2008 Bushman Seminar

Papers from the 2008 Bushman Seminar "Joseph Smith and His Critics" were presented at BYU on July 29, 2008. My coverage included Richard Bushman's introductory paper, and my own reflections on the seminar, apologetics, and Church education.

Richard Bushman: Introduction
Text of Bushman's paper explaining the experience of Latter-day Saints who are or have been troubled by historical aspects of Joseph Smith and the restoration of the gospel. 

Preliminary Thoughts on the 2008 Bushman Seminar
My initial response after hearing the papers presented.

Follow-Up Thoughts on the 2008 Bushman Seminar
A post regarding church education, religious apologetics, and scholarship in general.

Ben, from Juvenile Instructor, posted his notes on the various papers. See part one and part two.

Currently the papers are being considered for publication in the Religious Educator magazine, organ of the Religious Studies Center at Brigham Young University . 

Unrelated to the Bushman seminar is a talk given by Bushman at Weber State University on March 5, 2008.  Read “Rough Stone Rolling and the Intellectual Prospects for Mormonism,” wherein RB discussed how Mormonism interacts with the larger scholarly community and the perception of non-Mormons in general.