Kristeen L. Black

KRISTEEN L. BLACK {[email protected]} received her PhD from Drew University Theological School in the field of religion and society. Her work focuses on congregational and Mormon studies. Cited most often as an ethnographer, her work appeals to a diverse range of disciplines. Dr. Black currently resides in Oakland, California.

A Capacious Priesthood and a Life of Holiness

Articles/Essays – Volume 50, No. 3

As an offering in speculative theology, this paper reconsiders the current normative understanding of a male-only priesthood as presented in the Book of Mormon, specifically in Alma 13:1–20, and proposes that Alma presents a more capacious model. While this text is generally accepted as supporting the establishment and practice of a male-only priesthood (and a model of the Melchizedek Priesthood), I argue that Alma’s message was meant to expand the role of priesthood in society and to provide a way for an entire community to enter into a life of holiness.The exegesis that this paper presents is not simply an attempt to bring women into the conversation but to expand the conversation for the entire community—the community of all believers: men, women, and the rest of us.