Many thanks to Ben Spackman for passing this on to us! His bio can be found at the bottom of this post.

We are delighted to invite you to contribute to a BYU Studies Quarterly special issue on the thoughtful integration of evolution and faith. BYU Studies publishes scholarship within a restored gospel of Jesus Christ context. Submissions are invited from all scholars who seek truth “by study and also by faith” (D&C 88:118), discern the harmony between revelation and research, value both academic and spiritual inquiry, and recognize that knowledge without charity is nothing (1 Cor. 13:2).

In this special issue we seek to faithfully explore issues related to biological evolution and Latter-day Saint belief and practice. We are soliciting articles on any issues related to this topic, including but not limited to: interpretations and contexts of Genesis (including Moses and Abraham), 2 Nephi 2:22, Doctrine & Covenants 77:6–7, 101:32-34, and related passages; hermeneutical and exegetical history; Latter-day Saint intellectual history within American contexts (e.g., the Fundamentalist/Modernist controversy); historical, contextual, and intellectual factors influencing Latter-day Saint interpretations of scripture and interpretive assumptions; religious and scientific epistemologies; the historical Adam and Eve; the nature of science; misconceptions about evolution (e.g., “the Second Law of Thermodynamics disproves evolution”); approaches to evolutionary pedagogy; how evidence of evolution does not necessarily threaten a gospel perspective; and methods for reconciliation.

We are issuing an open call for abstract submissions. If you have an idea for a manuscript that you believe would fit into this special issue, please email an abstract (1,000 words or fewer) to submissions@byu.edu by February 1, 2020.

Abstracts will be reviewed by the editorial team for fit, focus, and appropriateness for this special issue. Ideal proposals will be constructive, non-dogmatic, within the author’s expertise, and accessible to a nonspecialist undergraduate audience. (A synthesis of existing knowledge and literature rather than the production of new, technical knowledge is preferred.) Invitations for full submissions will be distributed March 1, 2020, and final submissions (approx. 5,000 words) will be due on May 15, 2020. All submissions will be peer reviewed, after which the editorial team will make final selections for  the special issue, which has an estimated publication date of January 2021. Submissions not selected for this issue may have an opportunity to be published on the BYU Studies website or in another issue of BYU Studies Quarterly.

Please direct questions about this solicitation to any of the co-editors of this special issue.

Sincerely,

The Editorial Team

Steven Harper, BYU Studies, stevenharper@byu.edu

Jamie Jensen, Department of Biology, BYU, jamie.jensen@byu.edu

Benjamin Spackman, PhD Student, Claremont, ben.spackman@cgu.edu

Steven L. Peck, Department of Biology, steven_peck@gmail.com

Ugo A. Perego, Visiting Scientist, University of Pavia (Italy), uperego@churchofjesuschrist.org

Ben Spackman’s dissertation involves evolution and creationism in the Church Education System after 1970. If you attended BYU, Seminary, or Institute during the 70s, 80s, or 90s, and have experiences, journals, or documents relating to it, please drop him a note.