The Interpreter Foundation Podcast

In the February 26, 2026 episode of The Interpreter Insights Podcast, our host Terry Hutchinson and his guest John Thompson discuss John's new book Abraham and His Family in Scripture, History, and Tradition, coedited with Jeffrey M. Bradshaw, Matthew L. Bowen, and David R. Seely, and his article “‘Being of that Lineage’: Generational Curses and Inheritance in the Book of Abraham” from Volume 54 of Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship.

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Our hosts continue their discussion with Matt Grow, managing director of the Church History Department. Was Brigham a man of violence? He did use inflammatory rhetoric at times. But interestingly the actual evidence points toward his being a man of peace. And what do we know about whether or not Brigham Young was a racist?

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In this episode of Conversations with Interpreter, Thora and Avram speak with John Thompson about his paper from the 2025 Abraham and His Family Conference held at BYU in May 2025. Thompson, an Egyptologist who is a retired teacher for Seminaries and Institutes and a content creator for Scripture Central, discusses the idea that the life of Abraham as described in both Genesis and in the book of Abraham shows a progression in hiscovenant relationship with God. Thompson argues that this relates to Abraham’s almost being sacrificed and then being commanded to sacrifice his own son. Although the scriptures talk about this in terms of the relationship between sons and fathers, the pattern presenting in scripture is part of the experience of everyone on the covenant path.

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Abstract: For more than a century, Alma 29 has been read as a direct quotation from the prophet Alma. Yet, unlike every other extended quotation in Mormon’s record, this passage lacks attribution, framing, or transition. This anomaly has gone largely unnoticed because of a chapter break, added in 1879, that masks the continuity of Mormon’s voice from Alma 28 into chapter 29. This paper challenges the traditional attribution and argues that Alma 29 is more likely Mormon’s editorial reflection than Alma’s psalm. While the study focuses on Alma 1–29, the editorial patterns it identifies—Mormon’s consistent use of speaker attribution, narrative framing, and formal introductions to quoted speech—hold true across his entire abridgment. Alma 29, if understood as Alma’s psalm, would stand out as the sole exception, with no introduction to mark a change in speaker. Close attention to verb tense usage, narrative posture, and thematic continuity with Alma 28, together with the prophetic vocabulary Mormon uses elsewhere, suggests that these words reflect Mormon’s own meditation. Attributing Alma 29 to Mormon reframes the chapter as the theological culmination of his editorial design. Mormon situates his record within a prophetic chain stretching from Joseph in Egypt, through Nephi, to his own day. His repeated use of “my brethren” reflects covenant kinship rather than contemporaneity, and his testimony of a “holy calling” reveals a prophet who, even in an age of societal collapse, experienced his own quiet triumph in saving souls.

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In the February 19, 2026 episode of The Interpreter Insights Podcast, our host Martin Tanner describes how Mark Smith, PhD, Harvard researcher, now a professor at NYU, in his book The Early History of God: Yahweh and Other Deities in Ancient Israel, demonstrates ancient Israel, and early books of the Bible describe God (YHWH) as a divine human. This looks like Joseph Smith's descriptions of God in his accounts of the First Vision.

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Is there any purpose to revisiting the life and times of Brigham Young? Don’t we already know everything there is to know about this sometimes-controversial historical figure? Camrey, Dan and John are joined in a roundtable discussion by Matt Grow, who is the managing director of the Church History Department.

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In this episode of Conversations with Interpreter, our hosts, Avram and Thora Shannon looks at the second part of an article by Jeff Lindsay, a long time contributor to Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship, titled “Parallels between the Book of Moses and the Book of Mormon.” Where the previous episode looked at the methodology employed in finding parallels between the Book of Mormon and the Joseph Smith Translation as found in the Book of Moses, this episode discusses specific parallels. The episode highlights new parallels uncovered by Lindsay. We also discuss some of the parallels that Lindsay has found especially meaningful and intriguing. You can find the full article at https://interpreterfoundation.org/journal/parallels-between-the-book-of-moses-and-the-book-of-mormon-part-2-the-updated-list-of-146-parallels.

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Review of Samuel T. Wilkinson, Purpose: What Evolution and Human Nature Imply About the Meaning of Our Existence (New York: Pegasus Books, 2024). 338 pages. $29.95 (hardback).

Abstract: Many believers in God are troubled by assertions that the theory of evolution means life on earth is accidental and has no purpose. Additionally, some people worry that the theory’s implied selfishness and “survival of the fittest” mantra have terrible implications for human society. Samuel T. Wilkinson’s book Purpose is a thoughtful addition to the literature corroborating compatibility between creation by God and the theory of evolution. Evolution has a random component, but the critical selection step is non-random. Moreover, the process is iterative. As evidence for non-randomness, Wilkinson cites convergent evolution (where similar traits emerged in divergent organisms). Numerous examples suggest that natural selection has limited choices, not infinite or random possibilities as was once thought. Wilkinson discusses how human behavior and evolution imply that life has purpose. These purposes are compatible with teachings embraced by diverse believers in God. Behavioral studies strongly suggest human beings evolved to have both good and evil natures and to have ultimate happiness in loving family relationships. Such relationships build good lives and societies. Facilitating all of this, natural selection appears to occur at individual, kin, and group levels. When combined with the observation that we can freely choose, our dual nature suggests that this life is a test. For Wilkinson and others, harmony between faith in God and evolutionary theory came through epiphanies and by reasoning. These experiences increased their faith in God. Amid difficulties, persisting with faith is rewarded.

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In the February 12, 2026 episode of The Interpreter Insights Podcast, our host Terry Hutchinson and his guest Mark Johnson discuss President Oaks’ first BYU devotional, Noel Reynolds and his work, concluding with Mark's comments about his Interpreter article about Moses Chapter 1 and its similarities to ancient Hebrew literary techniques as they are found in Genesis.

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In this episode, host Camrey Fox continues her visit with shorthand expert LaJean Carruth. LaJean compares Brigham to Enoch rather than Moses. She points out that many of the transcripts have never been translated before, and they give us new insights into his character and personality. Host John Wilson continues his discussion with Sam Weston about the assassination of Joseph Smith, and whether Brigham was behind it.

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