I got notice from Confetti Antiques and Books that this is now available. I’m sure your favorite bookstore has or will have it in stock soon– (more…)

The following is courtesy of Loyd Ericson. This has been a popular topic on our blog, see here, here, and here. (more…)

The following emerges from the office of one of our readers, who currently teaches American history at a university in a state that rhymes with ‘Nassachusetts.’
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It has now been two years since that fateful day at J-Dawgs in Provo, Utah, where a group of four BYU students collectively decided to start a blog devoted to the academic study of Mormon history. It’s been an enjoyable couple of years, and the JI has grown—both in terms of readership and in the number of bloggers. We have also spread out. No longer limited to Provo, only two of our bloggers remain year-round residents of the Beehive State (and they will each very likely be on their way out within the next year).[1]

We wanted to take the time, though, to re-introduce ourselves and catch up anyone interested on our current activities, favorite JI posts, etc. So, without further ado: (more…)

I read lots of Reformation sermons for my forthcoming book, but I had no way to use this extract from Heber C. Kimball’s 9 November 1856 address. I found it so wonderfully strange that I felt compelled to share it. (more…)

As one of the assigned texts for my course this quarter in “Christianity and Slavery in America, 1619-1865”, I’ve engaged David Brion Davis’ latest work on American slavery, Inhuman Bondage. [1] Davis, for those unacquainted with the scholarship on American slavery, has held a prominent place in groundbreaking discussion in the field for many years. This latest work presents something of synthesis of the most recent relevant scholarship in a sweeping effort to see American slavery as part of a global practice and, most especially, to articulate its transatlantic contexts.

A small part of Davis’ purpose (and a central component of the course in general) is to understand how the practice and ideology of slavery became integrated to Christianity, and to understand the way it influenced both the development of Christian theology and the course of Christian practice. Although Davis’ work does not have a particularly religious orientation (he seems, here at least, to focus on the secular social), his work is comprehensive enough to give a summary overview of slavery in Christian thought. (more…)

From Matt Grow:

The Center for Communal Studies at the University of Southern Indiana announces its annual paper prize competition for the best undergraduate and graduate student paper on historic or contemporary communal groups, intentional communities, and utopias. The author of the best graduate paper or thesis or dissertation chapter will receive $500. The author of the best undergraduate paper or thesis will receive $250. Submission deadline is January 15, 2010.

To apply, send an electronic copy to communalcenter@usi.edu, or send two paper copies to Matthew Grow, Center for Communal Studies, University of Southern Indiana, 8600 University Blvd., Evansville, IN 47712.

The latest UHQ came recently. There’s not a lot of overtly Mormon content, but most of the articles do look interesting. From the “In This Issue” section: (more…)

I noticed that I never got to putting up the run down on this issue. In the interest of doing it, I will need to be brief and only comment more on items dealing directly with Mormon history.

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Recent tangential comments on JI lately have briefly touched on the development of Joseph Smith’s theology, the correct context in which to place it in, and determining what influence(s) led to what came to be his Nauvoo doctrinal system. These, as well as other topics, are among those that, in my opinion, were not handled well in the new Mormon history. (more…)

It is easy, as a historian, to get caught up in your efforts to prove a point. This is especially true for graduate students, who seemingly have to strive to make a unique contribution to their chosen field. In sorting and sifting through evidence found in sometimes obscure primary source material, I often find myself straining to relate it to larger issues; issues that others will care about, issues that will change the way the field approaches a particular subject. (more…)

[Updates at the end]

This post is prompted by a question by a friend on Facebook. Upon seeing the remodeled grounds of the Provo Temple, my friend asked, to no one in particular, when this occurred.

So, I decided to do a little digging, and it revealed some interesting points. This is a hurried and preliminary post, so take it for what it is. I’m sure some phone calls and other leg work would give more precise information, but I offer this just as a touching off point for further consideration. (more…)

I.

The facts are these: (more…)

Adam Reilly of the Boston Phoenix has written an article (“Latter day Taint: How Glenn Beck is driven by Mormonism — and why his fellow faithful (including Mitt Romney) should be worried”) further teasing out the relationship between Glenn Beck’s politics and Mormonism (following up what was originally posted here at the JI and more recently, Alexander Zaitchik’s take on Cleon Skousen and Glenn Beck at Salon). (more…)

Robert Orsi. The Madonna of 115th Street: Faith and Community in Italian Harlem, 1880-1950, Second Edition. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2002 (original edition 1985). xlix + 287 pp.

I recently finished reading Robert Orsi’s 1985 classic, The Madonna of 115th Street, for a readings course on religion, immigration, and transnationalism. Throughout it, I considered some of the possibilities such an approach to Mormonism might yield. What follows is a review of the book (for those who haven’t read it), and then some of my meandering thoughts on how a similar approach might be useful in studying various aspects of the Mormon experience. I apologize for the length of this post, and encourage any so inclined to simply skim (or skip, if you’re already familiar with Orsi’s book) the post and skip to the final few paragraphs dealing with Mormonism.

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Given our blog’s audience, this year’s theme and location seems oddly appropriate. Feel free to use the thread to assemble panels.

Call for Papers for SHEAR 2010 (more…)

While I visited San Benito, Texas this past May, a family friend, member of the church, and long-time resident of San Benito, Brother Maya, took me around town and showed me the different buildings where services of the San Benito Branch had been held in its history.  I’m still working on the details, and there’s a lot even from the interviews that I conducted that I haven’t mined yet, so I’ll offer a few points here as a very preliminary exploration of the locations and history of Sunday meetings among Spanish speaking members of the Church in San Benito.  In addition, there is more to unpack about the implications of what I’ll present here than I am able to treat at this time. Suffice it to say that the absence of a permanent LDS building for worship in San Benito, has affected worship and attendance among the San Benito Spanish-speaking Saints. (more…)

Two brief notes on Elder Scott’s Saturday morning talk. I was grateful for his denunciation of pornography. Viewing pornography has profound personal theological implications, as Elder Scott notes. It “degrades the mind and heart,” which directly influences our ability to feel the Spirit.

However, he did not adequately complete the central theological argument, (more…)