Theology
Magi from China
A few years ago, Revelation of the Magi was first translated into English. I’ve wanted to blog about it for a time, but now seems appropriate. According to ABC News, An ancient text called the “Revelation of the Magi,” has been rediscovered and tells a very different version of the Three Wise Men’s journey to […]
Reassessing the Birth of Jesus
In a 2010 article in BYU Studies, Professor Jeffrey R. Chadwick of BYU made the case that Jesus was born in December of 5 BC. In the most recent issue of BYU studies, professors Lincoln Blumel and Thomas Wayment review Chadwick’s article and make the case that his handling of certain ancient sources, including the […]
The Sacred/Secret Temple
I had the pleasure of attending the closed-circuit dedication of the Brigham City Temple this afternoon. Â My family was able to walk through the temple a few weeks ago. Â While the architecture seems somewhat reminiscent of the Salt Lake Temple, it is one of the newer, much smaller temples that the church now builds. Â Boyd […]
Acceptable Use of Cult/Not Christian
Well, I thought my Carthage post was long dormant, but it has received a burst of activity lately.  One commenter has decided that it is acceptable to refer to Mormonism as a cult.  I find this HIGHLY objectionable, but he continues to derail the discussion over there.  So, I am going to create a new conversation […]
Questions for Mormons
Most of the people who come to my blog are Mormons, but there are some that aren’t. Â I have been surprised that my 3-year old post on the Trial of Joseph’s Assassins has suddenly developed a spirited discussion. Â I want to keep that post on topic, so I have decided to move some of the […]
Abraham: Breaking the Cycle of Child Abuse
The Biblical story of Abraham is an interesting story for me on several levels. In the past, I’ve talked about different academic perspectives of him, my personal discomfort with how he mistreated his wife Hagar, and I have also compared the Book of Abraham to Islamic texts. Tresa Edmunds has her own blog, and is […]
Apostle: Special Witness of Christ
I have just finished The Mormon Hierarchy: Extensions of Power by Michael Quinn. Many of us know that a Mormon Apostle is a special witness of Christ. Does that involve a personal vision or visitation of Christ? In the earliest days of the church, it did. Quinn says on page 1,
6 Reasons Why Mormons Are Beating Evangelicals in Church Growth
If you’ve been on the bloggernacle for long, you’ve probably seen some posts that note that growth in the LDS Church is flattening out, and these posts usually make the implication that this is simply an LDS phenomenon. Â However David French (a Presbyterian evangelical) recently pointed out that in America nearly all Christian religions are […]
Sunstone 2012
Sunstone began on Wednesday, but unfortunately, I could only attend Friday. I thought I would give some initial impressions of the sessions so far.
The Non-verbal 1978 Revelation
As I mentioned in my previous post, I’ve been reading the Lengthen Your Stride: Working Draft. Chapter 22 provides more information than is available in Lengthen Your Stride by Edward Kimball. Many have wondered why there has been no written revelation of the 1978 revelation allowed men of all races to hold the priesthood, and […]
Mormon Heretic 