About Christopher Smith

I have a PhD in Religion from Claremont Graduate University and currently live and work in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I also have a BA in Biblical Studies (with a Classics minor) from Fresno Pacific University and an MA in the History of Christianity from Wheaton College.

Denial and Deniability: The Church’s PR Strategy on Female Priesthood Denial

The Mormon feminist “Ordain Women” (OW) movement made headlines last year with its effort to secure female access to the males-only Priesthood session of the LDS Church’s General Conference. Ahead of the event, the group made a formal written request for … Continue reading

What the New Computer Study Can Tell Us about the Book of Mormon

In my last post I reviewed Duane and Chris Johnson’s new computer study that purports to identify four literary influences on the Book of Mormon. As I argued there, the study’s case for literary dependence is not entirely convincing. However, … Continue reading

New Computer Study Purports to Detect Literary Influences on the Book of Mormon

The Internet’s been abuzz with hype this week about a new computer study by Duane and Chris Johnson which purports to identify four literary influences on the Book of Mormon (besides the King James Bible): Gilbert J. Hunt, The late war, … Continue reading