By David G.October 26, 2011
With Romney drawing increased attention to Mormonism in American life, I’ve wondered how much to bring Mormon history into my US history survey courses. I’m currently teaching the first half, and he’s come up a couple of times when discussing religious tests for the presidency (I first mention JFK’s Catholicism, which most of my students have heard about, and then I ask which contemporary candidate is having problems with his religion, and at least a few students are aware of opposition to Romney’s Mormonism).
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By Steve FlemingOctober 24, 2011
David M. Morris received his PhD from Southampton University (supervised at Chichester) in History and Sociology of Religion. His PhD focused on British Mormons in the 19C and the socio-demographic backgrounds of LDS in Staffordshire between 1840 and 1870. Morris is also the General Editor of the International Journal of Mormon Studies as well as a co-founder of EMSA. He is currently researching UK/IRISH Mormons in the modern era.
I am currently undertaking a sociological study concerning members of the BRITISH & IRISH LDS Church, OR those who were PREVIOUSLY affiliated or expatriates. The survey has 33 questions in 9 sections. Would you please mind participating. All information gathered is anonymous and can not be used to identify either an individual or an IP address. The survey is found here:
Furthermore, we are pleased to announce the publication of the fourth issue of the International Journal of Mormon Studies. This is a peer reviewed journal and indexed by EBSCO. The current issue and past issues may be found here. Note that in contrast to many academic journals, IJMS articles may be downloaded for free. We do this in order to make this work available to readers around the world.
Please consider submitting your own work for publication.
By ChristopherOctober 19, 2011
(cross-posted at Religion in American History)
While pundits and theologians continue the seemingly endless debate over whether or not Mormonism is Christian/Mormons are Christians/a Mormon can be a Christian, over at Slate, browbeat writer David Haglund weighs in on the Mormon church’s latest advertising campaign (the “I’m a Mormon” campaign) and the recent participation of The Killers frontman and international rockstar Brandon Flowers in that effort:
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By October 18, 2011
From Benchmark Books:
Thanks to the magic of technology, video from our signing event on Oct 14th for
Parley P. Pratt: The Apostle Paul of Mormonism (with authors Terryl Givens and Matt Grow) is available on YouTube. If you couldn?t make it to the event, you can go here to watch:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SprRraIyrnk. It was a great evening and we thank both of the authors and those that attended for making it so! We do have signed copies of the biography if you haven?t picked one up yet (we have some signed copies of Givens? and Grow?s other titles also).
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By ChristopherOctober 8, 2011
Call for Papers (Updated with Extended Deadline)
2012 Mormon History Association Conference
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
?Mormonism In Its Expanding Global Context: Invitations to New Interpretations and Understanding
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By Steve FlemingSeptember 29, 2011
Many Christians have found Plato valuable and those who have have often promoted the idea of prisca theologia, or, the ancient wisdom. The idea was the Plato got his ideas from somewhere else, like hermetic or orphic texts, and some thinkers constructed larger narratives of where the ancient wisdom (Platonic ideas that predated Plato) came from. ?In order to preserve the uniqueness of the Judeo-Christian revelation,? argues D. P. Walker, ?it was usual to claim that pagan Ancient Theology derived from Moses; but sometimes it was supposed to go back further, to Noah and his good sons, Shem and Japeth, or to antediluvian Patriarchs, such as Enoch, or even Adam.? [1]
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By Ben PSeptember 29, 2011
For a book project I am currently working on, I recently revisited Ron Walker’s Wayward Saints: The Godbeites and Brigham Young (which you can download for free here). I had glanced through the book years ago, but it never really made that big of an impression. However, this time through it struck me as a phenomenal volume. Not only is it full of nuance, sophistication, and exhaustive research, but it is better written than a majority of Mormon history books I’ve read. It made me better appreciate Leonard Arrington’s description of Walker as the “best writer” in Mormon studies.
This got me thinking: what other books do we sometimes overlook in the field? Wayward Saints, for instance, only received one vote in a recent survey here on JI, and I failed to include it on my list of the “Mormon History Canon.” (I would probably add it were I to try the list over again.) Some other books that come to mind:
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By David G.September 24, 2011
Joseph Smith Papers Project Internship-Church History Department
Purpose
The Church History Department announces an opening for a one-year internship with the Joseph Smith Papers Project. This will be a full-time temporary position beginning in October 2011.
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By StanSeptember 23, 2011
Ardis Parshall has graciously provided this scan of an image, the possibility of which was discussed in my post of a few days ago.
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