[This is the beginning of a longer study about 1 Sam 1:1-4:1a that I’m still working on. Interested in comments, criticisms, or questions. I apologize about the formatting and other vagaries of the presentation resulting from copying and pasting from an original Word document.] From the rise of critical study of the Hebrew Bible, the Samuel narrative has long been a focus of literary and historical investigation. Spurred on by its unforgettable prose stories and the widespread assumption that it may... Read more

I recently concluded my 8th year as a blogger with FPR (or its earlier affiliate). In reflecting on the various debates and discussions I’ve seen or been involved in during this time, I started thinking about how these discussions modeled good and bad principles of dialogue. In a new year’s resolution of sorts, I’ve tried to identify a few principles of good dialogue. Here’s what I’ve come up with: (more…) Read more

It might seem that Latter-day Saints have a corner on the faith-crisis market, especially now that everything and everyone is online. No doubt this is an information age second to none, at least in terms of quantity of info. Still there have been previous information ages, and Mormonism is far from being the oldest let alone the only religion on the planet. Plus faith crises need not be religious. Many can be seen together as a subset of the universal... Read more

We are very excited to assist in getting the word out about the second annual Summer Seminar on Mormon Theology, with the topic of “Christ and Anti-Christ: Reading Jacob 7.”  See the link below for more details, but here is a short description of the project: (more…) Read more