The Last Waffle of Innocence

Last updated on: November 22, 2006 at 9:42 am by mogget

The Last Waffle of Innocence 2006-11-22T09:42:39-05:00 mogget

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The last breakfast was a leisurely one. It was Tuesday morning and there was no need to rush off to the SBL. The first plane didn’t leave until 3PM. So we had waffles. I cooked the first set and kept them warm in the oven. Then, as they worked their way through those that I had kept warm, I cooked another round. And as I moved back and forth between the table and the stove, I thought about the weekend.

There had been a lot of back and forth all weekend. Back and forth to various area airports on Friday. Back and forth to the metro station and the conference areas on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. But the best of the back and forth was the back and forth conversation that took place well into the wee hours of the morning. I hadn’t seen 2AM in a long while, but I saw it three times last weekend.

What do LDS grad students in scripture, ancient history, and dead languages talk about at 2 AM? Geez. What don’t they talk about? But some things stand out. Labels like “liberal” and “conservative” no longer adequately capture the various positions that LDS scholars will take on the intersection of LDS thought and ancient scripture. With eighty LDS grad students in these fields, I expect the next decade will be interesting.

Abysmal LDS books – what’s the worst book ever published by Deseret Books? That’ll spark some debate and the wide-open field of contenders makes it very difficult to come to a consensus. Then there’s the fact that grad students don’t actually read books published by DB. And what did the word “interest” (D&C 119:4) mean when JS used it? Do we use it with the same meaning now? Who did JS think “Jehovah” to be when he read his OT?

Polygamy, polyandry, priesthood, baptism, the second anointing, child apostles, Paul, the Prince bio of President McKay, baptism, the bloggernacle, the passive voice in Greek, dispensationalism, football, war, slaves in the ancient Near East, politics, baptism, Emma Smith, torture, the growth of the church, various church leaders, Rough Stone Rolling, and baptism. (It’s David J.’s mission to write on baptism, so you’ll just have to wait until he gets back from his T-day celebrations to hear the deal on that one…)

And then I brought a new waffle over to LXXLuthor. He’d just maneuvered HP into eating the last one of the first batch, now cool and slightly soggy, so he could get the last warm, crisp one.

LXXLuthor started the weekend as something of the odd man out. He’s actually a senior at a large denominationally affiliated school in the Intermountain West with a religious education department. I’m not sure that the weekend’s conversation was exactly new, but I’m quite certain that the candor and detail in which various points were argued was an eye-opener. Our articulation of certain positions moved him on more than one occasion to ask why we actually still go to church.

But as you can see from his handle, LXXLuthor is interested in the LXX (Septuagint) and God willing he’s headed off next autumn to grad school in the same. When we meet for the SBL in San Diego next year, he’ll be dominating the conversation with his four new and original proofs of the Documentary Hypothesis, discussing why there’s only one hishtaphel left in Hebrew, and extolling the benefits of Historical Jesus research. When I handed him that waffle it was, in fact, the last waffle of innocence.

And although he started the weekend as the odd man out, you can see from the sidebar that he ended it as one of us. We might harass him a bit now and then, just for being a newbie, but you better not or you’ll have to deal with us. He’s our newbie!

Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome LXXLuthor to FPR. He’s promised us a post on the vessels of wrath and mercy in Romans 9. When he gets done with finals, of course.

Administrative

Previous Post

November 22, 2006

Slavery, Homosexuality, and the Authority of the Bible

Next Post

November 23, 2006 The Adulterous Woman, Part 1: The Narrator

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category 2013 Scriptures Administrative Apologetics Atonement Bible Book of Mormon Book Review BYU Doctrine Extra-Biblical Literature Family Feminism Guests History LDS Church History Leadership Marginalia Metaphysics Mormon Culture Mormon Studies Personal Issues Political Philosophy Politics Scripture Sexuality Speculation Spotlights Studying Religion Ten Tidbits The Tenure Track Theology Tips on Applying Series Tips on Being an Independent Scholar Uncategorized

Select a Month June 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 July 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz