“Spend A Friday Afternoon With Margaret Barker In Provo”

A branch of the Provo River — This view of a small part of the Provo River — the deeper and wider branch at this point is out of view to the left, separated by the little island that is visible on the left hand (connected to the near bank by the bridge that’s visible in the background distance) — was taken a few weeks ago by my wife’s youngest brother. This is a favorite location of ours, and it has been for many years.

I received the following news release that will interest some of you:

Spend a Friday Afternoon with Margaret Barker in Provo

On October 12, Margret Barker will be here for a brief visit in Provo. She will speak at 2:00 pm, Friday afternoon here on BYU campus, in the J. Reuben Clark Law School, room 303 JRCB. Her topic will be “Creation Theology, Temple, and the Environment.”

Others responding or participating will include George Handley, Jacob Rennaker, David Larsen, Jack Welch, Brigham Daniels, and others. Following the presentations, there will be time for questions and discussion, concluding around 4:00 or 4:30.

This event is sponsored by BYU Studies, the BYU Ancient Near Eastern Studies program, and the Utah Temple Studies Group. Please feel free to spread the word about this personal opportunity to catch Dr. Barker following her visit at Utah State University on Thursday.

The event is free and open to the public. It will not be streamed live on the internet, but it may be recorded for future distribution or publication. Her previous scholarly publications are widely known and include articles in BYU Studies Quarterly and her speech at the 2005 Joseph Smith Bicentennial Celebration in the Library of Congress.

If you’re interested, and if you want to read some pieces by Dr. Barker, a prolific British Methodist biblical scholar, in preparation for her visit, here are some recommendations. But you’re obviously welcome to attend her lecture and the associated responses whether you’ve done any background reading or not:

“Joseph Smith and Preexilic Israelite Religion”

“The Lord Is One”

You might also, in this context, be interested in

Andrew Skinner, “Margaret Barker’s ‘The Lord Is One’—a Response”

David J. Larsen, “Response to Margaret Barker’s ‘The Lord Is One'”

Daniel C. Peterson, “An Improvisation on Margaret Barker’s ‘The Lord is One'”

“The Great High Priest”

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In connection with Dr. Barker’s specific topic for 12 October — “Creation Theology, Temple, and the Environment” — here are some further recommendations for reading:

“Environmental Stewardship and Conservation”

“Selected Scriptures and Church Leader Statements on Environmental Stewardship and Conservation”

I also commend this very short Church video to your attention. It’s only a minute and a half long:

“Our Earth, Our Home — God Created The Earth For Us To Enjoy and Take Care Of”