Is Robert Boylan Attempting to Profit from Apologetics?
Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2022 9:51 pm
A couple of days ago, both Tom and the poster called RedCloud provided a link to a YouTube channel operated by Mr. Robert Boylan. Boylan is a figure who has operated on the outskirts of Mopologetics for a long time--for example, he runs the scholarly blog "Scriptural Mormonism," which gets mentioned from time to time on "Sic et Non." For the most part, Boylan comes across as low-key and as someone interested primarily in scriptural exegesis, but his connection to the major apologists can be a cause for concern at times.
What caught my attention, though, was a link on Boylan's YouTube channel to his Patreon website. Here, Boylan is soliciting donations ranging from $5 on up to (!!!) $10,000 per month. ("one can dream..." he jokes.) From the looks of it, Boylan's appeals have attracted a sum total of 2 donors, who are kicking in $27 per month. Granted: this isn't a mountain of cash, but it will--rather like the money Dr. Peterson collects for his blogging--pay for a fast food meal or two. And let's face it--a profit is a profit, whether it's 10 cents or 10 thousands dollars. ("Not one dime of my salary comes from apologetics" was a familiar old refrain, though it turned out to be a complete falsehood.)
In any case, to my knowledge, this may be the first time in the history of Mopologetics that an apologist is openly asking for money that will go straight into his own pocket. DCP, Midgley, and the other "upper tier" Mopologists have been insistent on the idea that one should never, *ever* accept money for apologetics, lest one be branded a "mercenary" or a "charlatan"--epithets that have been hurled in the past at EV critics, and even at other Latter-day Saints such as Rodney Meldrum.
And don't get me wrong: I have no problem with Boylan collecting money. We all gotta get paid, after all. And though I'm nowhere near a free market capitalist on the level of, e.g., a DCP, I hope that Boylan is able to score a "millionaire" donor or two--perhaps the Interpreter Foundation can steer somebody his way. Maybe DCP can cut back on his travel by a day or two in order to toss a sawbuck in Boylan's direction.
That said, I'm quite surprised that this is happening right under the "old guard"'s nose. They have been so vehemently against this sort of thing for so long that it's surprising to see somebody in their orbit engaging in this sort of thing. You have to wonder: if Boylan's project takes off, and he starts commanding conferences with attendees in the thousands--I know, it's a longshot--will he face the same vituperative criticism that has been aimed in the Heartlanders' direction? Or will the Mopologists decide that profiting in this way is okay if one of their own is doing it?
What caught my attention, though, was a link on Boylan's YouTube channel to his Patreon website. Here, Boylan is soliciting donations ranging from $5 on up to (!!!) $10,000 per month. ("one can dream..." he jokes.) From the looks of it, Boylan's appeals have attracted a sum total of 2 donors, who are kicking in $27 per month. Granted: this isn't a mountain of cash, but it will--rather like the money Dr. Peterson collects for his blogging--pay for a fast food meal or two. And let's face it--a profit is a profit, whether it's 10 cents or 10 thousands dollars. ("Not one dime of my salary comes from apologetics" was a familiar old refrain, though it turned out to be a complete falsehood.)
In any case, to my knowledge, this may be the first time in the history of Mopologetics that an apologist is openly asking for money that will go straight into his own pocket. DCP, Midgley, and the other "upper tier" Mopologists have been insistent on the idea that one should never, *ever* accept money for apologetics, lest one be branded a "mercenary" or a "charlatan"--epithets that have been hurled in the past at EV critics, and even at other Latter-day Saints such as Rodney Meldrum.
And don't get me wrong: I have no problem with Boylan collecting money. We all gotta get paid, after all. And though I'm nowhere near a free market capitalist on the level of, e.g., a DCP, I hope that Boylan is able to score a "millionaire" donor or two--perhaps the Interpreter Foundation can steer somebody his way. Maybe DCP can cut back on his travel by a day or two in order to toss a sawbuck in Boylan's direction.
That said, I'm quite surprised that this is happening right under the "old guard"'s nose. They have been so vehemently against this sort of thing for so long that it's surprising to see somebody in their orbit engaging in this sort of thing. You have to wonder: if Boylan's project takes off, and he starts commanding conferences with attendees in the thousands--I know, it's a longshot--will he face the same vituperative criticism that has been aimed in the Heartlanders' direction? Or will the Mopologists decide that profiting in this way is okay if one of their own is doing it?
