The Mormon Archipelago

Previewing 2014: Looking Ahead to Forthcoming Books in Mormon History @ Juvenile Instructor
  -  Last week I highlighted noteworthy books and articles in Mormon history from 2013. But...

Mormon Studies Weekly Roundup: “Today We Renounce” Edition @ Juvenile Instructor
  -  So the ‘nacle is abuzz with discussion of past mistakes, historical distance, and...

Did Jesus Exist? @ Dave's Mormon Inquiry
  -   Yes, he did. But you don't have to take my word for it; go read Bart Ehrman's latest...

CFA Reminder: Summer Seminar in Mormon Theology (In London!) @ Juvenile Instructor
  -  (We are posting this reminder for the Maxwell Institute’s Summer Seminar, on behalf...

JSPP Opening: Production Editor @ Juvenile Instructor
  -  Editor, Joseph Smith Papers Project-Church History Department ID# 106611, Type: Full-Time...

Wandering Significance: Hagoth and the many migrations of latter-day Lamanite/Nephite Identity @ Juvenile Instructor
  -  This post is adapted from a paper given at the Mormon History Association’s annual...

From the Archives: Native Americans and Frederick Kesler @ Juvenile Instructor
  -  I have decided to work my way through the Frederick Kesler diaries, conveniently...

Guest Post: Barbara Jones Brown, The “Indian Student Placement Program” @ Juvenile Instructor
  -  Note: This post continues our series on Mormonism and indigenous histories. Barbara Jones...

2013 in Retrospect: An Overview of Noteworthy Books and Articles in Mormon History @ Juvenile Instructor
  -  The last few years have been good for Mormon history. This is the fifth annual...

When Did Mormons Become Straight: The Intersections of Mormon History and Queer Theory @ Juvenile Instructor
  -  A few weeks ago, I read Mark Rifkin’s When Did Indians Become Straight for a workshop...

Mormon History and Indian History @ Juvenile Instructor
  -  Todd Compton, award-winning author of the recently-published biography of “Apostle...

Better Than Apologetics @ Dave's Mormon Inquiry
  -  Over at Patheos, Joe Spencer posted "Apologetics Again — But This Time with...

Intellectuals and Prophecy (Intellectuals and Mormonism pt. 2) @ New Cool Thang
  -  Last post I tried to disentangle and nail down the type of intellectualism which is not...

It Takes Courage for a Mormon to Dissent @ Dave's Mormon Inquiry
  -  That's a quotation from Wallace Stegner, found in historian James L. Clayton's 10-page...

Letter From the First Presidency, November 1st 2013 @ New Cool Thang
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The Atonement as Moral Influence @ Dave's Mormon Inquiry
  -  Here's the next article from the Dialogue archive, Eugene England's essay "That They...

Anti-Intellectualism within Mormonism @ New Cool Thang
  -  I think we can all agree that within Mormonism there is a certain kind of ambivalence...

The Book of Mormon and the Late War: Direct Literary Dependence? @ Faith-Promoting Rumor
  -  The rediscovery of the Late War by Gilbert Hunt recently as a possible source for...

Extreme Mormon Virtues @ New Cool Thang
  -  Psychology Today’s latest issue discusses the double edged nature of virtues. ...

Two LDS Perspectives on Religious Studies (A Parody) @ Faith-Promoting Rumor
  -  Two LDS scholars have recently voiced their thoughts on the academic study of religion....

Meeting Tillich Halfway @ Dave's Mormon Inquiry
  -  I am continuing to read the archive at Dialogue, this week Louis Midgley's article...

A Mormon’s Serenity Prayer @ Faith-Promoting Rumor
  -  God, grant me the courage to question my leaders; the humility to accept their...

Negotiating LDS History and Faith Challenges (notes, recap) @ Nine Moons
  -  A few weeks ago, I attended the Negotiating LDS History and Faith Challenges presentation...

What Paul did not mean by apostle @ Faith-Promoting Rumor
  -  Paul claims to be an apostle by virtue of his vision/s of Jesus. He does not claim to be...

The Quest for Religious Authority @ Dave's Mormon Inquiry
  -  I just renewed my Dialogue subscription and decided I should work a little harder to, you...

Ordain Women: Whose Movement Is It? @ New Cool Thang
  -  The vast majority of members – especially females – oppose the priesthood ordination...

Correlation and Dogmatism: A Sociological Analysis @ New Cool Thang
  -  Consider the following (and somewhat lengthy) sociological analysis of those tendencies...

“Are Mormons Christians?”: A Blog Round Table (Updated) @ Faith-Promoting Rumor
  -  Author’s Note: This post is cross-posted at Approaching Justice. Are Mormons...

The Mechanics of Priesthood Blessings @ New Cool Thang
  -  The first priesthood blessing I gave terrified me.  How does one, exactly, pull...

Blindness and Obedience @ New Cool Thang
  -  A basic distinction which I draw  in my attempts to undermine intellectualism, a...

New Seminary Scriptures @ Dave's Mormon Inquiry
  -  With no public announcement or explanation that I am aware of, CES has modified LDS...

Recovering Modesty, Old Wisdom for a New Era – New Approach to Modesty Series @ New Cool Thang
  -  This is the fifth post in the New Approach to Modesty series.  Click for post...

You’re not a Liahona – You’re a Laman/Lemuel @ New Cool Thang
  -  I assume that most people in the bloggernacle are aware of the Liahona/Iron Rod...

Korihor: An Anachronistic Exemplum of Atheism and Infidelity? @ Faith-Promoting Rumor
  -  In a recent post TT made some interesting observations about Korihor and secularism in...

BYU Professor’s Mormonizing of the Old Testament @ Faith-Promoting Rumor
  -  When I opened up my new issue of the BYU magazine, I immediately encountered a short...

Korihor and the Defense of Secularism @ Faith-Promoting Rumor
  -  Generally, Korihor is understood as a kind of anachronistic representation of secularism...

Doubt and the Dangers of Reading Alone @ Faith-Promoting Rumor
  -  A lot has already been said about the Hans Mattsson article in the NYT. One issue,...

Exploring the Iconic Nature of the Book of Mormon: Part IIb – The Fluid Nature of the Text of the Book of Mormon @ Faith-Promoting Rumor
  -  I here continue my series of posts dealing with the iconic nature of the Book of Mormon...

Liveblogging the FAIR Conference, Part 2 @ Dave's Mormon Inquiry
  -  Day 2 of the FAIR Conference — I am streaming it here in Wyoming and posting short...

Liveblogging the FAIR Conference, Part 1 @ Dave's Mormon Inquiry
  -  Liveblogging from a distance — I am streaming it here in Wyoming. The conference...

Mormon Doubt or General Doubt? @ Dave's Mormon Inquiry
  -  Laurie Goodstein's July 20 New York Times article "Some Mormons Search the Web and Find...

What Goes Around @ Nine Moons
  -   Since the time I understood the basic idea of it, I have always believed in the Hindu...

Science, Mormonism, Dialogue @ Dave's Mormon Inquiry
  -  The good news: There is more room for dialogue between science and Mormonism than between...

FAQ: Temple Cancellation/Clearance @ Nine Moons
  -  Over at MormonMentality, NewlyHousewife has posted a great list of FAQs for those...

The Earliest New Testament @ Dave's Mormon Inquiry
  -   This is the third post (first, second) in a series on the New Testament. This post...

Science as Friend or Foe @ Dave's Mormon Inquiry
  -  On a recent long drive, I listened to all 12 lectures of a Science and Religion audio...

Revelation @ Dave's Mormon Inquiry
  -  My previous post on the upcoming BYU New Testament Commentary series was so well received...

BYU's New Testament Commentary @ Dave's Mormon Inquiry
  -  A website for the upcoming BYU New Testament Commentary series has popped up. The short...

God and Galaxies @ Dave's Mormon Inquiry
  -     Elder Ballard started out his recent Conference talk "This Is My Work and My...

Socially Constructed Mormonism @ Dave's Mormon Inquiry
  -   This is the second post (see first post) discussing ideas presented in the recently...

N.T. Wright on Jesus @ Nine Moons
  -  I took the advice of Henry Eyring yesterday – imagining the talk that I needed and...

A Stranger, A Pilgrim: Liveblogging El Camino @ a bird's eye view
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Tithing And Responsibility @ Nine Moons
  -  A court has ruled that paying back taxes is a higher priority than paying tithing –...

My Problem With the Couplet @ Dave's Mormon Inquiry
  -   In 1840, almost nine years before being called as an LDS apostle, while he was listening...

Prophets Don’t All Weigh The Same @ Nine Moons
  -  Mormons like to beat themselves up for not giving enough value to the man they call...

Mouths of Babes — Does Can Mean Should? @ a bird's eye view
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Knowledge or Faith? @ Dave's Mormon Inquiry
  -  Last month, Jacob over at BCC started an interesting series on the philosophy of...

When Women Don’t Want The Priesthood @ Nine Moons
  -  Imagine for a moment a Northeastern urban ward. The average age is 32, a large number of...

The Problem With Correlation @ Dave's Mormon Inquiry
  -  Over at Worlds Without End, Seth posted Overcoming Correlation, or Mormon Studies and...

Mauss on Dialogue @ Dave's Mormon Inquiry
  -   I am almost done with the recently published memoir by Armand Mauss, Shifting Borders...

Comments on LDS in the USA @ Dave's Mormon Inquiry
  -   I recently read through the short book (114 pages of text, plus notes) LDS in the USA:...

Brother Husband @ Nine Moons
  -  If the stars align just so, my first novel will be released this summer. Needless to say,...

Thrown Into This Mormon Life @ Dave's Mormon Inquiry
  -   This is the third and final post on Adam Miller's Rube Goldberg Machines: Essays in...

Mormonism: How Thinkable Is It? @ Dave's Mormon Inquiry
  -   This is the second post on Adam Miller's Rube Goldberg Machines: Essays in Mormon...

Prince on the Evolution of Mormon Thought @ Dave's Mormon Inquiry
  -  I stumbled across a Greg Prince talk giving a nice overview of Mormon thought in the past...

What Mormon Theology Looks Like @ Dave's Mormon Inquiry
  -   This is the first of several posts discussing Adam Miller's Rube Goldberg Machines:...

Can Books Cause Problems? Reflections on Brigham Young: Pioneer Prophet @ Dave's Mormon Inquiry
  -  I recently did a quick read of John G. Turner's Brigham Young: Pioneer Prophet and posted...

Turner, Part 4: Brigham's Last Two Decades @ Dave's Mormon Inquiry
  -  [Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3] This last post covers Chapters 9 through 13 of John G....

Turner, Part 3: Brigham as Pioneer and Prophet @ Dave's Mormon Inquiry
  -  [Part 1 | Part 2] This post covers Chapters 5 through 8 of John G. Turner's Brigham...

Wear Pants To Church Day @ Nine Moons
  -  A group is asking Mormon women to wear pants to church this Sunday as a sign of support...

Turner, Part 2: Brigham as Preacher and Polygamist @ Dave's Mormon Inquiry
  -  [Part 1] This post covers Chapter 2 through 4 of John G. Turner's Brigham Young: Pioneer...

Turner, Part 1: Brigham the Reformed Methodist @ Dave's Mormon Inquiry
  -   I'm a little late to the party for John G. Turner's Brigham Young: Pioneer Prophet,...

Volcanism, Mormonism, and Historical Contingency @ Dave's Mormon Inquiry
  -  Mormonism can pop up just about anywhere these days. I was reading through The Story of...

The Best and Worst of the “Mormon Moment” @ Nine Moons
  -  We’ve been hearing for a while now about the so-called “Mormon Moment,”...

The Lost History of 1844 @ Dave's Mormon Inquiry
  -  Just finished The Lost History of 1914: Reconsidering the Year the Great War Began...

Old FARMS, New FARMS @ Dave's Mormon Inquiry
  -   It has been a few months since the folks running the Maxwell Institute decided to blow...

Joseph Spencer's "An Other Testament: On Typology" @ Dave's Mormon Inquiry
  -   Here is a casual review of Joe Spencer's An Other Testament: On Typology (Salt Press,...

Mormons, Evangelicals, and Mockery @ Dave's Mormon Inquiry
  -  I was gratified to read a piece posted at Patheos last week by Timothy Dalrymple titled...

Mormon Boundaries @ Dave's Mormon Inquiry
  -   So I stumbled across a short book titled Judaism's Great Debates (Jewish Publication...

The Mormon Generation Gap @ Dave's Mormon Inquiry
  -  Although the vast majority of Mormons identify themselves as Republican, the younger...

Looking for Middle-Earth @ Dave's Mormon Inquiry
  -   In the New York Times travel section, "New Zealand's Hobbit Trail" recounts the...

Elder Holland on Love and Loyalty @ Dave's Mormon Inquiry
  -  Elder Jeffrey R. Holland is known for his eloquent and moving calls to repentance aimed...

Our Dead V: Memorial Day at St. Paul’s Cathedral @ a bird's eye view
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God and Science @ Digital Faith
  -   Here's a second and final post on Collins and Giberson's The Language of Science and...

Latent Racism, Orientalism and “Magic Underwear” in American Society and Mitt Romney’s Presidential Campaign @ a bird's eye view
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Straight Answers to Gospel Questions: Evolution @ Digital Faith
  -   Time to fire up the blog for a few posts on the latest entry in my Now Reading box, The...

Genesis 1: Theories of Creation @ Digital Faith
  -   In the middle part of The Lost World of Genesis One, Walton details his theory of the...

Genesis 1 Is Functional Creation @ Digital Faith
  -   In propositions 2 through 6 of The Lost World of Genesis One author John Walton supports...

Genesis 1 Is Ancient Cosmology @ Digital Faith
  -   That's the first of 18 propositions discussed in John Walton's The Lost World of Genesis...

N. T. Wright on Paul @ Digital Faith
  -   In this last of my series of posts on Paul I will do a short review of N. T. Wright's...

Becoming a Mormon: Thinking about a Brand with Elder Ballard @ a bird's eye view
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Paul at General Conference @ Digital Faith
  -   My recent posts on Paul haven't proven too popular, but I'm still pursuing the topic. I...

A Revolutionary Paul @ Digital Faith
  -   Continuing with this series of posts on Paul, here's what N. T. Wright (in What Saint...

Reading Paul's Letters @ Digital Faith
  -   My last post was titled "A Mormon View of Paul." This post is more about the view of...

Highlights From Hardy @ Digital Faith
  -   Times & Seasons has posted a 12 Questions interview with Grant Hardy. He gives serious...

Like a Trampled Flag on a City Street @ a bird's eye view
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Pluralism and Persecution in the UK @ a bird's eye view
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Where Does It End? The Real Danger in Warren Smith’s Perspective @ a bird's eye view
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Christmas Testimony @ a bird's eye view
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Seattle Area, Winter 2011, Adult Religion Class: Doctrine and Covenants @ Splendid Sun
  -  Well, it looks like I will be teaching a once-a-week class on the Doctrine and Covenants...

Our Remembrance Sunday @ a bird's eye view
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Mormonism’s Last Colonizer @ Splendid Sun
  -  This week, Utah State University Press released a biography of William H. Smart. Smart...

“knowledge, and power, by revelation” @ Splendid Sun
  -  A month ago I came home from teaching seminary and I was met by my wife. She told me to...

A Textual History of the KFD, Part II @ Splendid Sun
  -  This post is a direct continuation of Part I and follows without introduction. The...

A Textual History of the KFD, Part I: Sources to the “History of Joseph Smith” @ Splendid Sun
  -  Part II of the series is available here. EDITORIAL NOTE: This post contains links to...

The end of an era @ Splendid Sun
  -  I am a chemist by training, but Mormon history has always been open to dilettants (for...

Research update on Mormon healing @ Splendid Sun
  -  As some know, Kris and I have worked together for the past couple of years doing research...

Two latest in Signature’s Significant Diary Series @ Splendid Sun
  -  John P. Hatch, ed., Danish Apostle: The Diaries of Anthon H. Lund (Salt Lake City,...

A Lady’s Life among the Mormons @ Splendid Sun
  -  One of the most invaluable publication series in Mormon Studies is Utah State University...

Elder Ballard’s Advice–Start a Blog @ Splendid Sun
  -  I haven’t written for a while, and now I feel remiss. Today was graduation day at...