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When Gods Were Men

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Select a Category Bible Book of Mormon Documentary Hypothesis Eden Eve Feminism Genesis goddesses Gods Historical Criticism Judaism Mormon Studies New Testament Prophecy Prophets Religion Religious Studies Social Justice Uncategorized

Select a Month November 2015 July 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 July 2014 April 2014 March 2014 January 2014

November 2015

November 07, 2015

The Wind Always Blows in the Direction of the Promised Land

I love a good Jewish book. And I’m especially fond of Dr. Rachel Naomi Remen’s...

April 2015

April 02, 2015

You Lost Me: Secular vs. Sacred Education

Secularism! Be afraid! It is a demonic force overtaking religious institutions as it consumes and...

March 2015

March 23, 2015

Who Wrote the Gospels? (part 1)

“A historical genre does not necessarily guarantee historical accuracy or reliability, and neither the evangelists...

March 03, 2015

The Spiritual Nature of Doubt

When religious paradigms break apart through critical analysis, it is natural for believers to experience...

February 2015

February 06, 2015

1 Nephi as Propaganda

The Book of Mormon begins by telling the story of a messianic figure named Nephi....

February 02, 2015

Stories of Faith and Trickery: Genesis as History? (pt. 1)

With its stories of incest, jealousy, faith, and trickery, the Book of Genesis is filled...

January 2015

January 28, 2015

The Divine Word Made Flesh: A Fundamental Mormon Paradox

In his recent Oxford University Press study, Dr. David F. Holland shares a profound observation...

January 24, 2015

William Schniedewind on Scribalism and the Development of the Bible

How did we get the Bible? Back in 2004, UCLA professor of biblical studies and...

January 24, 2015

Critical Studies Versus Apologetics: My Own Personal Journey

I have a great love for critical scholarship, but like any real love, mine took...

January 20, 2015

Don’t Do Bible (but if you do, do it right) part 2

It’s true. Some conservative scholars interested in Bible will pursue ancillary degrees in Near Eastern...

January 14, 2015

On This Day 50 Years Ago in Human History

Today is January 17th, 2015. This day marks an important one in human history. 50...

January 08, 2015

Can Mormons Engage in Secular Study?

Mormonism is a cerebral religion. Much like Jews, Mormons worship through education. True, we have...

December 2014

December 31, 2014

Home From Chile

On a personal note, on December 19th, my oldest daughter Kate returned home from serving...

December 31, 2014

Clarifying an Important Point

Dear Friends, I am sincerely grateful for the opportunity that the Patheos site provides to...

December 30, 2014

A Response to My Friend Daniel Peterson

I’m very grateful for Daniel Peterson’s kind, thoughtful response to my recent post. I’m going...

December 30, 2014

Having Doubts is Not Sinning

Within Mormonism faith, love, service, and critical thinking are all essential components in developing spirituality....

December 28, 2014

Apologetics vs. Mormon Studies

Mormon studies versus apologetics. It seems the "bloggernacle" is currently filled with posts addressing this...

December 26, 2014

How to Save LDS Youth in a Secular Age

Some time ago, I had the opportunity to participate in a large group in-service meeting...

December 06, 2014

God, Gods, and Goddesses: Making Sense of the Elohim in Genesis

The Hebrew noun ’elohim can be a bit confusing. Technically, ’elohim is a masculine plural...

April 2014

April 16, 2014

Yahweh Elohim in Genesis 2-3: A Response to Opponents of Documentary Analysis

I’m grateful that my book Authoring the Old Testament has sparked some interesting discussions. As...

April 13, 2014

Affliction and Favor: The Book of Mormon as Literature

For 2013-14, I had the opportunity to serve as a Postdoctoral Teaching Fellow in...

April 10, 2014

Three Remarkable Lives

The Tanner Humanities Center at the University of Utah continues to play host to some...

April 02, 2014

Mormon Studies at the University of Utah

I had the opportunity Fall semester 2013 to teach a Book of Mormon as Literature...

March 2014

March 20, 2014

Miller Eccles Study Group Texas

I'll have the opportunity to travel to Texas this weekend and give several presentations. The...

March 04, 2014

Introduction to the Documentary Hypothesis and its Relationship to LDS Texts

I'm pleased to announce that my book Authoring the Old Testament: Genesis-Deuteronomy is now officially...

January 2014

January 28, 2014

Genesis: Abraham and the Akedah

Dan Wotherspoon has posted our discussion on Abraham and the Akedah as a free podcast...

January 26, 2014

The Death of the Documentary Hypothesis

I’m surprised how often I read online someone making the assertion that the Documentary Hypothesis...

January 25, 2014

The Genesis Team

I've had the privilege of joining my friend Dan Wotherspoon in a series of podcasts...

January 24, 2014

The Creation of the “Helper”: The Importance of Historical Criticism for Religious Readers

I need to begin this post with a frank confession. I self-identify as a male-feminist. ...

January 23, 2014

“Divinity Speaks And It Is So”: Limitations of the Prophetic Word

The Book of Mormon presents a touching exchange between husband and wife. In a moment...