“Conclusions in Search of Evidence”

Last updated on: December 16, 2019 at 12:37 am by Dan Peterson

“Conclusions in Search of Evidence” 2019-12-16T00:37:03-07:00 Dan Peterson

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The Phoenix Arizona Temple (LDS Media Library) is one of the three temples in the Greater Phoenix area. The other two are in Mesa and in Gilbert.

A new article has appeared in Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship. It was written by John Gee:

“Conclusions in Search of Evidence”

Review of Jana Riess, The Next Mormons: How Millennials Are Changing the LDS Church (New York: Oxford University Press, 2019). 312 pages. $29.95.

Abstract: Riess’s book surveying the beliefs and behaviors of younger members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was supposed to compare the attitudes of younger generations with those of older generations. Unfortunately, flaws in the design, execution, and analysis of the survey prevent it from being what it was supposed to be. Instead the book is Riess’s musings on how she would like the Church to change, supported by cherry-picked interviews and an occasional result from the survey. The book demonstrates confusion about basic sampling methods, a failure to understand the relevant literature pertaining to the sociology of religion, and potential breaches of professional ethics. Neither the survey results nor the interpretations can be used uncritically.

It’s accompanied by another portion of Brant A. Gardner’s forthcoming monograph:

“Labor Diligently to Write: The Ancient Making of a Modern Scripture Chapters 12 & 13”

[Editor’s Note: We are pleased to present the fifth installment from a book entitled Labor Diligently to Write: The Ancient Making of a Modern Scripture. It is being presented in serialized form as an aid to help readers prepare for the 2020 Come Follow Me course of study. This is a new approach for Interpreter, and we hope you find it helpful.]

Today is the 386th consecutive week on which the Interpreter Foundation — which was founded 387.5 weeks ago — has published at least one new article.

Also available on the Interpreter website is this video by Dr. Hales Swift:

“To Him That Overcometh:” the Seven Promises of Revelation 2-3: A Video Supplement for Come, Follow Me Lesson 48: “Glory, and Power, Be unto … the Lamb for Ever”

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This is a movie that I myself would like to see, and I thought that several of you might find it of interest, as well:

National Review: “A Film for All Christians: Terrence Malick’s A Hidden Life is a cinematic monument of Christian apologetics.”

I really believe that film is a key to responding to the increasing secularization of Western societies. We need to reach audiences where they are, and we need to baptize their imaginations as well as their minds. That’s one of the reasons I’ve invested so much time and effort into the Witnesses film project.

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