LATIN – apologeticus GREEK – apologetikos Apologetics: “The branch of theology that is concerned with defending or proving the truth of Christian doctrines” (The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th edition, Houghton Mifflin Company, 2009).
JOURNAL CONTENTS
- Message from the President
- FAIR 2010 Conference Talks
- FAIR Website
- Spotlight
- FAIR Wiki
- FAIR Blog
- FAIR Bookstore
- Upcoming Events
- Apologetics on the Internet
- Research Notices
- FAIR’s ‘Front Page’
- Ask the Apologist
- Copyright Notice and Disclaimer
Note: We want to thank Matt Brown for being our Journal Editor for the past several issues. He had some outside commitments so I am temporarily taking the reins again. We appreciate the work he did. –Scott Gordon
MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
Passing of FAIR Volunteer Renee Olson
We are all saddened at FAIR by the passing of one of our volunteers, Renee Olson.
It was a sudden and surprising death and caught all of us off guard. She was participating on the FAIR volunteer list just the afternoon prior to her death, as she was explaining how she as an anti-Mormon became converted and joined the Church. She was a speaker at our FAIR conference and was one of the motivating factors behind blacklds.org. She will be missed.
You can view her FAIR Conference talk from 2002 here:
Dispelling the Black Myth (captioned)
(There are four parts)
Or you can read the transcript here:
You can read her testimony here:
There is a Facebook memorial page here:
If you would like to make a donation for Renee, go to the FAIR bookstore donations page:
Put “for Renee” in the comments. We will be sure that the donations make it to Renee’s educational foundation.
–Scott Gordon President of FAIR
FAIR 2010 CONFERENCE TALKS
In a very quick turnaround time, we have the FAIR Conference talks available in MP3 format for purchase at the FAIR bookstore.
While all of them were excellent, we want to point you to three talks that were of great interest for a general audience.
- How Americans View Mormons by Gary Lawrence
- The Two Trees (Women in LDS thought) by Valarie Hudson
- Religion in the Legal Controversy Over Marriage by William Duncan
You can download all of the talks here:
Additionally, we do have a pre-conference video of William Schryver, “The Meaning of the Kirtland Egyptian Papers,” video links [plug-in needed]
FAIR WEBSITE
We have added a number of conference talks to the FAIR Website:
The Two Trees. In her 2010 FAIR Conference presentation, Valerie Hudson discusses the relationship and differences between men and women in the gospel.
The Two Trees (text) (PowerPoint) by Valerie Hudson
Joseph Smith and Modern Cosmology. Ron Hellings takes a look at modern cosmology and the teachings of Joseph Smith in this 2009 FAIR Conference presentation. (This is a PDF file.)
Joseph Smith and Modern Cosmology (PDF) by Ron Hellings
Brigham Young’s Teachings On Adam. Matthew Brown, in his 2009 FAIR Conference presentation, examines the oft-misunderstood teachings of Brigham Young about Adam. (This is a PDF file.)
Brigham Young’s Teachings On Adam (PDF) by Matthew Brown
Editing Hugh Nibley: From Manuscript to Book. In her 2010 FAIR Conference presentation, Shirley Ricks recounts her first-hand experience in working with Hugh Nibley and his publications.
Editing Hugh Nibley: From Manuscript to Book (HTML) (PDF) by Shirley Ricks
The Apocalypse of Abraham: An Ancient Witness for the Book of Moses. Jeffrey Bradshaw, in this 2010 FAIR Conference presentation, discusses how the ancient Apocalypse of Abraham provides evidence that correlates with the Book of Moses. (This is a PDF file.)
The Apocalypse of Abraham: An Ancient Witness for the Book of Moses (PDF) by Jeffrey Bradshaw
DNA and the Book of Mormon. Geneticist Ryan Parr examines the meaning of DNA evidence and the Book of Mormon in this 2005 FAIR Conference presentation.
DNA and the Book of Mormon by Ryan Parr
An International Perspective: Opposition to Mormonism in Finland, 1845-2006. An extensive examination of anti-Mormon efforts in Finland by Kim Ostman in this 2006 FAIR Conference presentation.
An International Perspective: Opposition to Mormonism in Finland, 1845-2006 by Kim Ostman
Empathetic Imagination: Reading Between the Lines in Standing on the Promises. Darius Gray and Margaret Blair Young discuss their book, Standing on the Promises, in this 2004 FAIR Conference presentation.
Empathetic Imagination: Reading Between the Lines in Standing on the Promises by Darius Gray and Margaret Blair Young
International Perspectives of a Black Member in a “White” Church. Alex Boye discusses (and sings about) his perspectives on being a Black member of the LDS Church in this 2004 FAIR Conference presentation.
International Perspectives of a Black Member in a “White” Church by Alex Boye
SPOTLIGHT
Daniel O. McClellan is a FAIR participant and has recently been given a high and noteworthy honor. On his blog it is reported that on 24 June 2010 he was awarded Best Master’s Thesis in the Jewish Studies category at Oxford University. His work was entitled “Anti-Anthropomorphism and the Vorlage of LXX Exodus.”
On Monotheism as a Restrictive Interpretive Framework
On 22 November 2010 Daniel will be a presenter at the Society of Biblical Literature’s annual meeting (this year in Atlanta, Georgia). His theme will be “What is Deity in LXX Deuteronomy?” Before entering graduate school Daniel was editor-in-chief of a BYU journal called Studia Antiqua which was associated with the David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies. Daniel also served as the organizer of the 2008 BYU symposium on Temples and Ritual in Antiquity.
FAIR WIKI
The FAIR wiki project began in 2006 as a way to provide more flexible and searchable resources on LDS apologetic issues. FAIR wiki articles are created, expanded and edited on a continual basis by various FAIR volunteers. The FAIR wiki’s main page can be accessed at:
Here is a batch of updated articles:
- Kirtland Egyptian Papers
- Kirtland Egyptian Papers (Background)
- Kirtland Egyptian Papers (Historical LDS Approaches)
- Size of the Missing Papyrus
- Book of Abraham Timeline
FAIR BLOG
Thoughts and commentary from the apologetic frontlines (articles are open to public comment):
2010 FAIR Conference Review
FAIR BOOKSTORE
Come to the FAIR Bookstore to find the Internet’s best selection of materials for LDS apologetics. Whether you are looking for books, study aids, DVDs, or audio products, the FAIR Bookstore has what you need. You can begin your browsing by going to our main site.
Be sure to check out the Clearance Section. We have many older books and some new books with slightly damaged covers that offer great deals to buyers.
Clearance Special:
Journey to Eternal Life and Distractions Along the Way Limited to stock on hand.
James K. and Rosel Seastrand, Las Vegas, Nevada: Newmark Publishing, 1990, 6×9″ softbound, 192 pages.
This book explains many Latter-day Saint beliefs. A few of the challenges this book answers are:
- Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints affirm they are Christians, but don’t you teach of a different God and Jesus Christ than traditional Christianity?
- In addition to the Holy Bible you accept the Book of Mormon as scripture, but isn’t the Bible the only Word of God?
- You believe that husbands and wives and children may continue as family units in Heaven, but aren’t good people resurrected as unmarried angels belonging only to the family of Jesus Christ?
- To be saved into eternal life, you teach that we must have both faith and work-righteousness, but doesn’t salvation come instantly only by faith and the grace of God the moment we accept Christ?
- You assert there can be salvation after death, but isn’t any of mankind without hope if they haven’t accepted Christ while they lived on earth?
- You believe there are three degrees of glory in Heaven, but isn’t there only one Heaven?
- You teach that Hell may be a sorrowful state of mind, but isn’t Hell a place of everlasting burning in fire and brimstone?
- You claim to have God’s priesthood authority and the restored fulness of the gospel, but wasn’t the priesthood done away in Jesus Christ and didn’t the gospel remain on earth in its fullness after Jesus’ time?
- You believe Joseph Smith was a prophet and apostle of God, but didn’t the need for prophets and apostles cease after New Testament times?
- Why are only ‘temple-worthy’ individuals allowed in your temples?
Retail Price: $5.95 Special FAIR Price: $1.96 (67% Discount)
September Specials:
FAIR Bookstore – Monthly Specials
Mountain Meadows Massacre: The Andrew Jenson and David H. Morris Collections
Edited by Richard E. Turley Jr. and Ronald W. Walker. Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University, 2009. Hardbound, 11 x 8.75″, 341 pages.
With this volume, the authors fulfill admirably their commitment to provide the unpublished, unexploited primary source material to support their earlier narrative history, Massacre at Mountain Meadows. In the process, they open partially the door to that fabled cupboard of documentary treasures and conspiracy grist–the LDS First Presidency’s vault. What here emerges is a set of participant accounts loaded with the gospel truth leavened by prevarication, mendacity, and finger-pointing. Turley and Walker perform a wonderful service in helping us negotiate the complexities of this homicidal thicket, sometimes at a cost to their own equanimity. Their book is best approached as an adjunct to Massacre at Mountain Meadows rather than as a stand-alone work; it can best be evaluated when read in tandem with another account of post-tragedy truth-seeking by an attorney-historian grappling with obfuscation– Henry C. Clausen’s Pearl Harbor: Final Judgment.
–William P. MacKinnon, an independent historian, honorary life member of the Utah State Historical Society, and president-elect of the Mormon History Association, is author of At Sword’s Point, Part 1: A Documentary History of the Utah War to 1858.
These recollections, affidavits, and statements of Mountain Meadows Massacre participants and informed bystanders are valuable additions to the documentation of the 1857 tragedy. The editorial standards employed here are cutting-edge. The editors’ acknowledgement of the limitations inherent in some of the documents enhances respect for the integrity of the project. This volume is an essential contribution to an understanding of one of the most horrendous crimes in Mormon and western American history.
–Klaus J. Hansen, Professor emeritus, Queen’s University, Kingston, Canada, is author of Mormonism and the American Experience
Retail Price: $44.95 Special FAIR Price: $35.96 (20% Discount)
Joseph and Hyrum: Leading as One
Edited by: Mark E. Mendenhall, Hal B. Gregersen, Jeffrey S. O’Driscoll, Heidi S. Swinton, and Breck England. Provo, Utah: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 2010. Hardbound, 6″x9″, 288 pages.
What can we discover about leadership from Joseph and Hyrum as they worked together organizing and operating the Church? This book grew out of a conference of experts in leadership and Church history that explored the friendship of Joseph and Hyrum and the leadership traits of these remarkable and influential men.
- Explores the close friendship of Joseph and Hyrum and Hyrum’s role in providing counsel, support, and leadership.
- Provides insights from historians and experts on leadership about how Joseph and Hyrum worked, how they led, and how they encouraged, supported, and sustained others.
- Identifies lessons from their lives and teachings that will transform our personal perspective of leadership.
- Includes photographs.
- Pays tribute to Joseph and Hyrum–and challenges us to be more edifying leaders in our homes, our Church service, and our professional lives.
Retail Price: $21.99 Special FAIR Price: $17.59 (20% Discount)
Temple Themes In the Book of Moses
Jeffrey M. Bradshaw. Salt Lake City, Utah: Eborn Publishing, 2010.
Because its stories form such an important part of the LDS temple endowment, the book of Moses is an ideal starting point for a scripture-based study of temple themes. It is well known, for example, that the endowment, like the book of Moses, includes includes the stories of Creation and of Adam and Eve. What is more rarely appreciated, however, is that the relationship between scripture and temple teachings goes two ways. Not only have many of the stories of the book of Moses been included in the endowment, but also, in striking abundance, themes echoing temple architecture, furnishings, ordinances, and covenants have been deeply woven into the text of the book of Moses itself.
Digital, 379 pages: Retail: $19.95 Special FAIR Price: $14.96 (25% Discount)
Softbound, Single Volume, Black and White Edition, 8 x 10″, 379 pages: Retail Price: $19.95 Special FAIR Price: $15.96 (20% Discount)
Softbound, Two Volume Color Edition, 8×10″, 379 pages: Retail Price: $59.95 Special FAIR Price: $47.96 (20% Discount)
Thank you for using the FAIR bookstore!
UPCOMING EVENTS
Mormon Media Studies Symposium 11-12 November 2010 Brigham Young University
Mormon Media Studies Symposium 2012
King James Bible Symposium (400th Anniversary) February 2011 Brigham Young University
LDS Church History Symposium 9 March 2011 Brigham Young University Conference Center
APOLOGETICS ON THE INTERNET
- Michael R. Ash, “Book of Mormon Evidences Today”
- “Roper’s Take on Book of Mormon Geography”
- Michael DeGroote, “How Gold Were the Golden Plates?”
- Daniel C. Peterson, “Understanding the Book of Mormon: A Reader’s Guide”
RESEARCH NOTICES
Occasionally there are publications and presentations that may be of interest or use to those who are involved in LDS apologetics. See the following:
- David K. Stott, “Legal Insights into the Organization of the Church in 1830,” Brigham Young University Studies, vol. 49, no. 2, 2010, 121-48.
- Richard L. Bushman, “Hugh Nibley and Joseph Smith”, Journal of the Book of Mormon and Other Restoration Scriptures vol. 19, no. 1, 2010, 4-13.
FAIR’S ‘FRONT PAGE’
FAIR’s ‘Front Page’ is a free news clipping service and the recipient can unsubscribe at any time. It is not sent in any official Church or other capacity. It is for those who are interested in keeping abreast with what is being said around the world about the LDS Church and its members. Sometimes media portrayal of the LDS Church, its members and of other religions is not positive or accurate. The responsibility for the interpretation and use of this information lies with the reader. As all information comes from other news sources and has not been independently verified, FAIR cannot guarantee or be responsible for the security of links in the clipping service. FAIR will attempt to exclude news articles containing strongly offensive language but cannot guarantee that some will not slip through. Some links may also lead to offensive images. To receive this service click on the link below, enter your email address in the white box, and push the “Sign-Up” button.
ASK THE APOLOGIST
The public is invited to submit questions related to LDS *apologetic* issues to “Ask the Apologist.” This feature can be accessed by clicking on the following link:
Mark the box labeled “Questions (for the FAIR apologists).” Then fill in accurate information in the five white boxes and push the “Send Comments” button. All inquiries will be shared with members of the FAIR List and the questioner may receive multiple responses from FAIR volunteers. All responses reflect the opinions of the respondents only and not the official position of FAIR or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
