The Interpreter Foundation Podcast

In the December 10 Come, Follow Me segment of the Interpreter Foundation Podcast, our hosts Terry Hutchinson, John Gee, and John Thompson discusses the Come, Follow Me Doctrine & Covenants lesson for December 5 - 21 about The Family: A Proclamation to the World. The post Interpreter Come, Follow Me Podcast: The Family: A Proclamation to the World , December 5 – 21 first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.

Abstract: One of the most notable features of Nephi’s small plates rendition of Isaiah chapter 2 (2 Nephi 12) is the prominent expansion of the nations theme with two additional clauses with the word nations (Hebrew gôyim) that are not found in the Masoretic text (from which the KJV has been translated). Nephi’s text preserves the use of nations from Isaiah 2:2, 4 in 2 Nephi 12:2, 4, but also attests significant additional references to the nations in 2 Nephi 12:12, 14: “For the day of the Lord of Hosts soon cometh upon all nations, yea, upon every one . . .  and upon all the nations which are lifted up, and upon every people.” These variants are consistent with—and may even be explained by—Nephi’s declaration of intent in 2 Nephi 25:3: “Wherefore, I write unto my people, unto all those that shall receive hereafter these things, which I write, that they may know the judgments of God, that they come upon all nations, according to the word which he hath spoken” (2 Nephi 25:3). This purpose in writing might explain additional textual variants in 2 Nephi 12–24 that pertain to coming judgments upon the nations, which is a dominant theme of the writings of Isaiah, which Nephi incorporated into this part of his record. The post “Upon All the Nations”: The gôyim in Nephi’s Rendition of Isaiah 2 (2 Nephi 12) in Literary Context first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.

In the December 4 episode of The Interpreter Foundation Podcast, our host Martin Tanner discusses finding the Messiah in the Old Testament. The post Interpreter Podcast — December 4, 2025 first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.

In the November 20 Come, Follow Me segment of the Interpreter Foundation Podcast, our hosts Martin Tanner, Kris Frederickson, and Bruce Webster discuss the Come, Follow Me Doctrine & Covenants lesson for December 8 – 14 covering the Articles of Faith and Official Declarations 1 and 2. The post Interpreter Come, Follow Me Podcast: The Articles of Faith and Official Declarations 1 and 2 for December 8 – 14 first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.

Abstract: Taylor Petrey’s Queering Kinship in the Mormon Cosmos attempts to “queer” Latter-day Saint concepts to create an account more congenial to queer theory, a postmodern philosophy and approach to texts. Here the aim is to destabilize and deny sexual essentialism, the law of chastity, and the eternal destiny of humanity as understood by the Saints. The words of Church leaders are misrepresented through omission and reorganization. Readings of Latter-day Saint scholars and scripture likewise suffer distortion and inaccurate representation. The work betrays several double standards, including the intellectual colonialism inherent in the efforts to distort and thereby appropriate Latter-day Saint culture and writings for its own purposes. Means to avoid this negative pattern are suggested, including rigorous honesty in textual claims and the participation of the scholarly community in effective peer review of irresponsible or misleading work. The post Intellectual Colonialism and Air Bud Theology: More on Queer Theory and the Church of Jesus Christ first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.

In the November 20 episode of The Interpreter Foundation Podcast, our hosts Terry Hutchinson and John Gee interview Lincoln Bluemell, the author of Lady Eclecte: The Lost Woman of the New Testament. The post Interpreter Podcast — November 24, 2025 first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.

In the November 6 Come, Follow Me segment of the Interpreter Foundation Podcast, our hosts Terry Hutchinson, Kevin Christensen, and Mark Johnson, discuss the Come, Follow Me Doctrine & Covenants lesson for December 1 – 10 covering D&C 133 – 134 with special guest Stephen Taysom. The post Interpreter Come, Follow Me Podcast: Doctrine & Covenants 137 – 138 for December 1 – 7 first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.

Abstract: Stories of giants have occurred throughout the ages and in different cultures. These stories contrast to the scientific evidence that there never have been races of giant humans, even though there are some specific cases of unusually tall individuals. If the stories don’t come from true experience, where do they come from? The post Of Book of Mormon Stories—and Giants first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.

In the November 20 episode of The Interpreter Foundation Podcast, our hosts Martin Tanner, Kris Frederickson, and Bruce Webster discuss how to respond to critics of the Church. The audio track is also included in our podcast feed (https://interpreterfoundation.org/feed/podcast). The post Interpreter Podcast — November 20, 2025 first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.

In the November 5 Come, Follow Me segment of the Interpreter Foundation Podcast, our hosts Martin Tanner, Hales Swift, and Brent Schmidt discuss the Come, Follow Me Doctrine & Covenants lesson for November 24 – 30 covering D&C 135 – 136. The post Interpreter Come, Follow Me Podcast: Doctrine & Covenants 135 – 136 for November 24 – 30 first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.

Review of Lincoln H. Blumell, Lady Eclecte: The Lost Woman of the New Testament (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2025). 314 pages. $48.00 (hardcover). Abstract: For centuries, the consensus reading of 2 John 1 maintained that the epistle was written to a local church, metaphorically addressed as an “elect lady.” This has most especially been the case over the last 150 years of scholarship. However, new findings from Lincoln Blumell challenge the consensus reading, restoring the elect lady to her proper place as an actual individual in the early Christian world. This lady, moreover, can be identified by name, and it is only through haplography that confusion over her identity has been introduced at all. Blumell’s restoration of the text of 2 John 1, based on papyrological and manuscript evidence, is groundbreaking work that will shape scholarship on the New Testament and early Christianity for years to come. The post Finding the Elect Lady first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.

In the November 6 episode of The Interpreter Foundation Podcast, our hosts Terry Hutchinson, Kevin Christensen, and Mark Johnson interview special guest D. John Butler, who raised funds benefiting the family of the Michigan chapel shooter. The post Interpreter Podcast — November 6, 2025 first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.

In the October 29 Come, Follow Me segment of the Interpreter Foundation Podcast, our hosts Terry Hutchinson, John Gee, and John Thompson discuss the Come, Follow Me Doctrine & Covenants lesson for November 17 – 23 covering D&C 133 – 134. The post Interpreter Come, Follow Me Podcast: Doctrine & Covenants 133 – 134 for November 17 – 23 first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.

Abstract: This paper examines the claim that Joseph Smith was not the author of the verses in Doctrine and Covenants 132 related to the doctrine of plural marriage. Our examination first describes the current controversy on the authorship of section 132. We next present historical evidence on the provenance of this section. We then present stylometric evidence on the possible authorship of the text. While it has been asserted that Brigham Young or perhaps some other individual was the author of section 132, our examination provides solid support for the Church’s claimed origin of the section. Our extensive statistical analyses indicate there is no stylometric evidence that Brigham Young or any other potential candidate provided the words in the text of the revelation. The post Historical and Stylometric Evidence for the Authorship of Doctrine and Covenants 132 first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.

In the November 5 episode of The Interpreter Foundation Podcast, our hosts Martin Tanner, Hales Swift, and Brent Schmidt discuss the life and personality of Joseph Smith. The post Interpreter Podcast — November 5, 2025 first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.