FAIR

FAIR Year-End Newsletter – January 2026

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Dear Friends,

As we close out 2025 and look ahead to an exciting 2026, we want to take a moment to reflect on the incredible year we’ve shared together and invite you to join us in the year ahead!

2025: A Year of Growth and Impact

What a remarkable year it has been! From our humble beginnings in 1997 responding to criticisms on AOL message boards, FAIR has grown into a global resource with over 12,000 web pages, 3,000+ videos, and a reach that extends to AI services like ChatGPT, Grok, etc. providing faithful answers to seekers worldwide.

 

August 2025 Conference: An Unforgettable Gathering

Our 27th annual FAIR Conference at The Show Barn at Thanksgiving Point was truly special. We explored powerful topics including fluency in our faith, navigating faith crises, doctrinal purity, and peacemaking. The conference brought together scholars, storytellers, and everyday disciples in a spirit-filled gathering that strengthened testimonies and deepened understanding.

Special thanks to:

Every speaker who shared their insights, all sponsors and donors who made it possible, every attendee who joined us in person or via livestream, and the countless volunteers who served behind the scenes. We couldn’t have had such a successful conference without you!

You can watch the 2025 FAIR conference here.

 

October Virtual Conference: Ancient Truths for Modern Faith

In October, we hosted our FREE Virtual Conference focused on “Ancient Truths for Modern Faith: Defending the Old Testament in Latter-day Saint Doctrine.” Keynote speaker Kerry Muhlestein and other distinguished presenters helped us understand how the Old Testament continues to shape and strengthen Latter-day Saint doctrine in the modern world.

 

Year-Round Resources

Throughout 2025, FAIR continued providing:

Find these resources on the blog on our website.

 

2025 Book Publications: Building Your Apologetic Library

This year, FAIR published three essential volumes that bring conference insights and scholarly research into lasting resources for your personal library:

📖 Open Thou Mine Eyes: Defending the Old Testament in Latter-day Saint Doctrine

The Old Testament can seem massive and distant, but this 594-page volume reveals how ancient scripture strengthens modern faith. Based on our October 2025 Virtual Conference, this collection tackles tough questions about the conquest of Canaan, the historicity of Jonah, and ancient polygamy while illuminating connections between the “rod of iron,” the brazen serpent, and temple ordinances. From Genesis to Malachi, these essays help you see scripture through the lens of family, covenant, and symbolism.

📖 A Record Shall Be Kept: Understanding and Defending the History of the Church

Drawing from FAIR’s 2024 Virtual Conference, this volume brings together disciple-scholars who explore Church history with both faith and intellectual rigor. Essays cover spiritual gifts in the early Church, questions about frontier violence, debates over scripture and translation, interpretations of prophecy, and the Anthon manuscript. Written by scholars whose dedication to the Restoration shines through every page.

📖 Defending the Book of Mormon: Proceedings of the 2023 FAIR Virtual Conference

This compilation from our 2023 conference provides powerful defenses of the Book of Mormon from multiple angles. Whether you’re addressing questions about Book of Mormon historicity, translation, or theology, this volume equips you with faithful, scholarly responses.

Each book is available in both paperback and Kindle formats – perfect for personal study, family discussions, or as gifts for those with questions about the faith. These aren’t just conference proceedings; they’re comprehensive resources you’ll return to again and again.

Find more study resources and Latter-day Saint literature in our bookstore!

 

Responding to Current Events

We also provided timely responses to media productions and current events, including fact-checking shows like Netflix’s “American Primeval” and addressing new Gospel Topics published by the Church, ensuring members had accurate, faithful information when they needed it most.

Find the blog post dedicated to the American Primeval fact checking here.

 

Looking Ahead to 2026: Exciting Things to Come!

FAIR 2026 Conference | August 5-7, 2026

Theme: “Apologetics 101: Back to the Basics”

Join us in person at Thanksgiving Point as we go back to basics! This year’s conference will tackle the foundational apologetic questions and core doctrines that matter most.

What to Expect:

  • Clear answers to fundamental questions
  • Tools for renewed faith
  • Practical strategies to strengthen discipleship in times of doubt
  • Connection with a community of faithful seekers
  • Opportunities to deepen your understanding of the restored gospel

Whether you’re seeking answers for yourself, supporting loved ones in a faith crisis, or simply wanting to strengthen your testimony – this conference is for you!

📅 Mark Your Calendars: August 5-7, 2026

More details including registration, speakers, and schedule coming soon on our website.

 

FAIR 2026 Virtual Conference | October 2026

Our 4th annual virtual conference “Foundations of Faith: Defending the New Testament in the Latter Days,” will be October 8-10, 2026! Building on the success of our 2025 Old Testament conference, we’ll continue bringing scholarly presentations directly to your home. This virtual conference will be streamed free of charge. Find more information on our website.

If you would like to be considered as a presenter in the upcoming virtual conference, you can find more information on how to apply here. The abstract deadline is February 28, 2026

Find our previous virtual conferences here.

 

🎙️THREE New Podcast Series Launching in 2026!🎙️

We’re thrilled to announce three brand-new podcast series designed to support your gospel study and deepen your understanding:

🎙️ Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Old Testament Edition with Jennifer Roach Lees

Join us as we journey through the Old Testament in 2026! Jennifer Roach Lees (Master in Divinity, Master in Counseling Psychology) and other expert contributors will help you tackle the big questions: Why does the Old Testament still matter? What translations are recommended? How do we understand challenging passages? Each week, we’ll provide faithful, scholarly insights to enrich your Come, Follow Me study.

 

🎙️ “Me, My Shelf, and I” Season 2

A new season of “Me, My Shelf, and I” is coming soon!

Have tough questions landed on your shelf? Join Sarah Allen, Zachary Wright, and Trevor Holyoak as they tackle challenging Church history topics head-on with facts, nuance, and faith. This series takes a deep dive into specific issues. Season 1 was about seer stones. Season 2 will cover forgeries such as the Kinderhook Plates, the Greek Psalter, and the works of James Strang and Mark Hofmann—providing the historical context and faithful answers you need to strengthen your testimony. Whether you’re navigating your own questions or helping a loved one through a faith crisis, this podcast meets you where you are with honesty, scholarship, and unwavering testimony.

 

🎙️ “By Covenant & Sacrifice”

Plural marriage remains one of the Church’s most misunderstood and controversial topics—the subject of Hollywood jokes, awkward conversations, and increasingly, a source of questions from members themselves. This new deep-dive series tackles the topic head-on with historical context, doctrinal understanding, and real testimonies. Host Sarah Allen explores the history of the practice, the doctrine behind it, the people who lived it, and how modern Latter-day Saints can reconcile their feelings with the past. Through interviews with historians, scholars, and faithful members, this series aims to help listeners not only understand plural marriage but gain a testimony of the eternal principles it represents. Named after D&C 132:51, where the Lord explains testing and refining us through covenant and sacrifice, this podcast offers a faithful, honest examination of a difficult topic—meeting members where they are and guiding them toward understanding, acceptance, and peace.

 

How You Can Support FAIR’s Mission

FAIR has grown significantly since 1997, but we can’t do this work without you. As we’ve transitioned from an all-volunteer organization to having a small staff, the need for financial support has increased.

Your donations help us:

  • Provide free resources to members worldwide
  • Host conferences that strengthen faith
  • Respond quickly to media misrepresentations
  • Create new content addressing emerging challenges
  • Expand our international reach through translation
  • Digitize and preserve decades of apologetic scholarship

Every contribution, no matter the size, makes a meaningful difference in defending the Church and supporting members with difficult questions.

 

Stay Connected

  • Website: fairlatterdaysaints.org
  • YouTube: Subscribe for videos, conference presentations, and Come, Follow Me content
  • Social Media: Follow us for daily updates and answers
  • Newsletter: Make sure you’re subscribed to receive monthly updates

Find all of our links (socials, website, etc) on our Linktree

 

A Message of Gratitude

To every person who has attended a conference, shared our resources, made a donation, or offered a word of encouragement – thank you. You are part of a movement that has been defending the restored gospel for nearly three decades.

As we stand at the threshold of 2026, we’re filled with hope and determination. The questions may be harder, the attacks more sophisticated, but the truth remains unchanged: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the restored gospel of Jesus Christ on the earth today.

We’re honored to stand with you in defending that truth.

From all of us at FAIR – thank you for standing with us, for sharing your faith, and for being part of this great work.

With gratitude and excitement for the year ahead,

The FAIR Team