I just received word that my SMPT presentation will be part of a two-paper plenary session, and that the (ahem) ‘other’ presenter will be none other than David Paulsen! He will be speaking on something to do with a Heavenly Mother which seems like a good match up with Spirit Birth.
I am so honored to be paired up with this guy. I have been reading the book Mormonism in Dialogue with Contemporary Christian Theologies which he edited. We will be presenting from 11:15 to 12:30 at the SMPT Conference at UVU.
David Paulsen! Can you believe it?!
Eric Nielson
Small and Simple 
That is so awesome! I wish I could come!
Should be fun! I hope you’ll return and thoroughly report.
I wish you could come too Matt, as long as you did’t ask any difficult questions!
CJONES!!!
Given my constant updates through this process, do you honestly think I would not report on it? If you do not see some kind of report within a couple of days after the conference it is safe to assume that I am dead.
What day?
I am on Friday @ 2.
Saturday. I am going to try and attend much of the conference, but with some family and friends around my plans may change. hope to see you there and hear your presentation.
Darn, I will likely miss yours. I am baptizing my son on Saturday.
Great news. Doesn’t get a lot better than Paulsen.
Chris:
Well, I suppose the baptism is more important.
JacobJ:
Yes it is. In hindsight, I think if I could pick anyone in the world to present with me – it would probably be Paulsen.
Besides his obvious intelligence, you will not meet a much kinder man in your life; he’s one of the most christlike individuals I know.
THanks Ben. I am so looking forward to meeting him.
Just to have him ‘on the stand’ to possibly defer to will be a big stress reliever. I worry about being asked questions with a bunch of jargon to them that I don’t understand.
I actually feel sorry for Paulsen, since there is no question that your presentation will outshine his. 🙂
You’ll do great, Eric. I’m sorry I cannot be there to meet you and support you.
Nah, just say, “can I get that question again with less jargon?” Jargon is important when our vocabulary must expand along with distinctions and it is handy when everyone is up on the same jargon, but I love Richard Feynman’s point that if you cannot boil down what you are trying to say or ask to average language that a freshman can understand then you don’t really understand what you are saying or asking.
Thanks Mark.
Jacob:
I am going to have to use that sometime. Like on Clark 🙂
I just came from the presentation. You said something like you didn’t know why resurrected bodies should be necessary for creating spirit children. I’m thinking you could use some of Joseph Smith’s statements in Words of Joseph Smith about the rationale for the advantage of physical bodies, then extend those thoughts into a rationale for the necessity of physical bodies in the creation of spirit children.
I think there is room for informed speculation about the creation of spirits by considering how the perceived components of the mind of man could be built up from more primitive conscious elements, thus making spirit gestation part of the mother’s mental and spiritual processes. I think this is a necessary alternative view to the idea that spirit gestation is analogous to physical gestation, which is an unappealing view of women’s exaltation.
DavidC:
Yes, the advantages of bodies would be a good addition to the discussion. Your thoughts seem to favor that Pratt view – is that right?