Q&A with Mr. Mustard Plaster author Mary Bradford January 26 2015

Q: What was the drive behind republishing these essays?

A: My daughter and I went to hear Joanna Brooks--author Book of Mormon Girl-- speak to our study group in DC. She claimed that Mitt's presidential campaign had created a Mormon Moment that writers should respond to. My daughter said, "Why not update your essay collection--Leaving Home?" I therefore contacted my publishing guru, Brent Corcoran, formerly Dialogue's production editor, who worked with me in 2009 when I published my poetry collection. Not only is he a poet himself, but he had convinced me to keep a digital file of my essays. He then took it upon himself to organize an omnibus collection of these essays, with the help of MHA artist, Thayne Whiting. I thought it made sense to rename the new incarnation with a catchier title. "Mr. Mustard Plaster" dealt with one of the themes of the book: "You can take the girl out of Utah but you can't take Utah out of the girl." I like Thayne's design of the humble mustard seed that grows into a flourishing plant--much like the personal essay The cover's botanical print, the book's layout and typeface also evoke my "Art Deco Childhood" essay. Taken together I hope it symbolizes the closest I can come to a memoir or autobiography.

Q: What motivated you to write essays in the first place?

A: Writing clarifies my life. I was a bookish child who found the best way of relating my inner world to the outer world was through literature. This naturally leads to writing--and editing. Mormons as a people practice the personal essay. We bear testimony, preach sermons, keep journals, record personal histories--even scrapbooks. Early Mormons were too busy surviving to afford the luxury of this peculiar and particular genre. As Mormonism matured, the seeds of this genre found a remarkable and welcoming soil. You might say that I took to it by nature and by nurture.   

When Dialogue came along in 1966, one of its founders, Gene England, an accomplished practitioner of the essay (and a poet) asked me to contribute to the section, Personal Voices. Later as Dialogue's third editor, I kept the flame alive, actively cultivating the personal essay. At the same time I contributed  regular columns, "One Woman's Perspective" to Exponent II under its creative editor, Sue Booth-Forbes. These became longer essays in my book.

Q: You have described the personal essay as "the quintessential Mormon genre." Could you elaborate on that?

A: I think I got that idea from the writings of Parley A.Christensen, professor of English at BYU. When I went there to teach in the fifties, I read his "All in a Teacher's Day?". His calm and witty dedication to the humanities was inspiring to a young neophyte. When, as wife and mother, I joined Dialogue's staff, I saw, with Gene, the personal essay as an extension of the testimony. Now in my dotage, I see it as a good way to leave a mark on the world. It seems easier to serve your life in tasty chunks instead of indigestible meals.

Q: What were some of Virginia A. Sorensen's qualities that led you to follow her so closely?

A: Virginia Sorensen, Mormon novelist of the 40's 50's and 60's, was introduced to me by my thesis chair, Dr. William Mulder at the University of Utah. As an English major and a Mormon, I naturally believed the Book of Mormon would be a good subject for poetry, and so proposed a selection of my poems as a MA thesis. I took courage from the few poems I had showed to a visiting poet who said  he envied my "built-in mythology." The U's poetry professor was not convinced and so rejected it. I turned to Dr. Mulder who said, "If you are interested in a living, working Mormon writer, why not choose Virginia Sorensen," a personal friend of his. Thus began a friendship that lasted until her death in 1991. Through Virginia I became friends with her cousin, Esther Petersen, a towering example of caring public service.

In my 1956 thesis, I wrote: "Virginia writes of her grandparents, her parents, and herself that preserves something of every Western Mormon's personal history. In her works we have a special innocence, part of the fading murals historians rush to save before zealous whitewashers have rubbed them away. . . That many have not read her because of her penchant for reproducing people who suffer, bleed and die seems nothing short of blind anachronism." Virginia's stories of her childhood, indeed her children's novels that won The Child Study Award and the Newbery Medal, echoed my experience in ways that inspired my own writing. For years she lived near my home in Virginia where she urged me to write her biography. That I have been unable to do so is a major, guilty disappointment.

Q: You mention the name of Lowell Bennion quite often in your essays.  Why? Who else has had a lasting influence on you and your writing?

A: I entered Lowell Bennion's Institute of Religion at the University of Utah as an eager student seeking knowledge and faith. I found in his stimulating classes and in his co-ed fraternity (Lambda Delta Sigma) a safe place to study, to question, to grow. His teaching was geared toward the student. We actually believed that he was learning from us, that he needed to hear from us. How refreshing for those of us so used to the "What am I thinking?" method of teaching. The wholesome social, recreational, service-oriented plan of this Home Away from Home caused me to think, "This is a charmed time  I want to write about it." Little did I know then that I would be given the task of writing  the biography of "Brother B-"as his students called him. His own personal essays were not life transformed into art  or life transformed by art, but bits and pieces of himself collected for inspection. It can almost be said that his life and work were one, all of the piece, created out of whole cloth.  He dedicated his life to  helping his students reconcile the two worlds of university and church, the life of the mind and of the spirit. Through his teaching and writing. I caught a glimpse of my place in the scheme  of things. Even today the voice of my conscience sounds remarkably like his voice.

In my long life I am constantly refreshed by minds that have not aged, in the church and out of it--The list is too long to record here, and it must include my deceased husband, so courageous and so supportive, my three children and my twelve grandchildren--always ready to champion my causes and to lift up their aging relative.

Q: Are these essays the work of a Mormon feminist?

A: I think I can call myself feminist in that I believe in equal rights for women and I give thanks for the women in my life who have unselfishly marked the path for me: my mother, grandmother, aunts, my daughter and sister, my teachers and leaders, professors, and friends. Not all have followed the same path--some have followed it out of the church--some out of their assigned roles. For better or worse I seem to occupy a middle ground. I accept the fact that  the Church is part of my body and I part of the Church's body. I think the Church belongs as much to me as to anyone. I cling to the faith that some day its leaders will find a way to sit down with their sisters and work out a sharing plan. I don't claim to understand fully either myself nor my Mormon sisters, but my journey continues. It is an exciting one.

Pre-order your copy here.

Mary Bradford's Mr. Mustard Plaster and Other Mormon Essays available January 27th! January 20 2015

by Mary Lythgoe Bradford

• “I love Mary Bradford’s essays. They are a delicious combination of personal reflections and family history! Everything I read of hers makes me hungry for more.”
  — Lavina Fielding Anderson, editor of Lucy's Book: A Critical Edition of Lucy Mack Smith's Family Memoir
   
• “Mary Bradford believes that the distinctive nature of the personal essay originates from what she calls the three “I’s” (“I’s,” eyes, ayes)—the authors’ first-person perspective, their clear and rich vision, and their honest and affirming testimonies of life. Mary’s own essays are true to form: her essays are vibrant portraits of a kind and loving soul, a rich and unique perspective, and a life well-lived and deeply loved.”
  — Boyd Jay Petersen, author of Dead Wood and Rushing Water: Essays on Mormon Faith, Culture, and Family
   
• “For nearly half a century Mary Bradford has perfected the personal essay, that most under-appreciated of literary genres. . . . Bradford has expanded our vision through the unique perspective of her poetic, feminine, and Mormon voice—a voice of grace, beauty, and deep meaning.”
  — Robert A. Rees, author of The Cost of Discipleship: The Dimensions of a Mature Mormon Faith
   
• “Mary Lythgoe Bradford offers her autobiography in personal essay—revealing a lifetime that bridged generations and pioneered the power of essay in Mormon literature. Since the first issue of Dialogue in 1966, Mary's wisdom and presence as an editor, writer, poet and biographer have linked us together, reaching back to women like Virginia Sorensen and moving us forward into feminism. Today at 84, Mary is still helping ‘Mormon women speak.’”
  — Maxine Hanks, editor of Women and Authority: Re-emerging Mormon Feminism

Mary Lythgoe Bradford is past editor of

Preview Mary Bradford’s “Mr. Mustard Plaster and Other Mormon Essays” January 15 2015

Mr. Mustard Plaster and Other Mormon Essays

2015: A Preview January 01 2015

2015: A Preview

• Beverly Campbell's Eve's Choice: The Greater Law
   
• Bill Smith's Textual Studies of the Doctrine and Covenants: The 1843 Revelation on Marriage  
   
• James Holt's Toward a Latter-day Saint Theology of Religions
   
• Duane Boyce's Even Unto Bloodshed: A Latter-day Saint Perspective on War
   
• Kyle Walker's William B. Smith: In the Shadow of a Prophet
   
• Brant Gardner's Traditions of the Fathers: the Book of Mormon as History
   
• David Bokovoy's Authoring the Old Testament: The Prophets
   

2014: A Retrospective December 31 2014

2014: Year in Review

• David Bokovoy's Authoring the Old Testament: Genesis - Deuteronomy
• Michael Austin's Re-reading Job: Understanding the Ancient World's Greatest Poem
• Bradley Kramer's Beholding the Tree of Life: A Rabbinic Approach to the Book of Mormon
• Julie Smith's Search, Ponder, and Pray: A Guide to the Gospels

• Neylan McBaine's thoughtful look at women in the LDS Church
• Russell Stevenson's documentary history of blacks and Mormonism
• Richard Davis's insightful exploration of the relationship between the Gospel of Jesus Christ and progressive politics
• Joe Spencer's rich analysis of the relationship between Paul's letters on hope and early LDS revelations on consecration and Zion
• Marjorie Newton's history of the LDS Church in New Zealand and exploration of the tensions between Maori and Mormon culture

Q&A with Julie Smith, author of Search, Ponder, and Pray: A Guide to the Gospels December 12 2014

Q: This book has a most unusual format. With the exception of the introductory materials and essays in the appendices, it's just a series of hundreds of questions. Can you talk about why you opted for such an unconventional approach?

A: I wanted to introduce readers to new ideas without necessarily advocating for those ideas. It was more important to me to have the reader do her own thinking about it than for me to let her know what I think. And, frankly, I'm not entirely sure of the best answers to a lot of these questions! I also have a really strong belief in the idea that the moment when you are genuinely pondering the potential answer to a question is the moment when you are making it easiest for personal inspiration to come, and so I wanted to facilitate that process.

Q: Mormon readers are often cautious or downright suspicious of academic biblical studies. Should we be?

A: A lot of that suspicion comes from statements from earlier leaders, especially Elder Bruce R. McConkie, who expressed skepticism about biblical studies. I actually agree with Elder McConkie to some extent: when he spoke, much of what was done in the academy was neither ultimately productive (in an academic sense) nor devotionally useful. However, that is most emphatically not the case today! Since about 1980, a variety of literary approaches to the New Testament have been ascendant in the academy and have shown to be very useful devotionally. So modern academic biblical studies is well worth engaging. Of course, everyone should still maintain a healthy suspicion--there is enough disagreement within the field that no one outside of it should feel obligated to believe everything that he reads. But that's a suspicion that should prompt thoughtful engagement, not avoidance.

Q: This is a second edition, which Kofford Books is including in its Contemporary Studies in Scripture Series. What revisions have you made, and why republish it?

A: The revisions include minor changes to the body of the text---including the addition of a number of new questions---and the inclusion of three new essays. Kofford Books approached me about revising and republishing it for inclusion in their new Contemporary Studies in Scripture series and encouraged me to include some of what I've worked on and published since doing the first edition. The editors told me they were especially interested in my book, despite its having been previously published, because they felt like it so directly and immediately facilitated the kind of close, careful reading of scriptural texts the series is meant to encourage.

Q: What audience did you have in mind in writing and revising the book? Is it the kind of book that a rank-and-file Sundayschool instructor could benefit from?

A: The audience includes people studying the NT on their own or teaching it to adults (or older youth). I think a rank-and-file teacher would definitely benefit because the questions are designed to provide useful background information and then prompt discussion. For example, for Matthew 5:13 ("ye are the salt of the earth"), I offer many different options for the symbolism of salt common to Jesus' time (incidentally, our modern idiom "salt of the earth" is not one of them!) and then ask which ones make sense in this context.

Q: Does a "Mormon reading" of the New Testament exist? What are the shortcomings of how we read---and how we teach---the New Testament?

A: Let me tell you a story: when my youngest son was about two, he'd normally come and get me as soon as he woke up ("Open your eyes! Talk to me!"), but one day, he didn't. I awoke well after him and found him in the kitchen; he hadn't noticed I was there so I watched him for a few minutes. He'd somehow managed to open a new box of raisin bran. He would dump a mound of it on the table, pick out the raisins and eat them, and then use his little arm to brush all of the flakes onto the floor. And then he'd do it again. I think that's sometimes how we read the scriptures: picking out the familiar, easy bits and making a mess of the rest! As a result, our lessons can often have a rote and wooden feel to them. I can't tell you how much this saddens me--because there are immense treasures of fascinating ideas in the scriptures and we sometimes don't recognize it! 

Q: What new projects are you currently at work on that we can look forward to?

A: I'm working on the volume on the Gospel of Mark for the BYU New Testament Commentary.

Pre-order your copy here.

“Mormonism and Torture: Paradoxes and First Principles” -- Excerpt from Boyd Petersen’s Dead Wood and Rushing Water December 10 2014

From Dead Wood and Rushing Water: Essays on Mormon Faith, Culture, and Family:

“Mormon scripture offers paradox rather than surety. Should we in all places and times “renounce war and proclaim peace,” or should we adopt the view that it is better that “one man should perish than that a nation should dwindle and perish in unbelief ”? Both sides can be supported with Mormon scripture. And Latter-day Saints have found themselves, with tragic consequences, on both sides of this moral debate.”

Read the full chapter below:

Q&A with For the Cause of Righteousness Author, Russell W. Stevenson December 08 2014

For the Cause of Righteousness: A Global History of Blacks and Mormonism, 1830-2013

by Russell W. Stevenson

437 pages
Paperback $32.95 (ISBN 978-1-58958-529-4)
Hardcover $66.95 (ISBN 978-1-58958-530-0)

Available December 17th in print and ebook.
Pre-order your copy today.

Q: Your book tackles one of the most controversial aspects of LDS history, one that Latter-day Saints often struggle to discuss with those both outside and within their faith community. What will your book do to further the conversation?

Too often, discussions about Mormonism and race focus on the upper echelons of Church leadership, as though the history could be reduced to a series of proclamations, statements, and official correspondence. We think of it in some of the same ways the diplomatic historians of a former age considered global politics. But the study of race in any contexts begs for more than that. It demands that we understand the relationship as it was lived and breathed on the ground.

Latter-day Saints will find that the story of this relationship reveals not merely a compendium of circulars but an intimate portrait of a people’s journey through the American landscape. W.E.B. DuBois observed that the color line cuts through the heart of the American experience, and it was a line that all classes of Mormon society had to engage: from the Prophet Joseph Smith to the South African tailor, William P. Daniels, to the Payson day laborer, N.B. Johnson.

Q: Several scholarly works have tackled the very questions your book has poised itself to address: Margaret Young and Darius Gray’s Standing on the Promises series, Newell Bringhurst’s Saints, Slaves, and Blacks, Armand L Mauss’s All Abraham’s Children, and, of course, Lester Bush’s seminal article: “Mormonism’s Negro Doctrine: An Historical Overview.” What does your book offer that their works does not?

The novels of Margaret Young and Darius Gray were instrumental in normalizing the black Mormon experience for the Mormon community. While stories of Elijah Ables and Jane Manning James had been long known—Andrew Jenson included Elijah in his LDS Biographical Encyclopedia as the “only colored priesthood holder”—they remained alienated from mainstream Mormon thought. Newell G. Bringhurst became one of the first scholars to trace the particulars of the Mormon community’s engagement with the black population, and Armand L. Mauss performed the seminal service of presenting a sociological profile of the Mormon community’s racial views.

I seek to build on this discussion by situating Mormonism’s interaction with the black community against a global backdrop, including the accounts of the much storied Ghanaian and Nigerian Mormons. The story becomes more layered and complex, a Weberian web of meanings spun across time and space. The black Mormon experience is not merely the Genesis Group, not merely Helvecio Martins, nor is it the rise of Ghanaian Mormonism; it is an intersection of these communities to craft a global narrative that defined the Latter-day Saints’ relationship with the global community for generations.

Q: The book is named, For the Cause of Righteousness, a strangely optimistic title for a topic that forces people to ask such hard questions of themselves. What was the inspiration for this title?

The title comes from priesthood certificate of Elijah Ables, where he is commended with possessing a zeal “for the cause of righteousness.” Styled in the same language as every other Melchizedek Priesthood holder’s priesthood certificate, the document requires that we see the fundamental contradiction that defined early Mormon views on race. Elijah felt at home in Mormonism, even as he faced down what looked like every other white denomination in America. How could a man such as Elijah Ables, likely a runaway slave, continue to affiliate with such a faith? As the priesthood restriction settled into the LDS community, Elijah increasingly became a relic of a forgotten day.

And righteousness is an interesting word—does it mean right action? The state of being correct? Elijah’s story demands that we ask the question of what the Mormon project all about. Joseph Smith hoped that “every man might speak in the name of God, the Lord.” Mormonism’s foundational text, the Book of Mormon, declares that “all are alike unto God, both black and white, bond and free.” Whether one accepts the Book of Mormon as representative of historical events or as a fanciful frontier tale woven from within Joseph Smith’s mind, this text seems to transcend its own textual surroundings—a book beset by ethnic wars, talk of racial cursings, and a massive destruction of a cataclysmic order. The text of Elijah’s priesthood certificate reminds us that there was a time when blacks and whites could enjoy common fellowship in “the cause of righteousness.”

Q: What perhaps less well-known historical figures play prominent roles in your history of Blacks and Mormonism?

Nigerian novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie declared that there are real “dangers” in embracing a “single story” of Africa, let alone blacks worldwide. As a white author with a notably white background (my grandfather was a police officer in the Los Angeles Police Department in the years leading up to the Watts riot), I do no pretend to “give voice” to black figures; they already have a voice that has been, both intentionally and ignorantly, silenced by various white structures of power. Anthropologist Ferdinand Coronil has said of the postcolonial Other that scholars should be careful of efforts to represent it; instead, they should “create conditions that would enable it to represent itself.” It is tempting to sustain particular narratives about black Mormons: humble, faithful, suffering, but devoted, or restless, defiant, and theologically innovative. But no matter the context, we find that Nigeria, Ghanaian, South African, or African-American Mormons exhibit a variety of characteristics.

In addition to the well-known black Mormons such as Elijah Ables and Jane Manning James, I have endeavored to highlight modern black Mormons both in the United States and abroad. William P. Daniels, the branch president over an official Church branch in Mowbray, Capetown, South Africa, enjoyed such a position of respect with white Mormon leaders that they recognized his family as an official unit of the Church and set him apart to be the branch president. I tell the story of the strivings of Igbo Mormons in Nigeria, such as Charles Udo-Ete, in his struggles to establish Mormonism years before the American Church hierarchy would acknowledge their existence. I highlight the pivotal role of Lilian Clark, the English Sufi mystic and visionary, who gave the Ghanaian schoolmaster, Raphael Abraham F. Mensah, some LDS literature, thus starting in motion the events that would lead to the development of Ghanaian Mormonism in the 1960s.

I also endeavor to tell the stories of well-known white Mormon figures, but through the lens of their efforts to grapple with Mormon views on race. I share the story of Sonia Johnson, who was an American housewife in Nigeria long before she became an Equal Rights Amendment activist; her time in Africa compelled her to see race as the defining question of her generation of Mormonism. And we learn to see James E. Faust, once a John F. Kennedy appointee for civil rights action, not merely as one of “the Brethren” but as a man committed to maintaining his faith in Mormonism even while his political views push up against the accepted wisdom of his ecclesiastical colleagues.

Q: Hasn’t the LDS community moved beyond race? Why focus on old wounds?

Racial thinking works in complicated ways; we fool ourselves if we think that racism fits neatly under a single description. While, as Armand L Mauss has demonstrated, the LDS community is no more likely to embrace racial thinking than other religious groups, the Mormon community’s troubled relationship with the black community has bequeathed modern Mormons a host of consequences. But likely out of a fear of feeling guilty or culpable for past racial sins, we tend to shy away from sustained analysis. For some, they simply don’t feel the need to do so; their neighborhoods, friends, and family members are white, after all. Why bring up controversy?

Because our ignoring it does not make it disappear; and believing that we can is only a comforting (and expensive) mythology, at best—and one that is only available to white people who can enjoy the luxury of racial self-isolation. For others, we might share a few stories about Jane Manning James, but even then, we do so without fully recognizing that her story presents a case of a woman of color being denied the full blessings of the gospel based not on her personal actions but the color of her skin. (And her correspondence reveals that she had not been taught the “less valiant in premortality” explanation that had just become de rigueur.) For people of African descent, pretending as though the priesthood restriction never happened is an act of monumental denial. Doing so would raise as many eyebrows as “forgetting” that there was a trans-Atlantic slave trade, that there was systemic segregation in most of America throughout the better part of its history, and that American Mormonism kept African Saints at arm’s length even while other missionary societies were eager (perhaps too eager) to bring Christianity to the continent.

Q: In a recent essay the LDS Church has “disavowed” past statements that black skin is a sign of divine disfavor; does your book address these statements and how does it address this recent disavowal?

In the Documents portion of the volume, I provide an excerpt from the famed “Race and the Priesthood” statement, as well from the March 2013 preface to Official Declaration #2. I cast the disavowal as a part of a longstanding struggle to come to grips with a practice that most leaders felt the need to justify, sometimes through rather innovative theological methods. As Sterling M. McMurrin said, from the beginning, the explanations for the priesthood restriction have been “shot through with ambiguity”; even Spencer W. Kimball expressed frustration at what he felt had been the Lord’s lack of instructions on the matter. The disavowal marked the happy end of generations of failed explanations, theological gymnastics, and deficient teachings.

Q: The second half of this book consists of an anthology of primary source documents—which will make it a first in this area of research. Tell us about the process you used to select and contextualize the documents.

At times, it is easy to fixate on speeches made at the Tabernacle, comments made in the halls of the Church Office Building, or an address given by a white Church leader to an overwhelmingly white congregation. Important as these comments may be, they make up a story of White Mormons Talking About Black Mormons. This tendency only perpetuates the problem of representation, that is, of failing to create conditions in which black Mormons are able to express themselves.

More precisely, I hope to show that there was more—much more—to the black-Mormon relationship than the priesthood restriction, as central as that is to the narrative. So I sought to select documents that spoke to the relationships found within these two communities. One document, a letter with Elijah Ables’s signature, reveals experiences traveling on the Overland trail westward. Racial difference is not discussed in the letter, which in itself reveals something about the black Mormon experience: sometimes they experienced extraordinary things with no immediate pertinence to their racial experience. Other documents give voice to the Church’s ambivalence to the “civil rights movement” (though Ezra Taft Benson would distinguish this from the idea of “civil rights”). And to the extent possible, I endeavored to give voice to African Mormonism (primarily in Nigeria and Ghana) by presenting the voice of the “African Saints Without Baptism,” as E. Dale LeBaron styled them. How did they make Mormonism without the influence of a Church that was becoming increasingly structured and “correlated” in its ideas of orthodoxy? With each document, I hoped to re-create the world that the author of the document experienced, to show the kinds of forces that forged the environment in which they considered their words to be necessary or welcome.

Q: Why include both a narrative and a documentary history? What advantage does that offer to the reader?

The narrative offers people the opportunity to read a story, cover to cover, filled with people who are both heroes and villains (sometimes, at the same time). Through the narrative, I can at least hope to portray the story as the story of rising, falling, and sometimes coasting along in the Doldrums. It enabled me to cast the picture from a wide-angle lens; I did not need to bind myself to the stories included in a specific document.

But I wanted to include a documents section so that people could stare this thing in the face. I have heard several parents complain that high school history teachers do not make an effort to use original sources in teaching their students, and I agree with the critique. We need to see these words for themselves; we will never be able to stare our racial past in the face without them. Particularly when something questions your prior assumptions, it becomes too easy to dismiss it out of hand as exaggerated, or out-of-context. While concerns fabrication, exaggeration, and contextualization all should remain at the front of our minds in consuming any historical account, such responses are often used to validate our desire not to engage the tough realities.  President Dieter F. Uchtdorf has cautioned Latter-day Saints about “drifting aimlessly on an ocean of conflicting information, stranded on a raft we have poorly pieced together from our own biases.”  While there is much research to be done on this topic—research I intend to continue over the coming years—I hope that this book will bring us one step closer to recognizing that we don’t need to settle for flimsy wood when we navigate this, the most tumultuous topic in the study of LDS history.

Pre-order your copy here.

Preview Julie Smith’s “Search, Ponder, and Pray: A Guide to the Gospels” December 04 2014

Search, Ponder, and Pray: A Guide to the Gospels

Available December 17, 2014 in paperback, hardcover, and ebook

Check out Julie Smith's unique approach to studying the first five chapters of the Gospel of Mark,
and then pre-order your copy today:

Special Cyber-Monday discounts from Greg Kofford Books! November 28 2014

• Hugh Nibley: A Consecrated Life
• Exploring Mormon Thought: Volume 1, the Attributes of God
• "This is My Doctrine": The Development of Mormon Theology

• Women at Church
• Mormon Women Have Their Say: Essays from the Claremont Oral History Collection
• Joseph Smith's Polygamy
• Common Ground—Different Opinions: Latter-day Saints and Contemporary Issues
• Dead Wood and Rushing Water: Essays on Mormon Faith, Culture, and Family
• For Zion: A Mormon Theology of Hope
• The Liberal Soul: Applying the Gospel of Jesus Christ in Politics

• Authoring the Old Testament: Genesis–Deuteronomy
• Re-reading Job: Understanding the Ancient World's Greatest Poem
• Beholding the Tree of Life: A Rabbinic Approach to the Book of Mormon

Preview Russell Stevenson’s “For the Cause of Righteousness: A Global History of Blacks and Mormonism, 1830-2013” November 25 2014

For the Cause of Righteousness:
A Global History of Blacks and Mormonism, 1830-2013

Available December 17, 2014 in paperback, hardcover, and ebook

Pre-order your copy today!

Q&A with Beholding the Tree of Life author Bradley J. Kramer November 05 2014

Q: In a nutshell, what is a rabbinic approach?

A: In a peanut shell, a rabbinic approach involves reading scripture as a God-given work of literature, scrutinizing it closely, considering it broadly, all in order to gain from it spiritual enlightenment and practical application. In a larger shell, it means employing a number of specific interpretive techniques and principles used by Talmudic and post-Talumidic rabbis in order to experience the divine by seeing and appreciating the Scriptures’ more subtle messages in concert with other readers. In Beholding the Tree of Life, I have tried to describe a few of these techniques and principles and to show how they can be applied to the Book of Mormon.

Q: Is a rabbinic approach synonymous with a Jewish approach? I mean, do all Jews read their scriptures this way?

A: No. Jews are an extremely intellectually diverse people, especially when it comes to how they approach scripture. There are non-religious Jews, of course, who, if they read the Hebrew Scriptures at all, read them as interesting folklore or as entertaining fiction. But even religious Jews, those who do read the Hebrew Scriptures as scripture, do not do so uniformly. Orthodox and Ultra-orthodox Jews, for the most part, consider the five books of Moses, the Torah, to be dictated directly by God and therefore hang on its every word and scrutinize its every possible nuance. Conservative Jews tend to consider the biblical books as inspired by God but not necessarily wholly divine. They consequently take the scriptures seriously but, since these scriptures were put together by mortals living in distant times and writing to distant audiences, do not always consider their ideas to be relevant to or binding on them. Reform and Reconstructionist Jews frequently take the Conservative position further and think of the Bible as an important work that contains much wisdom, but it is still a product of the human mind and spirit. They therefore often pick and choose passages from their scriptures that coincide with their life experience and their view of the world. Nonetheless, despite this great diversity, many Jews, especially the religious ones, still consider the interpretations and interpretive approach used in the Talmud and other rabbinic sources to be worth knowing and to some degree emulating.

Q: You mentioned the Talmud. What is it?

A: The Talmud is essentially a compilation of ancient conversations about Jewish law. It consists of two parts: the Mishnah and the Gemara. The Mishnah was compiled around 200 C.E. by Judah the Prince and is a relatively compact and well-organized presentation of the traditions concerning prayers, blessings, Jewish festivals, marriage, divorce, disputes with other Jews, and other issues that had been preserved orally up until that time.

The Gemara is a later commentary on the Mishnah and is organized much like the Mishnah, using the same basic organization and tractate names only vastly expanded. After the Mishnah was published, it was discussed extensively for generations in rabbinic academies. There rabbis continued the oral tradition by building upon what had gone before—by discussing new considerations, incorporating additional circumstances, adding material not previously included, and generally expanding, deepening, and complicating the ideas and policies covered by the Mishnah. Eventually, these wide-ranging, often freely-associated discussions were written down, edited, and joined with the Mishnah to form the Talmud—actually two Talmuds, one compiled in Palestine and one in Babylonia. Because it was compiled later and is larger and more thorough that the Palestinian Talmud, the Babylonian Talmud is studied and used more frequently. It is also the Talmud I refer to in my book.

Q: If the Talmud is mostly commentary on Jewish law, what is its connection to scriptural interpretation?

A: Well, because the Talmudic rabbis were attempting to translate biblical principles and laws into practice, they naturally referred to scripture frequently, as a matter of course. Many of the examples they use come from the Hebrew Scriptures as do the evidence they cite, the stories they tell, and the concepts they relate. Consequently, not only are their interpretations of scripture studied by rabbinic Jews but so is how they arrived at those interpretations.

In addition, these same rabbis, as well as their successors, wrote extensive commentaries on the Torah and other biblical works and provided explicit advice and counsel as to how to study scripture and approach it constructively.

Q: So, if the rabbinic approach is as intimately connected, as you say, to the Hebrew Scriptures why use it on the Book of Mormon? Are you saying that Nephi and Mormon and Moroni knew about this approach and employed it purposely?

A: No. Rabbinical Judaism began around 70 c.e. when the Second Temple was destroyed and the emphasis in Jewish worship began to turn from sacrifice to prayer and scripture study. Separated from these first rabbis by great distances in time and space, Nephi, Mormon, and the other Book of Mormon writers knew no more about rabbinic thought than did Moses, Isaiah, or Ezra. However, for the same reasons that the rabbinic approach works for the Hebrew Scriptures, it also works for the Book of Mormon. Both the Hebrew Scriptures and the Book of Mormon contain extended narratives, stories that are meant to convey messages about and from God. Consequently, an understanding the interaction of character, plot, setting, description, and other, sometimes subtle, literary elements is vital to an appreciation of both of these books. As I try to show in my book, using rabbinic techniques attunes readers to these literary elements and greatly enhances their experience with the Book of Mormon religiously as well as intellectually.

Q: But don’t serious readers of the Book of Mormon do this already?

A: To some degree, certainly. I mean, the Book of Mormon contains such interesting narratives, with compelling characters, complex plots, and though-provoking situations, that few readers can avoid approaching it, at least a little, as a literary work. In addition, the fact that a sizable portion of the Book of Mormon is told by first-person narrators, who relate their stories personally, letting readers into their thoughts and after-thoughts, also encourages readers to approach it as a well-told story. My book is intended to reinforce this impulse and to “super-charge” it, in a sense, by providing helpful examples from the works of people who have studied scriptural narratives for centuries and have found seemingly limitless meaning in them. In this way, I hope to encourage all serious readers of the Book of Mormon to similarly find more meaning in it, by reading it closely, in levels, with others. I also hope to help these readers appreciate the close connection the Book of Mormon has with the Hebrew Scriptures—not just in how the two are studied but in the way the issues, ideas, characters, and plots resonate with each other and support and enhance each other.

Q: How did you get interested in this approach?

A: That is a very long story. Suffice it so say that my feelings about and understanding of Mormonism has, at least since my teenage years, been intertwined with my feelings about and understanding of Judaism. Growing up as a Mormon in Cincinnati, I was a member of a very small minority. There were only two wards in Cincinnati at the time and I was frequently the lone Mormon in my schools. As a result, I often felt that there was something about me that others did not understand and I, with my meager knowledge of Mormonism, could not explain. Consequently, when in high school I came across the novels of Chaim Potok, which describe Hasidic Jews growing up with similar minority feelings, I immediately connected with them. Danny and Reuben and Asher and David became my close friends and by their example they encouraged me to embrace my religion more openly and to engage it more deeply and rigorously.

Later, as a freshman at BYU, I took classes in the Book of Mormon, but I also took classes in Hebrew, an approach that seemed to complement both subjects. On my mission in southern Florida, I attended lots of LDS meetings and conferences, but I also occasionally attended Jewish services as well. Because of my interest in Judaism, my mission president encouraged me to do this. Obviously, he wanted me to teach Jews (something I was not very successful at), but he also wanted me to learn about Jews as well. This I did, reading books on Judaism and taking every opportunity to talk to Jews, and attempting to study the Book of Mormon from a Jewish perspective.

It was there then, on my mission, that I first began to see how the Book of Mormon was written for Jews and how it opened up when approached from a Jewish viewpoint. My view of such things expanded greatly when I went to graduate school and studied English Literature with Richard D. Rust. In addition to educating me about the literary qualities of The Scarlet Letter and Moby-Dick, Professor Rust, during personal tutorial sessions, opened my mind to the literary qualities of the Book of Mormon in glimpses, qualities he later wrote about in his landmark book Feasting on the Word: The Literary Testimony of the Book of Mormon.

As Dr. Rust explained his ideas, naturally my mind went back to what I had learned about Jews on my mission, and I began building upon Dr. Rust’s work in my own way—expanding my knowledge of Hebrew, acquiring a vast library of Jewish books, reading rabbinic works, attending Jewish services and events, participating in Torah and Talmud classes, and discussing my ideas with my Jewish friends. I started writing down what I found as I applied these ideas to the Book of Mormon. One thing led to another, and in the short space of just two decades, I found that I had produced a book.

Q: Who is your targeted audience?

A: I wrote this book for anyone interested in enhancing her or his experience with the Book of Mormon. I did not write it for specialists in Jewish thought or scholars of ancient scripture, although I hope this book would interest them. I mainly attempted to give serious readers of the Book of Mormon more tools to use to explore it and encouragement to delve into it more deeply. As I mention in the book, I hope readers will use these tools and techniques to eclipse my own insides. Beholding the Tree of Life is intended as the beginning of a discussion, not the last word.

Q: What do you hope will come of this book?

A: I hope the LDS appreciation of the Book of Mormon will grow and deepen. I hope the principles and techniques described in this book will open the eyes of readers of the Book of Mormon and will help them see better both the beauty and the depth of the Book of Mormon. I hope that it will encourage readers to slow down, to step back, and to contemplate the Book of Mormon more thoroughly and that they will discuss it with others more appreciatively and feel closer to God. I also hope that Mormons will have a better understanding of Jews and appreciate the way they approach scripture. This makes for a tall order, I know, and it asks a lot of one little book. However, the Book of Mormon is different from other books. I believe it is up to the task once it is opened up properly. My book just twists the door knob. I am confident that the Book of Mormon will do the rest.

Q: Are you working on any future projects?

A: Yes, as a matter of fact, I have nearly finished another book and hope to have it out next year. As I have studied the Book of Mormon closely, approaching it rabbinically, in a literary way, I have noticed how the Book of Mormon not only affirms a Jewish way of reading scripture but confirms their value to God and their continuing place in his covenant. This is significant because ever since the Holocaust, most mainstream Christian churches have attempted to purge themselves of anti-Jewish, supersessionist ideas, which could have contributed to this catastrophe. These efforts have been limited, however, by their commitment to the New Testament, a scripture which, as beautiful and inspiring as it is, frequently seems to condemn Jews in subtle, literary ways. As a result, many churches advocate presenting certain passages from the New Testament, if at all, very carefully, with lengthy explanations or modifications.

The Book of Mormon, however, attacks this problem head-on and on its own terms. Using powerful and pervasive pro-Judaic literary elements, it effectively counters the New Testament’s anti-Jewish literary elements and does so respectfully, without undermining the New Testament’s authority or spiritual dependability. Much as the gospels, though different, join together as equals to create a more complete portrait of Jesus, so the Book of Mormon unites with the New Testament as its scriptural peer to offer a more complete and more positive view of Jews. In this way, the text of the New Testament is not altered, but its meaning with respect to Jews is modified. Its anti-Judaic criticism becomes less universal, more limited to a certain time and place, and certainly less final.

Pre-Order you copy of this title here!

*Note: Bradley J. Kramer (author of Beholding the Tree of Life) and Brad Kramer (publicist for Kofford Books) are entirely separate persons.

Beholding the Tree of Life: A Rabbinic Approach to the Book of Mormon, Available November 12th! October 24 2014

by Bradley J. Kramer

247 Pages

Paperback: $21.95 (ISBN 978-1-58958-701-4)
Hardcover: $50.00 (ISBN978-1-58958-702-1)
(This title will also be available in e-book)

Greg Kofford Books is pleased to announce the release on November 12th of the newest title in our Contemporary Studies in Scripture series, Beholding the Tree of Life: A Rabbinic Approach to the Book of Mormon. Too often readers approach the Book of Mormon simply as a collection of quotations, an inspired anthology to be scanned quickly and routinely recited. In Beholding the Tree of Life author Bradley J. Kramer encourages readers to slow down, to step back, and to contemplate the literary qualities of this book of scripture using interpretive techniques developed by Talmudic and post-Talmudic rabbis.

Pre-order your copy here

____________________________________

 

Bradley J. Kramer holds an MA in English from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a BA in English from Brigham Young University with a minor in Near Eastern Studies. As the son of an LDS mother and a non-LDS father, he has had a life-long interest in interfaith dialogue. For the last several years, he has been a regular participant in Torah and Talmud classes at a local synagogue in Durham, North Carolina, and has helped arrange joint Mormon-Jewish study sessions and other educational exchanges. He has also given several presentations to local and regional groups on the affinities between Mormons and Jews and is a regular speaker at comparative religion classes. Bradley has worked professionally as a writer and editor and is married to the former Nancy Lubeck. They have three children and three grandchildren.

Joseph Smith's Polygamy heavily cited in new LDS.org essay on early Mormon plural marriage October 23 2014

by Brian Hales
Hardcover, 638 pages*
$36.95
ISBN 978-1-58958-189-0

LDS.org just published a new essay on the origins of polygamy in the LDS Church and Joseph Smith's implementation of the practice. The essay is exceptionally candid and forthright in dealing with the difficult questions surrounding the origins of LDS plural marriage, and routinely cites Brian Hales's groundbreaking research and thorough analysis of the subject, contained in his 3-volume Joseph Smith's Polygamy. 

For those interested in Hales's work but who might prefer to engage it in more abbreviated form, Kofford Books is pleased to announce the forthcoming publication of a single-volume paperback, summarizing the research of the three volumes, co-authored by Hales and his wife Laura: Joseph Smith and Nauvoo Polygamy: Separating Fact from Fiction.

*This title is also available in ebook for the Amazon Kindle (Part A, Part B), Barnes and Noble Nook (Part A, Part B), Apple iDevices (Part A,Part B), and Kobo eReader (Part A, Part B).
____________________________________

Preview Bradley J. Kramer’s “Beholding the Tree of Life” October 13 2014

We should be announcing a release date for this exciting new title for our Contemporary Studies in Scripture series soon. Until then, check out the front matter and first chapter of this excellent and insightful book that will change the way you read and study the Book of Mormon.

Recent Reviews of Kofford Books Titles October 10 2014

Women at Church, by Neylan McBaine

• “I wholeheartedly recommend Women at Church. Read it yourself, then give a copy to your mom, your husband, your bishop, your Relief Society president, and your best girlfriends.” — Segullah
• “This is a monumental piece of work that comes at a time when it is sorely needed.” — This Week in Mormons
• “This book gives me a lot of reasons for hope.” — FairMormon
• “[Readers] may find much in Women at Church to help LDS women have broader impact.” — Mormon Times
• “I thank God for people like Neylan, speaking from a place of faithfulness and rootedness in the Mormon tradition.” — Jana Reiss, Flunking Sainthood

Q&A with The Liberal Soul author Richard Davis September 22 2014

Q: What initially motivated you to write this book?

The one-sided nature of the existing literature on the restored Gospel and politics. LDS Church members easily could reach the conclusion there is only a limited range of thought possible for members on this subject and that is a range between the economic conservatism advocated by people like Orrin Hatch and Mitt Romney and the economic libertarianism promoted by people like President Ezra Taft Benson, Cleon Skousen, and Glenn Beck.

I believe there is a third option - a view that the government can and does play a positive role (although neither the exclusive nor even the primary one) in helping bring about the type of society we all desire. That is my main point in the book.

Q: You have been actively involved in politics. How has your experience as both a political scientist and a political activist shaped the approach you take in the book?

My experience in practical politics, particularly in Utah County, has given me insights into the thinking of LDS voters about politics and the Gospel. That helped me understand their perspective in writing the book and attempting to address some misperceptions about what constitutes Church doctrine and what actually is personal opinion.

Q: Besides the fact that the book argues for a progressive Gospel-based politics, there are also some important rhetorical differences between The Liberal Soul and other LDS books on the subject. In particular, you are making an argument about a political vision that can find support in Gospel principles, rather than arguing that the Gospel demands a particular politics. Why the different approach?

I do not like the dogmatic approaches that characterize politics today generally. I think it particularly doesn't fit in the LDS Church since we  seek to be inclusive rather than exclusive. It is not my intent to suggest that people who think differently don't belong in the Church or are somehow less faithful. There are already too many people who think that way. Rather, I want to help members who may believe that to understand that those who sit in the pews with them but think differently than they do on politics come at their views from a Gospel perspective as well.

Q: Is this a book primarily for liberal or conservative Mormons?

It is for LDS people generally, regardless of ideological label.

Q: Do you have any future plans, either in politics or for future book projects?

I intend to stay involved in attempting to make my community a better place and to encourage more engagement by others. I have been involved in the creation of a new Office of Civic Engagement at BYU, which seeks to stimulate civic engagement among BYU students. Additionally, I am part of the effort to create the Utah Debate Commission, which is a new group dedicated to hosting and televising candidate debates in Utah at the statewide and federal level. What I do beyond that in terms of local activism is still to be determined.

The Liberal Soul: Applying the Gospel of Jesus Christ in Politics, Available September 24th! September 18 2014

Preview Richard Davis’s The Liberal Soul: Applying the Gospel of Jesus Christ in Politics September 05 2014

We have another exciting title on the way. Richard Davis’s The Liberal Soul: Applying the Gospel of Jesus Christ in Politics is scheduled to be released on September 24, 2014. Check out the introduction to the volume below.

You can also see advance praise for the volume and pre-order it here.

Women at Church: Magnifying LDS Women's Local Impact, Now Available! August 28 2014

Greg Kofford Books is pleased to announce the release of Neylan McBaine's long-anticipated Women at Church: Magnifying LDS Women's Local Impact, available today in paperback and e-book.
 

With discussions about women's participation and roles in LDS leadership becoming more frequent and visible, Women at Church describes active and vibrant conversations, modest but meaningful and sometimes creative changes at the local level to increase gender-cooperation. This book presents faithful LDS women working not against but with Church leaders in a spirit of cooperation to increase the voice, influence, participation, and utilization of women in our wards and stakes.

Early reviews of Women at Church have praised its thoughtfulness and its timeliness:

• “In her timely and brilliant findings, Neylan McBaine issues a gracious invitation to rethink our assumptions about women’s public Church service. Well researched, authentic, and respectful of the current Church administrative structure, McBaine shares exciting and practical ideas that address diverse needs and involve all members in the meaningful work of the Church.” — Camille Fronk Olson, chair of the Department of Ancient Scripture and author of Women of the Old Testament and Women of the New Testament (Deseret Book).
   
• “Neylan McBaine’s voice is uniquely important. She speaks as a unifier, knowledgeable of gender issues and attentive to all perspectives.” — Margaret Blair Young, co-author of Standing on the Promises.
   
• “Such a timely, faithful, and practical book! I suggest ordering this book in bulk to give to your bishopric, stake presidency, and all your local leadership to start a conversation on changing Church culture for women by letting our doctrine suggest creative local adaptations—Neylan McBaine shows the way!” — Valerie Hudson Cassler, author of Women in Eternity, Women of Zion.
   
• “A pivotal work replete with wisdom and insight.” — Fiona Givens, co-author of The God Who Weeps: How Mormonism Makes Sense of Life.
   
• “Neylan McBaine has a wonderful mind! What I love about it is her ability to focus on the important, essential questions, without getting distracted by instant solutions. Good questions are the only way to finding good answers.” — Clayton M. Christensen, author of The Power of Everyday Missionaries.
   
• “With her keen insights, Neylan McBaine has emerged as a leading voice in a necessary conversation. Women at Church brings attention to gender issues while offering innovative solutions. A truly remarkable resource that belongs in every Latter-day Saint home!” — Juliann Reynolds, co-founder and member of the Board of Directors of FairMormon.
   
• “Her approach is one of consensus building, while taking into account the very real differences that occur among members. She is hopeful, and calls for ways of staying within the church in order to improve it for everybody. I like her approach. I find her hope infectious.” — Emily January Petersen, The Exponent
   
• “This book gives me a lot of reasons for hope.” — S. Hales Swift, FairMormon
   
• “The book is accessible and offers a way forward for faithful seekers to highlight the contributions of women in the Church and empower all people in the spirit of equity in the Gospel of Christ.” — Lindsay Hansen Park, founder of the Feminist Mormon Housewives Podcast.
   
• “I thank God for people like Neylan, speaking from a place of faithfulness and rootedness in the Mormon tradition.” —  Jana Riess, author of The Twible and Flunking Sainthood.

Read an excerpt from Women at Church here.

Read a Q&A with the author here.

____________________________________

Neylan McBaine, a life-long Mormon, grew up in New York City and later attended Yale University. She currently lives with her husband and three young daughters and works as a brand strategist for an advertising agency in Salt Lake City. Widely published as a religion writer, Neylan founded the Mormon Women Project, a digital library of interviews with LDS women from around the world, in an effort to emphasize the many ways that modern faithful women choose the right. The site, which posts about one interview a week with the help of dozens of volunteers, includes over 250 interviews with LDS women from 22 countries.

Q&A with Women at Church author Neylan McBaine August 21 2014

Neylan McBaine’s Women at Church: Magnifying LDS Women’s Local Impact available August 28th! August 12 2014

by Neylan McBaine

$21.95
Paperback, 211 pages
ISBN 978-1-58958-688-8
Order yours here!
(This title will also be available in various e-book formats) 

Greg Kofford Books is pleased to announce the forthcoming release of Neylan McBaine’s long-anticipated Women at Church: Magnifying LDS Women's Local Impact, available in paperback and e-book August 28th, 2014.

With discussions about women's participation and roles in LDS leadership becoming more frequent and visible, Women at Church describes active and vibrant conversations, modest but meaningful and sometimes creative changes at the local level to increase gender-cooperation. This book presents faithful LDS women working not against but with Church leaders in a spirit of cooperation to increase the voice, influence, participation, and utilization of women in our wards and stakes.

Early reviews of Women at Church have praised its thoughtfulness and its timeliness:

Neylan McBaine, a life-long Mormon, grew up in New York City and later attended Yale University. She currently lives with her husband and three young daughters and works as a brand strategist for an advertising agency in Salt Lake City. Widely published as a religion writer, Neylan founded the Mormon Women Project, a digital library of interviews with LDS women from around the world, in an effort to emphasize the many ways that modern faithful women choose the right. The site, which posts about one interview a week with the help of dozens of volunteers, includes over 250 interviews with LDS women from 22 countries.

Preview Neylan McBaine's Women at Church: Magnifying LDS Women’s Local Impact July 23 2014

Neylan McBaine's Women at Church: Magnifying LDS Women’s Local Impact is scheduled to be available on August 28th, 2014. While waiting for this exciting release, you can preview the introduction and third chapter from this highly-anticipated book.

Dates and locations for speaking and signing events accompanying the release will also be announced soon. Be sure to follow sign up for our newsletter, as well as follow us on facebook and twitter, to be notified of the times and locations.

Women at Church can be pre-ordered here.

Gospel Topics: “Translation and Historicity of the Book of Abraham” July 08 2014

This morning the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints published another essay in its Gospel Topics series at LDS.org, this one on the subject of  “Translation and Historicity of the Book of Abraham.” The essay discusses a number of complexities surrounding the coming forth of the Book of Abraham, with a refreshing candor that balances scholarly rigor and faith in the book's scriptural authenticity and value.

Among other things, the essay offers an insightful approach to this book of scripture that takes into account many of the issues raised by contemporary scholarship. Rather that treating the scriptural text as a direct translation of a papyrus written by Abraham himself, the essay suggests that:

Thus, a space is clearly opened up for faithful Latter-day Saints to consider the Book of Abraham as a kind of midrash, an inspired account of the life and teachings of Abraham, revealed directly to the prophet Joseph Smith.

Author David Bokovoy has discussed these issues at some length, establishing himself as perhaps the premier exponent of the catalyst theory of the Book of Abraham. In his book, Authoring the Old Testament: Genesis—Deuteronomy, he explores in great detail the questions and insights raised about Abraham by historical criticism and documentary analysis. Professor Bokovoy's chapter on the Book of Abraham in Authoring the Old Testament is an absolute must read for Latter-day Saints interested in these questions.

Authoring the Old Testament: Genesis—Deuteronomy is available in both print and ebook, and can be purchased here.

David Bokovoy holds a PhD in Hebrew Bible and the Ancient Near East and an MA in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies both from Brandeis University. He received his BA from Brigham Young University, majoring in History and minoring in Near Eastern Studies. In addition to his work in Mormon studies, David has published articles on the Hebrew Bible in a variety of academic venues including the Journal of Biblical Literature, Vetus Testamentum, Studies in the Bible and Antiquity, and the FARMS Review. He is the co-author of the book Testaments: Links Between the Book of Mormon and the Hebrew Bible. The father of four children Kate, Rebekah, Joshua, and Madelyn, David is married to the former Carolyn Bird. He currently teaches courses in Bible and Mormon Studies at the University of Utah.