My wife and I took Royal Skousen out to dinner last night; we had a pleasant visit before, during, and after the meal. A major topic of conversation, of course, was his wife, Sirkku Unelma Skousen, to whom he was and is deeply devoted. Sirkku died on 9 November 2024, following a lengthy and increasingly difficult illness. (Her funeral will be held on Saturday, 23 November 2024, in Spanish Fork, Utah.) While visiting with him at his home before... Read more
Some here may be interested in this 44-minute discussion between an Evangelical Protestant and a Latter-day Saint: “Heretic Review: Why Everyone Should Oppose Religious Misrepresentations.” I myself have listened, thus far, to only about twenty-five percent of the recording, but I’ve enjoyed it thus far. In this conversation, Jacob Hansen and Jeff McCullough discuss the recent film ‘Heretic’ and its portrayal of Latter-day Saints and Christianity. They explore the broader themes of media representation, the exploitation of religious beliefs,... Read more
The so-called “secret combinations” of the Book of Mormon have long been of particular interest to me. Here are three articles about them from Jeff Lindsay, a valued member of the Interpreter Foundation’s board of directors and until recently one of the editors of Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship, that were recently published in Meridian Magazine: “A Practical Guide to the Book of Mormon’s Most Neglected Theme: Secret Combinations” “Secret Combinations: A Practical Guide to... Read more
World news? Insignificant. And who cares about the outcome of tonight’s BYU football game? It seems of no importance at all compared to this exciting dispatch from TMZ Sports: “Mormon Missionary Pounds Pupusas in El Salvador . . . Dominates Eating Contest!!!” In the wake of the recent American presidential election, there has been a considerable amount of discussion about the intersection of religion and politics. It seems to me that the passage immediately below offers a very clear... Read more
In view of the Interpreter Foundation’s ever-declining productivity, its long-prophesied, eagerly anticipated, and rapidly accelerating downward spiral, the items below — posted earlier today — may perhaps represent your very last chance ever to see any trace of its existence. Unless, of course, you look in again next week. Or next month. Or next year. “Interviews with Ben Spackman and Samuel T. Wilkinson” On 18 October 2024, Daniel Peterson interviewed Ben Spackman, a Latter-day Saint historian of religion, science,... Read more
Surely the long-predicted demise of the Interpreter Foundation must be very near at hand. In the meanwhile, though, hopeful critics will be obliged to content themselves with its tantalizing death rattles. Here’s one of them, which appeared today: “Video and Audio Recordings are Now Available for the 2024 Temple on Mount Zion Conference” Audio and video recordings of the presentations at the 2024 Temple on Mount Zion Conference are now available. They may be accessed at https://interpreterfoundation.org/conferences/2024-temple-on-mount-zion-conference/videos/. A playlist... Read more
Here’s another book from the Interpreter Foundation that you might want to consider as a Christmas gift (even to yourself!): The Temple: Plates, Patterns, & Patriarchs: Proceedings of the Sixth Interpreter Foundation Matthew B. Brown Memorial Conference: Temple on Mount Zion Series 7: 4–5 November 2022, edited by Stephen D. Ricks and Jeffrey M. Bradshaw, published by The Interpreter Foundation and Eborn Books: Now Available “THE ANCIENT HEBREWS did not believe that the temple concept originated in the time of Moses. Rather,... Read more
New, from the long-comatose and perpetually dying Interpreter Foundation: Take a Journey into Arabia Just in time for Christmas, we are pleased to announce the publication of a brand-new book, Into Arabia: Anchoring Nephi’s Account in the Real World. Focusing on the first eighteen chapters of the Book of Mormon, Into Arabia examines the epic journey made over 2,600 years ago by Lehi and Sariah’s family from Jerusalem to Bountiful. Written by Warren Aston, Godfrey Ellis, and Neal Rappleye,... Read more
The following note went out yesterday to the subscriber list of the Interpreter Foundation. I’ve redacted it slightly, so as not to make public the contact information of the Interpreter volunteer who is overseeing this matter. I don’t want to expose him or her to the tender mercies of the obsessive critics who monitor my blog every day and who continually seek to exploit it as a weapon. If you are interested in helping us in the way described... Read more
Newly posted on the website of the Interpreter Foundation: Interpreter Radio Show — November 3, 2024, including “The Book of Mormon in Context” for Ether 12-15 In the 3 November 2024 installment of the Interpreter Radio Show, Martin Tanner, Brent Schmidt, and Hales Swift discussed Come, Follow Me Book of Mormon lesson 48, the Interpreter Foundation’s Margaret Barker seminars, Saints Volume 4, the new Church garments, the recent articles in Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship... Read more
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