The Interpreter Foundation Podcast

In the July 30, 2026, 2026 episode of The Interpreter Insights Podcast, our host Terry Hutchinson interviews John Gee about his recent Interpreter book review about theology and Biblical studies. They review the original history of theology from the Greek philosophers and its impact on biblical studies and biblical religions. The author of the reviewed works proposes a methodology for studying the...

How did a failed military-style relief mission like Zion’s Camp become one of the most important spiritual training experiences in early Church history? What does Brigham Young’s witty courtroom defense during a lawsuit against Joseph Smith reveal about his character and his emerging role as a defender of the young prophet? How did the intense shared hardships of Zion’s Camp influence the selectio...

This is the first of a two-part discussion with Dr. Jennifer Lane, professor emerita from Brigham Young University-Hawaii on two recent studies about redemption in the scriptures. Over her career, Dr. Lane has worked extensively on the presentation of redemption in the scriptures and this discussion is another entry into that impressive body of work. In this episode, Dr. Jennifer Lane speaks about...

Review of Jeff Strong, Torn: Why People We Love Are Leaving the Church and What We Can Learn from Them (Midway, UT: Coolstream Publishing, 2026). 300 pages. $21.95 (paperback). Abstract: Torn provides a mountain of new data on disaffiliation from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, based on the author’s deeply personal research efforts. Those efforts allow him to present insights into...

Review of Ben Witherington III, Rethinking Biblical & Systematic Theology (Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2026), 232 pages, $39.00 hardback; and Ben Witherington III, The Problem with Evangelical Theology: Testing the Exegetical Foundations of Calvinism, Dispensationalism and Wesleyanism (Waco, TX: Baylor University Press, 2005), 332 pages, $52.24 hardback. The post Theology as Pretext first appeared...

How did Brigham Young’s leadership during the Missouri exodus demonstrate both practical organization and deep compassion? What does the kindness shown by the citizens of Quincy reveal about human goodness in times of crisis, and how did it impact the Saints’ faith? How did the experiences of the Saints fleeing Missouri shape the identity and resilience of the early Church? The post Becoming Brigh...

Abstract: Alma 16 is an easily overlooked chapter in the Book of Mormon. It could be dismissed as a simple summary and “tidying up” of the narrative. It comes after two of the most dramatic scenes in the Book of Mormon, wherein women and children are burned to death in Ammonihah and Alma and Amulek are miraculously delivered from prison. It also directly precedes the account of the sons of Mosiah...

In the July 16, 2026, 2026 episode of The Interpreter Insights Podcast, our host Terry Hutchinson discusses the Psalms, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and their application to the ancient temple with David Larsen. The post Interpreter Insights Podcast — July 16, 2026 first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation .

How did Brigham Young’s leadership during the Missouri exodus demonstrate both practical organization and deep compassion? What does the kindness shown by the citizens of Quincy reveal about human goodness in times of crisis, and how did it impact the Saints’ faith? How did the experiences of the Saints fleeing Missouri shape the identity and resilience of the early Church? The post Becoming Brigh...

In this episode of Conversations with Interpreter , Avram and Thora interview Dr. Ryan Davis. Dr. Davis is a specialist in ancient Semitic poetry, studying how poetry expresses the relationship between worshipers and their gods, including the God of Israel. This episode looks at his piece, “Bearing Testimony in Hebrew: A Comparison of Ancient Israelite Temple Rituals with Modern Latter-day Saint F...

How did Brigham Young’s leadership during the Saints’ flight from Missouri reveal his character and prepare him for his later role as Church president? What does the kindness shown by the people of Quincy teach us about compassion in times of crisis, and how does it contrast with the persecution the Saints faced? The post Becoming Brigham Episode 24: Leave No Poor Behind first appeared on The Inte...

Abstract: The significance of the Beatitudes, particularly their relationship to the remainder of the Sermon on the Mount, has long been debated. The Sermon has been shown to possess close similarities to certain instructions delivered in the temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Participation in temple ordinances is regulated by a series of sixteen questions regarding belief...

In the July 2, 2026, 2026 episode of The Interpreter Insights Podcast, our host Terry Hutchinson discusses the physicality of the small plates in the Book of Mormon with John Gee from his presentation at the recent Small Plates of Nephi conference along with a paper from that conference on the unity of Isaiah. The post Interpreter Insights Podcast — July 2, 2026 first appeared on The Interpreter F...

How did Joseph Smith’s experience in Liberty Jail transform him spiritually, and why do many historians call it both a prison and a temple? What specific leadership skills and experiences did Brigham Young gain while Joseph was in Liberty Jail that prepared him to lead the Church after the Prophet’s death? Why is it significant that Brigham Young was already exercising authority to ordain Apostles...

In this episode of Conversations with Interpreter , Avram and Thora interview David Calabro about his intriguing article where he argues that there is an underlying Christian ritual context for the Book of Moses. This article, entitled “An Early Christian Context for the Book of Abraham,” was published in Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship . Drawing on a variety of an...

Abstract: The Annotated Edition of the Book of Mormon , edited by David Hocking and Rod Meldrum, compares Caractors Document glyphs to purported Native American Mi’kmaq glyphs to support the theory that the Book of Mormon took place in the eastern United States. The glyphs used to support the theory are, in fact, taken from the Anthon Transcript document forgery produced by Mark Hofmann. The post...

Abstract: Doubt is not the opposite of faith but functions as a constructive spiritual gift that often facilitates faith development, protects against dogmatism, and reframes faith as relational fidelity rather than intellectual certainty. Drawing on scriptural theology and developmental perspectives on meaning-making, doubt commonly—though not universally—serves as a catalyst through which belief...

In the June 25, 2026, episode of The Interpreter Insights Podcast, our host Martin Tanner discusses the Constitution Hanging by a Thread and How it Could be Restored. The audio track is also included in our podcast feed (

How did God dramatically protect Zion's Camp from a violent mob? Why did the Lord call Zion’s Camp a success even though they didn’t redeem Zion or fight any battles? How did the hardships of Zion’s Camp transform Brigham Young and prepare him to lead the Saints westward? This episode concludes the story of Zion’s Camp, the 2,000-mile journey undertaken by Brigham Young, Joseph Smith, and roughly...

Why did ordinary men like Brigham Young leave everything behind to walk over 1,000 miles under brutal conditions to help the Saints in Missouri? How did Joseph Smith demonstrate remarkable leadership and patience while leading a group of exhausted, complaining men on Zion’s Camp? What can we learn from the extreme sacrifices of the early Saints—and the women left behind—when facing trials that don...

In this episode of Conversations with Interpreter , Avram and Thora interview one another, discussing their education and research interests. They also talk about their most recent project together, a paper presented at “For a Wise Purpose in Him” The 2026 Small Plates of Nephi Conference In Honor of President Jeffrey R. Holland. This paper looks at evidence that there was a gradual loss of knowle...

Abstract: The Book of Mormon presents a wealth of important information related to how we should understand our lives and relationship with God. Frustratingly, it leaves unwritten a large body of information that we would like to know. This note tries to read between the lines to suggest the reason Nephihah became chief judge after Alma2 abdicated that position. The post A Proposed Kinship between...

In the June 11, 2026, 2026 episode of The Interpreter Insights Podcast, our host Terry Hutchinson continues his survey of Interpreter Journal volumes with a brief review of Volume 6 from 2013. He is then joined by guest Tom Grover, an attorney from Las Vegas who discussed his presentation at the current Mormon History Association conference titled “Las Vegas Estate Litigation over Howard Hughes’s...

Welcome. I’m Daniel Peterson, president of the Interpreter Foundation and executive producer of the Becoming Brigham series. If you’re not yet familiar with this series, you can find it on this website at https://interpreterfoundation.org/study/series/category/becoming-brigham, at the Becoming Brigham channel on YouTube, or at BecomingBrigham.com. Join us as we visit with experts and scholars rega...

What does it reveal about Joseph Smith that even he sometimes didn’t get immediate answers from God during moments of crisis? How can the experiences of the Missouri persecutions help us better understand and empathize with refugees and displaced people in our world today? The post Becoming Brigham Episode 20: Peace or Violence? Part Two first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation .