As has been happening for the past several weeks, my biweekly “Defending the Faith” column appeared today in the print edition of the Deseret News and, at the following link, in the online edition of LDS Living:   “The Excommunicated Apostle Who Continued to Share Powerful Witnesses of the Book of Mormon”   One of the Deseret News editors recently explained the rationale for the change in my publishing arrangements to an inquiring reader, who has now passed… Read more

    What follow are verses from the Qur’an that I intend to quote during my remarks at the University of Notre Dame Australia School of Law in Sydney on 27 November.  In order to include them in my speech, I’ve translated them afresh — which has made me acutely aware, as such exercises always do, of how inadequate translations inevitably are:   Say: O unbelievers, I do not worship what you worship, and you are not worshipers of what I… Read more

    I share with you some news from the world of science that’s recently caught my eye:   A pretty dramatic headline:   “The Earth Is Eating Its Own Oceans”   But this one is perhaps even more dramatic.  Nice to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live there:   “Naples volcano heading for ‘large volume eruption’: It’s been quiet since 1538 CE, but the Campi Flegrei may be revving up.”   If only all that ice weren’t in… Read more

    The 11 November 2018 edition of the weekly Interpreter Radio Show is now available for listening online, at your convenience:   Interpreter Radio Show — November 11, 2018   In it, Martin Tanner, Terry Hutchinson, and John Gee discuss the historicity of the Book of Abraham as well as certain new books..   ***   Speaking of new books, here are two new Latter-day Saint publications that will be worthy of your attention:   David L. Paulsen and Hal… Read more

    I really, seriously, genuinely didn’t have the time, but I wanted to go and we had tickets.  It’s quite simply one of my very favorite stories, and I’ve never tired of it.  (I also very much like the novel itself, as well as the 1982 film version featuring Anthony Andrews, Jane Seymour, and Ian McKellen.)  So my wife and I took in a magnificently staged and flawlessly acted performance of the musical version of The Scarlet Pimpernel at the… Read more

    My friend Ted Vaggalis has called my attention to this important story from the world of nature:   “Police Lock Up Angry Raccoons Drunk On Crabapple Hooch Until They Sober Up”   I like to keep my readers up with the latest news from the cutting edge of zoological research.   ***   This article poses — not, of course, even remotely for the first time — a very significant question, about which opinions differ dramatically:   “Are… Read more

    As I’ve mentioned here before, I’ll be delivering the seventh Annual Religious Liberty Lecture at the University of Notre Dame Australia School of Law in Sydney later this month, on Tuesday, 27 November 2018:   https://www.notredame.edu.au/events-items/annual-religious-liberty-lecture   It now seems that, in addition to that public lecture, I’ll also be giving two Latter-day Saint firesides while I’m Down Under — one in Sydney (Sunday, 25 November) and one in Melbourne (on, I think, the night of Wednesday, 28 November)…. Read more

    I’m hoping that this will encourage you to join in the great task of sharing the Gospel — in a multitude of ways, including your own very personal fashion (whatever it might be) — with the world, online.  No one person can do it, obviously, but a “royal army” of Latter-day Saints, collectively, can:   “Sharing Light with Just One Click”   At the very least, consider how you might support those who are already engaged in doing… Read more

    It’s been a good day for the arts in Utah Valley, and both of the events that I’m going to mention have links to Utah Valley University, which is located just a few blocks from my house — considerably closer than is Brigham Young University, where I work.   I think that it’s now okay to publicly mention the fact that the very large and beautiful home of our late friend (and former Relief Society president) Melanie Bastian… Read more

    New, on the website of the Interpreter Foundation:   “The Church in the DR Congo: A Personal Perspective: Part 4, What Attracts People to the Church?”   ***   This is a very nice little item from the Church’s Newsroom:   “Sister Aburto Reaches Out to Navajo Latter-day Saints in the American Southwest: Relief Society leader teaches about Book of Mormon”   ***   A few of you might enjoy taking a look at the new website of BYU’s Center… Read more