Maxwell Institute Podcast #203: Student Spotlight, with Melissa Jensen and Sam Petersen

Maxwell Institute Podcast

Christianity, Education, Religion & Spirituality

4.7 • 809 Ratings

🗓️ 22 April 2026

⏱️ 36 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Two research assistants at the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship at Brigham Young University join Rosalynde F. Welch to reflect on the questions, ideas, and mentorship that shaped their work. Melissa Faith Jensen shares what her study of miracles in the Book of Mormon taught her about divine help, faithful action, and the way scripture shapes how we see God at work in our lives. Sam Petersen explores Joseph Smith’s teachings on sacred matter, pointing to a vision of the world in which material things can hold deep spiritual meaning.

Together, they discuss disciple scholarship as a way of seeking truth with Jesus Christ at the center through curiosity, rigor, and faith. Their conversations offer a thoughtful look at how serious study can shape belief, deepen discipleship, and prepare people to live lives of service and purpose.

Transcript

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0:00.0	From Brigham Young University's Maxwell Institute, this is the Maxwell Institute podcast, Faith Illuminating Scholarship.
0:11.3	Hello and welcome to another episode of the questions we should be asking.
0:15.9	My name is Rosalind Welch, and I have something a little different for you today, interviews with two of our
0:21.9	student researchers, Melissa Jensen and Sam Peterson. BYU is celebrating another graduating class,
0:28.9	and amid all the pomp and circumstance, we thought we'd spotlight two of our own graduates.
0:34.7	The Institute runs on the energy and ideas of students. They staff our front desk,
0:40.3	assist at our events, edit our podcasts, and film our lectures. And some work as research
0:46.4	assistants with our fellows, where they receive one-on-one mentorship as they learn the methods
0:51.5	of scholarly research. I invited Melissa Jensen and Sam Peterson on the podcast
0:57.0	to talk about their experience at the Maxwell Institute and share some ideas from the papers
1:03.0	they recently presented at our annual student research symposium. Melissa and I reflected on the
1:09.9	Book of Mormon's Theology of Miracles and how it has it changed the way we look for God's hand in our lives.
1:17.2	Sam Peterson shared some thoughts on Joseph Smith's prophetic teachings on sacred matter and what he calls the sacramental character of the material world.
1:27.0	And Melissa and Sam both reflected on what
1:29.5	disciple scholarship has come to mean to them during their time at the Maxwell Institute.
1:35.1	I hope you enjoy my conversations with these two exemplary BYU graduates. Melissa Jensen, welcome to
1:42.8	the Maxwell Institute podcast. Thank you. Melissa, I have the pleasure
1:47.2	of knowing you well because you've worked as my research assistant for about a year now. I'd like
1:53.8	you to introduce yourself to our audience. Tell them where you're from, what your background is,
1:58.3	what you're studying, and then tell them how you first became aware of the Maxwell Institute. Sure. Yeah, I study English here at BYU and I'm in the
2:08.9	creative writing track. I love writing gospel scholarship and creative nonfiction and poetry. And I'm from
2:16.5	Northern California.
	...

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