The Interpreter Foundation Podcast

In the August 20, 2026, 2026 episode of The Interpreter Insights Podcast, our host Terry Hutchinson interviews the President of The Interpreter Foundation, Dan Peterson, about volumes 7 & 8 of the Interpreter Journal, the Interpreter birthday and its accomplishments in the past year, including information about the Becoming Brigham video series.

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How did the early revelation to Emma Smith and the organization of the Relief Society challenge the 19th-century cultural expectation of male leadership?

What does Brigham Young’s journal language about his wife being “admitted to the priesthood,” combined with his lifelong focus on temple ordinances, reveal about how he understood women’s spiritual authority?

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How did living in a household full of wives and daughters reshape Brigham Young’s understanding of women’s capabilities, even while he held traditional views of male roles in society?

In what ways did plural marriage paradoxically expand Utah women’s legal rights (property ownership, etc.) compared with the rest of the United States?

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This episode is number two in a two part series of interviews with Jennifer C. Lane. The first discussed her work on redemption and the life of Abraham, while this episode focuses on exploring the idea of redemption in the Small Plates of Nephi. Dr. Lane in particular connects the teachings about Christ with the Old Testament notion of the kinsman-redeemer. The authors of this part of the Book of Mormon frame redemption in its connection to covenant and the covenant relationship we build with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. This episode discusses Dr. Lane’s paper “Knowing Our Redeemer: Christ as Kinsman-Redeemer in the Small Plates,” presented as a keynote at the 2026 Small Plates of Nephi Conference held on May 29-30th at Brigham Young University in Provo, UT.

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How did the early apostles’ expectation that they must personally see the Savior shape their understanding of what it means to be a “special witness”?

Why did the failure of the Kirtland Safety Society trigger such widespread doubt and apostasy, and how did Brigham Young’s response to the crisis reveal the difference between intellectual belief and deep spiritual conviction?

What does recent research reveal about the private, softer side of Brigham Young that is often missing from his public image as a fiery frontier leader?

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Review of Kyle Beshears, 40 Questions About Mormonism (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Academic, 2026). 352 pages; $26.99 (paperback).

The post 40 Questions on Latter-day Saint Religion: Sincere, Frequently Respectful, Too Often Polemical first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.

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 Bible; which, when strictly followed, demonstrates weaknesses in the application of theology to biblical studies and those who follow it.

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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 selection and preparation of the original Twelve Apostles—and what parallels (and/or differences) exist with apostolic callings today?

The post Becoming Brigham Episode 27: Zion’s Classroom — Apostles in the Making first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.

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 the role that redemption and God’s performance of hesed is illustrated in the life of Abraham and his family. The paper under discussion in this episode was given at an Interpreter conference on Abraham in the scriptures and history. The episode explores the how and why of Abraham’s redemption and what that can mean for Latter-day Saints today.

The post Conversations with Interpreter: Jennifer Lane — Part 1: Hesed and the Redemption of Abraham first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.

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 how and why people report exiting the faith, and how loved ones can stay connected with those who turn away. But the picture he paints of disaffiliation trends and Church culture suffers from an overreliance on shaky data. His excellent pastoral prescriptions will be of value to faithful Saints, but those looking for a clear-eyed view of disaffiliation may need to turn elsewhere.

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