{"id":114970,"date":"2026-02-21T12:20:20","date_gmt":"2026-02-21T19:20:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/?p=114970"},"modified":"2026-02-21T16:10:37","modified_gmt":"2026-02-21T23:10:37","slug":"good-weekend-reading-followed-by-a-film-festival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2026\/02\/good-weekend-reading-followed-by-a-film-festival.html","title":{"rendered":"Good Weekend Reading, followed by a Film Festival"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Philae<\/a>
The Temple of Isis at Philae (Wikimedia Commons public domain photograph)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Another new item has just gone up on the essentially comatose website of the Interpreter Foundation: \u00a0Conversations with Interpreter<\/em>: Episode 4: \u201cSons and Fathers: Abraham\u2019s Family and the Two Altars of the Temple,\u201d<\/a> with John S. Thompson<\/a>:<\/p>\n

In this episode of Conversations with Interpreter<\/strong><\/em>, Thora and Avram speak with John Thompson about his paper from the 2025 Abraham and His Family Conference held at BYU in May 2025. Thompson, an Egyptologist who is a retired teacher for Seminaries and Institutes and a content creator for Scripture Central, discusses the idea that the life of Abraham as described in both Genesis and in the book of Abraham shows a progression in his covenant relationship with God. Thompson argues that this relates to Abraham\u2019s almost being sacrificed and then being commanded to sacrifice his own son. Although the scriptures talk about this in terms of the relationship between sons and fathers, the pattern presenting in scripture is part of the experience of everyone on the covenant path. You can find the full paper, titled \u201cSons and Fathers: Abraham\u2019s Family and the Two Altars of the Temple\u201d at https:\/\/interpreterfoundation.org\/conferences\/2025-abraham-and-his-family-conference\/videos\/thompson<\/a>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And the rest is silence.<\/p>\n

No. \u00a0Wait a minute. \u00a0It\u2019s not<\/em>. \u00a0Here is a thirty-second preview of the fifth installment of Becoming Brigham<\/em>, which will drop in full on Monday next: https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=PANEXykxNLo<\/a>. \u00a0And here is a link to the fourth<\/em> installment, which went up this past<\/em> Monday: \u00a0\u201cBecoming Brigham, Episode 4\u2014WHY BRIGHAM YOUNG? An Introduction, Part One\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\"a<\/a>
A formal group photograph of the Supreme Court \u2014 as it was comprised on 20 February 2026 for the decision on President Donald J. Trump\u2019s tariffs.\u00a0
Seated from left are Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Clarence Thomas, Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., and Justices Samuel A. Alito and Elena Kagan. \u00a0Standing from left are Justices Amy Coney Barrett, Neil M. Gorsuch, Brett M. Kavanaugh, and Ketanji Brown Jackson.
Credit: Fred Schilling, Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Fox News: \u00a0\u201cTrump raises global tariff to 15%:\u00a0President Donald Trump slams high court\u2019s \u2018extraordinarily anti-American decision\u2019 on tariffs\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\n
I want to call your attention to an extraordinary piece of writing \u2014 clear, concise, charitable, lucid, well-targeted, and wise \u2014 from Justice Neil Gorsuch, who was appointed to the Supreme Court by Donald Trump. \u00a0It\u2019s very different in tone and substance from Mr. Trump\u2019s response to the Justices who struck down his tariff policy yesterday, of whom Justice Gorsuch was one.<\/div>\n
\n

Said President Trump:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n
They\u2019re just being fools and lap dogs for the RINOs and the radical left Democrats, and not that they should have anything at all to do with it. They\u2019re very unpatriotic and disloyal to our Constitution. \u00a0It\u2019s my opinion that the court has been swayed by foreign interest and a political movement that is far smaller than people ever think.<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
He then announced that, using another legal theory, he was reimposing ten percent tariffs across the board. \u00a0And, this morning, he increased those tariffs to fifteen<\/em> percent.<\/div>\n
\n
\n

This is what Justice Gorsuch had said:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
For those who think it important for the Nation to impose more tariffs, I understand that today\u2019s decision will be disappointing. All I can offer them is that most major decisions affecting the rights and responsibilities of the American people (including the duty to pay taxes and tariffs) are funneled through the legislative process for a reason. Yes, legislating can be hard and take time. And, yes, it can be tempting to bypass Congress when some pressing problem arises. But the deliberative nature of the legislative process was the whole point of its design. Through that process, the Nation can tap the combined wisdom of the people\u2019s elected representatives, not just that of one faction or man. There, deliberation tempers impulse, and compromise hammers disagreements into workable solutions. And because laws must earn such broad support to survive the legislative process, they tend to endure, allowing ordinary people to plan their lives in ways they cannot when the rules shift from day to day. In all, the legislative process helps ensure each of us has a stake in the laws that govern us and in the Nation\u2019s future. For some today, the weight of those virtues is apparent. For others, it may not seem so obvious. But if history is any guide, the tables will turn and the day will come when those disappointed by today\u2019s result will appreciate the legislative process for the bulwark of liberty it is.<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\n
\"JDJ,<\/a>
Senator John D. Johnson<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n
In yesterday\u2019s blog entry, I commended to your attention this recent Deseret News<\/em> interview of Elder Clark G. Gilbert by Jane Clayson Johnson: \u00a0\u201c\u2018Deseret Voices\u2019 Episode 16: Elder Clark G. Gilbert on conviction, controversy and compassion: Church\u2019s newest apostle shares his message for those inside and outside of the faith\u201d<\/a>\u00a0 I like this response to the interview, which was posted earlier today by Senator John D. Johnson<\/a> and, with his gracious permission, I cite it below in full. \u00a0Senator Johnson is a thoughtful and well-read man, which I really appreciate:<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
Clark Gilbert, in this interview, referenced James Tunstead Burtchaell\u2019s The Dying of the Light<\/em>. Most people likely scrolled past that detail. They should not have.<\/div>\n
Burtchaell was not writing a culture war manifesto. He was documenting something historically observable. Many Christian colleges did not abandon their founding convictions through dramatic rebellion. They drifted. Governance changed. Hiring priorities shifted. Prestige incentives reshaped decision-making. Leaders believed they were strengthening their institutions. Over time, those institutions quietly became something different.<\/div>\n
That pattern is not unique to religious colleges. It is a structural reality for any institution.<\/div>\n
Today, universities openly debate whether their purpose is the pursuit of truth or the advancement of evolving social aims. Faith communities face parallel pressure to evaluate leadership decisions through cultural metrics rather than revelation.<\/div>\n
For centuries, the church and the university have approached truth differently but complementarily. The university pursues discovered truth through disciplined inquiry and evidence. The church bears witness to revealed truth through covenant and spiritual authority. Both require confidence that truth is real and binding.<\/div>\n
Burtchaell\u2019s warning was simple. Institutions drift when they adopt the evaluative standards of the surrounding culture instead of remaining anchored to their founding purpose.<\/div>\n
That is the conversation Gilbert is engaging.<\/div>\n
Institutions rarely lose their identity all at once. They lose it gradually.<\/div>\n
The real question is whether we still believe institutions should be governed by their deepest principles or by the expectations of the moment.<\/div>\n
If that question makes us uncomfortable, it is probably the right one to ask.<\/div>\n
Not controversy.<\/div>\n
Stewardship.<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\n
\"Sharon<\/a>
The SCERA Theater, part of the much larger SCERA Center for the Arts, is located at 745 South State Street, Orem, Utah. \u00a0(Wikimedia Commons public domain photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
As I\u2019ve already mentioned here, the Zions Indie Film Fest starts on Monday. \u00a0In that connection \u2014 I hope that he won\u2019t mind \u2014 I pass on a note that I received from my friend Robert Starling:<\/div>\n
\n
\n
I\u2019m pleased to announce that the short documentary film (15 min.)\u00a0 I produced recently for my friend Bill Boushka has been accepted for screening in the Zions Indie Film Fest <\/b>at the SCERA Theater\u00a0in Orem, Utah next week. (see image below)\u00a0 This film, called \u201cHe Is Risen\u201d<\/b>, documents the marvelous Easter Week Open House held last year at Bill\u2019s stake center in El Paso, Texas.\u00a0 The movie is part of the \u201cShort Documentary Block 2\u201d group of films showing on Wednesday, Feb. 25th<\/sup>\u00a0at 11:00 AM.\u00a0 Despite my being associated with this festival for over 20 years, this is the first time I\u2019ve entered a film of my own.<\/div>\n
If you will be in the area and would like to attend in person, tickets are available here:<\/div>\n
https:\/\/www.zionsindiefilmfest.com\/2026-films\/documentary-short-film-block2-inspired-work<\/a><\/div>\n
One \u201cadvantage\u201d of seeing it in person is that you\u2019d be eligible to vote for it as \u201cBest Short Documentary\u201d \u2013 a festival prize (if you feel so inclined).\u00a0 If in-person attendance is not convenient, and you\u2019d still like to see the film, here\u2019s a link:<\/div>\n
https:\/\/youtu.be\/-9CAaOmEll8?si=8yUt1v-dc31TJFyY<\/a><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n
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\u00a0 Another new item has just gone up on the essentially comatose website of the Interpreter Foundation: \u00a0Conversations with Interpreter: Episode 4: \u201cSons and Fathers: Abraham\u2019s Family and the Two Altars of the Temple,\u201d with John S. Thompson: In this episode of Conversations with Interpreter, Thora and Avram speak with John Thompson about his paper […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1019,"featured_media":68887,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-114970","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nGood Weekend Reading, followed by a Film Festival<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"  Another new item has just gone up on the essentially comatose website of the Interpreter Foundation: \u00a0Conversations with Interpreter: Episode 4:\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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