Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel
Article Title
Keywords
women, Emma Smith, history, teaching
Document Type
Article
Abstract
In early July 1830, shortly following her baptism, Emma Smith received a revelation through her husband, Joseph Smith, about her position and responsibilities in the new Church of Christ. In the revelation (now known as section 25 of the Doctrine and Covenants), the Lord described Emma as an “elect lady” and charged her to “expound scriptures and exhort the church according as it shall be given thee by my spirit.” The responsibilities were weighty: the 1828 American Webster dictionary defines exhort as “to encourage, to embolden, to cheer, to advise, to excite or to give strength, spirit, or courage.” Likewise, expound means “to explain, to lay open the meaning, to clear out of obscurity, to interpret.” The revelation contained specific counsel for Emma, but at the conclusion the charge to teach and preach applied to a more general audience: “this is my voice unto all.”
BYU ScholarsArchive Citation
Reeder, Jennifer. "Using Women’s Voices in Teaching History and Doctrine." Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel 19, no. 1 (2018): 9-27. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/re/vol19/iss1/3