One of my recurring disappointments about our visits to Richmond is that, occupied as we always are with family matters (which, of course, is a very good thing), we’ve usually been unable to pay much attention to the astonishingly rich history here and about — from both the colonial and revolutionary era and from the Civil War, and also beyond those momentous times. Every time that we’ve driven down to Richmond from Washington DC, we’ve passed signs along the... Read more
This new article appeared just after noon today (Utah time) in Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship: “Adam Clarke and Isaiah in the Book of Mormon,” written by Kent P. Jackson Abstract: A recent article alleges that in creating the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith copied Isaiah passages out of the Bible commentary of Scottish theologian Adam Clarke. The author of the article alleges that while doing so, the Prophet edited those passages based on suggestions... Read more
First of all, happy Pioneer Day! Or, if nothing else, happy Twenty-Fourth of July! It being Thursday, the Interpreter Foundation has just published another item in its reprint series, which — please recall — is distinct from its series of new journal articles, which always appear on Friday: Seek Ye Words of Wisdom: “The Lord Works from the Inside Out: “Cleanse the Inner Vessel,” written by Camille Fronk Olson: Part of our book chapter reprint series, this article originally... Read more
24 July, for people who reside in Utah and for many members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints worldwide, is “Pioneer Day.” It commemorates the entry of Brigham Young and the first group of Latter-day Saint pioneers — the advance or vanguard party — into the Valley of the Great Salt Lake on 24 July 1847 after the forced expulsion of their people from Nauvoo, Illinois, and other (mostly adjacent) locations in the eastern United States... Read more
I’m trying to find the time to get my remarks together for the upcoming FAIR conference, which I’m scheduled to deliver in the concluding session, I believe, of the final day, on Friday, 8 August. But it’s genuinely difficult. (Last night, for instance, watching K-Pop Demon Hunters with an element of my progeny cut unexpectedly into my work time.) I know what I want to say, but I’m confronting a mass of good material, and selecting from it is... Read more
A new article of mine has just appeared today in Meridian Magazine: “Facing the Silence: Why is it So Difficult to Talk about Death?” It’s partly my way of announcing that I’m likely to pass away sometime, sooner or later, within the next several decades. Maybe even today. Some will want to buy their party hats and noisemakers and fireworks now, in order to avoid the inevitable run on the store shelves when it happens. And this has just... Read more
It’s at times like this, when we’re acutely aware of our powerlessness to do anything meaningful to help, that we most starkly realize our desperate need for the only one who actually can help us: “The Words of Christ Bring Comfort and Hope to Grieving Families and Friends in Lesotho: Church and government leaders join families in finding hope in Christ at a combined funeral service in Maputsoe” “‘God is still God’ — Remembering the lives lost in Lesotho bus... Read more
I think that I may actually have been credited, the other day on the Peterson Obsession Board, with having invented the notion of a limited geographical model for the Book of Mormon — having done so, I suppose (because it’s the only reason for which I ever do anything), with an eye toward massive personal financial gain. If so, what an honor! Unfortunately, though, the writer in question wasn’t very clear, so I can’t quite be sure. And he... Read more
This new review-essay appeared today in the never-changing Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship: “The Plates of Gardner,” written by Kimberley Heuston: Review of Brant A. Gardner, The Plates of Mormon: A Book of Mormon Study Edition, and its companion volume, Engraven Upon Plates, Printed Upon Paper: Textual and Narrative Structures of the Book of Mormon (Salt Lake City: Greg Kofford Books, 2023). Study edition 598 pp.; $34.95 (paperback). Commentary 485 pp.; $24.95 (paperback). Abstract: This paper... Read more
It’s Thursday at the Interpreter Foundation, so here’s a chapter reprint for you: Seek Ye Words of Wisdom: Manipulating Text to Reinforce the Message: Content informs Form in the Bible and Book of Mormon,” written by my long-time friend Paul Y. Hoskisson Part of our book chapter reprint series, this article originally appeared in Seek Ye Words of Wisdom: Studies of the Book of Mormon, Bible, and Temple in Honor of Stephen D. Ricks, edited by Donald W. Parry,... Read more
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