One model of revelation we invoke often is “the still small voice,” which phrasing comes from Elijah in 1ki 19:12. But scripture and history often provide us with multiple models, and I think there’s another one we should consider.

Historian of Religion, Science, and Biblical Interpretation
One model of revelation we invoke often is “the still small voice,” which phrasing comes from Elijah in 1ki 19:12. But scripture and history often provide us with multiple models, and I think there’s another one we should consider.
First, as many wonder, I have successfully defended my dissertation. When and in what forms it will be available to the public, I can’t say yet, but I’m already in talks with academic presses to turn it into a book. The final title was “The Scientist is Wrong”: Joseph Fielding Smith, George McCready Price, and the Ascent of Creationist Thought among Latter-day Saints in the Twentieth Century.
Some other announcements of interest: Continue reading
Let’s begin with this observation about the power of art, by a BYU professor with training in both art and religion. Continue reading
First, it’s that time of year wherein I start thinking about January, which means D&C/Church History… but mostly D&C. I always get excited when we hit D&C, because it means we’re almost to the Old Testament again. In the meantime, I have to figure out how to handle D&C here. This is the book I have read and taught the least, and I have virtually no notes to build from. Yes, I’m a historian of American religious history, but D&C focuses almost entirely on the 1830-1845 period… but my specialization is pre-332 B.C. and post 1900 AD. As for today, I want to focus almost entirely on 3Ne 6:12 today. Continue reading
Logos does a free book and some other sales every month. They’re launching a new version of the program sometime in September, so the sales right now are interesting. A few things I tend to recommend. These end in a week.
Today we continue the war chapters, and get to read some military correspondence. Let’s start with a rough chapter outline and then drill down into individual verses.
Another round of news!
As I’ve pointed out previously, the Book of Mormon moves at different paces in different places. We’ve spent the last few weeks making a slow section even slower, and that means that with today’s chapters, we’ve likely forgotten some important history relevant to today’s readings. After six chapters of doctrinal exposition, we hit the famed “war chapters.” Continue reading
Alma 17 begins with a chance meeting between Alma and the sons of Mosiah, and then we get a 14 year flashback.
Lots of big announcements, lots of good things happening, some things… coming to an end.
I first started graduate school in September of 2001 at the University of Chicago, with courses in Arabic, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Akkadian. Life gave me some real detours, and now 23 years later, in a completely different discipline, but drawing on my six years of training in the languages and literature of the ancient Near East, my doctoral dissertation is nearly complete. I’m sending off final revisions to my advisor, to get approval to send it out to my doctoral committee, with a defense in late June or July.
I will graduate and become Doctor Spackman.
The dissertation title is “The Scientist is Wrong”: Joseph Fielding Smith, George McCready Price, and the Ascendency of Creationist Thought among Latter-day Saints in the Twentieth Century.
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