Winter 2014
Vol. 49 No. 1
San Antonio: A Lumination in the Lone Star State Exploring Texas Mormonism: Tour options for the 2014 MHA Conference ---------------------
The 49th Annual Mormon History Association Conference to be held in San Antonio, Texas, promises to be one of the most memorable of MHA’s yearly gatherings. The conference will include special tours that help us to understand and appreciate not only the Mormon experience in Texas, which is now formidable, but also the remarkable heritage that has characterized America’s seventh most-populated city.
Pre-conference Tours, Thursday, June 5, 2014 Tour 1: Spanish Missions of San Antonio The MHA Conference location in San Antonio offers a rare opportunity to visit five eighteenth-century colonial Spanish missions located on the San Antonio River, within the greater San Antonio area. Once located in East Texas, the missions moved to the San Antonio area due to climate and indigenous Indian difficulties.
The San Antonio River missions, anchored by the famed Alamo (run today by the Daughters of the Republic of Texas), help portray the significant contribution made in the region by the Catholic Church. Except for the Alamo, the missions (administered by the U. S. National Park Service) are all operating Catholic parishes holding regular services. The Hispanic heritage that so richly permeates the area will help us to better understand the Mormon venture into the Lone Star State. Our pre-conference tour of the missions, to be held on Thursday, June 5, is led by Randal Wright and Tom McMullin, longtime Texas LDS Church Education System employees. Intermingled throughout the day will also be interesting information about Mormon history in Texas from the Lyman Wight colony to the present.
In ThIs Issue: SA Conference Tours - p. 1, 4 President’s Message - p. 2 Nominations for new MHA Board members - p. 3 Book and Articles Notices - p. 5-6 MHA News - p. 6-7 Announcements, etc. - p. 8-11 In Memory - p. 12
50Th AnnuAl MhA ConferenCe: uTAh VAlley ConVenTIon CenTer/ MArrIoTT hoTel June 5-8, 2015 Departing by bus on Thursday morning from the Wyndham San Antonio Riverwalk hotel, the tour’s first stop will be the Mission Concepcion (built in 1731), a beautiful representation of Roman Catholicism in Texas. The stunning buildings look very much as they did in the 1700s.
Mission Concepcion, 1731
(continued on page 4)
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Winter 2014 PresIdenT’s MessAge An Exciting Program Awaits You!
President Richard E. Bennett President-Elect Laurel Thatcher Ulrich Past President Glen M. Leonard Board Members Polly Aird Gary James Bergera Barbara Jones Brown Kenneth L. Cannon II Amanda Hendrix-Komoto Patrick Q. Mason Jonathan A. Stapley Executive Director Ronald O. Barney Executive Director/ Business Manager Marilyn S.Barney Published quarterly by the Mormon History Association 10 West 100 South, Suite 610 Satl Lake City, UT 84101 801-521-6565 (Voice) 1-888-642-3678 801-521-8686 (Fax) mormonhistoryassociation.org Please send news items, announcements, calls for papers, and letters to Jonathan A. Stapley
[email protected]
Volume 49 No. 1
This is a most exciting time to be part of Mormon history and a member of the Mormon History Association. Recent postings by the LDS Church on its website (lds. org) on “Race and the Priesthood,” as well as Mormon polygamy in Utah and Book of Mormon translation, recognize the currency, importance, and on-going scholarly debate over past issues and developments and the critical need to address them. Likewise recent court rulings on same-sex marriage in Utah will surely result in historical debate for years to come. New books on Mormon history abound and announcements such as making available the long-restricted Council of Fifty Minutes are enough to stir even the most lethargic historian. One wonders “What’s next”? Well, the ‘what’s next’ is our upcoming MHA Conference in San Antonio, Texas, June 5-8, 2014, which promises to be one of the finest we have ever staged. Brian Cannon and his tireless Program Committee have scheduled over 150 speakers, panelists, and presentations around this year’s theme of the migration of external thought and culture on Mormon history. Among the featured speakers will be Emory University’s Professor Jehu Hanciles of Sierra Leone, a world expert on the migration of African thought into Christendom, BYU’s Professor Ignacio Garcia, originally of Mexico, and scores of other scholars young and old will surely give this conference a cosmopolitan flavor unlike almost any other. Not to be outdone, Michael Paulos and his Local Arrangements Committee have planned some wonderful entertainment, walking tours of the Alamo and old San Antonio, and pre/post conference tours that will feature other famous San Antonio missions, Lyman Wight’s colony near Frederickburg, the Lyndon Johnson Library, and other intriguing historical sites within a day’s drive of San Antonio. Meanwhile, we as your Board are about to announce the appointment of new Executive Directors to replace Ron and Marilyn Barney who, we regret to say, will be stepping down this summer after three (for Marilyn four) busy years. We will sorely miss them. We are also making new initiatives surveying the wishes of the membership, planning new concrete fund raising goals to put the Association on a permanently sound financial footing, and exploring a greater international presence for the MHA. We are also proud of the recent issues of the Journal of Mormon History which, thanks to our expert editorial staff and the contributions of significant articles from many excellent scholars, remains the preeminent journal in Mormon history. So with all this excitement swirling about, if you haven’t yet renewed your membership, now is the time. It’s even a good time to make an additional contribution, to tell your history-conscious friends and family members about the many benefits MHA membership provides, and to make solid plans to come to San Antonio. It promises to be a Texassize, bigger-than-life, unforgettable experience. My wife, Pat, and I look forward to seeing you there. Richard (Dick) Bennett President, Mormon History Association
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noMInees for new MhA offICer And BoArd MeMBers For Chair, Publications Committee: Bryon Andreasen
For President-elect: Laurie Maffly-Kipp Laurie Maffly-Kipp is a Distinguished Professor at the Danforth Center on Religion and Politics at Washington University in St. Louis. She received her BA from Amherst College and completed her PhD in American History at Yale University. Her research and teaching focus on Mormon traditions, AfricanAmerican religions, and issues of intercultural contact. Her publications include: Religion and Society in Frontier California (Yale, 1994); Setting Down the Sacred Past: AfricanAmerican Race Histories (Harvard, 2010); and American Scriptures: An Anthology of Sacred Writings (Penguin Classics, 2010). Currently she is working on a study of Mormonism that will be published by Basic Books.
Bryon Andreasen is a historian at the LDS Church History Museum in Salt Lake City, Utah. A PhD in history from the University of Illinois, he also has a JD from Cornell. Previously he was Research Historian at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum in Springfield, Illinois, where he curated exhibits and conducted seminars and other public programing. He helped create the Looking for Lincoln Heritage Coalition, a non-profit corporation that pioneered heritage tourism in Illinois. He also authored the feasibility study on which Congress based legislation creating the Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area. For ten years he was editor of the Journal of the Abraham Lincoln Association—the premier scholarly journal in the field of Lincoln Studies.
For Chair, Awards Committee: J. B. Haws J.B. Haws is an assistant professor in the Department of Church History and Doctrine at Brigham Young University. He has a BA in Integrated Studies (History, Math, Spanish) from Weber State University, an MA in Religious Education from BYU, and a PhD in American History from the University of Utah. He is the author of The Mormon Image in the American Mind: Fifty Years of Public Perception (Oxford, 2013). He is interested in the history of LDS engagement in interfaith dialogue, as well as the recent history of the Mormon history/Mormon studies field and that field’s impact on the contemporary American academic and religious landscape. He and his wife, Laura, have three sons and a daughter—all thoroughly immersed in BYU Cougar mania. He is a native of that ever-popular destination city Hooper, Utah, but he’s also happy to call Provo home now.
MHA’s President-Elect and Board Member Candidates One of the most important transactions made by MHA every year is the process initiated by the Nomination Committee that forwards to the Officers and Board a nomination for the future President-Elect of the organization. After selection by the Officers and Board, this person is then voted into office at the annual MHA conference business meeting. The direction of the organization is thereafter largely influenced by the person nominated/elected over the next five years in their duties as President-Elect, President, Past-President, and service on the Nominating and Long Term and Strategic Planning committees. Also of great significance to the organization is the yearly selection, similarly initiated by the Nominating Committee, of two or three new members of MHA’s Board of Directors. The term of service is three years, except for the Student Relations Chair who serves for two years. (The positions are staggered yearly for the sake of continuity in the MHA leadership.) We thank the three candidates shown above for their willingness to stand for election and service to MHA.
4 MorMon H istory AssociAtion (continued from page 1)
We will then go to the Mission San Jose (built in 1720), located on the San Antonio River five miles from the Alamo. The mission became a cultural center as well as a military outpost during the colonial period.
Winter 2014
Pre-conference Tours, Thursday, June 5, 2013 Tour 2: Self-Guided Walking Tour of San Antonio Our second pre-conference tour consists of a self-guided walking tour of downtown San Antonio sites prepared by the San Antonio Conservation Society.
Mission San Jose, 1720 Mission San Juan (built in 1731) is next on the schedule. The mission became a regional center for local production and trade. Before lunch we will visit Mission Espada (built in 1731), the last in the series along the San Antonio River.
The Texas Star Trail is a 2.6 walking trail that can be abbreviated or walked in sections. It includes the Alamo and environs. A detailed brochure will be made available to conference attendees, with the probability of a free downloadable smartphone app as well. This extraordinary tour of one of America’s great cities is available at no charge.
Post-conference Tour, Sunday-Monday, June 8-9, 2014 Tour 3: A Legacy of Texas Mormonism Alamo, 1718 We will then return by bus back to the Riverwalk for lunch before visiting the last, and earliest built, of the San Antonio River missions, the famed Alamo (built in 1718). This mission, of course, became one of America’s important landmarks because of the March 1836 assault upon the mission by a Mexican army against a few revolutionary upstarts portending the break from Mexico of the Republic of Texas.
For the first time, MHA’s annual conference will be held in the great State of Texas. As the saying goes, “Everything is bigger in Texas,” including the geography and population. The post-tour is going to be a “big” opportunity to see the vibrant city and state capitol of Austin, Texas. The early histories of Texas and Mormonism intersected for a brief period when Apostle Lyman Wight led a community of Mormons into the Hill Country of the independent Republic of Texas. Our tour will also spend a day visiting the extant Wightite sights in Bandera, Texas, and Fredericksburg, Texas--located approximately 60 miles northwest of San Antonio.
With the tour beginning Sunday morning following the MHA devotional, this post-conference tour will be led by former Texas residents Melvin S. Johnson and Ken Driggs, each of whom has published books on the history of Mormonism in Texas. This includes the 1840s history of the Wightites, the 1970s history of the horrific Mormon missionary killings in Austin, and the contemporary history of Texas Mormon fundamentalism. Information on each of these topics will be presented throughout the tour. The first stop Sunday morning will be in Bandera, Texas, where a presentation on the Wightites and post-Civil War Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saint community in Texas will be enjoyed. After this stop, the tour will travel to Fredericksburg where various Wightite sites will be visited. Sunday night will conclude with a lecture on the Wightite experience in Texas by Mel Johnson. Monday morning, the tour will leave Fredericksburg for Austin, Texas, 80 miles due east. Along the route, the Lyndon B. Johnson Ranch and the iconic Salt Lick Texas BBQ restaurant will be visited. Once in Austin, the tour will make stops at the LBJ Library, UT-Austin Campus, the Texas State Library, and the Texas State Capitol. Throughout the day, former Austin resident Ken Driggs will present interesting information on the recent Texas history of Mormon fundamentalism as well as background on the Texas missionary murders (1975). The two-day bus tour will return to the Wyndham San Antonio Riverwalk, arriving in San Antonio in the early evening on Monday, June 9th. Michael H. Paulos Chair, Local Arrangements Committee
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Book noTICes by Bryan Buchanan Ammerman, Nancy Tatom. Sacred Stories, Spiritual Tribes: Finding Religion in Everyday Life. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013. [Discussion of Mormons throughout.] Anderson, Elizabeth Oberdick, ed. Cowboy Apostle: The Diaries of Anthony W. Ivins, 1875-1932 (Significant Mormon Diaries, no. 13). Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 2013. Belnap, Daniel. L., ed. By Our Rites of Worship: Latterday Saint Views on Ritual in Scripture, History, and Practice. Provo/Salt Lake City: Religious Studies Center/Deseret Book, 2013. Bengston, Vern L., Norella M. Putney and Susan Harris. Families and Faith: How Religion is Passed Down Across Generations. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013. [Several chapters discuss Mormons.] Century of Honor: 100 Years of Scouting in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. NP: LSA-BSA Relationships Office, 2013. Dennis, Ronald D., trans. and ed. Zion’s Trumpet: 1852 Welsh Mormon Periodical. Provo/Salt Lake City: Religious Studies Center/Deseret Book, 2013. Eaton, Robert I. and Henry J. Eyring. I Will Lead You Along: The Life of Henry B. Eyring. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2013. Eliason, Eric A. and Tom Mould. Latter-Day Lore: Mormon Folklore Studies. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 2013. Godfrey, Matthew C., Mark Ashurst-McGee, William G. Hartley, Robert J. Woodford and Grant Underwood (eds.). The Joseph Smith Papers: Documents, vol. 2: July 1831 January 1833. Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press. 2013. Gordon, Kathryn Jenkins. Butch Cassidy and Other Mormon Outlaws of the Old West. American Fork: Covenant Communications, 2013.
Haws, J. B. The Mormon Image in the American Mind: Fifty Years of Public Perception. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013. Holley, Val. 25th Street Confidential: Drama, Decadence, and Dissipation along Ogden’s Rowdiest Road. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 2013. MacKay, Michael Hubbard, Gerrit Dirkmaat, William G. Hartley, Robert J. Woodford and Grant Underwood (eds.). The Joseph Smith Papers: Documents, vol. 1: July 1828 - June 1831. Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2013. Manscill, Craig K. et al. (eds.). Joseph F. Smith: Reflections on the Man and His Times. Provo/Salt Lake City: Religious Studies Center/Deseret Book, 2013. Olsen, Andrew D. and Jolene S. Allphin. Follow Me to Zion: Stories from the Willie Handcart Pioneers. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2013. Petersen, Boyd Jay. Dead Wood and Rushing Water: Essays on Mormon Faith, Culture, and Family. Salt Lake City: Greg Kofford Books, 2013. Prete, Roy A., ed. The Mormons: An Illustrated History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. London: Merrell Publishers, 2013. Robison Elwin C. with W. Randall Dixon. Gathering as One: The History of the Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City. Provo: BYU Press, 2013. Saunders, Richard L., ed. Dale Morgan on the Mormons: Collected Works, Part 2, 1949-1970. Norman: Arthur H. Clark Company, 2013. Talbot, Christine. A Foreign Kingdom: Mormons and Polygamy in American Political Culture, 1852-1890. Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 2013.
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ArTICle noTICes by Jennifer St. Clair Adams, Brooke, Cheryl A. Wright, Marissa L. Diener, and Scott D. Wright. “The Theory of Collective Memory and the 1953 Short Creek Arizona Polygamous Raid.” Journal of Family History 38, no. 4 (2013): 443-465. Bennett, Richard E. and Dana M. Pike. “Start with Faith: A Conversation with Elder Steven E. Snow.” Religious Educator 14, no. 3 (2013): 1-11. Carmack, Noel A. “Joseph Smith, Captain Kidd Lore, and Treasure-Seeking in New York and New England during the Early Republic.” Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought 46, no. 3 (2013): 78-153. Fletcher, Galen L. “Loyal Opposition: Ernest L. Wilkinson’s Role in Founding the BYU Law School. BYU Studies 52, no. 4 (2013): 5-48. Gooren, Henri. “Comparing Mormon and Adventist Growth Patterns in Latin America: The Chilean Case.” Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought 46, no. 3 (2013): 45-77. Mihelich, Dennis N. “Ed Creighton’s $100,000 Loan to Brigham Young.” Nebraska History 94, no. 3 (2013): 120123. Morgan, Barbara E. “Benemérito de las Américas: The Beginning of a Unique Church School in Mexico.” BYU Studies 52, no. 4 (2013): 89-116.
“Mormon Studies in the Academy: A Conversation between Ann Taves and Spencer Fluhman.” Mormon Studies Review 1 (2014): 9-16. Mould, Tom and Eric A. Eliason. “The State of Mormon Folklore Studies.” Mormon Studies Review 1 (2014): 2951. Nicholson, Roger. “The Spectacles, the Stone, the Hat, and the Book: A Twenty-first Century Believer’s View of the Book of Mormon Translation.” Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture 5 (2013): 121-190. Pike, Dana M. “Mormon Studies and Religious Studies: A Conversation with Spencer Fluhman.” Religious Educator 14, no. 3 (2013): 137-145. “‘Reminiscences: My First Procession in Los Angeles, March 16, 1846,’ by Stephen C. Foster.” Southern California Quarterly 94, no. 4 (2013): 355-367. Snow, Steven E. “Erastus Snow: Faithful Servant.” Pioneer 60, no. 3 (2013): 3-7, 10-15, 18-25. Tweed, Thomas A. “Beyond ‘Surreptitious Staring’: Migration, Missions, and the Generativity of Mormonism for the Comparative and Translocative Study of Religion.” Mormon Studies Review 1 (2014): 17-28.
IT’s TIMe To sTArT ThInkIng ABouT sAn AnTonIo ConferenCe lodgIng! To secure lodging reservations at the 2014 MHA Conference headquarters, the Wyndham San Antonio Riverwalk, please log on to www.sawyn.com (http://www.wyndham.com/hotels/ texas/san-antonio/wyndham-san-antonio-riverwalk/hotel-overview) Click Reservations Enter Desired Arrival/Departure dates Click Special Rates & Codes Enter Group Code 06036884MO (for the MHA conference rate of $129 per night) Click Enter Click Find It and Voila! You can also call 1-210-354-2800.
Registration for the conference begins online in mid-February 2014.
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MHA Is Actively Seeking Nominations for Publication Awards The Mormon History Association will give its annual awards for the best books and articles published (by copyright date) as well as theses, dissertations, and student papers written on Mormon history, during 2013 at its annual 2014 conference, which will be held in June in San Antonio, Texas. Each award is described on the MHA website under “Awards”; the nominating procedure is under the tab “Nominations.” Submission deadline is February 15, 2014.
***Inventory Reduction Sale*** Back Issues of the Journal of Mormon History We are asked from time to time about the availability of back issues of the Journal of Mormon History for purchase. For your information, we have full runs of 2009-2013, three issues of 2008, and a few of two issues of 2006-2007. You may purchase for the years 2009-2013, all four issues (+ postage), for $25. Single issues may also be purchased for $6 plus $3 postage. Those interested, please contact us at mha.
[email protected].
MhA sTudenT PAPer CoMPeTITIon honorIng dAVIs BITTon One of MHA’s primary objectives to foster research and publication of Mormon history is by encouraging young scholars in undergraduate and graduate programs to participate in the process. An important step in support of this interest has been created by long-time MHA member G. Kevin Jones who in November 2013 agreed to fund an annual student paper competition at universities with programs specific to Mormon studies. For a number of years, MHA funded a competition at BYU conducted by the university that proved worthwhile in furthering MHA objectives. Now, with the expansion of Mormon Studies programs at several universities, Kevin’s generosity will allow these programs to conduct their own student competitions with a $300 cash award being given to each school’s winner on behalf of MHA. This award was established by Kevin Jones to acknowledge the contributions to Mormon history of Dr. Davis Bitton, one of the founders of MHA. Dr. Bitton had a distinguished career as a professor/historian, teaching at the University of Texas at Austin, the University of California at Santa Barbara, and for twenty-nine years at the University of Utah. Trained as a European historian, he also devoted considerable time to Mormon history. He spent a decade as an Assistant Church Historian for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Among other volumes that he published, together with Leonard J. Arrington he wrote The Mormon Experience: A History of the Latter-day Saints, an acclaimed work intended to assist non-Mormons in understanding Mormon history. Dr. Bitton was active in the meetings of the Mormon History Association, an organization where he served as president in 1971-1972. Dr. Bitton was a great role model, a highly accomplished individual who was kind, soft-spoken, and sincerely interested in the welfare of others. This award recognizes the unique life of Dr. Bitton, and the friendship that Kevin enjoyed from his association with Dr. Bitton and his lovely wife JoAn.
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AnnounCeMenTs, oTher orgAnIzATIons, eTC.
John whITMer hIsTorICAl AssoCIATIon 42nd Annual Meeting: Lamoni, Iowa— September 25–28, 2014 CALL FOR PAPERS Sacred Places and Zionic Communities: The Ideals and Realities of the Restoration ZION, GATHERING, SIGNAL COMMUNITIES, REFUGE, NEW JERUSALEM, CONSECRATION, UNITED ORDER … all have been used to describe the communalist thought that underpins the ideals of many of the Latter Day Saint denominations. Joseph Smith’s history with communalism is mixed. After his death, several leaders attempted to reinstitute communalism in various forms. In the Midwest, James J. Strang gathered his followers at Voree and then Beaver Island. In Iowa, Charles B. Thompson gathered his followers to Preparation. Although not yet practicing consecration, Alpheus Cutler’s followers gathered at Manti, Iowa, then moved to Minnesota, and finally to Independence, Missouri— where many of the members lived the law of consecration. When a group of his followers organized the United Order of Enoch in 1870 and decided to buy land in the area that is now Lamoni, Iowa, Joseph Smith III gave a reserved blessing to the effort. The Smith family and church headquarters eventually relocated to Lamoni in the early 1880s, but communalism was not part of the new community. At the same time in Utah, several united order communities were attempted during the 1870s and 1880s. In 1910 there was a revival of the united order in Independence, which had limited success into the 1930s. Proposals for complete sessions are encouraged, but individual papers, panel discussions, interviews, personal essays, debates, musical presentations, and more will also be considered. Proposals related to the conference theme are preferred, but reflections on other topics and their intersection with the Latter Day Saint movement, in addition to studies of historical and contemporary events and figures, news in the Latter Day Saint world, and cultural studies, will be considered, as well.
Proposals should include: title, 100-word abstract, brief summary of the topic’s relevance to JWHA’s focus of purpose, list of any audio/visual equipment needs (or specify “no AV needed”), and a brief bio (with contact information) for the proposed presenter(s). The proposal deadline is April 1, 2014. Those presenting at the conference will be expected to register, including the payment of registration fees, prior to the conference. Please submit proposals to:
[email protected]. ______________________________
AMerICAn ACAdeMy of relIgIonPACIfIC norThwesT regIon CALL FOR PAPERS 2014 PACIFIC NORTHWEST REGION AAR/SBL/ASOR Regional Meeting University of Calgary Calgary, Alberta May 9-11, 2014 SPECIAL TOPICS: MORMON STUDIES
This special topic of Mormon Studies promotes the exploration of a wide range of topics relating to Mormonism, including inquiry into Mormon history, culture, belief and practice, theology, scripture, and the role of Mormonism in contemporary politics. This section encourages the study of Mormonism from multiple disciplines and methodologies with the intent that it will better equip those in the academy to teach on the subject of Mormonism and actively promotes opportunities for interfaith dialogue. Co-chairs are Kirk Caudle (Brigham Young University-Idaho;
[email protected]) and Susanna Morrill (Lewis & Clark College;
[email protected]) Papers are welcome in any area of Mormon Studies. We especially invite proposals on the following themes: papers that 1) consider the history and culture of Mormonism, especially those that discuss the social and religious impact of women and minorities; 2) show development of Mormon beliefs and practices, scripture, ethics, and theology; 3) relate to interfaith dialogue between Mormonism and other Christian (and nonChristian) faith traditions; 4) relate to Mormonism and contemporary politics; 5) consider the place of Mormon Studies within the academic study of religion; and 6) place Mormonism within the larger context of North American culture and religions. (continued on page 9)
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(continued from page 8: American Academy of Religion-Pacific Northwest Region-Call for Papers)
Proposals will be submitted through Oxford Abstracts (OA). You may need to copy and paste this link into your browser: https://aareligionpnw.conference-services.net/authorlogin.asp?conferenceID=3706&language=en-uk. A link to the OA site is also posted on the PNW Region’s webpage (http://pnw-aarsbl.org/). OA will be open for submissions October 15, 2013 and close on January 21, 2014. Acceptance letters will be sent by February 1, 2014.
Also, A JoInT sessIon The Challenges of Teaching Religions with Sacred Texts in a Contemporary Context General Description This joint session will bring together teacher-scholars from five different units (Asian and Comparative Studies, Study of Islam, Special Topics: Mormon Studies, New Testament and Hellenistic Religions, and Hebrew Bible) in the PNW AAR/ SBL region in order to discuss common teaching challenges. The purpose of this session is to generate a cross-disciplinary conversation on teaching and learning. CAll for PAPers We are also inviting higher-education professionals, who teach at the undergraduate level, to reflect on the intersection of their disciplinary expertise and teaching experiences and submit a paper proposal (500-700 words). Participants have to consider and address in depth at least two of the following questions: 1)What are the challenges and strategies of teaching a Religion with sacred texts that are usually viewed through multiple layers of interpretation? 2)What are the challenges and strategies of teaching a Religion with sacred texts that are usually written in languages inaccessible to a wide audience? 3)What are the challenges and strategies of teaching a Religion with sacred texts in a Liberal Arts context versus a Research University, or versus a Seminary? 4)What are the challenges and strategies of teaching a Religion with sacred texts to a generation of students that are more accustomed to reading webpages than ancient documents? Guidelines 1. Please submit your proposals directly to the chair(s) of the unit to which you belong. 2. Please keep in mind that you will have twenty minutes for your presentation.
resTorATIon sTudIes/sunsTone MIdwesT JAnuAry 31-feBruAry 2, 2014 grACelAnd unIVersITy, IndePendenCe CAMPus Come and explore the theme “Of One Heart and Mind: Common Consent in the Restoration Traditions.” Papers, panel discussions, plenary sessions, and featuring the Wallace B. Smith Lecture, presented by Dr. Leonard M. Young, a former member of the Council of Twelve Apostles, Community of Christ. For more information, contact Cheryle Grinter, JWHA Executive Director, 816.738.9342 or
[email protected].
“Global Crossroads: Mormonism and Asia in the 21st Century”
21-22 March 2014 Berkeley, California, at the Pacific School of Religion/Graduate Theological Union Mormonism is in transition. What began as a small sect in the eastern United States blossomed in the American West, and Mormonism is now becoming a world tradition. Like the banyan tree, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is learning to cultivate and preserve its expanding multicultural roots. It is time to bring attention to a growing population of Asian members of the LDS Church, joining two rich heritages in the Bay Area for a conference featuring distinguished scholars of Mormonism and Eastern religious traditions. Among the participants will be Laurie Maffly-Kipp, Robert Rees, and Melissa Inouye. See http://asianmormonstudies.org for a complete program and additional details.
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Byu ChurCh hIsTory syMPosIuM The International Church: Mormonism as a Global Religion March 6–7, 2014 Jointly Sponsored by The Department of Church History and Doctrine, Brigham Young University; and The Church History Department, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints This conference will explore the development, tensions, experiences, manifestations, and ramifications of Mormonism in its expansion beyond the boundaries of the United States. Themes that may be discussed relate to the LDS Church’s international presence and growth in the 21st century as well as historical studies focused on a specific time period from centuries past: • Curriculum • Opposition and conflict • Temple building and public perceptions • Immigration to Utah then and now • Perpetual Education Fund • Humanitarian aid • Processes of official legal recognition Friday, March 6, 2014 • Perspectives from international media BYU Conference Center • The impact of technology Provo, Utah • Intergenerational growth • Center and periphery relations Saturday, March 7, 2014 • Turning points/key events LDS Conference Center Theater • International LDS public figures Salt Lake City, Utah • Cultural influences on practices/activities • Relations with state and other religions • Demographics and statistics • Doctrinal questions and challenges • Religious freedom issues • Source material for LDS international history • International Church pioneers It is anticipated that a volume of selected essays will be published as part of the conference proceedings. Questions about the event can be addressed to members of the 2014 Church History Symposium Committee: Mike Goodman (co-chair),
[email protected]; Mike Landon (co-chair), LandonMN@ ldschurch.org; Mauro Properzi,
[email protected]; and Alan Morrell,
[email protected].
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University of Utah Press would like to announce a new series:
The Mormon Experience in Perspective The University of Utah Press is pleased to announce a new series in Mormon studies edited by Robert A. Goldberg and W. Paul Reeve. This series situates Mormonism—its culture, institutions, and people— in a broad perspective that reflects the views of religious studies, history, literature, theology, politics, and other disciplines. Titles published in this series will facilitate and enhance the scholarly exploration of the Mormon experience in ways that enrich our understanding of the role religion plays in shaping the human condition. Robert A. Goldberg, as the director of the Tanner Humanities Center, organized and led the Mormon Studies initiative at the University of Utah, where he is also a professor of history. He is the author of Enemies Within: The Culture of Conspiracy in Modern America; Back to the Soil: The Jewish Farmers of Clarion, Utah, and Their World (University of Utah Press, 2011); Barry Goldwater; and other books. His courses at the University of Utah include one in American Social Movements. W. Paul Reeve’s current book project, Religion of a Different Color: Race and the Mormon Struggle for Whiteness, is under contract at Oxford University Press. He is the author of Making Space on the Western Frontier: Mormons, Miners, and Southern Paiutes and coeditor of Mormonism: A Historical Encyclopedia. He teaches courses on Utah history, Mormon history, and the history of the U.S. West at University of Utah. The University of Utah has been a center for scholarship in Mormon culture, religion, and history since its founding as the University of Deseret in 1850. The University of Utah Press has been contributing to this work by disseminating relevant scholarship for more than sixty years. Manuscript monographs in The Mormon Experience in Perspective series are eligible for competition in the Press’s Juanita Brooks Prize in Mormon Studies, a $10,000 biennial book publication prize.
Mormon History Association 10 West 100 South, Suite 610 Salt Lake City, UT 84101
NON-PROFIT US POSTAGE PAID SALT LAKE CITY UTAH 84199 PERMIT NO 667
In Memory Robert G. Larsen II (1933-2013) Another of our friends and colleagues has passed away. A longtime Sustaining member and MHA conference-attender, Bob died from a debilitating disease just ten days after celebrating his 80th birthday with his wife, Sharyn Higham Larsen, family, and friends. Bob was born on August 4, 1933, in Boston, Massachusetts, but spent most of his life in California. After marrying Sharyn in 1953 and graduating from Brigham Young University, he joined the U.S. Air Force and trained as a pilot. He left the Air Force to complete a master’s degree in psychology at U.C. Berkeley, and began a career with Contra Costa County social services in 1962. Bob served the county in many capacities over the next three decades. During this time, he also helped raise a family of five children and one foster child, took on leadership and teaching positions in the LDS church, backpacked, landscaped gardens, built bookcases, playhouses, and fences, and read thousands of books. When he retired in his late 50s, Bob became immersed in numerous volunteer activities and hobbies. With Sharyn, he served two missions for the LDS church, including an 18-month humanitarian mission to Russia. Just two months before his death and while very ill, he traveled to Utah to present a paper to the Mormon History Association. Bob’s surviving family members are his wife, Sharyn, and his children, Robert G. Larsen III, Kelly Larsen McKissick, Holly Larsen, Jonathan S. Larsen, and Kristine Larsen LaMay, and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Services were held on August 19, 2013, in Moraga, California.