Posted in Ancient Near East Antiquity Bible Book of Mormon Books Charity Christianity covenants Critics Doctrine Evidence Faith Gospel of Jesus Christ Greek history Repentance Restoration

Relational Faith: An Essential Book for Understanding “Faith” as Used in New Testament Times and for Appreciating the Restoration

There’s a new book, Brent Schmidt’s Relational Faith, that may be one of the best resources around to help Latter-day Saints and perhaps many other Christians understand and explain what…

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Posted in Book of Mormon Books Doctrine Evidence history Origins Problems Repentance Scholarship Scripture Translation

A Simple Example from the Book of Mormon Showing Why Scholarship Is Needed

Many Latter-day Saints seem unaware of the great body of scholarship that can strengthen faith and understanding for members of the Church and those exploring it. Such scholarship can be…

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Posted in Bible Book of Abraham Christianity Evidence Faith Gospel of Jesus Christ Jesus Christ Repentance Resurrection Sacrifice The Church

The Light of Christ and the Birth of Christ

This is the short message I gave near the end of the musical Christmas Devotional for the Appleton, Wisconsin Stake on Dec. 24, 2022 in Neenah, Wisconsin. The Light of…

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Posted in children Family gender Gospel of Jesus Christ LGBTQ Policies politics Prophets Social Issues

The Church Announces Support for a Bill Supporting Same-Sex Marriage

The Church has spoken in favor of a federal bill supporting same-sex marriage, while still maintaining the position that homesexual activity is inconsistent with the teachings of the Gospel. Here…

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Ani Maamin cover
Posted in Ancient Near East Bible Book of Mormon Books covenants Critics Doctrine Hebrew Israel literature Revelation Scholarship Scripture

Joshua Berman’s Ani Maamin: An Orthodox Jewish Scholar Provides Help in Keeping the Faith in the Face of Secular Bible Scholarship

During a recent trip to Atlanta, my wife and I connected two of our Latter-day Saint friends with dear Jewish friends there. Among the many topics of the evening, we…

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Posted in abortion Communism Family freedom Friends government health News politics Sacrifice Service Social Issues Society

A Catholic Family Gets a Visit From the FBI: A Time to Carefully Follow Stories on Threats to Religious Freedom

The opening talk of the October 2022 General Conference, “Caring for the Poor and Distressed” by Elder Dallin H. Oaks, asked us to not only do more to help to…

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arise from the dust
Posted in Ancient Near East Bible Book of Mormon covenants dust Evidence Jesus Christ Origins Scholarship Videos Witnesses

A Tough Question: What’s the Single Most Impressive Evidence for the Book of Mormon?

A critic recently asked me a tough question: what’s the single most impressive piece of evidence for the Book of Mormon? I think he wasn’t looking for evidence that might change open his mind, but perhaps was looking to simplify his goal of attacking the Book of Mormon. But for those who really want to understand more, what evidence is most important and impressive? Here I offer a few thoughts and several possibilities for the “one best” issue to consider.

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FAIR Conference 2022
Posted in Evidence Family General Gospel of Jesus Christ Scholarship Scripture Social Issues

Watch the 2022 FAIR Conference for Free!

Watch the 2022 FAIR Conference for free! Formerly the FAIR Mormon Conference, the FAIR Conference features many outstanding Latter-day Saint scholars and authors who share insights on many important topics…

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Jesus Washes the Feet of His Disciples
Posted in Ancient Near East Bible Book of Mormon covenants dust Evidence Gospel of Jesus Christ Resurrection Scholarship Scripture

The “Arise from the Dust” Theme and the Unity of Isaiah

In my exploration of the “arise from the dust” theme in the Book of Mormon, published in several articles for Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day saint Faith and Scholarship (see “Arise from the Dust,” Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and “Strong Like Unto Moses”) and the topic of my 2018 presentation at the FAIR Latter-day Saints Conference, I noted that passages from Isaiah 49 and Isaiah 52 play an important role in the Book of Mormon. Both involve the theme of dust….

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Posted in Family Family history work Gospel of Jesus Christ

Do I Dare Join the Woman in the Boat?

  “Woman Reading in a Boat” by Arthur Becher, ca. 1910. I just awoke from a dream, or series of dreamlike images, in which I stood on my familiar shore…

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