Happy Reformation Day to all. On October 31, 1517, the eve of All Saints’ Day, Martin Luther conspicuously nailed his ninety-five theses to a church door in Wittenberg. (more…)

Is it the uniforms? The Cougs beat Air Force 62-41 on Saturday. Sounds like a score from back in the day doesn’t it? Let me say that BYU’s offense looked awesome as it ran over the Falcons, racking up nearly 700 yards in the process. Sure the Falcons have the worst defense BYU will see (except perhaps in practice) but it was fun to see an old-school shootout again.

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From this:

To this:

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I’m giving a faculty lecture on Friday at BYU (JSB 382), reporting on my FARMS-sponsored research on ancient Near Eastern apiculture (in light of Ether 2:3). The lecture is open to the public, but it’s at 8am so coffee-starved lay Mormons may be in short supply. Nevertheless, I would love to meet some of my bloggernacle pals and sparring partners. I will be staying with John C. in Orem and John Fowles in SLC.

Since the publication of Richard L. Bushman’s biography of Joseph Smith, Rough Stone Rolling in late September, I’ve attempted to track the book’s reception among critics. Every review I’ve come across thus far has credited Bushman with producing a balanced and well-researched and written examination of Joseph Smith’s life.

Martin Naparsteck’s review of Rough Stone Rolling for the Salt Lake Tribune, strikes a dissonant note, however. Naparsteck states that Bushman “attempts a biography of the founder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that meets the highest standards of professional historians and reflects his Mormon beliefs,” but “he gives us a tedious rendition of the known facts of Smith’s life, making one of the most interesting men in American religious history sound downright boring. The book requires inspired effort to read. He offers no new significant information and no new ways of viewing Smith.”

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