The recent shakeup at BYU’s Maxwell Institute sent ripples throughout the Bloggernacle and raised questions about what the changes mean to groups such as FARMS, FAIR, and to Mormon apologetics in a larger context. What is the role of apologetics in general—both in and beyond Mormonism? Do Mormon apologists use similar stances or tactics as non-Mormon apologists? Who are some good, effective apologists and what can we—and Mormon Studies in general— learn from their approaches? What might emerge from a “new direction” for the Maxwell Institute and its publications? Would it help or hinder the Church as an organization to outsource apologetics and encourage FAIR to pick up where MI is apparently leaving off?

Kaimipono Wenger, Kevin Barney, Bridget Jack Jeffries, John-Charles Duffy