front cover of Black and Mormon
Black and Mormon
Edited by Newell G. Bringhurst and Darron T. Smith
University of Illinois Press, 2004
The year 2003 marked the twenty-fifth anniversary of the lifting of the ban excluding black members from the priesthood of the Mormon church. The articles collected in Newell G. Bringhurst and Darron T. Smith's Black and Mormon look at the mechanisms used to keep blacks from full participation, the motives behind the ban, and the kind of changes that have--and have not--taken place within the church since the revelation responsible for its end. 
 
This challenging collection is required reading for anyone concerned with the history of racism, discrimination, and the Latter-day Saints. 
 
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Differing Visions
DISSENTERS IN MORMON HISTORY
Edited by Roger D. Launius and Linda Thatcher: Foreword by Leonard J. Arrington
University of Illinois Press, 1994
This exciting volume uses closeup looks at nineteen Mormon dissenters to focus on the variety of religious sentiment within the Mormon church and to explore how it has encouraged divergent ideas from the early 1800s through modern times.
"An absolute necessity for anyone interested in the history/direction of the Latter Day Saint Movement." -- Gerald John Kloss, Latter Day Saint History
"Well done. . . . Respectful and professional." -- Lynn D. Wardle, BYU Studies
"Makes a valuable contribution to our improved understanding of the rich heritage and faith of Mormonism." -- Milan D. Smith Jr., Sunstone
"An important and thought-provoking book." -- Lola Van Wagenen, Utah Historical Quarterly
"A splendid collection. . . . Essential reading for anyone interested even slightly in the Restoration movement." -- Paul Shupe, The John Whitmer Historical Association Journal
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front cover of Harold B. Lee
Harold B. Lee
Life and Thought
Newell G. Bringhurst
Signature Books, 2021
While Harold B. Lee served as president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for a mere one and half-years—among the shortest tenure of any church leader—his impact on the modern LDS Church remains among the most profound. Lee implemented the Church Welfare Program, which provided relief to suffering church members during the 1930s Great Depression and continues to impact the lives of church members today. As a high-ranking general authority from 1941 to 1973, he championed other innovations, the most important being Correlation. Lee acted in response to the church’s record growth and increased diversity to consolidate and streamline churchwide instruction and administration. As a teacher/mentor, he promoted conservative church doctrine and practice, which influenced a generation of church leaders, including future presidents Spencer W. Kimball, Ezra Taft Benson, Howard W. Hunter, Gordon B. Hinckley, and Thomas S. Monson. Noted historian Newell G. Bringhurst succinctly narrates the major, defining events in Lee’s remarkable life, while highlighting Lee’s important, lasting contributions. This is the first volume in Signature’s new Brief Mormon Lives series.
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front cover of The LDS Gospel Topics Series
The LDS Gospel Topics Series
A Scholarly Engagement
Matthew L. Harris and Newell G. Bringhurst
Signature Books, 2020
This anthology provides a scholarly, in-depth analysis of the thirteen Gospel Topics essays issued by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from December 2013 to October 2015. The contributors reflect a variety of faith traditions, including the LDS Church, Community of Christ, Catholic, and Evangelical Christian.  Each contributor is an experienced, thoughtful scholar, many having written widely on religious thought in general and Mormon history in particular.  The writers probe the strengths and weaknesses of each of the Gospel Topics essays, providing a forthright discussion on the relevant issues in LDS history and doctrine.  The editors hope that these analyses will spark a healthy discussion about the Gospel Topics essays, as well as stimulate further discussion in the field of Mormon Studies.
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front cover of The Mormon Church and Blacks
The Mormon Church and Blacks
A Documentary History
Edited by Matthew L. Harris and Newell G. Bringhurst
University of Illinois Press, 2015
The year 1978 marked a watershed year in the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as it lifted a 126-year ban on ordaining black males for the priesthood. This departure from past practice focused new attention on Brigham Young's decision to abandon Joseph Smith's more inclusive original teachings. The Mormon Church and Blacks presents thirty official or authoritative Church statements on the status of African Americans in the Mormon Church. Matthew L. Harris and Newell G. Bringhurst comment on the individual documents, analyzing how they reflected uniquely Mormon characteristics and contextualizing each within the larger scope of the history of race and religion in the United States. Their analyses consider how lifting the ban shifted the status of African Americans within Mormonism, including the fact that African Americans, once denied access to certain temple rituals considered essential for Mormon salvation, could finally be considered full-fledged Latter-day Saints in both this world and the next. Throughout, Harris and Bringhurst offer an informed view of behind-the-scenes Church politicking before and after the ban. The result is an essential resource for experts and laymen alike on a much-misunderstood aspect of Mormon history and belief.
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front cover of Thunder from the Right
Thunder from the Right
Ezra Taft Benson in Mormonism and Politics
Edited by Matthew L. Harris
University of Illinois Press, 2019
Ezra Taft Benson's ultra-conservative vision made him one of the most polarizing leaders in the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His willingness to mix religion with extreme right-wing politics troubled many. Yet his fierce defense of the traditional family, unabashed love of country, and deep knowledge of the faith endeared him to millions. In Thunder from the Right, a group of veteran Mormon scholars probe aspects of Benson's extraordinary life. Topics include: how Benson's views influenced his actions as Secretary of Agriculture in the Eisenhower Administration; his dedication to the conservative movement, from alliances with Barry Goldwater and the John Birch Society to his condemnation of the civil rights movement as a communist front; how his concept of the principal of free agency became central to Mormon theology; his advocacy of traditional gender roles as a counterbalance to liberalism; and the events and implications of Benson's term as Church president. Contributors: Gary James Bergera, Matthew Bowman, Newell G. Bringhurst, Brian Q. Cannon, Robert A. Goldberg, Matthew L. Harris, J. B. Haws, and Andrea G. Radke-Moss
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