The Sin of Certainty

Peter Enns, theologian, biblical scholar, and writer, wrote a remarkable book in 2016 called “The Sin of Certainty.” Jeff Christensen, currently a Bishop for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and his brother Doug, currently an LDS seminary instructor, will lead us in a discussion about this book and how being certain about certain things can lead us away from following Christ’s teachings.

Time:

Friday, April 7, 2017, 7:30-9:30 pm

Location:

Home of Elizabeth and Mark England
1194 S. 500 E., SLC, UT

Please come in the back door if you arrive late.

The Discussion:

When did being “right” with God come to mean believing the right things about God—believing the right doctrines, reading the Bible the right way, holding the right views? For many Christians, this idea is at the very center of their religious lives. And that’s the problem. Because this focus on being correct can actually distract us from faith and from God. What happens when the security of “knowing what you believe” gets disrupted—as it does sooner or later? What if once settled questions—like “What is God really like?”—suddenly become unsettled.

These are some of the questions that teacher and scholar Peter Enns addresses in The Sin of Certainty. And these are the questions that Jeff Christensen and his brother Doug will help us explore.

About Jeff:

Jeff Christensen lives in East Millcreek, UT with his wife Chris. They have five children. Their first grandchild will arrive in August. Jeff is the CEO of a 9 year old start-up called EntryPoint Networks, a tech company developing solutions to fix our country’s broken internet service provider system. Jeff has a B.S. in Psychology from the University of Utah and a M.S. in Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management from Purdue University.

About Doug:

Doug Christensen is a Salt Lake native, educated at the U of U with a English BA, Creative non-fiction MFA, and a Rhetoric and Writing Studies PhD. He has logged 25 years teaching for the LDS Church Seminaries and Institutes of Religion, as well 17 years as an Associate Instructor in writing at the University of Utah and Westminster College, among other places. Doug’s avocation is building hand made furniture. He also enjoys running, biking, hiking, backpacking, wandering, gardening, and travel.

Resources to explore:

Review of the Sin of Certainty by Jeff’s brother Doug Christensen for The Association of Mormon Letters

Some favorite quotes of Jeff’s from The Sin of Certainty

The Neal L Maxwell Institute interview with Peter Enns

Peter Enns on reading the Bible critically and religiously [MIPodcast]

Pete Enns: The Bible for Normal People podcasts

Raising Children Un-Fundamentalist with Peter Enns

Amazon: Peter Enns, The Sin of Certainty