More Islands and Atolls
Old Testament Gospel Doctrine Lesson 43: Ezekiel 18, 34, 37. @ Benjamin the Scribe
- Before I get to Ezekiel, note that I have put up my first post of recommended NT...
Elijah in the Book of Mormon @ Mormanity
- Giuseppe Angeli, Elijah Taken Up in a Chariot of Fire, c. 1740/1755. From the...
New Testament Gospel Doctrine Resources (Post 1): Top 5 Books @ Benjamin the Scribe
- It’s that time of year when sales happen, Christmas money appears in your stocking,...
Long-Distance Parenting @ Segullah
- Photo by Liz West
Parenting long distance involves significant challenges. My first...
Old Testament Gospel Doctrine Lesson 42: Jeremiah 16, 23, 29, 31 @ Benjamin the Scribe
- We continue our scattered reading of Jeremiah. I’ve arranged my comments...
Home Centered Church– We’ve Got This! @ Segullah
- One Sunday, more than a decade ago, my friend Jane shared her struggle with family...
Looking at Clouds from Both Sides @ Segullah
- I’ve written this blog post a few times. Every time it’s come out a little...
The Trouble with Tax Cuts @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
- Everybody likes tax cuts. What’s not to like? But there is a proper time for tax cuts,...
Remembering Tornados, and Prayers Lifted Up @ Segullah
- My family moved back to Utah the summer before I began ninth grade. As we drove across...
To the Temple and Back: The Journey of Two Faithful Peruvians @ Mormanity
- Yesterday in sacrament meeting in the Shanghai Branch (one of three meeting in Shanghai)...
Jane and Emma and God and Me @ Segullah
- Jane Elizabeth Manning James
I had paradoxes, divine contradictions (like justice and...
Redecorating @ Segullah
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“The final answer, I know, is always inside. But the outside can give a clue, can...
“Absolutist” Revelation and Creation Accounts in Moses, Abraham, and the Temple @ Benjamin the Scribe
- I presented a short paper at the Joseph Smith Papers conference a few weeks ago, a...
Leaves of Gratitude in Teenage Land @ Segullah
- For years we lived encircled by palm trees. We owned one rake, seldom used. Fast forward...
Autumn Journal Featured Artist Aimee Bonham: Fine Artist and Street Painter @ Segullah
- Fine Artist Aimee Bonham at work
Segullah: It’s been a privilege to have your...
"Arise from the Dust": The Transcript and Slides for My 2018 FAIRMormon Presentation Are Now Available @ Mormanity
- For those who listened to my presentation live at the 2018 FAIRMormon Conference or the...
Slant Transcendence @ Segullah
- I sit on the farthest seat of the front row choir seats. It’s actually not an...
What President Nelson’s Talk Tells Us about Decision-making in the Q15 @ Zelophehad's Daughters
- President Nelson stirred up a lot of discussion with his Conference talk, “The...
Old Testament Gospel Doctrine Lesson 41: Jeremiah 1-2; 15; 20;26; 36-38 @ Benjamin the Scribe
- Jeremiah! The man, the book, the bullfrog… Jeremiah is the second longest book in...
When Church Hurts: Why I’m Here @ Segullah
- I fled the Relief Society room, hurt by the first prelude notes. Waiting outside the...
Moving Away from Big Pageants: New Announcement @ Mormanity
- In a brief announcement at the LDS Newsroom, the Church has indicated a desire to move...
Reformation Readings for Reformation Day (Oct 31) @ Benjamin the Scribe
- One of my qualifying exams is in Reformation history. As the story goes, Oct 31 is the...
Call for Papers from AML @ Zelophehad's Daughters
- See details here: Association for Mormon Letters 2019 _ Call for Papers
(Updated) Some thoughts on scripture study for adults and youth @ Benjamin the Scribe
- [Updated October 2018] Given the encouragement to do more personal, family, and group...
Old Testament Gospel Doctrine Lesson 40- Isaiah 54-56, 63-65 @ Benjamin the Scribe
- Today we come to the last of our Isaiah lessons. These chapters cover a variety of...
“You either believe the scriptures or you don’t” @ Benjamin the Scribe
- “You either believe the scriptures or you don’t.” I have, on occasion,...
Primed by a Mosquito for a New Ministering Assignment @ Mormanity
- Dr. Rampa Rattanarathikul, mosquito expert, with Jeff and KendraEarlier this week I lost...
The Moral Obligation of Latter-day Saint Voters @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
- This year is an important year for Latter-day Saint voters, the large majority of whom...
A Short Announcement and a Seattle Fireside on Reclaiming the Literal Interpretation of Genesis @ Benjamin the Scribe
- First, I’ve had a lot of Facebook friend requests from readers. I’m taking a...
“Too Frequent Repetition of His Name” @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
- In the ongoing discussion regarding President Nelson’s instruction to use the full name...
The Surprisingly Modern Book of Mormon: The Perspective of an Archivist @ Mormanity
- One of the most astounding aspects of the Book of Mormon is the intricate detail it...
It Took Two Typhoons, Two Kind Italians, and a Strange Computer Glitch to Get Us to the Temple in Seoul, Korea @ Mormanity
- The Seoul, Korea TempleMy wife and I just returned from a marvelous vacation in Seoul,...
To the People Defending the Church’s Decision to Ditch the “Mormon” Nickname @ Peculiar People
- First, I want you to know that I respect your decision to call yourself something other...
Two Is the New Three @ Zelophehad's Daughters
- In a special press conference, President Russell M. Nelson announced a series of changes...
Remembering Katie, A Year Later @ Zelophehad's Daughters
- It’s been a year now since we heard the terrible news that our co-blogger Katie (Vada)...
The Women Who Enable Abusive Men @ Peculiar People
- After the Kavanaugh hearing last Thursday, an image went viral that depicted a row of...
Fabulous Content in the New Church History Book, Saints: The Story of the Church of Jesus Christ in the Latter Days @ Mormanity
- One of the most important works of scholarship related to the Church of Jesus Christ of...
“What Boy Hasn’t Done This in High School?” Brett Kavanaugh and the Rotten Goose Egg Party at Oaklawn Park @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
- Failed Florida congressional candidate Gina Sosa is probably looking for a rock to hide...
Joseph, Potiphar’s Wife, and the Truth about False Allegations @ Peculiar People
- In response to multiple allegations of sexual misconduct against Brett Kavanaugh,...
Matthew Bowen's New Name as Key-Word Offers a Stunning Surge in Book of Mormon Word Plays Related to Names @ Mormanity
- While attending the 2018 FairMormon Conference in Provo this summer, I was fortunate to...
Book of Mormon Stories that Get a Chuckle Out of Me @ Zelophehad's Daughters
- I suspect I’m not alone in generally thinking the Book of Mormon isn’t...
Let’s Support Breastfeeding Mothers and Children @ Zelophehad's Daughters
- The folks at the Exponent have launched an action to request that Church leaders make a...
Two Words that Finally Helped Me Grasp the Genius of the New Ministering Program @ Mormanity
- I have to admit that I was a little puzzled by the new ministering program in the Church,...
Robert Kirby and Edgy Mormon Men @ Peculiar People
- Like many progressive Mormons, I’ve enjoyed Robert Kirby’s self-deprecating...
More Conference Predictions @ Zelophehad's Daughters
- Given my remarkable success at predicting things that would happen in April General...
Preparing for Disruption in Sacrament Meetings @ Mormanity
- In my past post, "My Take on the Joseph L. Bishop Scandal, and Steps We Can Take to...
Is there room for wonder in the Church? @ Zelophehad's Daughters
- Earlier this year, I blogged about the Pew Religious Landscape Study and looked at some...
Mary at the Tomb: How We Can Easily Misjudge Evidence of a Miracle @ Mormanity
- Last month I had the pleasure of speaking at the FAIRMormon Conference in Provo, where I...
To the Men Who Grabbed McKenna Denson and Dragged her away from the Pulpit @ Peculiar People
- To the men who grabbed McKenna Denson without her consent and dragged her away from the...
Why Would a Feminist Keep her Father’s Name? @ Peculiar People
- Back in April I wrote about my experience with software systems and institutions...
Update on "Healthy" Alcohol Consumption: Massive New Study Reveals the Optimum Daily Dose is ZERO @ Mormanity
- My previous post discussed the $100 million government study on "moderate" alcohol...
The Word of Wisdom is Coming Back into Style: Conspiring Men and the Myth of Healthy Alcohol Consumption @ Mormanity
- Did you catch the recent reports in the New York Times of a major National Institutes of...
The Least Religious Book on Ministering that Church Leaders and Members Ought to Read: Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss @ Mormanity
- Some time ago in a complex corporate setting, I made the CEO of a large company quite...
The Truth, the Whole Truth, and Nothing but the Truth @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
- By now, Rudy Giuliani’s infamous declaration to NBC’s Chuck Todd (“Truth isn’t...
When Good Spiritual Practice Goes Bad: Prayer, Rumination, and Revelations of Damnation @ Zelophehad's Daughters
- CW: brief mention of self-injury
I still have vivid memories of a particular day in...
Mormon: The New Shibboleth @ Peculiar People
- Here’s hoping Lindsey releases a new, revised video: I’m a member of Church...
Mormon Edits @ Zelophehad's Daughters
- Joseph Smith taught that Mormon means more good. Taking this meaning, then, I’m...
The Beauty of Chance Encounters @ Mormanity
- From several years ago, a photo of my wife and Iat Mount Lao near Qingdao, China, by a...
Sorry to Bother You: The (Human) Body as Technology @ Peculiar People
- This review contains major spoilers for Boots Riley’s 2018 film Sorry to Bother You....
Do Married Mormon Men Understand Consent? @ Peculiar People
- Image obtained through creative commons. I was 28 years old when I got married...
Coincidence or Miracle? @ Mormanity
- On my recent trip to several parts of the United States, I was in the Chicago airport for...
Thinking DIfferently About Same-sex Attraction: A Valuable Presentation from Jeff Robinson @ Mormanity
- One of the highlights of this week's 2018 FairMormon Conference for me was the...
Enjoying the 2018 FairMormon Conference and Speaking Tomorrow on the "Arise from the Dust" Them in the Book of Mormone @ Mormanity
- I'm attending the 2018 FairMormon Conference at the Utah Valley Convention Center today....
$2,200 for a Screwdriver, and the Military Didn’t Buy It @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
- Well, it has been an interesting summer, to say the least. On Memorial Day, I was playing...
When Lehi Left Jerusalem: 605 B.C.? A Plausible Hypothesis from Jeff Chadwick @ Mormanity
- A frequent question and criticism of the Book of Mormon involves Nephi's statement at the...
"Artifact or Artifice?" Orson Scott Card's Brilliant 1993 Essay Still Rings True @ Mormanity
- Twenty-five years ago a famous name among fiction writers, Orson Scott Card, gave a...
Economic Insanity: Chapter 8 (part 2) @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
- Competition Restrained by a Higher Good (Part 2)Who Really Believes in Unfettered...
Coach Lindsay's Power Secret for Success in Tennis and in Life! @ Mormanity
- Roger Federer, courtesy of Wikipedia.Tonight I'll confess to having watched some...
Misdiagnosis! @ Mormanity
- A few days ago a grieving mom in Shanghai, a good friend of ours, shared some tragic news...
Economic Insanity: Chapter 8 (part 1) @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
- Competition Restrained By a Higher Good (Part 1)The fundamental question of management...
Praise for Jared W. Ludlow’s New Book, Exploring the Apocrypha from a Latter-day Saint Perspective @ Mormanity
- Jared W. Ludlow’s new book, Exploring the Apocrypha from a Latter-day Saint Perspective...
Joseph Smith's Universe and Some Ruminations on Chinese Sci-Fi @ Mormanity
- One of my favorite projects recently was preparing an unusual article for The Interpreter...
Remembering June 9, 1978 @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
- In honor of the fortieth anniversary of the announcement of the revelation that ended one...
Economic Insanity: Chapter 7 (part 2) @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
- A Nation of Owners (Part 2)The Federal ModelEach responsible citizen in the United States...
Making Ministering Holy @ Peculiar People
- My priesthood lesson prompt was very open-ended: “ministering.” My mind leapt to the...
Economic Insanity: Chapter 7 (part 1) @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
- A Nation of Owners (Part 1)Employees are being paid to produce, not to make themselves...
Some Tips on Writing Fake Mormon Newsroom Stories @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
- This morning my son emailed me a link to the now infamous fake news story about President...
A Pie-in-the-Sky Blueprint for a New Political Party @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
- If I had the time and money (hence, pie in the sky), I would love to start a new...
Explicit and Implicit Doctrines in the Book of Mormon @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
- There are doctrines in the Book of Mormon that are taught explicitly, and there are...
The Alternative to Alternative Facts @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
- The alternative to alternative facts is, of course, real facts. So, in the interest of...
What Will Combined MP Quorums Mean? @ Small and Simple
- In a shocking announcement during the Priesthood Session of the 2018 March/April General...
Economic Insanity: Chapter 6 (part 2) @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
- A Nation of Wage Earners (Part 2)The Individual versus the Human ResourceThe fundamental...
Economic Insanity: Chapter 6 (part 1) @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
- A Nation of Wage Earners (Part 1)Sure, cried the tenant men, but it’s our land. We...
The Cost of a Kidney Stone @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
- If you have never had a kidney stone, count yourself blessed. I had one in 1999 after...
Dealing with Difficult Questions @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
- Sorry I haven’t posted anything for a while. I’ve been busy going over page proofs...
How Can Anyone Remain a Mormon in the Face of All the “Facts”? @ Small and Simple
- One of the things that you will see sometimes in anti-Mormon forums is what appears to be...
About That Taylor Christensen Video @ Small and Simple
- There is a video making the Mormon facebook circuit by Taylor Christensen. He starts...
The Day I Interviewed Elder Russell M. Nelson @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
- One day when I was working as a senior editor at Church magazines, I had the opportunity...
Economic Insanity: Chapter 5 (part 2) @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
- Of Course the Rich Are Getting Richer (Part 2)The Irrelevance of Right and LeftNeither...
The New York Times Thomas Monson Obituary and Fake News @ Small and Simple
- The president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints recently died, and the...
Economic Insanity: Chapter 5 (part 1) @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
- Of Course the Rich Are Getting Richer (Part 1)Often there is one pay system for...
Perfect College Football Playoff System: 2017 Version @ Small and Simple
- Several years ago I published to the world the perfect college football playoff system. ...
Moderate Worship Losing Ground @ Mormon Metaphysics
- While it’s not really new news, Sociological Science had an interesting story on how...
Clarifying the Principle of Confession @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
- The LDS practice of male Church leaders holding interviews with youth has been in the...
Economic Insanity: Chapter 4 (part 2) @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
- When Speed Looks Like Growth (Part 2)The Technological TrapEver-increasing productivity...
Economic Insanity: Chapter 4 (part 1) @ Mormonomics & Mormonethics
- When Speed Looks Like Growth (Part 1)Nothing in the modern workplace, and very little in...
Philosophy, Science and Religion: The Divine Hiddenness Argument @ Small and Simple
- The fourth week of the Coursera course on Philosophy, Science and Religion focuses on the...
Philosophy, Science and Religion: Friendly Disagreement, Testimonial Knowledge, and the Importance of Fellowship @ Small and Simple
- The third week of the Coursera course on Philosophy, Science and Religion addresses...
Philosophy, Science and Religion: The Conflict Between Science and Religion @ Small and Simple
- In the second week of the Coursera course on Philosophy, Science and Religion, professor...
Philosophy, Science and Religion: The Mind and The Religious Experience @ Small and Simple
- I am taking an online course through Coursera on Philosophy, Science and Religion. In...
Testimony and the Spiritual Experience @ Small and Simple
- I was raised in the religious tradition of my parents, which happens to be The Church of...
Bows, Arrows & the Book of Mormon @ Mormon Metaphysics
- This is just a “holder” post for a discussion I was having over whether...
Salvation in Mormonism @ Mormon Metaphysics
- Robert at Scriptural Mormonism does a good job discussing the place of grace in “old...
Terryl Givens on Mormons at the Forefront @ Mormon Metaphysics
- Terryl Givens has up an essay at First Things called “Mormons at the Forefront.”...
God and Evolutionary Psychology @ Mormon Metaphysics
- Evolutionary psychology suggests God makes more sense than not. I’m not sure he sees...
PEL on Scientism @ Mormon Metaphysics
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“…[scientism] is contributing to a growing trend on the left, quite as ferocious...
Stats on LDS Retention @ Mormon Metaphysics
- Just a short post as I’m planning a longer post on this topic at T&S next week. A...
Blogging at T&S @ Mormon Metaphysics
- Just a note I’m blogging at Times and Seasons for the next while. I’ll still post...
Mormon Millennials Becoming More Republican @ Mormon Metaphysics
- Somehow I missed that UVU (just a few blocks from work) was having a religious liberty...
Gallup on Number of Mormons @ Mormon Metaphysics
- I’d missed this when it came out. Gallup does regular interviews and keeps track of the...
