Equipping Saints • Engaging Culture • Examining Claims
Unraveling the Dark Saga of a Master Forger Who Deceived a Church and Murdered to Protect His Lies Introduction: A Church Deceived On the morning of October 15, 1985, Salt Lake City awoke to what promised to be a crisp, beautiful autumn day. Temperatures were expected to reach a pleasant 62 degrees under cerulean skies….
Photo: Jesus Christ being nailed to the Cross. Illustrator: Gustave Doré (circa 1885) A Comprehensive Biblical and Historical Examination of the Iconography of the Cross. The crucified Jesus stands as Christianity’s central symbol of redemption, forgiveness, and eternal life—a paradoxical image that has defined the faith for two thousand years. Yet the stark contrast between…
Photo: Google Gemini imagines Joseph Smith in a modern setting, “translating” a copy of the King James version of the Bible on the office copy machine. Questions of religious truth are ultimately matters of faith as well as evidence. But faith that is unwilling to examine evidence is not strengthened faith but rather faith that…
A Historical and Theological Examination I. The Exodus Begins The winter of 1846 descended upon Nauvoo, Illinois, with a bitter cold that matched the chill settling over what had once been the largest city in the state. Along the frozen streets that led to the Mississippi River, wagons creaked under the weight of household goods,…
Photo: Google Gemini imagines the autograph signing ceremony in front of the Salt Lake Temple. An investigative examination of the newest Mormon apostle’s conspicuous absence of religious scholarship On February 12, 2026, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ordained Clark G. Gilbert as its newest apostle—a man the church now considers a “prophet,…
Photo: Are you sure it’s not just an upset stomach? The Test That Cannot Fail A Critical Examination of the LDS “Burning in the Bosom” Method for Discerning Religious Truth A Traditional Christian Response to the Latter-day Saint Approach to Revelation and the Book of Mormon Introduction Among the many religious movements that have emerged…
A Scholarly Analysis of the Kirtland Safety Society (1836-1838) Introduction The Kirtland Safety Society represents one of the most controversial and consequential episodes in early Latter Day Saint history. Established in late 1836 and failing by November 1837, this quasi-banking institution left a trail of financial devastation, shattered faith, and ecclesiastical upheaval that fundamentally altered…
Photo: A collage: Joseph Smith addressing members of the quorum of the twelve. Hyrum Smith, Willard Richards, Joseph Smith, Orson Pratt, Parley P. Pratt, Orson Hyde, Heber C. Kimball, Brigham Young, c. 1843 – 1844. Artworks in the Celestial Room of the First Nauvoo Temple. JSTOR.org. Brigham Young University Studies (2002). Via Wikimedia, Public Domain. Inset:…
A Devotional on Reaching Our LDS Friends with Grace The Ring doorbell announced their arrival. Two white shirts, two black name tags, two young men who had no idea what they were walking into. They introduced themselves with a smile, the young “Elder’s” companion shifted nervously beside him. I had studied Latter-day Saint doctrine for…
There is a moment in every conversation about faith when words run out. Not because we lack information, but because information was never going to be enough. The story of William—a young man preparing for his Mormon mission, armed with arguments and fortified by years of religious training—illustrates this truth with striking clarity. Here was…