Another year is in the books—and it’s resulted in some thought-provoking scholarship. We’ve put together a list of 2025’s most influential interviews, along with fan favorites, and identified recently published pieces that are already trending. Plus, we’ve cut through the stats to highlight this year’s hidden gems. From Bruce Chilton’s groundbreaking work on the Aramaic Jesus to Jonathan Stapley’s unprecedented history of Latter-day Saint temple worship, these are 2025’s most noteworthy interviews in history, religion, and theology.
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Table of Contents
Most Influential Findings of 2025
Several findings from this year’s interviews have unusual potential to influence individual beliefs, institutional teachings, or scholarly foundations.
1. There were many Aramaic traditions of Jesus before the Gospels.
Oral traditions of Jesus were preserved in Aramaic for decades before being first committed to writing—but they weren’t all the same. In a landmark new study, Bruce Chilton identifies five “streams of tradition” that interpreted Jesus in different ways before the Gospels were ever written.
???? Read the Interview: Who Was the Aramaic Jesus?
2. Temple theology changed during and after Joseph Smith’s lifetime.
The temple served several purposes during Joseph Smith’s lifetime, culminating in the Nauvoo Endowment—a liturgy that remained incomplete at the time of the Prophet’s martyrdom. Future leaders filled in gaps and made inspired changes, a feature of the faith that continues to this day.
???? Read the Interview: How Has Temple Worship Evolved Since Joseph Smith’s Time?
3. Yale University Press published John Turner’s long-awaited biography of Joseph Smith.
Joseph Smith: The Rise and Fall of an American Prophet is the most significant biography of the Prophet since Richard Bushman’s influential Rough Stone Rolling. Turner takes a stance on key issues in Joseph’s life, glossing over debates about the Book of Mormon’s viability, while providing invaluable insight into the Prophet’s character.
Bonus Article: “Strange Things” and “Strong Meat”: John Turner’s Journey with Joseph Smith
4. A Protestant scholar made an unexpected discovery about Joseph Smith’s 1832 account of the First Vision.
Kyle Beshears suggests that the strangeness of the 1832 account of the First Vision may stem from Joseph’s deliberate efforts to proclaim himself a prophet by appealing to biblical language. Neither apologetic nor polemic, the analysis provides an objective lens for evaluating Joseph Smith’s 1832 First Vision account.
5. A prestigious publisher often associated with “anti-Mormon” content is changing course.
In this candid interview, Editor-in-Chief James Ernest explains why Eerdmans Publishing Company is shifting gears and beginning to engage with Latter-day Saint theology, including a new book by BYU’s Grant Underwood, Latter-day Saint Theology Among Christian Theologies.
???? Read the Interview: Why Did Eerdmans Publish a Book on Latter-day Saint Theology?
6. We now know why many Latter-day Saints falsely assume the Church has a position on evolution.
In an interview about his chapter in BYU’s book on evolution, Ben Spackman reveals what we often get wrong about the Church’s position (or lack thereof). He carefully explains what the First Presidency’s statements say and identifies the historical dominoes that tipped mainstream Latter-day Saints to the opposite conclusion.
Bonus Content: What Does D&C 77 Say About the Age of the Earth?
Fan Favorites: The 10 Most Popular From the Desk Articles of 2025
The year got off to a hot start with scholars like Jerry Enzler, Rick Turley, and Barbara Jones Brown discussing the real history fictionalized in Netflix’s “American Primeval.”
After that, 2025’s most popular pieces included Richard Bushman’s reflections on Joseph Smith, LaJean Carruth’s transcriptions of Brigham Young speeches, and Jamie Jensen’s introduction to BYU’s new book on evolution.
Note: These Top 10 rankings don’t include cornerstone articles, such as our features about Brigham Young, Joseph Smith, and the Doctrine & Covenants.
1. What Really Happened Between Jim Bridger and Brigham Young?
2. Is This a Photo of Joseph Smith?
3. Was There a Cover-Up After the Mountain Meadows Massacre?
4. The Bible Says So: An Interview with Dan McClellan
5. What Should Latter-day Saints Know About BYU’s Evolution Book?
6. Rough Stone Rolling: Richard Bushman Reflects 20 Years Later
7. How Did the Twelve Apostles Die?
8. Who Was Andres Carlos Gonzalez?
9. How to Pick a Study Bible: Latter-day Saint Edition
10. Did Brigham Young Really Say That? A Closer Look at Rediscovered Sermons
Rising Stars
These recently published interviews are already trending—even though they haven’t been online long enough to reach “Fan Favorite” status.
John Taylor’s Pocket Watch
The Three Nephites
Brigham Young and the Curse of Cain
The Nauvoo Bell That Wasn’t
Hidden Gems: 2025’s Editorial Picks
These hidden gems are among our favorite history and religion interviews published in 2025.
Julian of Norwich
The Book of Mormon and the KJV
Redeeming the Dead: Themes in the Doctrine and Covenants
Easter Weekend
Heber C. Kimball and His Posterity
Keys of the Ministering of Angels
Vienna Jaques
Robert Millet’s Reflections on Interfaith Dialogue
Global Mormonism
The Bells at Temple Square
Jorge Cocco Art
Looking Forward: 2026 Roadmap
These are just a few of the leading scholars in history, religion, and theology scheduled for next year.
Latter-day Saint History
- Andrew Kimball returns to tell the story of J. Golden Kimball, the “swearing apostle” who was never actually an apostle.
- Steven C. Harper disputes the notion that “absolute power corrupts absolutely” through a novel examination of Joseph Smith’s revelations and teachings.
- Sharalyn Howcroft gets readers excited for a new book from The Church Historian’s Press, Rise Up and Speak: Selected Discourses of Eliza R. Snow.
- Hugh G. Stocks traces the publishing history of the Book of Mormon from 1830 to 1920.
Theology
- Amy-Jill Levine introduces Oxford’s Third Edition of the Jewish Annotated New Testament, co-edited with Marc Zvi Brettler, using the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition of the New Testament.
- Samuel Morris Brown wrestles with what it truly means to love your neighbor in an excerpt from A Thoughtful Faith for the Twenty-First Century.
- S. Kent Brown reflects on the demanding theme of discipleship in the Gospel of Luke.
- Robert Rees illustrates the unique role of “imagination” in Latter-day Saint history and theology.
- Bruce Chilton investigates what early Aramaic traditions of Jesus reveal about the Messianic Secret—a New Testament concept in which Jesus sometimes encouraged followers not to reveal his divine identity.
Come Follow Me
- Avram Shannon examines what Genesis really says about the creation of the earth.
- Aaron Koller discusses how Jews and Christians interpret Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac differently.
- Robert Alter, translator of the Hebrew Bible, stops by to discuss the meaning of hesed—a favorite term of President Russell M. Nelson.
- Dan McClellan returns for another interview, focusing this time on the fascinating interpretive history of “the gods” in Psalm 82.
- Philip Jenkins describes how Psalm 91 has shaped evolving conceptions of evil and demons since Satan quoted it in the Gospels.
Odds & Ends
- Reid Moon of Moon’s Rare Books breaks down the surprising history of the Geneva Bible.
- Scott Mariano explains how an attempt to blackmail Church leaders with photographs of the Holy of Holies in the Salt Lake Temple led to James E. Talmage’s book, The House of the Lord.
- Jerry Enzler returns for another deep dive into the history of the American West, building on his earlier interviews about Jim Bridger and Brigham Young.
And that’s only the beginning! Stay tuned for next year’s exciting lineup of interviews with leading scholars of history, religion, and theology.
Make Learning Part of Your New Year!
Get interviews and articles from leading scholars delivered straight to your inbox.
Further Reading
Explore some of From the Desk’s most popular and influential interviews of 2025:
