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Standard of Truth

Dr. Gerrit Dirkmaat
  • 4.9 (922)
  • RELIGION & SPIRITUALITY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

The purpose of this podcast is to help Latter-Day Saints better understand their history and increase their faith. The podcast hosted by Dr. Gerrit Dirkmaat, associate professor of Church History and Doctrine at BYU.

  1. S3E1 - Oliver Cowdery and Moroni

    1D AGO • SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

    S3E1 - Oliver Cowdery and Moroni

    After more than a year away, Gerrit and Richard return to Joseph Smith and the Restoration with a discussion of Oliver Cowdery's famously digressive letters about the First Vision and Moroni's appearance. In this episode, we explore Oliver Cowdery's 1834-1835 letter series describing Moroni's visit to Joseph Smith, discovering that Cowdery's writing style makes their own tangents look modest by comparison. Between discussions of NBA draft picks, Caleb Williams, exercise ball kneeling records, and whether Enos actually stayed on his knees all day and night, they uncover fascinating details not found in other accounts: - Joseph prayed for hours (possibly until after midnight) before Moroni appeared - The intense light that filled the room made Joseph think the house was on fire - Oliver's own experiences seeing angels (including Moroni) informed how he described Joseph's vision - The theological significance of taking the characters to Charles Anthon, not to prove them real, but to prove the learned couldn't translate them The episode also examines Oliver's passionate defense of modern revelation and angelic ministry against the Protestant doctrine that such things ceased with the apostles. Despite his flowery language and constant detours, Cowdery delivers a profound insight: any written account of a heavenly vision is merely "a shadow compared to an open vision of seeing, hearing and realizing eternal things." Sign up for our free monthly email: ⁠ ⁠https://standardoftruthpodcast.substack.com⁠   If you have any questions or possible topics of discussion for upcoming podcasts, please email us at: ⁠⁠questions@standardoftruthpodcast.com

    1h 12m

  2. 4D AGO

    S6E3 Gadianton Robbers Part 1

    After debating the college football national championship (with Richard very much not gambling… while also explaining the VIG in suspicious detail), Gerrit drops a sneak peek announcement: they might do another live event, likely in Davis County, with the goal of raising funds to help get more people to the temple in Kenya on the next Sweetwater Rescue trip. What are the strongest, most legitimate arguments against faith, the Church, or God in general and how do you faithfully deal with them? Gerrit argues that the most serious challenge isn’t a niche historical complaint or a shallow “gotcha” claim, but the universal human problem: suffering. Why is the world so brutal if God is both good and powerful? He explores how Latter-day Saint doctrine reframes the question through the premortal life, moral agency, and a more expansive view of God’s work and purposes than classical Christian models often allow. Finally, a listener from Southern Utah writes in with a gem of local folklore: Did Brigham Young really warn that “Gadianton robbers” still infest the area and are they out haunting the desert hills around St. George, Leeds, Apple Valley, and the Arizona mountains? That question kicks off the main theme for the next episode: the Latter-day Saint understanding of the spirit world. Sign up for our free monthly email: ⁠ ⁠https://standardoftruthpodcast.substack.com⁠   If you have any questions or possible topics of discussion for upcoming podcasts, please email us at: ⁠⁠questions@standardoftruthpodcast.com

    1h 6m
  3. S3E1 - Toilet Paper, Gouverneur Morris, and the Constitutional Convention

    JAN 11 • SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

    S3E1 - Toilet Paper, Gouverneur Morris, and the Constitutional Convention

    Condemned to Repeat It is finally back and we return to the Constitutional Convention and pick up right where they left off. This episode centers on one of the most entertaining, complicated, and frankly chaotic delegates in Philadelphia: Gouverneur Morris. He’s wealthy, brilliant, scandal-prone, relentlessly talkative, and allergic to sentimental political speeches. Morris doesn’t pretend public officials will act out of pure virtue. He assumes vice is guaranteed, and asks: How do you build a government that uses self-interest against itself? Standard of Truth Tour dates for the summer of 2027: ⁠ https://standardoftruth.com/tours ⁠ Sign up for our free monthly email: ⁠ ⁠https://standardoftruthpodcast.substack.com⁠ If you have any questions or possible topics of discussion for upcoming podcasts, please email us at: ⁠⁠questions@standardoftruthpodcast.com

    1h 13m

  4. JAN 8

    S6E2 President Holland and Avoiding Deception

    We begin the episode with a loving tribute to President Holland and move on to a discussion of a fraudulent email that was sent out to many members of the Church representing itself as an email coming from the Church while making a series of false claims. We also discuss a litner's email about Joseph Smith’s successor and a tremendous scientific experiment on YooHoo performed by a litter in Fairbanks, Alaska.   Link to the YooHoo Scientific Experiment: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1-Tg5QE6bRRpsRC_yg7rG82uXzC__dk2m?usp=sharing   Standard of Truth Tour dates for the summer of 2027: ⁠ https://standardoftruth.com/tours ⁠ Sign up for our free monthly email: ⁠ ⁠https://standardoftruthpodcast.substack.com⁠   If you have any questions or possible topics of discussion for upcoming podcasts, please email us at: ⁠⁠questions@standardoftruthpodcast.com

    1h 15m
  5. S2E1 D&C 39 and 40 Part 2

    JAN 4 • SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

    S2E1 D&C 39 and 40 Part 2

    Season 2 kicks off with part 2 of Doctrine and Covenants 39 and 40 with the tragic story of James Covel: a seasoned minister who covenants to obey whatever the Lord commands, receives a revelation calling him to be baptized and gather to Ohio, then walks away the very next day. We discuss why fear of persecution and “the cares of the world” can choke faith, and how these sections force the question: am I willing to follow revelation when it costs me something? Standard of Truth Tour dates for the summer of 2027: ⁠ https://standardoftruth.com/tours ⁠ Sign up for our free monthly email: ⁠ ⁠https://standardoftruthpodcast.substack.com⁠ If you have any questions or possible topics of discussion for upcoming podcasts, please email us at: ⁠⁠questions@standardoftruthpodcast.com

    1h 6m

  6. JAN 1 · BONUS

    S6B1 D&C 24 Part 2

    In this episode, we wrap up D&C 24, but not before detouring through the agricultural merits of buckwheat and the theological weight of consecration.   Gerrit reflects on President Holland’s haunting admonition “If you knew what I know, you would run.” and connects it to Oliver Cowdery’s call to speak as with the voice of a trumpet.    Standard of Truth Tour dates for the summer of 2027: ⁠ https://standardoftruth.com/tours ⁠ Sign up for our free monthly email: ⁠ ⁠https://standardoftruthpodcast.substack.com⁠   If you have any questions or possible topics of discussion for upcoming podcasts, please email us at: ⁠⁠questions@standardoftruthpodcast.com

    1h 2m

  7. JAN 1

    S6E1 Book of Moses and D&C 24

    In this episode, we discuss the explosive nature of the Book of Moses and a mob tearing down baptismal dams and dragging a woman away from baptism using power of attorney, 1830s-style. To provide context for the environment in Colesville we talk about Joseph Smith’s narrow escape from violent vigilantes, a heroic constable with a musket, and the early Saints’ intense persecution.   Kristy’s KorneЯ (Last Minute Lesson Prep): the whole episode    Standard of Truth Tour dates for the summer of 2027: ⁠ https://standardoftruth.com/tours ⁠ Sign up for our free monthly email: ⁠ ⁠https://standardoftruthpodcast.substack.com⁠   If you have any questions or possible topics of discussion for upcoming podcasts, please email us at: ⁠⁠questions@standardoftruthpodcast.com

    1h 7m
  8. S1E54 D&C 39 and 40 Part 1

    12/28/2025 • SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

    S1E54 D&C 39 and 40 Part 1

    The core of the discussion is the mysterious figure behind Section 39, James Covel. For decades, Latter-day Saint scholarship identified him as a Baptist minister, largely because later printed sources said so, but more recent manuscript evidence complicates that story, suggesting he may have actually been a local Methodist preacher. Gerrit walks listeners through how the Church’s earliest revelation manuscripts and indexes have reshaped what we think we know, and why that matters for reading the text itself. If Covel was Methodist, the Book of Mormon’s blunt condemnation of infant baptism would have landed very differently than it would for a Baptist. Gerrit also explores a fascinating thread: the repeated scriptural phrase, “the light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehendeth it not,” and whether that language may connect to how Joseph Smith received certain revelations using a seer stone. Standard of Truth Tour dates for the summer of 2027: ⁠ https://standardoftruth.com/tours ⁠ Sign up for our free monthly email: ⁠ ⁠https://standardoftruthpodcast.substack.com⁠ If you have any questions or possible topics of discussion for upcoming podcasts, please email us at: ⁠⁠questions@standardoftruthpodcast.com

    53 min
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Hosts & Guests

4.9
out of 5
922 Ratings

About

The purpose of this podcast is to help Latter-Day Saints better understand their history and increase their faith. The podcast hosted by Dr. Gerrit Dirkmaat, associate professor of Church History and Doctrine at BYU.

Information

  • Creator
    Dr. Gerrit Dirkmaat
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    448
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2022 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Standard of Truth
  • Provider
    Standard of Truth Podcast

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