The Interpreter Foundation Podcast

Our hosts examine the tension between the Latter-day Saint commitment to peace and the violent realities of early American history. The discussion turns to Zion’s Camp, the 1834 expedition to Missouri that Brigham Young went through as a formative spiritual experience under the guidance of Joseph Smith. Though often viewed as a military failure, the discussion turns to how Joseph Smith deliberately chose a peaceful resolution over armed conflict after receiving a revelation that the camp should return home rather than fight.

The post Becoming Brigham Episode 18: Peace or Violence? first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.

Abstract: This article proposes that priesthood keys are of two general categories: 1) keys of authority and 2) keys of knowledge. The keys of authority are the type most often discussed in meetings and classrooms, and thus, are relatively familiar. However, keys of knowledge, though an extension of the keys of authority, may be less familiar. The word key in this second case is used in a broad sense, including the keys of both knowledge and intelligence, which are richly featured in the revelations of the Doctrine and Covenants, as well as in the teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith. After some preliminaries, I examine the keys of authority and the keys of knowledge. Then, I demonstrate that keys of knowledge can also be of two sorts: 1) formally revealed scriptural keys of knowledge and 2) informally revealed non-scriptural keys of knowledge. The paper finishes with a related discussion of the special keys of authority and power (if not also knowledge) that Jesus Christ holds over death, hell, and final judgment.

The post Joseph Smith and the Twin Priesthood Keys of Authority and Knowledge first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.

In the May 21, 2026,episode of The Interpreter Insights Podcast, our host Martin Tanner reviews “Seers and Stones: The Translation of the Book of Mormon as Divine Visions of an Old-Time Seer” by Stan Spencer in Volume 24 of Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture.

The post Interpreter Insights Podcast — May 21, 2026: Seers and Stones: The Translation of the Book of Mormon as Divine Visions of an Old-Time Seer first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.

Our hosts examine the tension between the Latter-day Saint commitment to peace and the violent realities of early American history. The discussion turns to Zion’s Camp, the 1834 expedition to Missouri that Brigham Young went through as a formative spiritual experience under the guidance of Joseph Smith. Though often viewed as a military failure, the discussion turns to how Joseph Smith deliberately chose a peaceful resolution over armed conflict after receiving a revelation that the camp should return home rather than fight.

The post Becoming Brigham Episode 17: A People of Peace? first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.

Abstract: Holy stands come in all shapes and sizes. We need to be careful that we don’t unknowingly fashion a Rameumptom that blinds us to the ways in which God works with imperfect people of all eras.

The post Atop the Rameumptom first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.