“Welding Another Link in Wonder’s Chain”

It being Friday, Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship has published yet another new article.  That new article is Professor Nathan B. Oman’s “Welding Another Link in Wonder’s Chain: The Task of Latter-day Saint Intellectuals in the Church’s Third Century”

Abstract: This is a challenging moment for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints. Both its efforts at retention and missionary work are less effective than they have been in the past. At this moment, what is the most important task facing Latter-day Saint intellectuals? In contrast to those who argue that faithful thinkers and writers should focus either on defending the faith or providing criticisms of the Church’s failings, this essay argues that the Latter-day Saint clerisy should focus on celebrating the Restoration and finding new language in which to express what makes the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ a compelling and attractive force in people’s lives. The language which we have used in the past no longer seems to be as compelling as once it was. This is unsurprising. The history of the Church shows a cyclical pattern focused on missionary work, with seasons of harvest giving way to fallow times and seasons of planting. However, over time the Church tends to transform itself in the image of its most successful messages for proclaiming the Gospel. Latter-day Saint intellectuals have an important, albeit subordinate, role in finding such messages. Pursuing the project of celebrating the Restoration need not involve either usurping the prerogatives of Church leaders nor compromising one’s intellectual integrity. In this moment in the history of the Church, it is the most important project to which Latter-day Saint thinkers can turn their attention.

I’m pleased that we were able to publish Professor Oman’s article.  Not merely because it’s very good and because I like what it says (which isn’t quite the same thing), but because Nate was one of the brightest students that I’ve ever had at Brigham Young University.

Today represents the 368th consecutive Friday on which Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship has published at least one article.  Not bad for an organization — the Interpreter Foundation — that was established 369.5 weeks ago with literally no money.  Not even a bank account.  I’m grateful to everybody who has made this possible.

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Scott Gordon, the long-serving (long-suffering?) president of FairMormon, opened the Friday afternoon session of the 2019 FairMormon Conference with a hard-hitting presentation under the title “CES Letter: Proof or Propaganda?”  Having only about fifty minutes for his remarks, he focused (to devastating effect) on the first chapter of the Letter.   I understand why he would so limit his attention:  At the request of others, I myself responded to the CES Letter at the 2014 FairMormon Conference.  (See “Some Reflections On That Letter To a CES Director.”)  I attempted to cover the whole thing, and I found it incredibly frustrating. (“So many errors, so little time!”)

Posted from Provo, Utah