Hot from the Press!

[Daniel Peterson]

The latest number of the FARMS Review continues to provide the stimulating, insightful writing that its aficionados -- "our reader," as we Review editors affectionately call them -- have come to expect (and that our more fevered critics continue to despise and dread).

Kevin Barney, a practicing attorney in Illinois with a degree in ancient languages who has himself contributed significantly to Mormon studies, carefully examines John W. Welch's The Legal Cases of the Book of Mormon and pronounces it "a seminal work." Duane Boyce reflects on the law of consecration, and questions whether a particular contemporary political ideology can truly be seen as its modern, secular equivalent or demand our loyalty as Latter-day Saints. Donald L. Enders and Jennifer L. Lund review a faith-promoting account of the first printing of the Book of Mormon, but come away unpersuaded. Latter-day Saint philosopher James Faulconer, however, is very impressed by Brant A. Gardner's six-volume Second Witness: Analytical and Contextual Commentary on the Book of Mormon.

Brant Gardner himself appears in the pages of the Review with an essay on "Mormon's Editorial Method and Meta-Message." The distinguished Latter-day Saint scholar Terryl Givens also contributes an essay, from his forthcoming Oxford University Press volume The Book of Mormon: A Very Short Introduction. Alan Goff, too, weighs in with a characteristically insightful and thought-provoking piece entitled "How Should We Then Read? Reading Scripture after the Fall," which points to the inadequacies of the approach taken to the Book of Mormon by such reductionist critics as Dan Vogel. Anthropologist Steven Olsen offers a "literary approach" to the account of the death of Laban in 1 Nephi. Another valuable essay, entitled "We Might Know What to Do and How to Do It: On the Usefulness of the Religious Past," comes from Martin Marty, the eminent University of Chicago historian of American religion. And associate Review editor Louis Midgley considers the subject of "The Book of Mormon as Record" in a short essay that introduces the Review?s other pieces on the ancient Nephite text. Finally, in separate articles briefly introduced by Review associate editor George Mitton, Frederick M. Huchel and John W. Welch respond warmly to British Methodist scholar Margaret Barker's Temple Themes in Christian Worship.

Get yours while supplies last!

.

[William Schryver]

I see you're having the same problem I am having: replies that I compose in MS Word are having quotes, ellipses, and other characters converted to "?" when you paste them into the editor for the message board. I have determined that you must compose them in a font (like Verdana) that is recognized by the editor on the board, then it seems to handle it correctly.

I composed the following in Arial, and when I pasted it and posted it, all the characters were converted to "?". When I changed the font to Verdana, then pasted it again, it handled it fine.

— (emdash)

“” (double quotes)

‘’ (single quotes)

… (ellipsis)

[rockslider]

I see you're having the same problem I am having: replies that I compose in MS Word are having quotes, ellipses, and other characters converted to "?" when you paste them into the editor for the message board. I have determined that you must compose them in a font (like Verdana) that is recognized by the editor on the board, then it seems to handle it correctly.

I composed the following in Arial, and when I pasted it and posted it, all the characters were converted to "?". When I changed the font to Verdana, then pasted it again, it handled it fine.

? (emdash)

?? (double quotes)

?? (single quotes)

? (ellipse)

thanks for the tip, I use word all the time also ... same results

[William Schryver]

thanks for the tip, I use word all the time also ... same results

Strange that when you quote my reply, it messes it up again. Weird.

[Daniel Peterson]

Sigh.

Well, I've now gone back and (I think) changed all of the quirks.

Vielen Dank.

[rockslider]

Ok, call me Gumby,

Who is who in whootville?

First the following link seems to only go to 2008

http://mi.byu.edu/publications/review/?

second, what's with FARMS verses FAIR and the newly established Neal A. Maxwell Institute (but we seem to want to hold on to the old names)

And then of course MADB.

Distant cousins, siblings etc.?

[rockslider]

Strange that when you quote my reply, it messes it up again. Weird.

and that was not via word ... it seems this was aggravated after last weekends update, but I'm not sure about that.

[William Schryver]

Sigh.

Well, I've now gone back and (I think) changed all of the quirks.

Vielen Dank.

What a pain, huh?

I've made a note to myself to compose all future replies using the "Verdana" font. That seems to work consistently.

[katherine the great]

I see you're having the same problem I am having: replies that I compose in MS Word are having quotes, ellipses, and other characters converted to "?" when you paste them into the editor for the message board. I have determined that you must compose them in a font (like Verdana) that is recognized by the editor on the board, then it seems to handle it correctly.

I composed the following in Arial, and when I pasted it and posted it, all the characters were converted to "?". When I changed the font to Verdana, then pasted it again, it handled it fine.

? (emdash)

?? (double quotes)

?? (single quotes)

? (ellipsis)

Huh. The posts all look fine on my browser...Although I did notice one like you describe the other day.

[rockslider]

Sorry Dr. P,

maybe you should retitle this thread and start over

[Daniel Peterson]

First the following link seems to only go to 2008

http://mi.byu.edu/publications/review/?

It will take a little while for the new Review to make its way into bookstores -- jostling lines of desperate wannabe readers already snake around the block in New York, London, and Los Angeles, to say nothing of Accra, Ghana; Jakarta, Indonesia; Madras, India; and Reykjavik, Iceland -- and for it to be registered on the website.

second, what's with FARMS verses FAIR and the newly established Neal A. Maxwell Institute (but we seem to want to hold on to the old names)

FARMS began as an independent foundation and then affiliated with BYU. Sometime thereafter, it became the Institute for the Study and Preservation of Ancient Religious Texts (ISPART), and then FARMS proper was reconceived as a department within ISPART (along with the Middle Eastern Texts Initiative and the Center for the Preservation for Ancient Religious Texts [CPART]), and then ISPART was rebranded the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship. FARMS continues as a department within the Maxwell Institute, which is affiliated with BYU.

FAIR is entirely private, totally unaffiliated with BYU, and wholly unaffiliated with the Maxwell Institute (and FARMS). However, since interests overlap, a few Maxwell Institute people (including myself) are involved with FAIR -- including speaking pretty frequently at the annual FAIR symposia.

And then of course MADB.

Distant cousins, siblings etc.?

FARMS or the Maxwell Institute has never had any link whatever with this message board or any other. FAIR once owned this board, but jettisoned it, what?, two or three years ago.

[William Schryver]

Huh. The posts all look fine on my browser...Although I did notice one like you describe the other day.

Dan already edited his OP to remove the multitude of "?".

I checked it in Firefox, IE, and Chrome. Same problem in all three.

[Sargon]

The latest number of the FARMS Review continues to provide the stimulating, insightful writing that its aficionados -- "our reader," as we Review editors affectionately call them -- have come to expect (and that our more fevered critics continue to despise and dread).

Kevin Barney, a practicing attorney in Illinois with a degree in ancient languages who has himself contributed significantly to Mormon studies, carefully examines John W. Welch's The Legal Cases of the Book of Mormon and pronounces it "a seminal work." Duane Boyce reflects on the law of consecration, and questions whether a particular contemporary political ideology can truly be seen as its modern, secular equivalent or demand our loyalty as Latter-day Saints. Donald L. Enders and Jennifer L. Lund review a faith-promoting account of the first printing of the Book of Mormon, but come away unpersuaded. Latter-day Saint philosopher James Faulconer, however, is very impressed by Brant A. Gardner's six-volume Second Witness: Analytical and Contextual Commentary on the Book of Mormon.

Brant Gardner himself appears in the pages of the Review with an essay on "Mormon's Editorial Method and Meta-Message." The distinguished Latter-day Saint scholar Terryl Givens also contributes an essay, from his forthcoming Oxford University Press volume The Book of Mormon: A Very Short Introduction. Alan Goff, too, weighs in with a characteristically insightful and thought-provoking piece entitled "How Should We Then Read? Reading Scripture after the Fall," which points to the inadequacies of the approach taken to the Book of Mormon by such reductionist critics as Dan Vogel. Anthropologist Steven Olsen offers a "literary approach" to the account of the death of Laban in 1 Nephi. Another valuable essay, entitled "We Might Know What to Do and How to Do It: On the Usefulness of the Religious Past," comes from Martin Marty, the eminent University of Chicago historian of American religion. And associate Review editor Louis Midgley considers the subject of "The Book of Mormon as Record" in a short essay that introduces the Review?s other pieces on the ancient Nephite text. Finally, in separate articles briefly introduced by Review associate editor George Mitton, Frederick M. Huchel and John W. Welch respond warmly to British Methodist scholar Margaret Barker's Temple Themes in Christian Worship.

Get yours while supplies last!

Excellent! I look forward to reading it. Brant's FAIR Conference paper on Mormon's Editorial Method and Meta-Message was very interesting to me. It made me see the Book of Mormon a little differently. I assume this is the exact same text.

Thanks DCP!

Ok, call me Gumby,

Who is who in whootville?

First the following link seems to only go to 2008

http://mi.byu.edu/publications/review/?

The newest addition of the Review is never published online immediately. They sell hard copies of it for a while first. But, they usually don't wait too long. Despite what many critics think, these guys aren't in this for the money.

second, what's with FARMS verses FAIR and the newly established Neal A. Maxwell Institute (but we seem to want to hold on to the old names)

FARMS is the old name for the Neal A. Maxwell Institute. We still call it FARMS mainly because it is easier. FAIR is a completely different organization altogether, but many of the same people contribute to both organizations. They work closely.

And then of course MADB.

This board used to be the official message board of FAIR, until FAIR decided to drop their involvement and sponsorship of the board. Now it is run independently, and has a new name (MADB).

[Daniel Peterson]

Sorry Dr. P,

maybe you should retitle this thread and start over

Perhaps you're right. I'll try to fix things by simply reposting the original opening post:

The latest number of the FARMS Review continues to provide the stimulating, insightful writing that its aficionados -- "our reader," as we Review editors affectionately call them -- have come to expect (and that our more fevered critics continue to despise and dread).

Kevin Barney, a practicing attorney in Illinois with a degree in ancient languages who has himself contributed significantly to Mormon studies, carefully examines John W. Welch's The Legal Cases of the Book of Mormon and pronounces it "a seminal work." Duane Boyce reflects on the law of consecration, and questions whether a particular contemporary political ideology can truly be seen as its modern, secular equivalent or demand our loyalty as Latter-day Saints. Donald L. Enders and Jennifer L. Lund review a faith-promoting account of the first printing of the Book of Mormon, but come away unpersuaded. Latter-day Saint philosopher James Faulconer, however, is very impressed by Brant A. Gardner's six-volume Second Witness: Analytical and Contextual Commentary on the Book of Mormon.

Brant Gardner himself appears in the pages of the Review with an essay on "Mormon's Editorial Method and Meta-Message." The distinguished Latter-day Saint scholar Terryl Givens also contributes an essay, from his forthcoming Oxford University Press volume The Book of Mormon: A Very Short Introduction. Alan Goff, too, weighs in with a characteristically insightful and thought-provoking piece entitled "How Should We Then Read? Reading Scripture after the Fall," which points to the inadequacies of the approach taken to the Book of Mormon by such reductionist critics as Dan Vogel. Anthropologist Steven Olsen offers a "literary approach" to the account of the death of Laban in 1 Nephi. Another valuable essay, entitled "We Might Know What to Do and How to Do It: On the Usefulness of the Religious Past," comes from Martin Marty, the eminent University of Chicago historian of American religion. And associate Review editor Louis Midgley considers the subject of "The Book of Mormon as Record" in a short essay that introduces the Review's other pieces on the ancient Nephite text. Finally, in separate articles briefly introduced by Review associate editor George Mitton, Frederick M. Huchel and John W. Welch respond warmly to British Methodist scholar Margaret Barker's Temple Themes in Christian Worship.

Get yours while supplies last!

.

[William Schryver]

DCP:

FAIR is entirely private, totally unaffiliated with BYU, and wholly unaffiliated with the Maxwell Institute (and FARMS). However, since interests overlap, a few Maxwell Institute people (including myself) are involved with FAIR -- including speaking pretty frequently at the annual FAIR symposia.

Which means, of course, that your combined salaries (for apologetics work alone) from MI and FAIR must amount to more than the GDP of several third-world countries.

Right?

[Daniel Peterson]

Which means, of course, that your combined salaries (for apologetics work alone) from MI and FAIR must amount to more than the GDP of several third-world countries.

Right?

If, among third-world countries, you include Brazil, Saudi Arabia, and the United Kingdom.

Don't misunderestimate me!

[LifeOnaPlate]

If you type it in MS Notepad and then paste it over there are no probs. But I believe Herr Peterson is using a Mac and I don't know what utility that brand offers.

[Daniel Peterson]

Oh. I forgot to mention that the newest FARMS Review contains an Editor's Introduction by yours truly, entitled "Where Ideas Won't Face Serious Challenge."

That title represents something of a minor homage to one of the most ridiculous of the very many ridiculous things posted by my Malevolent Stalker on his home message board.

.

[Joseph Antley]

Thanks for the heads up. I'll be picking this up this week.

[Tanyan]

Does anyone know when the Book by Shawn McCraney - Born Again Mormon/I Was A Born Again Mormon will have a published Review/Response in the Review of Books ?. Thanks. Tanyan, LDS JEDI KNIGHT.

[Daniel Peterson]

Does anyone know when the Book by Shawn McCraney - Born Again Mormon/I Was A Born Again Mormon will have a published Review/Response in the Review of Books ?. Thanks. Tanyan, LDS JEDI KNIGHT.

Almost certainly in the very next issue, which we hope to have ready to go to press soon. (We're trying to catch up with our production schedule.)

Such a review is already written, and has already been edited for publication. It was ready to go in the just-published issue, but, for extraneous reasons, was held back for the next issue.

[LifeOnaPlate]

Tanyan, you'll finally get your first edition copy of the book back then! Thanks for letting me borrow it for so long.

[LT123]

Bump. Looking forward to the new issue. Anyone know when it ships to subscibers?

[LifeOnaPlate]

Tanya,. I got your message. I am told the McCraney thing will likely be in the next issue.

[Daniel Peterson]

Bump. Looking forward to the new issue. Anyone know when it ships to subscibers?

I'll try to find out. Should be soon.