Next Thursday on BYU campus (11am, ESC C295) I’ll present a lecture titled “Fault Lines within Faith: Geologists and the LDS Evolution/Creationism Controversy.”
Author: benspackman
Various And (of course) Sundry Updates for Fall 2025
Well, it’s going to be a heck of a semester. Continue reading
Genesis, Science, and the Church… in Berlin
I recently taught a 90-minute Institute class in Berlin with very little prep time.
Some Updates and Announcements
First, I’ve added a new section to the menu at left on Travel/Speaking plans.
Second, our book is now available to order from BYU Bookstore for $9.50, or a free pdf from the Life Sciences webpage.
Is the Endowment Best Understood as a “Gift”? And What does Incense have to do with Anything?
We LDS often say “endowment means a gift.” Yes, but that is both incomplete and not even the main or most important part! As it turns out, “endow” has several hundred years of financial/property/donation/gift ideas behind it, so it’s not surprising to hear that kind of meaning applied to the temple ordinances. This, however, is the tip of a very large iceberg, and all the interesting stuff is below the surface.
May 4th is Not Just Star Wars Day…
Few Latter-day Saints, I think, know that May 4 is a significant day in LDS liturgical history. (This is reposted from last year.) Continue reading
New book (and new essays!) on the Church, science, and evolution
For several years, I have been one of several co-editors nursing a book on Latter-day Saints, faith, and evolution through the production stage. I’m pleased to announce it’s now available. Free. Continue reading
Understanding Who Genesis Is TO Tells Us What Genesis Is FOR
I gave my second Institute lecture on the early chapters of Genesis this week, and laid some important groundwork.
Some announcements, new videos, and personal lessons
Before anything else… I will not have weekly posts on Doctrine&Covenants because a) it’s not my area, and b) I think it’s our hardest book to teach in the four-year cycle. I really struggle with D&C, to be honest. There will be some posts here and there, but I’m trying to write some books and articles.
Merry Christmas! I Give You… My Dissertation On Latter-day Saints and Creation/Evolution Conflict
Now available from ProQuest, in Pdf, paperback, or hardcover, the hot new dissertation EVERYONE wants to read!
“The Scientist is Wrong”: Joseph Fielding Smith, George McCready Price, and the Ascent of Creationist Thought among Latter-day Saints in the Twentieth Century
A few notes, followed by the Dissertation Abstract, and my story:
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