*** I was delighted, some time ago, to discover that the British ITV mystery/detective series Midsomer Murders (1997-) has, at least in the past, featured a character named “Dr. Dan Peterson.” Who, I wondered, could they have hired to portray a person bearing so solemn — so august, respectable, and important — a name? This would surely have been a decision fraught with cultural significance, entered into after long and serious deliberation. Several actors came immediately... Read more
*** “Interpreter Radio Show — February 6, 2022” During the 6 February 2022 episode of the Interpreter Radio Show, Neal Rappleye and Jasmin Rappleye discussed the Old Testament and various relevant poetic forms. The second portion of the two-hour show was devoted specifically to a roundtable discussing the upcoming Come Follow Me lesson #12 (Genesis 42–50). You can listen to or download an archived recording of the 6 February 2022 broadcast of the Interpreter Radio Show, liberated... Read more
*** In an 1850 debate with several Christian ministers, John Taylor — the British-born member of the Council of the Twelve who would eventually succeed Brigham Young to serve as the third president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and who was grievously wounded in the same anti-Mormon mob attack on the jail at Carthage, Illinois, that killed Joseph and Hyrum Smith — spoke about his relationship with the Prophet Joseph: I was acquainted with Joseph Smith for... Read more
*** I now own an “I Stand with Ukraine” t-shirt that bears the image of a Ukrainian flag. That pleases me, of course. But it’s pretty weak stuff, really, and wholly unsatisfying. Like so many others around the world, I’m deeply indignant at Russia’s unprovoked invasion of a sovereign, democratic nation. But I’m also frustrated, feeling powerless. Vladimir Putin doesn’t care about my t-shirt. He won’t be affected by it. Ukrainian fighters won’t be helped by... Read more
*** This relatively short piece by Kyler Rasmussen went up on the website of the Interpreter Foundation yesterday, after I had begun the round of errands that I needed to undertake prior to last night’s debut of Undaunted: Witnesses of the Book of Mormon: “Interpreting Interpreter: Reynolds’ Scribal Proposal” *** I really enjoyed this performance by a daughter of President Dallin H. Oaks (on the violin) and a former Secretary of State (on the piano). ... Read more
*** Well, we’re back from the premiere of Undaunted: Witnesses of the Book of Mormon. It went very well, I think. The large theater at the SCERA Center for the Arts has something on the order of 750 seats, and I overheard someone (someone who would know) say that all but 72 seats had been sold — which seems to mean that the theater was 90%+ sold out. And that would be consistent with my own impression: ... Read more
*** In conjunction with the premiere, tonight, of the Interpreter Foundation’s new docudrama Undaunted: Witnesses of the Book of Mormon, I’m scheduled to do an interview with Doug Wright of KSL Radio (1160 AM) at roughly 2 PM today. (Probably a few minutes after 2 PM, I suppose, because of the news break?) I’m assuming that it will be a live interview, but I’m not absolutely certain of that. *** Another new article has just... Read more
*** I’ve been reading somewhat about Martin Luther of late — chiefly in two very readable and readily accessible biographies of him: Roland H. Bainton’s classic Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther (1950) and Eric Metaxas, Martin Luther: The Man Who Rediscovered God and Changed the World (2017). I like this passage of counsel from his collected Tischreden or “Table Talk”: Do not be disturbed by people to whom Christ is just a joke... Read more
*** I had a good time this evening delivering a private lecture as part of the Cruise Lady “Learn Our Religion” series up in West Jordan. I gave it the title “Prelude to the Reformation,” but it was the first half of a two-part presentation on Martin Luther. In the lecture tonight — which, I think, is eventually supposed to be posted online somewhere, though behind a pay wall — I concentrated on the religious and political... Read more
*** I would like to remind you of the premiere, this coming Friday evening — 4 March — of the Interpreter Foundation’s new docudrama Undaunted: Witnesses of the Book of Mormon. It will be shown as part of the 2022 LDS Film Festival at the SCERA Theater in Orem, Utah. Undaunted differs from the Witnesses theatrical film in several important respects. For one thing, it includes not only dramatic scenes (some borrowed from Witnesses, but others created... Read more
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