Reverend Canon Arthur Peacocke (1924-2006), MBE, received his D. Phil. from the University of Oxford in 1948, followed by a D.Sc. in 1962.  He taught biochemistry at the University of Birmingham and, after 1959, at the University of Oxford.  He was ordained a priest of the Church of England in 1971, the same year that he earned a Bachelor of Divinity degree from Birmingham.  In 1982, he received a Doctor of Divinity degree from Oxford.     God is... Read more

    A man who was completely innocent, offered himself as a sacrifice for the good of others, including his enemies, and became the ransom of the world.  It was a perfect act. Mahatma Gandhi   Read more

    I was pleased to find, in my office mailbox this afternoon, two copies of a new dual-language Armenian/English book, On This Day: The Armenian Church Synaxarion: February, translated by Edward G. Mathews, Jr., of St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary in New York.   This is the latest publication from BYU’s Middle Eastern Texts Initiative (METI), which I conceived and founded.  Specifically, it’s from METI’s series of Eastern Christian Texts.   One of the non-negotiable demands that I made,... Read more

    Many scientific “truths” are, in fact, false   I post this not to demonize science — for which I have enormous respect — but to warn against idolizing science and scientists.   It’s a human enterprise, and they’re human.     Read more

    With regard to today’s reading, Mosiah 3, I simply want to quote a few verses and then pose a question:   For behold, the time cometh, and is not far distant, that with power, the Lord Omnipotent who reigneth, who was, and is from all eternity to all eternity, shall come down from heaven among the children of men, and shall dwell in a tabernacle of clay, and shall go forth amongst men, working mighty miracles, such as healing the sick, raising the dead, causing the lame... Read more

    It’s nice to see such coverage:   http://abc13.com/1234890/     Read more

  And he’s plainly leaving it to Beaver, Ozzie and Harriet, the Rev. Norman Vincent Peale, and Norman Rockwell:   Click on this thing to enlarge it.   I don’t know who bears responsibility for this image of the pious paterfamilias Donald Trump — I would be much more than happy to, um, “credit” him or her for it! — but it’s just wrong.  Utterly dishonest.  On so very, very many levels.   For some relevant analysis:   “Could it be that... Read more

    I wake up today with a feeling of deep foreboding, for today is the day on which — it seems likely — the Republican Party will be grievously wounded by surging Trumpism.  And the damage that will probably be done to American conservatism will be deep and lasting.   There is a chance that we’ll avoid these things, but the poll numbers aren’t encouraging.   Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve found the news almost unendurable.  Every... Read more

    During the first 13 centuries after the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, no one thought of setting up a creche to celebrate Christmas.  The pre-eminent Christian holiday was Easter, not Christmas. Nancy Pearcey         Read more

    And I’m very happy about it:   http://www.sltrib.com/news/3640968-155/donald-trump-not-yuuge-among-mormon   My people are doing themselves proud on this.   Remember the supposed prophecy about the Mormons saving the Constitution when it’s hanging by a thread?     Read more