Terryl L. Givens, “Great Plan of Happiness” (Lecture 3 of 4)

Maxwell Institute Scholar Lecture—November 18, 2019
03:55—Lecture begins

“Great Plan of Happiness” is part three of a four-part lecture series entitled "The Choice to Believe," presented by Dr. Terryl L. Givens of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship.

The first, and in some ways most revolutionary, contribution of the Book of Mormon—reinforced by the Book of Moses—is the drastic reconfiguration of the story of Eden. Evil is only part of the story. In this re-writing, the focus is on the essential truth of the human condition: We inhabit an arena characterized by competing imperatives, cognitive dissonance, a “messy middle” in which no simple solutions to the perils of life exist. Mortality is “difficult by design.” Eve’s heroic decision, coming at such great cost, exemplifies the collateral damage inevitable in a crucible of learning. Christ’s role as Savior can be greatly enhanced in our lives when we learn that the Greek word, sodzo, also carries the valence of healing.

TERRYL L. GIVENS is a Neal A. Maxwell Senior Research Fellow. He formerly held the Jabez A. Bostwick Chair of English and is Professor of Literature and Religion at the University of Richmond. He is the author of many books about Latter-day Saint history and culture, including “Wrestling the Angel: The Foundations of Mormon Thought,” “Feeding the Flock: The Foundations of Mormon Practice,” and “By the Hand of Mormon: The American Scripture That Launched a New World Religion,” each with Oxford University Press. He is also co-author, with Fiona Givens, of “The God Who Weeps,” “The Crucible of Doubt,” and “The Christ Who Heals.”

The series is sponsored by Brigham Young University's Office of the Associate Academic Vice President for Undergraduate Studies and the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship, in partnership with:
The Office of the Dean of Students
Office of the International Vice President
Dean of Undergraduate Education
Department of Religious Education
Wheatley Institution
Harold B. Lee Library
Enrollment Services
Center for Teaching and Learning
BYU Continuing Education
David O. McKay School of Education
J. Reuben Clark Law School
College of Physical and Mathematical Science
College of Humanities
College of Life Sciences
College of Engineering
College of Nursing

Lectures in this series include:
09/23—Lecture 1, “The Doors of Faith”
10/21—Lecture 2, “Awful Woundedness”
11/18—Lecture 3, “Great Plan of Happiness”
12/9—Lecture 4, “Worlds Without End”