The Wonder of Scripture

About the Fall 2025 Speakers

Robbie Taggart

September 12, 2025

Robbie Taggart is an Associate Teaching Professor in the Department of Ancient Scripture at Brigham Young University. He received a BA in English literature and an MA in comparative studies from BYU, and a PhD in theological leadership from the University of the Cumberlands. Before coming to BYU, he taught in Seminaries and Institutes for 17 years. His research interests include the intersections of literature and belief as well as sacred literature from the world’s religions. Professor Taggart is also a poet whose work is often inspired by scripture.

Katie Paxman

September 19, 2025

Katharina Paxman is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Brigham Young University. A Canadian philosopher, she specializes in early modern philosophy, particularly David Hume’s theory of the passions and moral psychology. She earned her PhD in 2011 through a joint program at the University of Western Ontario and the University of Antwerp, where she also held a postdoctoral appointment with the Centre for Ethics. Before joining BYU in 2015, she taught philosophy in Canada. Her research has appeared in Hume Studies, The Journal of Scottish Philosophy, Res Philosophica, and several anthologies of Hume scholarship. Her teaching interests include philosophy of mind, ethics, philosophy of religion, and the history of women in philosophy.

Joseph M. Spencer

September 26, 2025

Joseph M. Spencer is a philosopher and an associate professor of ancient scripture at Brigham Young University. He has degrees from Brigham Young University, San Jose State University, and the University of New Mexico, having earned his PhD in philosophy from the University of New Mexico in 2015. He is the author (or co-author) of seven books, most recently A Word in Season: Isaiah’s Reception in the Book of Mormon (University of Illinois Press, 2023). His work focuses on philosophy, theology, and scripture. Professor Spencer serves as the President of the Book of Mormon Studies Association, as the associate director of the Latter-day Saint Theology Seminar, and as a coeditor of the book series, Introductions to Mormon Thought (published by the University of Illinois Press).

Chad Ford

October 3, 2025

Chad Ford is an associate professor of religious studies at Utah State University, specializing in intercultural and religious peacebuilding. He received a BA in history from BYU–Hawaii, an MS in conflict analysis and resolution from George Mason University, and both a JD and a PhD in law from Georgetown University. He is the author of Dangerous Love: Transforming Fear and Conflict at Home, at Work, and in the World (2020). His teaching includes courses on peacebuilding, religion and violence, and bridging religious difference. In addition to his academic work, Professor Ford has served as a mediator and facilitator in conflict zones around the world, including more than fifty trips to the Middle East, as well as work in Ireland, Cyprus, South Africa, and more. He also serves on the executive board of the non-profit organization PeacePlayers.

Fr. Gabriel Mosher

October 10, 2025

Fr. Gabriel Mosher entered the Dominicans in 2007 and was ordained a priest in 2015. He served his first seven years as a priest at Holy Rosary Parish in Portland, Oregon, before being named pastor of St. Catherine of Siena Newman Center in Salt Lake City in 2022.

Laura Padilla-Walker

October 17, 2025

Laura Padilla-Walker is dean of the College of Family, Home, and Social Sciences and a professor in the School of Family Life at Brigham Young University. She received a BA in psychology and an MS and PhD in developmental psychology, all from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Her research focuses on parenting and media influences during adolescence and young adulthood, with particular attention to prosocial and moral development and the role of parents in fostering healthy sexuality. She is the author or editor of numerous books, including Flourishing in Emerging Adulthood: Positive Development During the Third Decade of Life (Oxford, 2017), and has published widely in leading journals on family and adolescent development.

Elliott Wise

October 24, 2025

Elliott D. Wise is an associate professor of art history and curatorial studies at Brigham Young University. He earned his B.A. and M.A. in Art History at Brigham Young Universityand his Ph.D. from Emory University, studying the Northern Renaissance as his major field and medieval art as his minor field. He spent a semester at the University of Leiden in the Netherlands and a year in New York City as a fellow at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. His research focuses on the devotional function of late medieval and early modern art, with particular interest in art and liturgy, representations of the Eucharistic Christ and the Virgin Mary, and the visual culture of the great mendicant and monastic orders.

George Handley

October 31, 2025

George Handley is a professor of comparative literature at Brigham Young University. He earned degrees in comparative literature from Stanford University and the University of California, Berkeley. His research and teaching focus on environmental humanities, ecocriticism, and ecotheology. He is the author of several books, including: Literature and Ecotheology: From Chaos to Cosmos (2024), The Hope of Nature: Our Care for God’s Creations (2020), and the novel American Fork (2018). He has served as department chair, associate dean of the College of Humanities, and co-president of the Association for the Study of Literature and the Environment. He is also a co-founder of LDS Earth Stewardship and has served on the Provo City Council.

Tom Russell

November 7, 2025

Tom Russell is currently a teaching professor of media arts at Brigham Young University. Before joining BYU, he worked in the advertising industry as a copywriter, director, and managing partner at CMJ. His work as a director and writer has been recognized by festivals such as Sundance, Slamdance, Heartland, and CineVegas, among several others. His feature film and media work includes Mental, mr. dungbeetle, Diantha’s Crossing, For Robbing the Dead, Beyond, and Escape from Planet Death. He and his wife Courtney conduct the BYU Writer’s Conference, which has hosted acclaimed writers, directors, and producers from across the industry.

Tyler Johnson

November 14, 2025

Tyler Johnson is a clinical associate professor of medicine and oncology at Stanford University. A medical oncologist, he specializes in gastrointestinal cancers, including neuroendocrine tumors, colon cancer, and pancreatic cancer. He directs the Stanford Hematology/Oncology Fellowship Program and has received multiple teaching awards for his work with medical trainees. He is cofounder and cohost of The Doctor’s Artpodcast, which has become one of the most listened to medical podcasts in the world, and has won multiple national awards. His essays on medicine, ethics, and spirituality have appeared in publications such as Religion News Service, Dialogue, and BYU Studies. He also serves on the editorial boards of BYU Studies and Wayfare.

Kim Matheson

December 5, 2025

Kimberly Matheson is the Laura F. Willes Research Fellow at the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship. Her research centers on Book of Mormon theology, Christian contemplative practice, and the continental philosophy of religion. Kimberly holds a PhD in theology from Loyola University Chicago, an MTS in philosophy of religion from Harvard Divinity School, and a BA in ancient near east studies from Brigham Young University. She is the author of Helaman: A Brief Theological Introduction (Maxwell, 2020) and sits on the boards of the Book of Mormon Studies Association and the Latter-day Saint Theology Seminar.