Sic et Non

    An eloquent personal tribute from a friend of Stephen Webb, written for the superb magazine First Things, to which Steve was a frequent contributor:   http://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2016/03/the-excess-of-stephen-h-webb   Many of us also considered Steve a (relatively newfound) friend.   We still mourn his passing, and we missed him deeply at the events connected with [Read More…]

    I still have about ten minutes, so . . .  Happy St. Patrick’s Day, Brother Joseph!   http://www.irishcentral.com/news/irish-roots-of-mormon-founder-joseph-smith-discovered-100251279-237361951.html   Thanks to Cody Quirk for reminding me of this article.   Incidentally, on Dr. Ugo Perego (who spoke at our Interpreter symposium on science and Mormonism over the weekend), see here:   http://www.mormoninterpreter.com/author/ugop/   [Read More…]

      The eloquent discussion in Mosiah 5, today’s reading, of taking upon ourselves the name of Christ and becoming his children — that is, members of his family and his true disciples — before the Day of Judgment has always spoken powerfully to me:   For how knoweth a man the master whom he has not [Read More…]

    We enjoyed a BYU concert tonight by Wu Man, one of the world’s leading players of the pipa.  The pipa is a stringed instrument that originally came to China from Persia and that is akin to the Arabic ‘ud — which is perhaps why I felt so completely at home with the evening’s [Read More…]

    I used to read articles pretty regularly from Dr. Paul McHugh, but hadn’t seen anything from him in years.  In fact, oddly enough, I thought of him about a week ago, wondering where he had gone.   Thanks to David Wills, a reliable Australian source of good reading, for calling my attention to [Read More…]

    But with Christ, we have access in a one-to-one relationship, for, as in the Old Testament, it was more one of worship and awe, a vertical relationship. The New Testament, on the other hand, we look across at a Jesus who looks familiar, horizontal. The combination is what makes the Cross. Bono   [Read More…]

    Merrick Garland’s “Moderation”   “The Senate Should Not Act on President Obama’s Supreme Court Nomination”   In the meantime, who would a President Trump nominate to the Supreme Court?   http://spectator.org/articles/65018/who-would-donald-trump-appoint-supreme-court   We have literally no clear idea at all.   Trump in 2016!  He’ll do something to America!     [Read more…]

    He has, absolutely, beyond reasonable doubt, coarsened political speech in the United States.  And now he seems to be encouraging thuggish violence:   Los Angeles Times: “Trump’s endorsement of violence reaches new level”   “Donald Trump: ‘Never said’ I would pay supporters’ legal fees”   I’m astonished, genuinely astonished, that apparently otherwise decent people [Read More…]

    My Thursday Deseret News column for the week:   http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865650218/Is-the-Bible-more-like-Platos-or-Copernicus-books.html     [Read more…]