling," said another friend. "He's just doing natural theology." I am definitely at the AAR, I thought.
Mormonism’s Beautiful Vision
The new Mormon Matters podcast features Fiona Givens talking about The God Who Weeps: How Mormonism Makes Sense of Life, the book she's written with her husband Terryl Givens. Joanna Brooks and I sing an enthusiastic backup.
10 Gratitude Lessons I Learned from My Dog
As I head into the Thanksgiving season, I am, like many people, trying to cultivate the value of gratitude. The problem is that Thanksgiving is arriving at an inconvenient time this year when a lot of things seem to be going wrong with health, finances, blah blah . . . I won't bore you with details. But when it's a challenge to be thankful, I turn to the most thankful person I know. Who is not actually a person.
Anti-Mormon (and Mormon) Trolls
In the weeks leading up to the 2012 election, a flurry of strong, balanced media articles explored Mormonism and its role in American life. It’s become clear to me that most journalists are committed to understanding more about the Mormon faith and its people. However, I'm not so sanguine about the trolls who like to comment.
There’s a Polar Bear in My Freezer
"You have a polar bear in your freezer!" my friend exclaimed as she searched for the ice cream. "Why would you put a polar bear in the freezer?" Well, it's a long story, but the basic point is this: Out of all the possible homes for that stuffed Coca-Cola polar bear in our house, the freezer is where he feels happiest and most himself. Which is exactly what home is supposed to be.
My Gay Agenda
Whatever Happens in the Election Today…
Many people are saying that this year's election has been the most contentious and polarizing in American history. (They obviously don't read American history.) One thing is certain: tomorrow, one way or the other, we will wake up to a robust and enduring democracy.