Yes, please delineate with a rough timeline, recent vs. re-exposed critiques of the books. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. In Part 3, Brent discusses the aftermath of the Hofmann murders, including the trial and Hoffman's eventual plea deal. Brent Lee Metcalfe is an independent researcher and writer of the Latter Day Saint Movement. Ultimately, Id say (and I dont know that youd fundamentally disagree here) that its impossible to separate traditions like Catholicism or Mormonism from their fundamental and unique truth claims. Indeed, the trivial matters that many theists assert as claiming the attention of God (even as hell is meanwhilebreaking loose) is absurd evidently too absurd for many to even grasp. The second half was fascinating thank you, thank you, thank you for this podcast! Brent Metcalf. I think that the LDS churchs main competitor in the marketplace of ideas is not a bigger tent more liberal church, its Agnosticism/atheism. It all depends on the depth of study one does. Tom, have you considered allowing John to interview you? What advice does Brent have for aspiring Mormon historians? Thanks for the clarification, Brent. You can have a PhD and still not have great knowledge. 497: Brent Metcalfe Part 3 -- After the Hofmann bombings and his excommunication (Podcast Episode 2014) on IMDb: Movies, TV, Celebs, and more. Its likely that our paths could have crossed. The message was discovered after his review had gone to press and had to be edited out. I discovered New Approaches to the Book of Mormon back in 2002-03. (I think that was my only disappointment, that Brent basically gave up on God because of an epiphany.). I thought Brents response to this question very touching and informative and dont see that his research should be discredited. Release Calendar Top 250 Movies Most Popular Movies Browse Movies by Genre Top Box Office Showtimes & Tickets Movie News India Movie Spotlight. Heres a link to the Deseret News write up on the presentation: https://www.deseretnews.com/article/865608559/BYU-professor-speaks-on-unnoticed-assumptions-about-the-Book-of-Abraham.html. Wouldnt it have been more humorous to wait until *after* the issue was mailed out before bringing the Metcalfe is Butthead acrostic to the attention of FARMS authorities? Categories . Doxey denied asking about Metcalfe. After returning from Iraq after the 2nd deployment as a citizen soldier, I had the same epiphany as Brent; I learned that we are really on our own, there is no God. I have one teensy-tiny criticism about Johns sensitivity when someone questioned why Brent did not pursue an advanced degree. John Dehlin Faces Excommunication. Tom Phillips, Simon Southerton, Brent Metcalfe, Jeremy Runnells, Grant Palmer, etc. What did they accomplish by kicking any of you out? 497: Brent Metcalfe Part 3 -- After the Hofmann bombings and his excommunication (2014 Podcast Episode) Plot Showing all 0 items Jump to: Summaries It looks like we don't have any Plot Summaries for this title yet. But it has not always been that way or worked in his favor. Thanks again Brent! I love the podcasts. [9] Metcalfe became a suspect himself at one point in time. It was so, so interesting. I was a newly returned missionary at BYU when all of this took place. Best wishes, Brent! Hofmann really believed he could pull it all off, and maybe it wasnt just the police who thwarted his scheme? How have things changed over the decades? Thats something each person must decide for themselves, but Ive made peace with my own interpretation.. Pardon me for not commenting on LDS church history, but to be honest Ive read it or heard it all and have moved on. Great interview. I have heard that Mac Christianson financed the mission of one of Hofmanns sons. Why didnt the Lord reveal to the the prophet that Hofmann was going to kill? When I was on my mission in the early 70s, we were encouraged to show a film called Ancient America Speaks. That was fascinating, thank you. This is what led me here! Some people who study and read deeply can be more expert than others with advanced degrees. But I have a question for Brent. what happens if i ignore a ccj; Brent is generally a giant in Mormon Studies, and is a great guy. If you hadnt been excommunicated would you still be a member today? Every metric you can imagine points to the same conclusion: from Paul VI forward, Catholicism has gone into deep crisis. Truth or legend? Who does he think the last bomb was meant for? Brent, thanks so much for sharing your tender moments as well. Brent Metcalf was a bad dude in high school. I clearly remember the frustration in her voice. What has Brent done to mitigate his ADD? Metcalfe is on the editorial board of the John Whitmer Historical Association. ), systematically undermining Church teachings on the law of chastity and the . My examples are numerous and heart breaking. It was stillbecause it all drove from the incredibility of the whole thing. Brent Metcalf, age 31, Kingsport, TN Lived in: Greeneville TN, Elizabethton TN, Louisville TN Relatives: Terri Treadway, Kathy Edens, Douglas Metcalf View full report Brent E Metcalf, age 39, Semmes, AL Lived in: Wilmer AL, Theodore AL Relatives: Beverly Metcalf, Thomas Metcalf, Thomas Metcalf View full report This podcast inspired me to read the book Mormon Murders. The gift of your ADHD shines. brent metcalfe excommunicated. What academic qualifications does Mr. Metcalfe have to authoritatively speak on subjects like the historicity of the Book of Abraham? You are hesitant to answer no evil speaking on what you cant say right ;). Lynn Jacobs was looked at carefully, I believe Brent Metcalf was looked at somewhat. Research into the origins or Christianity strongly suggest that there are no babies only bathwater. Joseph Smiths myth-making leveraged Christian myth-making at the dawn of higher criticism. He worked directly for Steven Christensen (son of Mr. Mac), one of Mark Hofmann's victims. I was nervous that you belonged to the catalyst crowd and relieved to hear your developed belief, or non belief. From your perspective, what are the 3-5 best pieces of evidence for the historicity of the bom? Be the first to contribute! Jn I remember how the church/BYU was trying to treat this as a non-issue. Thanks for this podcast! Leave a Reply Cancel reply. I believe Brent said he has the copy in his records.**. Two more parts (3 & 4) to come. Isnt that a dangerous and at least weak and anything goes approach, especially for fanatical groups? In another post Ill comment on the Mark Hoffman affair. That piqued my interest in the whole sordid affair. After that day I moved to the back of the class and felt like the only straight A student retard at BYU. Thanks for the interview both of you. Robert Ritner, Egyptologist, wrote a recent book the Joseph Smith Papyri in which he acknowledges your encouragement for that project. "[7] William J. Hamblin responded specifically to an article by Metcalfe. He also talks about his early forays into Mormon studies. It was so amazing to hear another person explain nearly my identical experience. They buried the Mclellin diaries also.similar thingdidnt like the content. I have never heard of the description that its like talking to someone in the airport on their cell phone, with all the background noise. Copyright 2005 - 2023 | Mormon Stories. Would a hypothesis like that hold any water? brent metcalfe excommunicated. Yes, because remember that the paradigm speaking through Mikes words is not just representative of him. This negative sentiment is perhaps made up for by Hofmann's victims. When will the big book about the Egytian papers be out? No one believed that any one person could do all of those forgeries and build those bombs, and kill those people . Yes! I always enjoyed our discussions years ago about your love for the Indians in your mission and then your experience doing research with their culture and you feelings towards the Book of Mormon. Did any of these projects or research ever prove anything? For more information, please see our Are you generally satisfied with the way the Mark Hofmann affair has been portrayed in the media and in the various books? Thank you both in advance. This has to be one of my top 10 favorite Mormonstories podcasts. Youre one of the few secular critics of the church that can offer a really long perspective on challenges to Mormonisms truth claims. I am very excited to announce that I will soon be interviewing Brent Metcalfe. I wouldnt presume that Brendt is unaware of this and that his worldview does not follow from this hes well read. I do remember after my baptismal interview having a strong feeling of love and admiration for him because someone so respected thought I was special too. Part two was chilling as details we have never heard about Mark Hoffman, Steve Christiansen come out. We hope to rerecord sometime next week. I suppose the precedent was set by Joseph himself in burning down the Nauvoo Expositor because he didnt like the content, and labelled it anti Mormonit wasnt even, William Law was a believer, who could no longer take Josephs hypocrisy. The failure of faith concept was very interesting, and I can only say but for the grace of God. Menu. Now, in the wake of 200 years of such scholarship, the Bible doesnt hold up much better than the Book of Mormon. [1], In the early 1980s, Metcalfe contributed to the Seventh East Press and Sunstone, while at the same time worked as a security guard at the Church Office Building of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). How would it be different from other books that deal with the same subject? I dont agree with all the conclusions of your research but the research is a gift to all of us. How did you encourage this masterpiece which, in my opinion, decimates the churchs past claims on the BofA? Before Mark Hoffman was exposed as a forger, was there anything that made you wonder how he managed to make so many great finds? John in wonderfully rare form in this oneI love it! Brent Lee Metcalfe is an independent researcher and writer of the Latter Day Saint Movement. Not because it marked the end of the University of Iowa's senior's prestigious and highly . brent metcalfe excommunicated. It seems like in the aftermath of the bombings, combined with his zeal to argue the history of Mormonism, Brent Metcalfe was excommunicated from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I am quite sure, that film is no longer shown. Other early-19thC religionists were even more literal in their descriptions. Should have added one more minor thing. Little trace of Morison survives for much of the early 1540s, but it is clear that he built up his landed base and attached himself to . As a personal friend and research assistant for both Steve Christensen and Mark Hofmann, Brent Metcalfe watched the whole episode unfold right before his eyes. Thank you for this very interesting presentation. Broad topics include my excommunication plus BoMor and BoAbr research. It seems like in the aftermath of the bombings, combined with his zeal to argue the history of Mormonism, Brent Metcalfe was excommunicated from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. (The audio starts in Part 1 around 1:23.55) I did a little research and found a digitized & searchable copy of Elias Smiths autobiography. At one point John asks you if you think JS was putting together a scam or if you believe that he believed it himself. She also noted that after JS none of the preceding Church leaders really got what he was trying to do/teach in this realm. I had a similar reaction to the section about ADD. Cultural Context Preceding the Book of Mormon, https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/mormonstories/493__Brent_Metcalfe_Part_1.mp3, https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/mormonstories/494__Brent_Metcalfe_Part_2.mp3, https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/mormonstories/MormonStories-497-BrentMetcalfePt3.mp3, https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/mormonstories/MormonStories-498-BrentMetcalfePt4.mp3, https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/mormonstories/MormonStories-499-BrentMetcalfePt5.mp3, https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/mormonstories/MormonStories-499b-BrentMetcalfePt6.mp3, https://www.utlm.org/onlinebooks/trackingconfessions1.htm, Signature Books Mormon News, October 1317. And theres no way that you can change it. I wish we could let go of the idea that a person can only be an expert in a particular field if they have a college degree saying they are. Elbert once quipped, The Open Door Club has become the 7th East Press!. I was in a mission conference in Bolivia when Steves younger brother was called out and told of the murder. Helping us understand all the ins and outs of this tale throughout the three episodes of this series is Brent Metcalfe, so lets find out more about him, shall we? I hope to move on some day as well. A question for Brent, What are your thoughts on your research of the book of Abraham? In episode #276 of The Jimmy Rex Show, we sit down with a key role in Netflix Documentary Murder Among The Mormons, Brent Metcalfe.Visit and Listen to more. Your excommunication reveals more about your accusers than it says about you. My curiosity was piqued by something Brent briefly alluded to. He has already saved her from choking on several occasions. As a teenager and still TBM I read some books on the Hoffman Salamander Letter and events surrounding it. Shortly after returning home and leaving the church he was very active in Sunstone and various things of that nature, but has since moved on with his life and seems very happy with a small family of his own running a small restaurant he and his older brother own together. They even go so far as to claim that Zarahemla was directly across the river from Nauvoo, and that the waters of mormon are Big Springs, MO. Steven Christensen (son of Mr. Mac), one of Mark Hofmanns victims. [4] He grew up a member of the LDS Church in a devout family, and served a mission for the LDS Church. During my 7779 mission I served in two London areas, living first in Kilburn Park and later in Wimbledon. On Wiwikipedia, it mentions that in a hit piece done by Dan Peterson, that he encodeds the message, Metcalfe is a butthead. What were your qurarrels like with FARMS? I was only 8 when Steve died, so I just remember his smiling face and that everyone, especially my parents, just loved him. On my mission in England I met a older, wise non LDS woman very knowledgeable on esoteric and metaphysics teachings. I was hoping you would have spoken more about the Book of Mormon and Abraham. Nicely done, John. None of this means that believing scholars and secular scholars have to treat each other poorly or that we cannot respect (even in the midst of serious disagreement) each others work. I found this podcast to be very fascinating. Looking forward to the interview! Im pretty sure I was standing next to Maxine. Watch the full match. Ron Priddis was my friend, and had recruited me to be a writer. Iowa's Brent Metcalf wrestles with Iowa State's Mitch Mueller during their 149 pound match Friday, March 19, 2010 in the quarterfinal round of the 2010 NCAA Division 1 Wrestling Championships at . When?? Please let us know. In Part 5, we explore the history surrounding Joseph Smith and the Book of Abraham(one of the primary scriptural texts for the LDS Church). But before Brent could truly move on, he had to deal with the emotional turmoil of knowing that he was associated with Mark Hofmann. Were they hiding behind Christensen for some reason? She is professor emeritus of history at Read more So sorry for the delay!!!! Andrew, Joseph Smith dictated the story of princess Katumin and her regal father Onitas to his scribes Oliver Cowdery and William W. Phelps, who recorded the tale in two small notebooks. So sorry Maxine! Lex, you might be interested in the work of Lance Owens. During the first part of his interview, usually John will ask a question about gaining a testimony while in the Mormon church or have spiritual experiences and then pairing those experiences with the Mormon narrative. Ive followed Mormon stories for several years now and listed to most of the episodes and this interview with Brent Metcalfe is in my top 5 MS podcasts. The October 1985 bombings that killed two individuals and severely injured another was initially assumed to be related to a financial business. Privacy Policy. D&C 76:2021). Now that the new Netflix documentary Murder Among the Mormons has come out, it also validates the important witness that Brent was in this event. Published by on October 31, 2021. Hoffman was Laffertys cell mate. Priestly and monastic vocations have dropped through the floor, sexual abuse has skyrocketed (its not just that it was always happening but was exposed recently, it is pretty clear that sex abuse itself has gone way up post Vatican II), church attendance is way down, retention rates among youth have plummeted- one could go on. Brent Metcalf of the USA defeats Franklin Maren of Cuba to win Gold in the Men's 65kg Freestyle Final during the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games at the. but he threw out the baby with the bath water as if the success of Christianity rode on the success of Joseph Smith.. And now, as per reports, Brent Metcalfe has been able to construct a healthy and happy life for himself outside of Mormonism, where he can continue to work as an independent scholar and technical editor without any issues or restrictions. Thank you Brandt for sharing your experiences. Ack! Perhaps she remembers me, the useless home teacher. Charles, I dont think I threw the baby out with the bathwater since my examination of the Hebrew and Christian scriptures resulted in the same intellectual concerns that I had with LDS scriptural extensions. Signature Books. Thank you as well for your research, especially your work on New Approaches to the Book of Mormon. Ive always wondered if my church record was blighted in some way. It seems there is some serious self deception that is required to work around these problems that are creating riffs in families, as well as individual conflicts of spiritual dissonance for good members and leaders of the church. Dont know who the nuts are that Church Security referred to, but Jerald Tanner probably expressed the most legitimate concerns. I do not have that ability as I actually changed an Economics major when I took my first accounting class. I understand the church spent large sums of money on BYU professors and private research to bolster the Book of Mormon claims through archeological discoveries.unfortunately they have not found what they had hoped for. Does your wife and/or children? And I went through a very long phase of just wishing that I had never been born. My faith failed me and that led to crisis. Brent, ), Visitation of Hertfordshire 1572 & 1634 (London, 1886), 116. There are so many parallels between the happenings in my LDS life and Brents, (although nothing to such depth and notoriety) I was drawn to find more information about his life, while he was in the church and out. Hearing Brent break down the Hoffman timeline and story was amazing. In the highly anticipated follow up to our first interview, Brent Metcalfe continues his story.