Kendel Christensen and Dr. David Paulsen, Philosophy

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This project exceeded my grandest expectations. Not only did we achieve our main objective of tracking the history and evolution of the soteriological problem of evil, but our connection to restoration themes was so salient that the Journal of Book of Mormon and Restoration Scripture accepted our offer to write a piece for them. They liked it so much that we are now in the final editing stages of a follow-up piece. Both articles can be accessed by going to http://maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/authors/?authorID=715 (note: the second article will not be accessible until sometime during the first quarter of 2011).

In my project, we detailed the components of the soteriological problem of evil, namely, the Christian triad of ideas that (1) God is perfectly loving and just and desires that all his children be saved, (2) salvation comes only through an individual’s acceptance of Christ’s salvific gifts, and (3) countless numbers of God’s children have died without having a chance to hear about, much less accept, those saving gifts. Christianity, unfortunately, has a history of condemning the entire group of people in (3). Yet, as our research found, that was not the original Christian view. There was a preponderance of writings that taught the idea that Christ visited the dead in Sheol, or Hell, to bring the glad tidings of the gospel to them. It was only through the writings of St. Augustine that this view began to fall out of favor. With Aquinas and the Reformation, the doctrine had all but disappeared from mainstream Christianity. Remnants of the idea, however, still remain in places. The Apostles Creed, for example, which is still used today as part of the baptismal liturgy of the Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran churchesi contains a phrase that very clearly states that “Christ descended into Hell.” The restoration theme, after establishing these facts, was a logical one. Missionary work is a principle purpose of the “Hell” or spirit prison in Latter-day Saint theology. Joseph Smith did not form the idea with no precedent, but rather restored it with a strong precedence that the doctrine existed before his time.

It was extremely rewarding working with Dr. Paulsen. I was given personal tutelage in not only writing and research (which experience, especially in citation, has proved invaluable in my undergraduate education), but on how to research and write a publication. Someone like me actually was published as an undergraduate. Thanks to the ORCA program I not only gained experience, but received valuable validation that my efforts and ideas can be made into a worthy project that bears truly significant fruit. This confidence has led me to undertake many other projects that before I had thought would be outside of my capability. But I know that no matter how tall the mountain to cross, one can reach it with steady industry, a detailed plan, and a vision of success.

References

• Heidi J. Hornik and Mikeal C. Parsons, “The Harrowing of Hell,” Bible Review 19/3 (2003): 19