Shows
So You Want to Talk About Mormonism"Tabernacles of Clay: Sexuality and Gender in Modern Mormonism" w/ Taylor PetreyDr. Taylor Petrey is an Associate Professor of Religion at Kalamazoo College where he teaches courses on the Bible and biblical interpretation, early Christianity, ancient Judaism, and theory and method in the study of religion. He is the author of several books and publications and is the current editor of Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought. He may be best known for his most recent work Tabernacles of Clay: Sexuality and Gender in Modern Mormonism, for which he won the 2021 Best Book Award through the Mormon History Association. In Tabernacles of Clay, Dr Petrey meticulously documents the c...
2021-11-121h 00So You Want to Talk About Mormonism"Visions in a Seer Stone: Joseph Smith and the Making of the Book of Mormon" w/ William L. DavisWilliam Davis is the author of Visions in a Seer Stone: Joseph Smith and the Making of the Book of Mormon published last year by the University of North Carolina Press. It is this book that William and I discuss at length in the podcast today. We try to cover some of the most interesting topics in the book, Joseph Smith’s history with seer stones, his early experiences with exhorting and debate society, and aspects of 19th century sermon culture familiar to Smith that end up within the text of the Book of Mormon. Whether you bel...
2021-10-181h 51So You Want to Talk About Mormonism"The Rise of the Liberal Latter-Day Saints" w/ Emily KaplanEmily Kaplan is a writer and journalist whose work has appeared in publications such as The Atlantic, NPR, The New York Times, and The Washington Post Magazine. You can find selections of her work at emilykaplan.net. There, you’ll find that her writing topics range from immigration, to education, to Mormonism. Her most recent piece is titled “The Rise of the Liberal Latter-Day Saints” and has received much attention since its publication in the Washington Post Magazine last week. Today Emily is joining me for a discussion on the topic of Liberal Latter Day Saints, as well as the te...
2021-10-0441 minSo You Want to Talk About Mormonism"The Reed Smoot Hearings: The Investigation of a Mormon Senator and the Transformation of an American Religion" w/ Konden Smith HansenToday on the Talk Mormonism podcast I am joined by Konden Smith Hansen, professor of religious studies at the University of Arizona. Konden specializes in American Religious History, with a particular expertise in Mormon Studies. He’s also the author of Frontier Religion: Mormons in America and co-editor of a recently published book titled The Reed Smoot Hearings: The Investigation of a Mormon Senator and the Transformation of an American Religion, available through the University of Utah Press. In this episode, Dr. Smith Hansen and I will discuss one of the most impactful events in Mormon history: the...
2021-09-271h 13So You Want to Talk About Mormonism"Stretching the Heavens: The Life of Eugene England and the Crisis of Modern Mormonism" w/ Terryl GivensToday on the Talk Mormonism podcast I am joined by Terryl Givens, popular LDS scholar, and author. He is currently a Neal A. Maxwell Senior Research fellow at Brigham Young University, and author of several noteworthy books on Mormon history and theology. Terryl is known for books such as People of Paradox, By The Hand of Mormon, and the Pearl of Greatest Price. He has also coauthored several books with his wife Fiona, including The Christ who Heals, The Crucible of Doubt, and All Things New: Rethinking Sin, Salvation, and Everything in Between. Most recently, Terryl has authored an...
2021-09-1052 minSo You Want to Talk About Mormonism"Translation as Expansion: The Method of Joseph Smith's Revision of Genesis in Moses 1 and 7" w/ Colby TownsendToday on the Talk Mormonism podcast I am joined by Colby Townsend, PhD student in English at Indiana University Bloomington, and author of the paper “Translation as Expansion: The Method of Joseph Smith’s Revision of Genesis in Moses 1 and 7.” “Translation as Expansion” was published in the October 2020 edition of the Journal of Mormon History and has been making waves throughout the Mormon studies community ever since. In this interview, Colby and I spent some time discussing the field of literary criticism and the methods used to make sense of texts-in this case scriptural texts produced by Joseph Smit...
2021-09-011h 26So You Want to Talk About Mormonism"The Saints and the State: The Mormon Troubles in Illinois" w/ James SimeoneToday on the Talk Mormonism podcast I am joined by Dr. James Simeone, professor of political science at Illinois Wesleyan University and author of The Saints and The State: The Mormon Troubles in Illinois. It feels like we’ve been well supplied with scholarship around the events of Nauvoo recently, following the work done by the Joseph Smith papers project, books by Benjamin Park, Spencer McBride and others have helped shed more light on this era of Mormon history. The Saints and the State is an important addition, it’s not just a straightforward telling of historical even...
2021-08-231h 09So You Want to Talk About Mormonism"Continuing Revelation: Essays on Doctrine" w/ Bryan BuchananToday on the Talk Mormonism podcast, I am joined by Bryan Buchanan. Bryan is the co-host of the Sunstone Mormon History podcast, employee at the renowned Benchmark Books in Salt Lake City, and now, editor of a collection of essays titled: Continuing Revelation: Essays on Doctrine. In our interview, Bryan and I discussed several topics including: the role of continuing revelation in a traditionally conservative church, the struggle to define Mormon doctrine, and the LDS church’s complicated relationship with theologians. His book is available through Signature Books and on Amazon at the following links: http...
2021-08-0357 minSo You Want to Talk About Mormonism"Hysteria Excommunicatus": Loyalty Oaths, Excommunication, and the Forging of a Mormon Identity w/ Cristina RosettiToday on the Talk Mormonism podcast I am joined by Dr. Cristina Rosetti, author of a recently published paper for the July edition of the Journal of Mormon History titled: “Hysteria Excommunicatus: Loyalty Oaths, Excommunication, And the Forging of a Mormon Identity.” Cristina holds a PhD in religious studies from the University of California Riverside, and come fall, she’ll be working as a visiting assistant professor at Claremont Mckenna College. Her research focuses on the history and lived experience of Mormon fundamentalists in the Intermountain West. She’s also working on an upcoming biography of Joseph W. Musser, the man s...
2021-07-211h 12So You Want to Talk About Mormonism"This Is My Doctrine: The Development of Mormon Theology" w/ Charles HarrellToday on the Talk Mormonism podcast, I am joined by retired Brigham Young University professor Charley Harrell. He is the author of “This Is My Doctrine: The Development of Mormon Theology,” a massive exposition of just about every fundamental Mormon doctrine. In our interview, Charley and I discussed the process of writing the book, some of the pushback he received from BYU administration prior to publishing it, and how he feels about its impact now ten years after its publication. We also spent some time talking about the development of certain doctrinal topics in Mormonism, primarily the Godhead, priesthood, and...
2021-07-052h 10So You Want to Talk About Mormonism"Religion of a Different Color: Race and the Mormon Struggle for Whiteness" w/ Paul ReeveToday on the Talk Mormonism podcast, I am joined by University of Utah professor Dr. Paul Reeve. Paul is the author of an award-winning book titled "Religion of a Different Color: Race and the Mormon Struggle for Whiteness." We discuss the history of race in the LDS tradition, the implications of prophetic infallibility, and the ongoing process of racial reconciliation in modern Mormonism. You can order Dr. Reeve's book here: https://www.amazon.com/Religion-Different-Color-Struggle-Whiteness/dp/0199754071
2021-06-181h 16So You Want to Talk About MormonismEliza R. Snow's Challenge to Salvific Coverture w/ Brooke LeFevreToday on the Talk Mormonism podcast I am joined by Brooke LeFevre, author of a recent paper published in the Journal of Mormon History titled: "I Would Not Risk My Salvation to Any Man": Eliza R. Snow's Challenge to Salvific Coverture. We explore Eliza R. Snow’s feelings about Mormon patriarchy, the early saints understanding of “salvation,” and whether salvific coverture is alive and well in Mormonism today.
2021-05-2538 minSo You Want to Talk About Mormonism"Sealed: An Unexpected Journey into the Heart of Grace" w/ Katie LangstonToday I am joined by Katie Langston, author of the recently published memoir Sealed: An Unexpected Journey into the Heart of Grace. Katie is a writer, preacher, evangelist, and digital communications specialist. She’s the Director of Digital Strategy for Luther Seminary’s innovation department, where she oversees digital projects aimed a cultivating vibrant Christian spirituality in a post-modern, post-Christian cultural context. She writes and speaks to Christian audiences about Mormonism and to Mormon audiences about Christianity, and is a popular blogger, podcast guest, and presenter. She is a pastoral intern at a redevelopment congregation in the greater Twin Citi...
2021-05-081h 05So You Want to Talk About Mormonism"The Mormon Church & Blacks: A Documentary History" w/ Matt HarrisToday on the Talk Mormonism podcast I am joined by Dr. Matt Harris for a conversation around the topic of the priesthood and temple restriction on Black Mormons. Dr. Harris is a professor of history at Colorado State University-Peublo. His book, The Mormon Church & Blacks: A Documentary History, is available for purchase at the link below:https://www.amazon.com/Mormon-Church-Blacks-Documentary-History/dp/0252081218/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=the+mormon+church+and+blacks&qid=1619456412&sr=8-1
2021-04-262h 09