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Originally Posted by Archaea
I like many of these ideas.
This debate shoulders what I believe plagues most biblical Mormon scholars, a lack of credibility in the academic world.
IMHO, it seems most LDS scholars either commence doing something with FARMS which has such a low volume of scholarship or interest outside of LDS world to be almost meaningless, or to engage in plain apologetics for LDS faith.
Now, somebody will point to an exception, but in other fields, we have accomplished LDS scholars not engaged in apologetics. The best scholars which touch upon these subjects are Givens and Bushman, not biblical scholars per se, but a literary and an historical scholar.
We need LDS who research and write cutting edge stuff on textual criticism or on the Documentary Hypothesis with such skill and determination that the nonLDS scholars, the Germans and other Continentals take note, so that when their scholarship is turned to LDS issues, they have credibility.
It almost seems as if BY is challenging LDS scholars to be on the cutting edge, and as Henry Eyring argued to be on the side of truth, even if risk is involved. What too often happens, LDS scholars end up with no support and often lose faith instead of forging ahead.
These last two years I have refamiliarized myself with the quality of LDS scholarship in religious matters, and the quality is very disparate, some of it good, some of it horrible but almost none of it first rate. Why is that? It isn't true in other disciplines.
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I think the trend in scholarship today is moving AWAY from the Documentary hypothesis. Most apologetic work on textual criticism has been building on the work of liberals. In these areas, having LDS at the forefront would be great, but not necessary. The consensus of Biblical scholarship deny it teaches creation ex-nihilio and trinitarianism. The consensus holds that the religion of Israel evolved from henotheism (as in LDS belief) into monotheism AFTER THE EXILE.
It is true there are no world-class LDS Bible scholars. But compared to the NT Church, we have a good number of tenured professors. I've spoken with my OT prof. Seely and he said that there is still discrimination against LDS for positions and publications.
There is one area in which LDS are on the cutting edge, and that is Dead Sea Scroll research. There's five LDS on the editing team, and BYU, along with Notre Dame and Hebrew U., are the main centers of DSS imaging. That is an area in which the LDS have gained respect.
Many schools are opening Mormon studies depts. Maybe that will make up for that we don't have a school of theology.
Nibley, in spite of his errors, is well-respected among non-LDS scholars. He's been called a linguistic genius by the dean of Harvard Divinity and has received other praise.
If you haven't read Owen and Mosser's piece, you should read it, that is the best summary of LDS scholarship ever.