Learn more about the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, including historical findings about Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, and more.
The history of Joseph Smith and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been told many times—often using the same sources. But the context of these critical documents have rarely been considered. In this interview, Latter-day Saint scholars Mark Ashurst McGee, Robin Scott Jensen, and Sharalyn D. Howcroft talk about placing important sources in their historical contexts.
Richard Lyman Bushman is a noted historian who authored “Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling,” and is the festschrift honoree of “To Be Learned is Good: Essays on Faith and Scholarship in Honor of Richard Lyman Bushman.”
I recently had the privilege to interview Sara Martin. She is Editor in Chief of the Adams Papers.
Patrick Mason is the Howard W. Hunter Chair of Mormon Studies at Claremont Graduate University and has an essay in “To Be Learned is Good: Essays on Faith and Scholarship in Honor of Richard Lyman Bushman.”
Historian Laurel Thatcher Ulrich is well-known because of her famous quote, “Well-behaved women seldom make history.” But Ulrich is much more than just a popular bumper sticker. For example, she’s also the author of A House Full of Females. In this interview. Laurel Thatcher-Ulrich talks about her backstory.
Spencer Fluhman is the director of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship at BYU, and an editor of a new festschrift in honor of Joseph Smith biographer Richard Lyman Bushman.
Matt Godfrey is the managing historian and general editor of the Joseph Smith Papers. The scholar has frequently written about the life of the Prophet Joseph Smith, including the Church founder’s relationship with Brigham Young. Additionally, Godfrey has contributed to research about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the early 20th century.
Daniel Peterson is one of today’s most prominent Latter-day Saint apologists. As the President of the Interpreter Foundation, Peterson has overseen publications such as an 800-page volume of Hugh Nibley stories, and a weekly academic journal called Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship. In this interview, the prolific Patheos blogger gives readers a glimpse of his history, explains apologetics, and discusses Krister Stendahl’s concept of “holy envy.” Daniel Peterson also shares a list of some of today’s prominent Latter-day Saint apologists.
The Prophet Joseph Smith organized a small group called the Council of Fifty (there were about 50 members) shortly before he died. The council discussed issues relevant to forming a “kingdom of God” in preparation for the return of Jesus Christ. The Joseph Smith Papers recently published the Council of Fifty minutes for the first time.
The Council of Fifty was a secret organization founded by the Prophet Joseph Smith in 1844. The previously inaccessible records — or minutes — kept by the group remained a source of much speculation until they were made public in 2016.