Summary
2022 FAIR Conference: Strengthening Faith Through Scholarship
The 2022 FAIR Conference brought together scholars, historians, and experts to address key topics in Latter-day Saint apologetics, history, and doctrine. This annual event provided faith-building insights and responses to challenges facing members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Speakers explored Book of Mormon archaeology, religious freedom, family and marriage in the gospel, and modern faith challenges. Attendees gained a deeper understanding of scriptural insights, historical evidence, and ways to defend their beliefs against common criticisms. The conference also tackled contemporary issues, including responses to Under the Banner of Heaven, LGBTQ+ discussions, and the role of women in the Church.
Through a combination of scholarship and faith, the 2022 FAIR Conference offered attendees valuable tools to navigate complex topics and strengthen their testimony.
Kerry Muhlestein
Keys to Understanding Isaiah
Abstract
Dr. Muhlestein provides techniques for studying Isaiah effectively by unpacking symbols and understanding historical context. [watch on YouTube]
Bio
Kerry Muhlestein received his B.S. from BYU in Psychology with a Hebrew minor. He received an M.A. in Ancient Near Eastern Studies from BYU and his Ph.D. from UCLA in Egyptology, where in his final year he was named the UCLA Affiliates Graduate Student of the Year. His first full time appointment was a joint position in Religion and History at BYU-Hawaii. He is the director of the BYU Egypt Excavation Project. He has been teaching about Isaiah for almost three decades and has been teaching classes specifically on Isaiah for several years and has written a verse-by-verse commentary on Isaiah. He and his wife, Julianne, are the parents of six children, and together they have lived in Jerusalem while Kerry has taught there on multiple occasions.
Abstract
Bruce Young shares some of the challenges and joys of this high-baptizing mission. [watch on YouTube]
Bio
Bruce Young taught English literature at Brigham Young University for 38 years, specializing in Shakespeare, Renaissance literature, and C. S. Lewis, along with an interest in the philosopher Emmanuel Levinas. After retiring last year, he and his wife, Margaret Blair Young, prepared for missionary service in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They returned from their six-month mission a few days ago. Bruce has published on Shakespeare and other subjects, including a book titled Family Life in the Age of Shakespeare. Together they have produced two feature films, Heart of Africa and Heart of Africa 2: Companions. They have four children and ten grandchildren, including five bonus grandchildren who joined the family as a group in 2017.
Neal Rappleye
Ishmael and Nahom in Ancient Inscriptions
Abstract
Neal Rappleye presents the significance of the discovery of Ishmael and Nahom in ancient inscriptions. [watch on YouTube]
Bio
Neal Rappleye is a research project manager for Book of Mormon Central. He is involved in on-going research on many facets of the Book of Mormon’s historical context, including ancient Jerusalem (especially around the 7th century BC), ancient Arabia, the ancient Near East more broadly, pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, and the 19th century witnesses to the discovery and translation of the Book of Mormon plates. He’s published with BYU Studies, The Interpreter Foundation, Book of Mormon Central, Greg Kofford Books, and Covenant Communications.
Lynne Wilson
Restoring a Kingdom of Priests and Priestesses
Abstract
Lynne Wilson explores priesthood power in relation to Joseph Smith’s restoration of a kingdom of priests and priestesses. [watch on YouTube]
Bio
Lynne Hilton Wilson earned her Ph.D. in Theology and American Religious History from Marquette University. Her doctoral dissertation compared Joseph Smith’s understanding of the Spirit with his contemporaries. Her master’s degree focused on New Testament studies. She attended BYU as an undergraduate and studied nursing and music. She returned to BYU has as an adjunct professor of Religion, and to teach at Education Week. She is presents regularly at the Mormon History Association, Society of Biblical Literature, and the like. She has served in the Church Education System for the past 35 years. Currently she teaches Institute. Previous Publications include Christ’s Emancipation of New Testament Women, Nativity Narratives, Learning the Language of the Lord: A Guidebook to Personal Revelation, To Witness Easter, and articles in BYU Studies, the Interpreter, Religious Educator, and the BYU Religious Studies Center. She is co-founder of BookofMormonCentral.org. She and her husband, Elder Dow R. Wilson live in Palo Alto, California. They have seven children (all with red hair), and eight grandchildren (blond, ginger, and brown).
Dan Galorath
Decisions Determine Destiny: My Road to Christ
Abstract
Decisions Determine Destiny, My Road to Christ
Bio
Dan Galorath is founder and CEO of Galorath Inc., a software and solutions company focusing on “The Future. Delivered”. He has received lifetime achievement awards for his work in program management, measurement, planning, estimation, and project control. Galorath also serves on several business and charitable boards. As an adult convert to the church, Dan views the internet and social media as a means to declare unto every soul the mission of Jesus Christ and the plan of redemption which are clearly made known in the Book of Mormon. He lives in the Ponte Vedra Florida area and currently serves in the Presidency of the Florida Jacksonville Mission. He previously served in the presidency of the California Los Angeles mission.
Craig Foster
What Under the Banner of Heaven Gets Wrong
Abstract
Craig Foster draws upon his extensive background in polygamy since Joseph Smith to point out the flaws in the recent Hulu series, Under the Banner of Heaven. [watch on YouTube]
Bio
Craig L. Foster earned a MA and MLIS at Brigham Young University. He is also an accredited genealogist and worked as a research consultant at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City for over thirty years before retiring in December 2021. He has published multiple books and articles about different aspects of Mormon history, including co-editing the Persistence of Polygamy series with Newell G. Bringhurst and co-authored American Polygamy: A History of Fundamentalist Mormon Faith with Marianne T. Watson. Craig is also on the editorial board of the John Whitmer Historical Association Journal.
Tarik D. LaCour
Taking the Best Arguments for Atheism Seriously
Abstract
Tarik LaCour breaks down and refutes the best arguments in favor of atheism. [watch on YouTube]
Bio
Tarik D. LaCour is a Ph.D student in philosophy and MA student in neuroscience at Texas A&M. Primary research interests are in philosophy of neuroscience, philosophy of mind, moral psychology and epistemology. He is a traditional Latter-day Saint and author of the blog Mad Dog Naturalist. He has interest in developing rigorous apologetic arguments rooted in an empirical philosophical approach and plans on continuing his contributions to Latter-day Saint apologetics.
Steve Mayfield
Bonus Presentation: The Mormon Murders – The Hoffman Forgeries
Abstract
Steve Mayfield presents information about his first-hand experiences in the infamous Hoffman forgeries and murders. [watch on YouTube]
Bio
Steven L. Mayfield was born and raised in the San Francisco area. He served an LDS mission in Colorado and Nebraska. He has served in the Church as Stake Young Adult President, Elder’s Quorum counselor and instructor, Sunday School teacher, and ward clerk. Steve received a B.S. degree in police science from Weber State College (University) in 1980. His law enforcement career includes FBI file clerk (San Francisco, 1973-1977), Deputy Sheriff Jefferson County Colorado (1981-1990), and since 1994 as a crime scene investigator for the Salt Lake City Police Department. For more than the last ten years Steve has worked under the direction of George Throckmorton, and has assisted him in a number of historical/questioned document cases (non-law enforcement) including “The John D. Lee Lead Scroll.”
Steve has been involved with the Mormon History Association, Sunstone, Utah State Historical Society, and is the producer (and sometimes host) of Mormon Miscellaneous, a talk/interview/call-in program hosted by Van Hale over radio station KTKK in Salt Lake City. Steve does not consider himself a historian or writer, but a “documentation collector,” which includes newspaper and magazine articles, television videos, and tape recordings of radio news and programs on mostly Mormon issues. His large collection of material is in the process of being donated to the L. Tom Perry Library and Archives at Brigham Young University.
Jed Woodworth
Saints Volume 3 and the Problem of Doubt
Abstract
How Saints Volume 3 establishes authority to speak to questions of faith and doubt; and also understanding that being ok with ambiguity is part of the plan. [watch on YouTube]
Bio
Jed Woodworth, a historian with the LDS Church History Department in Salt Lake City, is the coeditor (with Reid L. Neilson) of Believing History: Latter-day Saint Essays, a collection of essays written by Richard Lyman Bushman. Between 2002 and 2004, Woodworth assisted Bushman in the research and editing of Bushman’s landmark biography, Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling. Formerly a PhD student at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Woodworth specializes in American educational history. He wa a dissertation on Horace Mann and the politics of American school reform when this was written.
Abstract
Comparing and contrasting the KJV, JST and Clarke to examine this question. [watch on YouTube]
Bio
Kent P. Jackson is a professor emeritus of ancient scripture at Brigham Young University. He has a B.A. in ancient studies from BYU and M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Old Testament and Ancient Near Eastern studies from the University of Michigan. He joined the faculty of Brigham Young University in 1980.
His research interests include Latter-day Saint scripture, doctrine, and history, with emphasis on the intersection of the Latter-day Saint faith and the Bible. He has authored or edited Joseph Smith’s Commentary on the Bible, Joseph Smith’s New Translation of the Bible: Original Manuscripts, The Book of Moses and the Joseph Smith Translation Manuscripts, Joseph Smith’s Translation of the Bible: The Joseph Smith Translation and the King James Translation in Parallel Columns and Understanding Joseph Smith’s Translation of the Bible.
Professor Jackson is a former associate dean of Religion and former associate director of the Brigham Young University Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies.
Matthew McBride
The Life and Faith of William Paul Daniels
Abstract
The amazing true story of the life and service of the early Black bishop, William Paul Daniels. [watch on YouTube]
Bio
Matthew S. McBride is director of the Publications Division of the Church History Department, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He earned an MA in American history from the University of Utah. Matt is the author of A House for the Most High: The Story of the Original Nauvoo Temple (2007) and coeditor of Revelations in Context: The Stories behind the Sections of the Doctrine and Covenants (2016). His article on the origins of the women’s missionary program in the church won the Mormon History Association’s Best Article Award for 2018. He was previously the digital content manager for the Publications Division, and prior to that, director of web development and director of digital publishing for Deseret Book Company.
Special Panel Discussion
Special panel discussion – “Read it from Reddit: Candid Responses to Critics”
Participating are Brian Hales, Cassandra Hedelius, Mike Ash and Sarah Allen [watch on YouTube]
Gary Lawrence
How Comfortable Conversations About the Gift of Agency Lead to Interest in the Gospel
Abstract
Gary Lawrence talks about the gift of agency and the opportunity to become free forever. [watch on YouTube]
Bio
Gary Lawrence is a public opinion researcher in Orange County, California. He received a B.A. in political science from BYU and a Ph.D. from Stanford in the study of attitudes — how they are formed, how they are measured, and how they are changed. He served a mission in Germany, has been an early morning seminary teacher, a bishop, and a member of various public affairs task forces in which he has conducted many focus groups for the Church. Gary is the author of four books: How Americans View Mormonism, Mormons Believe … What?!, The War in Heaven Continues, and The Magnificent Gift of Agency. He and his wife, Jan, have been ordinance workers in the Newport Beach temple for 17 years. They have four children and seven grandchildren and recently celebrated their Golden Wedding anniversary.
Abstract
Brother Andrewsen delves into the teachings of the proclamation on the family. [watch on YouTube]
Bio
Brent Andrewsen is the chairman of Sutherland Institute Board of Directors, an independent research and educational institution and think tank, whose mission is to advance civility, sound ideas, and principled public policy supporting faith, family and free enterprise. Brent also serves as the chairman of Skyline Research Institute and is the former chairman of the Board of Directors at Kirton McConkie. He has an AV PreeminentTM peer rating from Martindale-Hubbell and is recognized as one of Utah’s Legal Elite for estate planning, a Mountain States Super Lawyer for estate planning and non-profits, and a Best Lawyer for trusts/estates and non-profits/charities. He was also honored by Utah Business magazine as a 40 Under 40 Rising Star. Brent earned his B.A. in political science from BYU and a J.D. cum laude from the Washington & Lee University Law School.
Abstract
coming soon…
Bio
Carol Rice is the president of Skyline Research Institute and the Director of Communications for Public Square Magazine, a joint project of the Elizabeth McCune and the John A. Widstoe Foundation. As a communication, marketing, and outreach director over the past two decades, she has provided specialized communication and messaging training for non-profits and non-governmental organizations, including at the United Nations. She has worked extensively with prestigious storytelling organizations, including the Timpanogos Storytelling Institute, the National Storytelling Network, and the International Storytelling Center. Carol earned a BA in marriage and family relations with an emphasis in family advocacy from BYU-I. She and her husband Scott live in Alpine, Utah.
Abstract
Cassandra delves into a series of studies that illustrate the wisdom of recent church guideline changes. [watch on YouTube]
Bio
Cassandra Hedelius serves on the board of FAIR. She has a JD from the University of Colorado and has practiced domestic and business law. She is currently raising and homeschooling her three children.
Paul Hoybjerg
Respecting Human Dignity – Tools to Build Bridges and Celebrate Differences
Abstract
Practical advice on offering respect to others as an instrument to better relations. [watch on YouTube]
Bio
Paul Hoybjerg is the founding partner of Hoybjerg Law. His firm specializes in advocating for individuals who have been injured in vehicle collisions, motorcycle/trucking accidents, dog bites, slip-and-fall incidents, as well as victims of abuse. Hoybjerg Law has offices in California, Utah, and Idaho. Mr. Hoybjerg has been published in MA, UT, CA, and nationally syndicated magazines. He has been interviewed and presented on multiple podcasts and has appeared on Fox and NBC. He co-founded the Courts & Clergy Lawyers Auxiliary in Sacramento, which combines the efforts of lawyers from the Jewish, Catholic, Muslim, and Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint faiths. Mr. Hoybjerg sits on the board of directors for the Sacramento County Bar Association. Mr. Hoybjerg has used his connections to build bridges with domestic violence centers, minority & religious organizations, and the LBGT community. Mr. Hoybjerg is passionate about helping restore and respect the human dignity of each individual.
Abstract
A true understanding of love is necessary to navigate the Latter-day Saint/LGBTQ+ conversation. [watch on YouTube]
Bio
Ty Mansfield received his Ph.D. in Marriage and Family Therapy and has a private practice specializing in marital and sexual health and work with sexual and gender minorities. He is also adjunct faculty in Religious Education and the School of Family Life at BYU. Ty is a co-founder and past president of North Star, a faith-based ministry for Latter-day Saint sexual and gender minorities and is currently serving as a member of the board of directors. He is part of the Reconciliation and Growth Project, a dialogue group between LGBTQ affirmative and religious conservative mental health professionals who have developed an ethical mental health treatment protocol for working with individuals experiencing conflict between their faith and their sexuality and/or gender identity. He is also part of the 4 Options Survey research team, a similarly ideologically diverse collaborative effort looking at healthy and sustainable life paths for sexual minorities. In addition to his work with sexuality and gender, Ty is a certified Mindfulness Meditation Teacher and a co-author with Jacob Hess, Carrie Skarda, and Kyle Anderson of the recent book The Power of Stillness: Mindful Living for Latter-day Saints. He and his wife, Danielle, have five children and live in Spanish Fork, UT.
Abstract
An in-depth discussion on interpreting scripture literally, and the principles of Adaption, Accomadation, Responsive Specificity, and other principles of revelation. [watch on YouTube]
Bio
Ben Spackman is a PhD candidate in American Religious History at Claremont, and the 2022-23 Mormon Studies Fellow at the University of Utah. His dissertation examines the intellectual roots of LDS creationism and evolution in the 20th century. Prior to his work at Claremont, he received a master’s degree and did PhD work in Old Testament languages and literature at the University of Chicago. He is a guest editor of a special edition of BYU Studies dedicated to biological evolution and LDS faith, and writes at BenSpackman.com
Abstract
The formation of individual moral intuition influences which arguments we find most persuasive, and eventually influence our perception of community norms. [watch on YouTube]
Bio
Dr. Jeffrey Thayne graduated from BYU with a bachelor’s and master’s degree in psychology. He completed his doctorate in Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences at Utah State University. He runs the popular Latter-day Saint Philosopher blog and spends time engaging in worldview apologetics (articulating and exploring the worldview assumptions that inform our faith). He currently resides in Rexburg, Idaho with his wife and two children.
Angela Fallentine
Why Marriage, Why Family? Introducing a New Framework
Abstract
Bio
Angela Fallentine is a policy advisor and research analyst on the family at the United Nations and also serves as the vice-president of Skyline Research Institute. Her policy work focuses on women, peace, and security, international family policy, and family skills programs for refugees and internally displaced populations. She previously worked in international and government relations in Washington, D.C. and Canada. Angela received a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Utah State University and a master’s degree from Harvard University, where her public policy research focused on strengthening families in humanitarian settings in the Middle East. She and her husband John live in the greater New York City area.
Barrett Burgin
Five Pillars for a New Wave of Latter-day Saint Cinema
Abstract
Bio
Barrett Burgin is an award-winning filmmaker, best known for his films The Next Door (2016), Out of the Ground (2017), Father of Man (2019), and most recently CRYO (2022), which released in theaters and on digital in June. Burgin has also written extensively about the potential of Latter-day Saint Cinema, as well as the intersections between videogames, ritual, new media, the afterlife, immortality, and technology.
Dan Peterson
Reflections of a Latter-day Saint Movie Maker
Abstract
Bio
Daniel C. Peterson is the president of the Interpreter Foundation, which publishes the online periodical Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship, produces books, convenes conferences, and sponsors a weekly radio program: https://interpreterfoundation.org. He and his wife were the executive producers of the 2021 theatrical film Witnesses and have served in the same capacity for its 2022 docudrama sequel, Undaunted: Witnesses of the Book of Mormon.
A native of southern California who earned his doctorate at UCLA after study at BYU, in Jerusalem, and in Cairo, he retired on 1 July 2021 as a professor of Islamic studies and Arabic at Brigham Young University, where he had taught since 1985.
Formerly director of research and chairman of the board of the Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies (FARMS), now BYU’s Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship, he is also a former president of the Society for Mormon Philosophy and Theology and is currently a member of the board of the Foundation for Religious Diplomacy.
Dr. Peterson served in the Switzerland Zürich Mission (1972-1974), and, for approximately eight years, on the Gospel Doctrine writing committee for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He also presided for a time as the bishop of a singles ward adjacent to Utah Valley University.
He is married to the former Deborah Stephens, of Lakewood, Colorado, and they have three sons and three granddaughters.
Speakers
Angela Fallentine, Barrett Burgin, Ben Spackman, Brent Andrewsen, Bruce Young, Carol Rice, Cassandra Hedelius, Craig Foster, Dan Galorath, Daniel Peterson, Gary Lawrence, Jeffrey Thayne, Kent P. Jackson, Kerry Muhlestein, Lynne Wilson, Matthew McBride, Neal Rappleye, Scott Gordon, Tarik D. LaCour, Ty Mansfield.
Please note that this list is compiled from the information available and may not include all speakers from the conference.
Topics
Latter-day Saint apologetics, defending faith, Book of Mormon archaeology, biblical studies, family and marriage in the gospel, religious freedom, responses to Under the Banner of Heaven, LGBTQ+ and transgender issues in the Church, Church growth in the DR-Congo, Latter-day Saint cinema, atheism and faith, understanding Isaiah, gospel scholarship, historical and doctrinal questions, human dignity and the divine nature, inscriptions related to Ishmael and Nahom, the role of women in the Church, temple worship and symbolism, prophetic teachings and modern revelation.
John Taylor Award
coming soon
