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The FAIR JournalThe FAIR Journal is published monthly. It contains information about new apologetic information at the FAIR Web site. If you would like to sign up to receive the FAIR Journal automatically, click here. To return to the index of past FAIR Journal issues, click here.
THE FAIR JOURNAL March 2003
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The Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research
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Apologetics: The branch of theology that is concerned with
defending or proving the truth of Christian doctrines. (The
American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth
Edition, 2000.)
INSIDE THE JOURNAL
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* BOOKSTORE NEWS
Build your gospel library with great offers from our online
bookstore. All of our selections are prescreened for quality
so you can make your purchases with confidence.
* 2003 FAIR CONFERENCE TAKES SHAPE
A full slate of speakers is prepared for our 2003 Conference
this August. Make your plans and secure your tickets now!
* NEW ON THE WEBSITE: BAPTISM FOR THE DEAD: THE COPTIC RATIONALE
This study was presented by John A. Tvedtnes at an international
non-LDS scholarly conference in 1983, where it was warmly
received.
* NEW ON THE WEBSITE: AN EARLY ANTI-MORMON PREDICTION
Early anti-Mormons predicted the demise of the Church, just as
those today do.
* NEW FAIR PROJECT
Missionary brochures tackle difficult subjects, and pave the way
for a FAIR international presence.
* FAIR UPDATE: A REVIEW OF RICHARD ABANES' "ONE NATION UNDER GODS"
* MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT, SCOTT GORDON
* THIS MONTH'S BOOKSTORE SPECIALS
Detailed information on the specials available this month through
the FAIR Online Bookstore.
* ARTICLE SUBMISSIONS. Interested in writing for FAIR? Learn how
you can have your apologetics work published.
* PUBLISHING NOTES. Learn how you can become more involved in FAIR
and how you can reuse the material we publish.
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BOOKSTORE NEWS
We are excited about several things going on at FAIR.
Our online bookstore, with its specialized, pre-screened inventory
of books, continues to receive rave reviews.
We have started to add recommended books to our Topical Guide. While
we aren't finished yet, this should be a great way for you to see what
books address your interested topics. You can see an example of what
we have started here (scroll down to the bottom of the page):
http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai153.html
This month we have four specials in our bookstore. Here's a quick
glimpse of those specials:
* Restoring the Ancient Church, by Barry Bickmore (save $5)
* The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early
Christian Writings, by Bart Ehrman (save $5)
* By the Hand of Mormon: The American Scripture that Launched a New
World Religion, by Terryl Givens (save $2.55)
* The Journals of William E. McLellin, 1831-1836 (save $5)
Detailed information on these specials is located later in this issue
of the FAIR Journal.
http://store.fairlds.org
We're interested in any suggestions you may have to improve our
service as well. Let us know what you need and what you want.
-The FAIR Bookstore Staff
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2003 FAIR CONFERENCE TAKES SHAPE
The FAIR Conference, which is scheduled for August 7th and 8th has an
exciting list of speakers and promises to be a blockbuster event. Our
selected topics include responding to the critics of the Book of
Abraham, the newest information on the Mountain Meadows Massacre, DNA
and the Book of Mormon, Science and Religion, Exploring the Book of
Mormon lands and many, many other topics.
We have an all-star cast of speakers. Many of these individuals pull
in a packed house by themselves. Our speakers come from FARMS, BYU,
Weber State, Idaho State, Butte College and many other places.
Speakers slated for the conference include John Tvedtnes, Michael
Rhodes, Matt Roper, John Gee, Dan Peterson, Jeffrey Meldrum, Trent
Stephens, Gene Sessions, Roger Ekins, Craig Foster, Roger Keller,
Brant Gardner, George Potter, and Richard Wellington.
The new Book of Abraham movie is starting to be shown all over the
country and some have been misled by its claims. The Mountain Meadows
massacre is cropping up in the newspapers again. If you learn how to
respond to these two issues alone, it might save someone's testimony
in your ward or stake. And we have many more things we will cover.
http://www.fairlds.org/conf03a.html
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BAPTISM FOR THE DEAD: THE COPTIC RATIONALE
by John A. Tvedtnes
This paper was presented at a symposium held 5 June 1981 in Jerusalem,
sponsored by the L.A. Mayer Memorial Museum of Islamic Art and the
Israel Ministry of Education and Culture and later published in
Special Papers of the Society for Early Historic Archaeology, No. 2
(September 1989). The Jerusalem symposium marked the opening of an
exhibit of Coptic art at the museum.
One of the practices that sets the Coptic Church apart from most of
the Christian world is that of proxy baptism for the dead. In order
to understand the rationale for this ceremony, it is necessary to
both establish its antiquity in Christianity and to discuss some of
its antecedents in the ancient Egyptian religion.
Read the study: http://www.fairlds.org/Misc/Baptism_for_the_Dead_the_Coptic_Rationale.html
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AN EARLY ANTI-MORMON PREDICTION
by Matthew B. Brown
Soon after the Book of Mormon was published in March of 1830 opponents
of the LDS faith predicted that it would soon fade into oblivion.
Read the essay: http://www.fairlds.org/Book_of_Mormon/Early_Anti-Mormon_Prediction.html
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NEW FAIR PROJECT
This is actually a "two-in-one" project:
1. In response to FAIR feedback from missionaries preparing to
serve, from returned missionaries, from family and friends of
missionaries and from mission presidents, FAIR is presently
working on a series of one-page brochures to answer some of the
most common questions which investigators ask. The topics are
varied and new ones are added to our to-do list every week. This
is a work-in-progress and FAIR welcomes your feedback as well as
your suggestions for topics.
2. As some of you may have noticed, the FAIR homepage has multiple
flag icons. This reflects not only the international membership
of FAIR but also its readership. FAIR hopes to have many of its
articles, beginning with the above brochures, translated and
added to its Website.
Missionary brochures written (but not yet completed) so far:
1. Grace, Faith, and Works
2. Plural Marriage or Polygamy
3. Muslims and Latter-day Saints
4. Does Mormonism Have Another Jesus?
5. Why do Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
claim to be the only true church?
6. Trusting Your Senses: God's use of "feelings" in confirming truth
7. Archaeology and Religion
8. By Their Fruits Ye Shall Know Them
9. The Word of Wisdom: A Principle with Promise
10. Gaining Salvation
11. Does Revelation 22:18-19 teach that the Bible is Complete?
12. Why do members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
find joy in faithfully paying a tithe of 10%?
13. Mark Hofmann's Era of Forgeries Re-visted: An Answer to Critics'
Use of Hofmann's Forgeries, & How The Church Responded to Their
Challenges, Charges & "Witch Hunt"
14. Is vicarious baptism condemned?
15. LDS Temple Ordinances and Freemasonry
For a preview of the "missionary" brochures:
http://www.fairlds.org/Bookshelf.html
Thank you to all who are working hard on this project.
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FAIR UPDATE: A REVIEW OF RICHARD ABANES' "ONE NATION UNDER GODS"
A FAIR review of "One Nation Under Gods" began in January 2003. Allen
Wyatt is working on a graphical icon to aid our readers in finding the
newest additions to this work-in-progress. Four new expositions,
written by Matthew B. Brown are linked below:
Reformed Egyptian: http://www.fairlds.org/apol/onug/pg055c.html
Tall Tales: http://www.fairlds.org/apol/onug/pg064d.html
Prophetic Autobiography: http://www.fairlds.org/apol/onug/pg072e.html
Seeing the Plates: http://www.fairlds.org/apol/onug/pg053d.html
Read the ONUG review: http://www.fairlds.org/apol/onug/
Thank you to all who are contributing to this review.
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A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
The FAIR Journal E-Mail list continues to grow. Last month's article
by Kevin Barney, which reviewed Murphy's and Southerton's "Galileo
Event," will be appearing in this month's issue of Anthropology Today.
Click here to review that article:
http://www.fairlds.org/Book_of_Mormon/Brief_Review_of_Murphy_and_Southerton_Galileo_Event.html
There are four ways you can help support FAIR:
1. Make a tax deductible donation. We have no salaries at FAIR so
100% of your donation goes to work for the organization. We have
some major expenses coming up related to putting on our
conference. To donate, visit the store (link below), then click
on "DONATE" at the left side of the screen:
http://store.fairlds.org
2. Buy a book from the FAIR LDS Bookstore. The prices are great, and
the income from the book sales supports FAIR. Click here to go to
the store:
http://store.fairlds.org
3. Sign up for the conference and bring a friend. We have lots of
fun at our conferences. You won't want to miss it. Click here to
read about the conference and to sign up:
http://www.fairlds.org/conf03a.html
4. Pass the word around about the Journal and encourage people to
sign up. You can sign them up on the website and they will
receive an e-mail asking if they want to sign up. They have to
respond in order to become active on the list. Click here to
sign up a friend:
http://www.fairlds.org/Join_FAIR/Sign_Up_For_the_FAIR_Journal.html
Thank you for all of your support.
-Scott Gordon
FAIR President
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THIS MONTH'S BOOKSTORE SPECIALS
* Restoring the Ancient Church, by Barry Bickmore (Retail $19.95;
you pay only $14.95)
* The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early
Christian Writings, by Bart Ehrman (Retail $42.95; you pay only
$37.95)
* By the Hand of Mormon: The American Scripture that Launched a
New World Religion, by Terryl Givens (Retail $30; you pay only
$27.45)
* The Journals of William E. McLellin, 1831-1836 (Retail $34.95;
you pay only $29.95)
Continuing our pattern of great specials, we open this month with an
old FAIR favorite, Barry Bickmore's RESTORING THE ANCIENT CHURCH.
Published in 1999, it is one of our most popular books and is an
excellent resource for comparing LDS doctrine with Early Christianity.
"Barry Bickmore makes a clear case for the proposition that, in the
doctrines of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we
really do, as claimed, have a restoration of ancient Christian
teachings lost from the churches of the so-called 'mainstream.'
This is an admirable book, based upon extensive reading in both the
early Christian sources and secondary scholarship. I wish for it
wide circulation among Latter-day Saints and beyond. I also wish I
had written it." --Daniel C. Peterson, Ph.D., Brigham Young
University
This month it's 25% off retail ($19.95) at $14.95.
Next on our lineup is from Oxford University Press, THE NEW TESTAMENT:
A HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION TO THE EARLY CHRISTIAN WRITINGS by Bart
Ehrman. Called "[t]he most engaging, thorough, and accessible
historical introduction to the New Testament available", it is a
wonderful background to enrich your New Testament study this year. It
has incorporated in its second edition "expanded coverage of the
historical Jesus, ... new boxes on various topics (e.g., women in the
New Testament and alternative approaches to the historical Jesus)" and
a 12-page full color photo essay on illuminated manuscripts. Retails
at $42.95, FAIR is pricing it at $37.95 for this month.
For our third offering, BY THE HAND OF MORMON: THE AMERICAN SCRIPTURE
THAT LAUNCHED A NEW WORLD RELIGION is a must have for those interested
in the Book of Mormon and its impact not only for Mormons, but for the
world. Retails for $30.00, FAIR Monthly Special Price $27.45.
"This is an exceptional study. Terry L. Givens has written an
important work that increases our understanding of both the Book of
Mormon and of Mormonism generally. He demonstrates how a single
literary work gave rise to an enduring community, a theology, a
religion, and a culture, and helps to explain not only the book's
history but also the persisting success of Mormonism as an enduring
belief system and worshipping community. By the Hand of Mormon is
an achievement of real distinction." --Jan Shipps, author of
Sojourner in the Promised Land: Forty Years Among the Mormons and
Mormonism: The Story of a New Religious Tradition.
Our last entry is THE JOURNALS OF WILLIAM E. McLELLIN, 1831-1836. Six
detailed journals of a controversial Saint, one of the original Twelve
LDS Apostles, McLellin's personal recordings "shed new light on the
nature of early Mormon worship and doctrine, as well as on religious
attitudes in America in the 1830s." Recipient of the Steven F.
Christensen Best Documentary Award from the Mormon History
Association, as well as the RLDS John Whitmer Historical Association
Award, we are offering this at $29.95 (Retail $34.95)
Monthly specials are available at:
http://store.fairlds.org
-The FAIR Bookstore Staff
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ARTICLE SUBMISSIONS
We welcome article submissions for the FAIR Web site. If you would
like to submit an article, please review the editing guidelines at:
http://www.fairlds.org/EdStyle.pdf
Submit your article to the FAIR Journal Editor, Cooper Johnson
(FAIR contact page). An appropriate article would be one that
affirms the truthfulness of The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints.
While LDS apologetics (in the broadest sense) deals with refuting
critics of the Church, articles don't necessarily have to deal with
anti-Mormonism, but may deal with some new evidence of the Book of
Mormon, some interesting scripture interpretation, a viewpoint or
quote from the early Christian Fathers or other historical figure,
an interesting lesson idea, an inspiring missionary story, Church
history, or your view on a current event related to the Church or a
piece from a historical journal.
We may also accept articles from people who are not members of The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that may not necessarily
meet the guidelines of supporting the church if it is a topic of
general interest to people involved in apologetics.
A submission may range in length from several pages to a single
paragraph.
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PUBLISHING NOTES
FAIR is not owned, controlled by or affiliated with The Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. All research and opinions provided
in the FAIR Journal and on the FAIR Web site (http://www.fairlds.org)
are the sole responsibility of FAIR, and should not be interpreted as
official statements of LDS doctrine, belief or practice.
If someone has forwarded this e-journal to you and you would like to
join you should go to www.fairlds.org and click on the FAIR
Publications link.
If you are very interested in apologetics and would like to actively
participate in FAIR you should consider joining our apologetics e-mail
list. Visit www.fairlds.org and click on the Join FAIR link to join
this list.
If you manage your own e-mail list, and wish to include some of these
thoughts or articles on your list, contact us through our Web site, at
this page: www.fairlds.org/contact.psp. We have a fairly liberal policy of using our
material so long as you contact us first to gain permission and
clearly identify that your source was FAIR and by adding a link to the
FAIR Web site (www.fairlds.org).
Past issues of the FAIR Journal: www.fairlds.org/FAIR_Journal/
If you would like to sign up to receive the FAIR Journal automatically, click here. To return to the index of past FAIR Journal issues, click here.
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FAIR is not owned, controlled by or affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. All research and opinions provided on this site are the sole responsibility of FAIR, and should not be interpreted as official statements of LDS doctrine, belief or practice. If you like what FAIR does and you agree with our mission, we invite you to support FAIR in any way you are able. You can make a donation, or visit our Membership page for additional support ideas. FAIR only succeeds through the efforts of our gracious volunteers.
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