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The early Latter Day Saint movement embraced a vision and mission that challenged the political, social, and economic systems of the nineteenth century. Andrew Bolton, Taunalyn Ford, and Patrick Q. Mason edit essays that explore the ideas and transformative energy at the root of the Latter Day Saint tradition that gave rise to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Community of Christ.

Early followers of Joseph Smith believed their new faith could organize society from the ground up and create a religious community shaped by justice, equality, and spiritual transformation. The essayists look at the movement’s diverse influences—religious, philosophical, and cultural—alongside the economic, gender, and racial issues that informed its radicalism. They also trace the competing pressures inside and outside the movement that helped determine which radical ideas survived and which faded or were later enhanced.

Eye-opening and expansive, A Radical Spirit rediscovers implications of the original heart of the Restoration tradition that thrived among the marginalized poor in the USA, Canada and in Europe—a radical Spirit of Jesus that offers possibilities for our times.

Contributors: Andrew Bolton, Gerard Charmley, Rebekah Clark, Taunalyn Ford, Russell Arben Fox, Erik J. Freeman, David J. Howlett, Brad A. Martell, Lori Martell, Patrick Q. Mason, Michael Ratcliffe, Jennifer Reeder, Joseph M. Spencer, Jordan T. Watkins, Walker Wright

A new and exciting era in Mormon studies has emerged from a confluence of factors: an academy more attuned to the significance of religion, the increased public prominence of Mormons and Mormonism, and an increasing number of scholars applying ever-more sophisticated methods to the study of Mormonism. Directions for Mormon Studies in the Twenty-First Century captures this fruitful time by bringing together some of the most influential voices across the generations of Mormon studies. Neither a survey of the field nor a mere recapitulation of dominant themes, this volume charts out areas for exploration and modes of inquiry that reflect the maturation of the field and help set the agenda for the next generation of Mormon studies scholarship.

In previously unpublished essays, the volume’s distinguished authors offer new insights on a number of essential themes: a (re)assessment of twentieth-century Mormonism; the dynamic interplay of Mormonism’s American roots with its international expansion and encounter with global diversity; the ways Mormonism has shaped and been shaped by modern theories and discourses of race; new modes of thinking about the individual Mormon subject; and reflections on theory and method in Mormon studies. These essays display Mormon studies in its emergent interdisciplinarity, with contributions from religious studies, history, economics, literary criticism, sociology, and anthropology. Simultaneously erudite and accessible, the collection will help readers ask new questions and discover new answers.