Papers
By David Golding
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Here are my academic papers from undergraduate through my current work. Interesting to see how I’ve developed as a writer and historian. Amusing, too, in many places :)
2004
Paradigms and Proselytizing: The Effects of Traditions on Twentieth Century Proselytizing Methods
This one was for my English 315 class, finished in December of 2004, almost a year after returning home from my mission. Proselytizing methods were still very much on my mind, with many lingering questions about how earlier Mormon missionaries worked, preached, and taught, and how the discussions had become curriculum for the church.
2005
“Unto the Convincing of Men”: The Convincing Power of the Spirit and Missionary Work
I spent almost all of 2005 researching for and writing this paper. It eventually was accepted as part of the 2006 Student Symposium at BYU and made it into their published journal. I was thrilled with it at the time, put in a ton of work, and now consider it a kind of foundational moment for me. Though I’d probably adjust much of what I wrote here, there’s no questions I wouldn’t be where I am without the learning experience I had when advancing this paper for scholarly review. I still remember things I learned here when writing papers.
2007
Aidan of Lindisfarne: Apostle to the English
I cranked out this paper over a couple of days due to a misreading of the course syllabus (honest!) in Winter Semester 2007 at BYU. It ended up becoming a pivotal project in that I learned how important it is to be as honest as possible to the person you portray. On a personal level, I feel like I still learn things from Aidan, though he lived almost 14 centuries ago.
A Cauldron of Unholy Loves: Ecclesiastical Ambiguity and the Development of Medieval Marriage Law and Theology
Written for my Family in Europe class in the fall of 2007, this was a project that was part of my medieval phase. At the time, and since the Aidan paper, I was hooked on medieval history. I recall the professor here even recommending I pursue medievalist history in grad school.
The Faintest Conception of a Church: Hitler’s Attack on Christianity and German Resistance
I thought this paper was one of my best during my senior year at BYU, but I think it only got a B or so. I’m sure the professor in this class wasn’t too interested in the religious aspect of fascist history (this was for a History of Fascism class). But by this time I knew I was going to pursue a Ph.D. eventually in religious history, probably mission history, and so I was really only interested in how fascism and religion came into contact.
To Minister in the Sight of the Almighty: The Medieval Theology of Sin
Another medieval history paper. I wanted to look into more ideas that I started in my “Cauldron of Unholy Loves” paper and so wrote this one about the general theology of sin in the medieval church. My premises are very brief, and gloss over much more research I had collected, but at least here I tried to make sense of something I found had been a hotly debated topic in medieval Catholic discourse.
2008
A Neglected History of the Holocaust’s Perpetrators: Daniel Jonah Goldhagen’s “Hitler’s Willing Executioners”
My first real attempt at a book review, senior year, 2008.
The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters: Christian Reactions to the Enlightenment
One thing that bugs me is when folks take Enlightenment thinkers and make them out to be the end-all-be-all of reason. I suppose I’m a postmodernist in that sense :) This paper was my attempt to react against the Enlightenment, though I still stuck with my interest in Christian history and made that the main focus of the paper. Senior year, 2008.
Delight in the Suffering of the Damned: Aquinas’s Theology of the Beatific Vision
I’m a huge Aquinas fan, and I think you find here more of a defense of him than a critique. One of his statements has been hugely misunderstood, and so I took issue with it in this paper. I must say, I came away from this one very pleased and motivated to pursue more Thomistic studies, though I haven’t had much opportunity. This was one of my final papers in April, 2008 just before graduating from BYU.
“A Tragic and Intractable Phenomenon”: The Expansion of West European Islam
This was my last paper at BYU and the professor for this one was a real punk. Long story short, after the curve he put in force, I had earned an A- in the class, but due to the most insane policies, I got dealt a D… Ooh, I still boil over this one, and will never forget the injustice here, never. The professor retired the week I graduated, flew to Europe, and didn’t come back for a month; by then the case was closed, and nobody was on my side except adjunct faculty. But this paper, at least, shows that I was capable of some good European Studies work, and worthy of my degree, I think.
Some Labor to Perform?: Brigham Young’s Theory of Atonement and Assurance
My first paper in grad school. I must say that it represents my attempt to make sense of Brigham Young’s blood atonement doctrine and still be a fan of Brigham Young. I’m a closet Brighamite in at least one sense: I think he was a softy in private and a consummate believer, but definitely a rigid and forceful leader, and I like softies and consummate believers :) I’m very curious how this paper will be received, since I’ve really stuck my neck out there in a way to advocate a more lenient approach to the development of blood atonement doctrine.
Prophetic Movements, Theory, and Mission in Postcolonial Congo: Toward a Confession Missiology
My most challenging project to date. This paper represents my negotiation with postcolonialism and missiology, and how I think mission work ought to adjust to contemporary world issues.
Reinterpreting Religious Studies: Derrida, Deconstruction, and Detours
I have grown tired of some of ways atheists and theists quibble with each other. Many times, folks make terrible and all-too-elementary assumptions about science and religion to try to debunk the other. In my mind, science and religion are embedded in many of the same things. This paper examines religious studies as a discipline and how it might benefit from using Derridean deconstruction method to question itself and also how it might move away from modern protocols of knowledge.
2009
A Luxuriant Demonology? The Idea of a Benevolent God in Calvinist Orthodoxy
I’m not altogether sympathetic to John Calvin, but I do get frustrated when I hear folks dismiss his theology due to their own misunderstandings. It’s a lot like how I feel with Joseph Smith; it’s really easy to misunderstand the man, dismiss him, then punish him for it. This paper attempts to understand Calvin’s doctrine of a benevolent God and in a way defend it against accusations that have become standard fare in American culture over the past couple of centuries. Not intended to be exhaustive, mostly opening up a line of inquiry.
Modes of Conversion in American Religious History, 1500–1860
Here I develop a preliminary theory of conversion that I use to examine moments of contact between evangelists and converts in early and colonial American history. I’m thinking of developing this theory further in my thesis, so any and all feedback is welcome.
From Desert to City: Asceticism in Early Christianity and the Appropriation of Authority
This paper explores how early Christian bishops appropriated authority into their office and how others appropriated it to them and to the Desert Fathers. A mix of theory and history, which I hope is creative and enlightening.
Sickles, Swords, and Servants: The Foundations of Joseph Smith’s Mission Theory
A comprehensive look at the pre-Book of Mormon and New York period of Joseph Smith’s life respecting the formation of his missiology, or mission theory. Highlights the similarities between Joseph’s theory and Protestant missionaries of the same time period in America, and points to the move to Kirtland as a significant shift in his approach to mission.
Wanderers in Wandering Societies: Early Medieval Monasticism and the Beginnings of Systematic Prosleytism
Aidan of Lindisfarne first caught my attention when working on a paper for a History of the Middle Ages class. I had been looking for medieval missionaries and discovered in Bede’s Ecclesiastical History how special mention was made of Aidan for his proselytism and establishing a training center at Lindisfarne for other missionaries to expand into northern Europe and build monasteries. I revisited this topic with a little more attention in this paper and argue here that the social environment lent itself toward the development of systematic institutions, one of the more stable and progressive of such in the early Middle Ages I identify as the growth of monasteries and the beginnings of systematic proselytism.
Forthcoming papers
Missiology, Pluralism, and the Expansion of Mormonism
This one was presented for Harvard’s Faith and Knowledge Conference in February 2009. Pending a second draft and some further research, though I’ve got almost everything researched that I’ll present at the conference. Represents my first forays into missiology on a professional level, and how I’m adapting my Mormon mission heritage to fit a postmodern missiological paradigm, namely pluralism.
