A Well Examined Life - A Mormon’s Musings on Some of the Things in Life that Matter Most

Fiery Serpents, Our Jealous God, and Charismatic Leaders

Before we take up Deuteronomy, there is a story in Numbers which warrants close scrutiny: “The Tale of the Fiery Serpents.”

What’s Up With These Snakes?

The Israelites, as was their wont, grew impatient during their search for The Promised Land and began to complain.

“Why did you [Moses] bring us up from Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no bread and there is no water, and we loathe the wretched bread [i.e., the manna from Heaven]. And the Lord sent against the people the viper-servants [fiery-serpents], and they bit the people, and many people of Israel died. And the people came to Moses and said, ‘We have offended, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you. Pray to the Lord that the He take the serpents away from us.”^[1]

Now, we all know how sensitive chefs can be about their culinary creations, but the Lord’s response does seem a bit over the top, don’t you think? Not to worry. The Lord did not send an army of snakes to punish the Israelites because they were whiners or for any other reason. Yes, He created those serpents, along with many other poisonous snakes which, as noted by the biblical scholar Robert Alter, the Israelites had undoubtedly encountered during their sojourn in the desert.^[2]

Our Abiding Fear of Freedom

The Book of Numbers (arithmoi gk), so named because of the census in Chapter 1, contains a complex mix of materials—different “genres,” you might say—such as, laws, poetic folk traditions, ritual texts and narratives. The dominant storyline, however, is the comings and goings of the Israelites on the Siani Peninsula, along with Yahweh’s provision for his people. Who, I should add, frequently complain and periodically rebel.

Interpreting the Old Testament

Author’s Note: The course of study this year for our weekly^[1] Sunday school is the Hebrew Bible, (aka, the Old Testament). In a fit of bad judgment, the local leaders of my church asked me to share a few thoughts each week on the chapters and verses scheduled for study and discussion on the Sabbath. I will publish the first installment of this series the evening of Friday, May 7 (Saturday May 8, at the latest).

There is a manual for this class, a PDF of which can be obtained, free of charge, here. Reviewing the weekly lesson in the manual is not essential to understanding my essays.

Given the size of the Old Testament and the comparatively small number of Sundays in a calendar year, I will only scratch the surface of the assigned lesson material. (With rare exception, I will limit each essay to 1,000 words or less.)

As a preface to this project, I thought I should explain my methodology—my mindset, if you will—when reading ancient texts.

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Wonder of Wonders, Miracle of Miracles

Around 1:30 a.m. on June 28, 1973, I received a phone call from a young woman—Sister Crawford was her name—who I had met for the first time just a few months ago.

She was calling me from a small city in southern Chile: Talca (population circa 100,000). But this did not strike me as odd since that is where I first made her acquaintance. Indeed, I would have been surprised if she had been calling from anywhere else since both of us were in Chile serving proselytizing missions for the Mormon Church. I, at the time, was in the nation’s capital: Santiago. But what was odd was the time of day of, and the reason for, her call. But I’m getting ahead of my story.

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A Samaritan and an Innkeeper

[Author’s Note: This is the continuation of an essay I authored on December 25, 2025, called “An Adult Christ at Christmas,” a title I borrowed from a short treatise authored by the Catholic biblical scholar, Raymond Brown. I recommend you read that essay first (if you have not already done so) before reading this one.]

“Life is constant movement, and therefore goodness in life is not a certain state, but the direction of movement.”
Blaise Pascal, Pensées

“A text without a context is just a pretext for making it say anything one wants.”
Ben Witherington, III, Professor of New Testament Interpretation, Asbury Theological Seminary

The Parable of the Good Samaritan, as recorded by Luke the Evangelist, was delivered by Jesus during his final journey to Jerusalem. It is arguably the most well-known of Christ’s short stories. Lamentably, it is also the parable most prone to decontextualization, i.e., removing the story from its original context in order to advance an interpretation Christ never intended for the sole purpose of championing a parochial interest. This is especially true of allegorical readings of this text.^[1]

An Adult Christ at Christmas

The past is a foreign country. They do things differently there
— “The Go Between,” by L. P. Hartley

The crux of Christ’s mission and the core tenant of his gospel—his “good news” for mankind—was revealed on the day he was born. So, too, was an “alternative theology,” i.e., a different recipe for achieving peace on earth championed by a most formidable opponent.

“Now it happened that in those days an edict went out from Caesar Augustus that all the inhabited world should be enrolled in a census. * * * * And suddenly there appeared with the angel a throng of the heavenly army, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest places and peace on earth among men of goodwill. Luke 2:1; 13-14. (D. B. Hart Translation).

More Precious Than Gold

Larissa Phillips is a remarkable woman.

Among other things, she is founder of the Volunteer Literacy Project, a nonprofit organization devoted to teaching adults how to read. The “Rex Runs Off!” books for children were authored by her, along with “Decodable Bile Stories,” selected tales adapted from Genesis using structured phonics to help beginning adult readers. She also likes to eat meat, so she learned how to kill animals humanely.^[1]

The Things We Covet

Chris Anderson

A 28-year-old black man by the name of Coleman Hughes popped up on Chris Anderson’s radar screen towards the end of 2022. In his capacity as head of TED Conferences, LLC (Technology, Entertainment and Design), Anderson was always on the lookout for individuals with a fresh perspective on scientific, cultural, and political topics to speak at TED’s annual conference in Vancouver, Canada.

Mr. Hughes had become an item not because his ideas are novel. Rather, his popularity was the product of his quaint, counter-cultural message: that people should be treated equally in all circumstances—public or private—regardless of their race. Since TED’s avowed mission is to “spread ideas that spark conversation” and that move people “to think differently,” and to pursue “knowledge—without an agenda,”^[1] Anderson invited Hughes to make his case for “color blindness.” Mr. Hughes accepted the invitation with alacrity^[2] and delivered his remarks at the annual TED Conference held in April 2023.

Duty, Honor, Country

I have an office on the fourth floor of our town home in Arlington, Virginia. Weather permitting, such as yesterday, I like to open the sliding glass door next to my desk. The ambient sounds below—the wind passing through the trees, children playing in the small park below, and birds chattering in the majestic oaks—have a soothing effect.

On occasion, military jets pass swiftly overhead. When I hear them approach and am not otherwise engaged, I’ll open the screen door and step onto our balcony to watch them fly in formation. It brings back memories from my childhood in East Central Illinois when my father would take my brothers and me to watch the Thunderbirds perform during the annual airshow at Chanute Air Force Base.

The Election Scandal that Rocked BYU and the Young Man Who Saved the University

Author’s Note: The events described below are all true, with the exception of one unconfirmed report. They are documented by both contemporaneous news stories and eye witness accounts.

A Warning: The scandal described below occurred about 50 years ago in what today would be considered a primitive culture, one totally foreign to our learned and refined society. Out of respect for our modern sensibilities, each paragraph containing a disturbing anecdote will be preceded with this symbol—🔫 ⚠️—so as to allow vulnerable readers to skip the offensive material. (I chose a water pistol, instead of a Glock 19 (my weapon of choice), as my trigger emoji out of respect for my readers.)

A Request: I ask you, gentle reader, to make allowances for the unenlightened attitudes of several of the participants in this story. Their periodic displays of cluelessness and gauche behavior are often troubling. Your patience, and most importantly, your condescension, are greatly appreciated.