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For me, a kind of pilgrimage

For me, a kind of pilgrimage

Last updated on: May 16, 2026 at 6:58 am by Dan Peterson

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For me, a kind of pilgrimage 2026-05-16T06:58:49-06:00 Dan Peterson

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“Do not scornfully turn your face away from people. Do not walk around puffed-up with pride; God does not love arrogant and boastful people.” (Qur‘an)

Even when, as I typically am, I’m off glutting myself with the labors of the Interpreter Foundation’s innocent and unsuspecting donors (see Alma 30:27, 31; compare Mosiah 9:12), indulging myself in luxurious travels and wallowing in vast gourmet banquets, the Foundation continues to produce. For instance, a new article — this one written by Allen Wyatt (one of the Foundation’s three vice presidents) — was published earlier today in Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship 68 (2026) : vii-xiv: “Atop the Rameumptom”:

Abstract: Holy stands come in all shapes and sizes. We need to be careful that we don’t unknowingly fashion a Rameumptom that blinds us to the ways in which God works with imperfect people of all eras.

The patriarch Abraham in an anonymous icon
(Wikimedia Commons public domain image)

And this article appeared online yesterday: Reprint: “The Redeemer and the Redeemed,” written by John Gee:

Part of our book chapter reprint series, this article originally appeared in Abraham and His Family in Scripture, History, and Tradition, edited by Jeffrey M. Bradshaw, John S. Thompson, Matthew L. Bowen, and David R. Seely. For more information, go to https://interpreterfoundation.org/books/abraham-and-his-family.

“In an offhanded comment, Isaiah identifies the Lord as “the Lord, who redeemed (pādāh) Abraham” (Isaiah 29:22). The comment seems odd considering that the verb pādāh never appears in the account of Abraham in the Hebrew Bible, causing problems for ancient translators. For example, the Septuagint translators did not know an account of Abraham being redeemed and so translated it “Jacob, who was separated from Abraham” (Iakōb, hon aphōrisen ex Abraam; LXX Isaiah 29:22). The Targum Jonathan apparently did know of the Lord saving Abraham from being sacrificed and so made it clear that God “redeemed (praq) Abraham.” Redemption, nevertheless, does play a role in the story of Abraham. Understanding the role that it plays will require understanding much more about Abraham in his day, correcting misunderstandings in geography and chronology, and elucidating cultural practices.”

“Zion’s Camp at Fishing River,” by Judith Mehr (LDS.org)

And oh yes: The “teaser” for Episode 17 of Becoming Brigham is now available online: “Was Zion’s Camp formative, or a failure?” (All prior installments of Becoming Brigham, along with other related information, are available here at no charge.)

Ledbury’s Baptist chapel was built in 1836, so it was still fairly new when, at the invitation of its pastor, Wilford Woodruff preached in it during the 1840 mission of the Twelve to England. (Wikimedia Commons public domain photograph)

I’ve fallen just a bit behind on my reporting from this tour of England, so I’ll try now to catch up:

Yesterday morning, we headed to Lutterworth, in southern Leicestershire, where John Wycliffe, who is sometimes called “the Morning Star of the Reformation,” served as the rector of St. Mary’s Church from 1374-1384. It was there that he probably made the first English translation of the Bible. The church is still standing, and the pulpit from which he preached remains substantially intact. A local Anglican volunteer kindly spoke to us about Wycliffe.

We also visited the very picturesque Herefordshire market town of Ledbury, the former home of Elizabeth Barrett Browning (“How do I love thee? Let me count the ways”) and the birthplace of the former poet laureate John Masefield (“”I must go down to the sea again, to the lonely sea and the sky”). An inscription on the door of one of the Tudor buildings that we passed reads something like the following: “All who pass through this door bring happiness — some by entering and some by leaving.”

The pond at the former farm of John and Jane Benbow (2009 photograph by Kenneth May)

We next visited the former Benbow farm in Castle Frome, where Wilford Woodruff found remarkable missionary success, baptizing hundreds of members of the United Brethren group, of which John and Jane Benbow and Thomas Kington were prominent members. He had so many baptisms to perform that Brigham Young and Willard Richards came to help him.. We then partially ascended the Herefordshire Beacon, enjoying the exceptionally good Bennetts Ice Cream that is sold where the path up the hill begins. (Yes, yes. I ate some.) We ended the day with a visit to the restored Gadfield Elm Chapel, Britain’s first LDS-owned meetinghouse and, I’m told, the oldest chapel in the Church. There, we were given a brief presentation on the place by two local senior missionaries who had been waiting for us.

Blenheim Palace from the south (Wikimedia Commons public domain image)

This morning, we visited the gargantuan Blenheim Palace, which is light-years beyond grand. The construction of the palace was funded by money given by Queen Anne to John Churchill, the first Duke of Marlborough, for his military triumphs in her service (and because his wife, the Duchess Sarah, had been the Queen’s life-long friend). Though not an heir to the dukedom, Winston Churchill was a close relative of the ducal family. He was born at Blenheim, spent considerable time there, and proposed to his future wife, Clementine, on the palace grounds. “At Blenheim,” he later reflected, “I took two very important decisions: to be born and to marry. I am happily content with the decisions I took on both those occasions.”

I especially like the connection to Winston Churchill at Blenheim. He’s a hero of mine.

The grave of C. S. Lewis and his brother Warren (“Warnie”). Wikimedia Commons public domain image

From Blenheim, we traveled to Oxford, where I did something that I’ve wanted to do for many years: We visited the Church of Holy Trinity Headington Quarry. Two church volunteers were there to greet us and to speak with us. It’s where C. S. Lewis worshipped, and it’s where he is buried. (His much-lamented wife, Joy Davidman, was cremated upon her death and her ashes were scattered in a nearby rose garden.)

I sat in the pew where Lewis generally sat, near the “Narnia window.” And when, for a few minutes, I found myself alone in the church and felt impelled to say something, I simply looked toward the altar and whispered “Thanks, Jack. Thanks. Thanks.” I found the experience surprisingly moving. His influence on me has been profound and life-long, and I can’t express the joy I’ve received from reading (and re-reading) his works.

Oxford University’s Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology (Wikimedia Commons public domain image)

Afterward, our group walked some of the fabled streets of Oxford, streets that have been walked by scores of eminent scholars and writers and clergymen and scientists and statesmen and, even, martyrs over the centuries. It’s hallowed ground. My wife, though, is still recovering from her recent fall, and we’ve done this walk more than once. So we spent our time in the magnificent Ashmolean Museum, concentrating on its collections of nineteenth-century paintings and, specifically, of works by the pre-Raphaelites.

Posted from London, England

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