Volume 42, No. 2

Summer 2009

The Summer 2009 issue begins with "The Living Oracles: Legal Interpretation and Mormon Thought" by Nathan B. Oman, who looks at the difficulties faced by Mormon thinkers in relation to some of the thinkers from churches with a longer tradition of such activity, like the Catholic church. This if followed by Katie Clark Blakesley who examines the ever-changing modesty standards in the church and how they compare to the broader American standards during certain eras. Also contained in this issue are several reviews, including a review of the Twilight series, a sermon from Taylor Petrey, and a beautiful poem by Elizabeth Pinborough.

Articles/Essays

“The Living Oracles”: Legal Interpretation and Mormon Thought

Nathan B. Oman

“A Style of Our Own”: Mormon Women and Modesty

Katie Clark Blakesley

Clothing has been the subject of scriptural injunctions and aperennial topic of Church leaders’ concern. Subtle changes inboth dress standards and rationales for modest dress in the latterhalf of the twentieth century reflect the LDS…

Triptych: Plural

S. P. Bailey

I Nora bears the tray of hors d’oeuvres she spent three hours this afternoon preparing. Mushroom caps stuffed with chopped and sauteed artichoke hearts, onion, garlic, bread crumbs, and three cheeses. She approaches the door;…

The Widower

Theric Jepson

The Widower Eric W Jepson Four years had passed since Mary had died; Torrance still wasn’t comfortable dating and yet here he was, getting married. Five years with Mary may have been too short, but…

Meeting Donna Freitas

Donna Freitas and Heidi Harris

Rest of the Story

Letters to the Editor

Asherah Alert

Cheryl L. Bruno

Dialogue 42.2 (Summer 2009): ix-xii
But when it comes to pegging Asherah as our Heavenly Mother, there are many problems which must be overcome, and Kevin Barney falls short of doing so. Barney’s proposition is that the early worship form of venerating Asherah is more valid than the later, more evolved form of monotheism.

Kevin Barney Responds

Kevin L. Barney

Dialogue 42.2 (Summer 2009): xiii–iixx
The truth is that the winners get to write the history, and itwas those who rejected Asherahwho largely redacted or wrote the Old Testament as we have ittoday. There is, quite frankly, alot of political spin in the OldTestament. I recognize that weget really nervous when we starttalking about spin in the scrip-tures. So I do not blame anyone,including you, for not wanting to follow me there.