Historian of Religion, Science, and Biblical Interpretation
William D. Sill (no apparent relation to Sterling W. Sill) had a very interesting life, but is very little known to the general public. I draw the summary below from his donated papers, journal, and obituary, some of which I discovered with a research grant from the Church. (Notably, as is often the case in history, there are little inconsistencies in dating, titles, etc.)
I’ve broken this post into a few distinct parts. Other parts I will offload to links instead of reprinting massive amounts of text. There’s a lot to explore here, and a lot to talk about. Continue reading
I simply haven’t had time to update my Multimedia page, so here’s a list of four new videos. There’s some overlap with these, but a good bit of variation too.
A few years ago, I made a guided set of readings about science and religion, which many have found helpful. This is my attempt to do something similar but much more compact for Genesis 1.
I recently taught a 90-minute Institute class in Berlin with very little prep time.
Edit: This is now available in an expanded and published version in this free volume in PDF.
As many of my readers may know, President Joseph Fielding Smith (1876-1972) considered evolution not just incorrect, but devilish; he believed scripture taught a young earth, with no death of any kind anywhere before the fall of Adam c. 4000 BC. His key scriptural evidence was 2 Nephi 2:22-25, which he cited dozens of times in books, articles, and private letters. I want to explore and document a few related questions here.
My research has always included archival work, interviews, and just generally pulling on every thread I can until the sweater unravels.
History is not merely what happened, but the stories we tell about what happened and how we tell them. Better understanding of the past can change our perception of the present, change our choices and understandings. Better history seems to have been a factor leading up to the 1978 revelation re: the priesthood/temple ban, for example. (See the long version of the Kimball biography.)
It’s also definitely the case with the Church and biological evolution. Joseph Fielding Smith told the story of evolution in the Church in the first half century in a particular way. And funny enough, it is Joseph Fielding Smith who ultimately undermines the very story he tells, leaving us instead a history allowing much more theological openness to evolution. Continue reading
I’ve linked below to the video of my recent talk at the University of Utah, and further reading for those interested.
I’ve been devoting the vast majority of my time to the dissertation, and haven’t posted much. But here’s a fun little tidbit.
Oftentimes in the archive, something grabs your attention. And as you acquire more and more of these things that have grabbed, you start making connections between them.
Edwin S. Hinckley was a BYU science professor at the turn of the 19th century, back when BYU was very small. He was also the favorite uncle of a young boy named Gordon B. Hinckley.
I was recently asked, is evolution compatible with the Gospel?
So let’s talk about it. But first things first; to be productive, any good conversation needs to start with clear definitions.
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