![\"Temple](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/186\/2016\/04\/logan-temple-768086-gallery.jpg\")
<\/a>I spoke this morning to a gathering of Seminary and Institute teachers in Logan, Utah, adjacent to the campus of Utah State University. \u00a0My basic subject \u2014 it was a somewhat informal presentation \u2014 was the Qur\u2019an\u2019s view of the patriarch Abraham, who is the common father of all of the \u201cAbrahamic faiths\u201d (or of what Arabic-speaking Muslims often refer to as al-adyan al-samawiyya<\/em>, \u201cthe heavenly religions,\u201d which are Judaism, Christianity, and Islam).<\/p>\n But I also prefaced my presentation by showing, for the first time publicly, a newly-prepared trailer for the Interpreter Foundation\u2019s forthcoming Becoming Brigham<\/em> series of short video documentaries. \u00a0As it happens, the trailer focused on Camrey Bagley Fox\u2019s interview with LaJean Purcell Carruth<\/a>, who works for the Church History Department but lives within a few blocks of the venue where I was speaking, \u00a0In the video selection that I used this morning, LaJean spoke of her experience in recovering the genuine words of Brigham Young from George D. Watt\u2019s Pitman shorthand.<\/p>\n Before heading back down to Utah Valley, I had a good conversation over a good lunch at The Beehive Pub & Grill<\/a> with Dallen Craven<\/a> and my host in Logan, Wade Ardern<\/a>, whom I first met back in the late 1990s in his native New Zealand. \u00a0I had dinner at the home of his parents<\/a> in Temple View.<\/p>\n In the evening, I attended the opening session of the 2025 FAIR Conference. \u00a0First of all, I have to say that this year\u2019s conference location, the Show Barn at Thanksgiving Point (in Lehi, Utah) is, at first and subsequent glance, magnificent. \u00a0I really like it. \u00a0There may be problems with it of which I\u2019m unaware \u2014 if there are, they\u2019ll inevitably reveal themselves in due course \u2014 but I love it. \u00a0It seems the best that FAIR has ever had.<\/p>\n As one of the sponsors of this year\u2019s conference, the Interpreter Foundation has a couple of tables in the rear of the hall. \u00a0I\u2019ll spend most of my time during the conference at one or the other of the tables; already, they\u2019ve been a wonderful place to chat with friends who\u2019ve come by. \u00a0One of the nice things is that the latest Interpreter book \u2014 Abraham and His Family in Scripture, History, and Tradition: Proceedings of the Conference held May 3 & 10, 2025<\/em>\u00a0(Jeffrey M. Bradshaw, John S. Thompson, Matthew L. Bowen, and David R. Seely, eds.)<\/a> is on display at our tables and possibly (I didn\u2019t have a chance to look) for sale in the FAIR bookstore. \u00a0(The \u201cbook\u201d is actually in two volumes.) \u00a0It was the first time that I\u2019ve seen Abraham and His Family in Scripture, History, and Tradition<\/em> in its final published form.<\/p>\n The first speaker for the conference was Scott Gordon, FAIR\u2019s longtime president, who welcomed attendees, offered a brief overview of the organization\u2019s founding and history, and encouraged members in the audience to contribute financially to its support.<\/p>\n The keynote speaker for the evening was Aaron Sherinian, who is the still relatively new Managing Director of the Church Communication Department for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints<\/a>. \u00a0He delivered, very well, an engaging and encouraging address under the title \u201cFluent in Our Faith: Identifying and Communicating Evidence of the Glad Tidings of the Gospel in Our Life.\u201c<\/i> \u00a0I won\u2019t attempt to summarize what he said \u2014 although a major point that he made was that this is an exceptionally exciting time to be trying to communicate with others about our faith \u2014 but I encourage you (if you haven\u2019t already heard it) to watch the video of his speech when it eventually goes up on the website of FAIR.<\/span><\/p>\n The audience tonight seemed to be pretty large. \u00a0I was pleased with the turnout, and it\u2019s always good to many friends among the FAIR regulars<\/p>\n I was told this evening at the opening session of this week\u2019s 2025 FAIR Conference that the Interpreter Foundation\u2019s 2024 theatrical film, Six Days in August<\/em>, is currently available for free on Amazon Prime Video. \u00a0This was a surprise to me. \u00a0Evidently, though, it\u2019s good news. \u00a0Apparently, our movie is being used as a come-on to attract subscribers to the streaming service. \u00a0You can watch it with a free Prime trial.<\/p>\n But there\u2019s other<\/em> news from the world of movies, television and entertainment. \u00a0This comes from The Onion<\/em>, one of my major sources for current events: \u00a0\u201cStudy: More Americans Converting To Mormonism In Hopes Of Getting Hulu Series\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n And here are a quartet of recent news and opinion items that caught my attention:<\/p>\n \u201cInsights From a Law Professor on Why Religious Freedom Matters:\u00a0Scholar and a lawyer of religious freedom Steven T. Collis speaks on the importance of understanding religious liberty\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cAmericans\u2019 trust in the church rebounding after seeing record lows: Poll\u201d<\/a> (Not referring to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.)<\/p>\n \u201cHow the Elite Changed Its Mind on Christianity:\u00a0Bush-era New Atheism couldn\u2019t last forever.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cForget what you think you know about marriage and divorce in the U.S. Here\u2019s what\u2019s up:\u00a0New report finds shifts in family behavior, but most children now raised in 2-parent homes\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n But I close, as I am wont to do, with disturbing reports that have been drawn from the Christopher Hitchens Memorial \u201cHow Religion Poisons Everything\u201d File<\/em>\u2122:<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u00a0 I spoke this morning to a gathering of Seminary and Institute teachers in Logan, Utah, adjacent to the campus of Utah State University. \u00a0My basic subject \u2014 it was a somewhat informal presentation \u2014 was the Qur\u2019an\u2019s view of the patriarch Abraham, who is the common father of all of the \u201cAbrahamic faiths\u201d (or […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1019,"featured_media":24949,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[39008,39014,39005,36470,28443,39011],"class_list":["post-112241","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-aaron-shirinian","tag-dallen-craven","tag-fair-conference","tag-fair-lds","tag-six-days-in-august","tag-wade-ardern"],"yoast_head":"\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>\n