By matt b.January 16, 2009
Inspired by Edje, I dug this out of the archives. Originally posted in slightly different form here.
By 1910, 55 out of every 100 American Protestant missionaries – a group numbering in the tens of thousands whose reach extended from the cities of the United States to Southeast Asia, Africa, and South America – were women.[1] Furthermore, the congregational associations who supported these missionaries were also dominated by women. Though it could be argued this merely reflects the historic gender gap within Christian congregations, such a boring sociological explanation was not how these missionaries explained themselves to themselves, or how their leaders lauded them.
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By matt b.November 17, 2008
“You go live in Utah.”
– Point guard Derek Harper to reporters, explaining why he refused to report to the Utah Jazz after being traded to the Salt Lake team
I’ve been alarmed to note that a particularly symbolic cultural recalibration that the Monson administration has wrought has gone largely overlooked.[1] We used to have a church president who visited the locker rooms of the BYU football team in order to instruct the players not to “muff it.” Today, however, the team that reaps the undoubtedly vast rewards of prophetic beneficence is the Utah Jazz. [2]
Now, granted, Thomas Monson may be indifferent to the larger circles of meaning rotating around his choice of entertainment, and nothing more than a pro basketball fan. These are not unusual creatures along the Wasatch Front However, as will be further explored below, the cultural significance of their presence there is often missed. So it behooves us to think a bit more deeply about the sport and its particular manifestations in the geographical and cultural landscapes of Mormondom.
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By matt b.November 3, 2008
We at the JI are pleased to welcome a new guest blogger, Kate B. Kate’s an admired presence in the Mormon history world, having published (among other works) an award-winning article in the Utah Historical Quarterly, and has presented at a veritable plethora of MHA conferences. She holds an MA in history, and was a key cog in the now famous 2003 Claudia Bushman-directed “Mormon Women in the Twentieth Century” summer seminar. Her interests include women’s history, Mormon history, local history and historic preservation. Also, she graced my own grad school experience with her presence. Current hobbies include chasing around a two year old and his dog.
We are eager to see what she comes up with. Welcome, Kate!
By matt b.October 28, 2008
Prospects for Scholarship in the Humanities
May 8-9, 2009
BYU Provo and Aspen Grove, UT
A conference sponsored by Mormon Scholars in the Humanities
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By matt b.October 3, 2008
So, you?ve hunted down the latest eerie photograph of dead prisoners of war once held in Salt Lake City?s Fort Douglas. You?ve stumbled backwards over the rough ground around Emo?s grave more nights than you can remember, and you?ve shaken your head in patronizing amusement when George fiddles with the lighting in the Capitol Theatre. You?ve even made the trip down to Utah Valley to poke around the old Lehi Hospital, where the elevator does not always work as it should, and the chief resident once murdered his lover, the unlucky head of nursing.
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By matt b.September 2, 2008
The problem, of course, is in defining ?evangelical.?
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By matt b.August 2, 2008
Recently (and weirdly) the Holy Eucharist has been in the news.
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By matt b.July 2, 2008
This is, quite simply, the single most extensive canvass of American religious life ever achieved.
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By matt b.June 30, 2008
We at the JI are honored to host the esteemable Janiece Johnson for the next couple of weeks.
In her own words, Janiece’s biography relevant to this blog can be measured out in “BYU, BYU, Vandy, the U,” corresponding roughly to “poli-sci, history, theology, history.” She’s currently PhD’ing in the University of Utah’s history department and writing a dissertation that will resolve everybody’s questions about the Mountain Meadows Massacre in a satisfying and logical way. If we are all particularly lucky, perhaps she will have something further to say about that.
Welcome, Janiece!
By matt b.June 15, 2008
There is no date, though a bit of research reveals that this hymnal was published in 1909.
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