Y Religion

How can sacred art help us feel closer to the Savior and more fully understand his Atonement? In this episode, professor of ancient scripture John Hilton III discusses his new book Behold the Lamb: A Visual Witness of the Savior's Final Hours, created with Anthony Sweat and J. Kirk Richards. The book gathers contemporary Latter-day Saint artwork depicting the final twelve hours of Christ's mortal life and invites deeper reflection on each piece through artist insights, artistic commentary, and cultural context.
Professor Hilton explores why Latter-day Saints often favor images of Gethsemane and the Resurrection over those of the Crucifixion, how scripture emphasizes Christ's death as central to His Atonement, and how sacred art can help us "behold the Lamb of God…[who] was lifted up upon the cross and slain for the sins of the world" (1 Nephi 11: 32–33) with greater devotion. This episode offers a meaningful way to enrich your Easter season and deepen your discipleship.
 
Publications:
Behold the Lamb: A Visual Witness of the Savior's Final Hours, co-authored with Anthony Sweat and J. Kirk Richards, Religious Studies Center (2026)
Considering the Cross: How Calvary Connects Us with Christ, Deseret Books (2021)
"The Loving Christ," in The Power of Christ's Deliverence, Religious Studies Center (2022)
Highlighted artwork:
A Place Called Gethsemane, Anthony Sweat
Arms of Mercy, Anthony Sweat
Judged of the World, Emilie Buck Lewis
King of the Jews, Tyler Swain
Advocate, Chad Winks
Christ's Cross, Joseph Chu
And Israel's Daughters Wept Around, Rose Datoc Dall
Finisher of Our Faith, Eva Koleva Timothy
How Beautiful upon the Mountain…, Maureen Merrell
View His Death, Anthony Sweat
Spear in His Side, J. Kirk Richards
Descent From The Cross, Brian Kershisnik
 Held, Kristin Alley Carver
At Birth and Death, Esther Candari
Nicodemus in the Tomb, Lester Yocum
Click here to learn more about John Hilton III, here to learn more about Anthony Sweat, and here to learn more about J. Kirk Richards

In June 2025, President D. Todd Christofferson gave a landmark address to Religious Educators titled "Lifelong Disciples of Jesus Christ." In this bonus episode, John Hilton visits with BYU Religious Education professors Jenet Erickson, Matthew Richardson, and Philip Allred to unpack its implications for teaching and discipleship. 
Their conversation centers on President Christofferson's invitation to highlight the vital role of agency in becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ. The panel members explore concrete practices to help students take personal ownership in their learning. They also discuss how to move beyond information transfer and instead focus on helping students deepen their connection with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ through active engagement and the guiding influence of the Holy Ghost.
Publication:
"Lifelong Disciples of Jesus Christ," CES Religious Educators Conference, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (2025)
Click here to learn more about the upcoming 2026 CES Religious Educators Conference

Isaiah 51:1–2 instructs us to, "Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you." In this episode, David and Jo Ann Seely unpack their article "The Ten Tests of Abraham and Sarah," uncovering how Abraham and Sarah emerge as models of covenant discipleship. The Seelys explore how these tests developed in scriptural commentary, highlight Sarah's often-overlooked trials, and discuss connections to the Book of Abraham. From this episode, we can gain a deeper understanding of how ancient traditions can illuminate the covenant path and enrich our own discipleship.
Publications:
"The Ten Tests of Abraham and Sarah" in Abraham and His Family in Scripture, History, and Tradition: Proceedings of the Conference Held May 3 & 10, 2025 at Brigham Young University, The Interpreter Foundation (2025)
"'Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you' (Isa. 51:2): The Ten Tests of Abraham and Sarah," 2026 BYU Religious Education Symposium in Honor of Sidney B. Sperry, Tender Mercies and Loving-Kindness: The Goodness of God in the Old Testament, Religious Education (2026)
Tender Mercies and Loving-Kindness: The Goodness of God in the Old Testament, Religious Studies Center (2026)
"The Cry of the Widow, the Fatherless, and the Stranger: The Covenant Obligation to Help the Poor and Oppressed," in God's Word in Our Hearts: Learning from the Old Testament, Religious Studies Center (2025)
Approaching Holiness: Exploring the History and Teachings of the Old Testament, Religious Studies Center (2021)
Ascending the Mountain of the Lord: Temple, Praise, and Worship in the Old Testament, Religious Studies Center (2013)
"Jesus the Messiah: Prophet, Priest, and King," in Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior, Religious Studies Center (2002)
Click here to learn more about Jo Ann Seely and here to learn more about David Seely

What if one of the most powerful testimonies of God's love in the scriptures comes from a woman whose story we often skip over? In this episode, BYU professor of ancient scripture Amy Easton discusses a compelling study of Hagar–the enslaved Egyptian woman who becomes the only person in the Old Testament to name God–by discussing her article "'You Are the God Who Sees Me': God's Loving-Kindness to Hagar." Professor Easton guides listeners into the heart of Hagar's story, showing how her experiences of trauma, exploitation, and exile reveal a God who is intimately aware of those on the margins. She highlights Hagar's transformative encounters in the wilderness, where God sees her, hears her, makes promises directly to her, and ultimately liberates her and her son. Through these moments, we come to understand a God who works both within hardship and beyond it. Further, Professor Easton explains how Hagar's story affirms a universal truth that God sees all His children and invites us to see and care for one another with that same loving‑kindness. 

 

Publications: 

"'You Are the God Who Sees Me': God's Loving-Kindness to Hagar," in Tender Mercies and Loving-Kindness: The Goodness of God in the Old Testament, Religious Studies Center (2026) 


"A Multiplicity of Witnesses: Women and the Translation Process," with Rachel Cope, in A Hundredth Part: Exploring the History and Teachings of the Book of Mormon, Religious Studies Center (2023) 


"Recognizing Responsibility and Standing with Victims: Studying Women of the Old Testament," in Covenant of Compassion: Caring for the Marginalized and Disadvantaged in the Old Testament, Religious Studies Center (2021) 


"Lehi's Dream as a Template for Understanding Each Act of Nephi's Vision," in The Things Which My Father Saw: Approaches to Lehi's Dream and Nephi's Vision, Religious Studies Center (2011) 


 

Click here to learn more about Amy Easton

Why do some people feel their shelf of unanswered questions eventually breaks? In this Y Religion episode, Professor Jared Halverson discusses his article "Broken Shelves or Continuing Revelation? Extending the Shelf Life of Faith" and reframes the idea of a faith shelf into three shelves—revelation past, present, and future. He explains how remembering God's past mercies, engaging in current spiritual learning, and patiently awaiting future revelation can strengthen faith and prevent spiritual stagnation. Through scripture, storytelling, and years of working with students in faith crises, Dr. Halverson offers a shelf-by-shelf process for extending the shelf life of our faith.
Publications:
"Broken Shelves or Continuing Revelation? Extending the Shelf Life of Faith," Religious Educator, 25.3 (2024)
"Just War and the Causes of Christ," in This Great and Lasting War: Studies in Alma 45–63, Religious Studies Center (2025)
"'Covering the Seers': Antivisionary Skepticism in the Days of Joseph Smith," in Joseph Smith as a Visionary: Heavenly Manifestations in the Latter Days, Religious Studies Center (2025)
"The Way, the Truth, and the Way to Truth: harmony in Pursuit of Orthodoxy," in I Glory in My Jesus: Understanding Christ in the Book of Mormon, Religious Studies Center (2023)
Click here to learn more about Jared Halverson