If Nibley Was The Mormon Aquinas, Taylor Petrey is Our Foucault

Taylor Petrey is the most important voice in Mormon theology and Mormon thought today. He is the Lucinda Hinsdale Stone Assistant Professor of Religion at Kalamazoo College specializing in Early Christianity and Biblical Studies, and is director of the Women, Gender, and Sexuality program.

His article “Toward a Post-Heterosexual Mormon Theology” in the December 2011 Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought is a masterpiece. In that article, Petrey offers a deep theoretical analysis of gender conceptions within Mormon thought.

In August 2012, Petrey delivered the keynote address at the Compassionate Cause symposium held at the University of Washington. In the presentation below, Taylor addresses the theme of “Creating a Safe Space for the Homosexual in the Church” by offering a detail and insightful genealogy of the treatment and rhetoric related to homosexuality within the LDS Church.

In addition to being a brilliant theologian, Taylor is also a kind and caring friend. Today, is his birthday. Happy Birthday, Taylor!

NOTE: Here is my follow up post dealing with the title of this one.

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