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Is the Mormon emphasis on religious liberty rooted in anything other than the considerations of 21st-century America?  Neither fully American, Christian, nor white, Mormons found themselves at the margins of antebellum American life, compelled to advocate for their own claims to Constitutional protection when state and federal government officials failed them. In this episode, Dr. […] The post Podcast #17: Joseph Smith and Religious Liberty with Dr. Spencer McBride appeared first on Mormon History Guy.

Full disclosure: I like Martin Luther King. This shouldn’t surprise most of us. Most of us in 2017 do.  He had a vision for human rights that have since transcended the times, and I celebrate it. Dr. King worked to dismantle white power structures that defined (and, to a large extent, still do define) American […] The post A Family Home Evening Lesson on Martin Luther King Day appeared first on Mormon History Guy.

In this episode, I interview Danor Gerald, an African-American working actor in Utah commissioned to play the role of Elijah Able[s] in new official LDS Church productions. Given Ables’ position as one of a few black priesthood holders prior to the implementation of the priesthood restriction, the moves represents a marked shift towards a reckoning with […] The post Podcast #16: The Man Who Plays Elijah-An Interview with Danor Gerald appeared first on Mormon History Guy.

On March 8, Russell Stevenson, along with Blacks in the Scriptures and Northstar, sponsored a special event devoted to discussing how the LGBT/SSA/transgender and African-American communities have endeavored to uphold their faith in the face of systemic marginalization.  Participants included Nick Gregory, an active transgender Latter-day Saint, Rod Olson, an active gay Mormon living in […] The post Podcast #15: Of One Heart and One Mind Fireside appeared first on Mormon History Guy.

In this podcast, I sit down with Dr. Samuel M. Brown, a medical doctor at the Intermountain Medical Center and a brilliant historian of death theology in Mormonism, focusing particularly on his book, In Heaven as it is on Earth: Joseph Smith and the Early Mormon Conquest of Death. We discuss the distinctive contributions Mormonism made to […] The post Podcast #14: Transcending Death: Dr. Samuel M. Brown on Mormon Death Theology appeared first on Mormon History Guy.

For generations, Mormons have navigated the tumultuous waters of public opinion. Whether defending themselves against charges of racism or making charming advertisements about the importance of family, Mormons have sought to be conscious about how the outside world sees them. Russell Stevenson sits down with Dr. J.B. Haws, an assistant professor of religion at Brigham Young […] The post Podcast #13: An Interview with J.B. Haws appeared first on Mormon History Guy.

In this timely interview, Russell Stevenson discusses the newest volume of the Deseret Book-published series, Women of Faith.  As an edited volume of short biographies about LDS women from the nineteenth-century, this book provides readers a fast-paced tour what Mormon women experienced, whether in territorial Utah or New Zealand.  Brittany Chapman discusses how Mormon women viewed […] The post Podcast #12: Women of Faith–An Interview with Church Historian Brittany Chapman appeared first on Mormon History Guy.

In this important episode, Russell Stevenson sits down with historian Brian Hales, author of the three-volume series, Joseph Smith and Polygamy.  We talk about the concept of “dynastic marriage,” sexuality in Joseph Smith’s plural marriages, and the Women Who Told Joseph Smith “No.” Hales offers his own feelings and concerns about polygamy and helps Saints navigate their way […] The post Podcast #11: Joseph Smith and Polygamy: An Interview with Brian Hales appeared first on Mormon History Guy.

In this special Mormon History Guy/Rational Faiths joint podcast, Russell Stevenson interviews Alex Beam, the non-Latter-day Saint author of American Crucifixion: The Murder of Joseph Smith and the Fate of the Mormon Church. We discuss polygamy, Joseph Smith’s strength of character, and distinctions between traditional Mormon narratives about Joseph Smith and Alex Beam’s interpretation. Come […] The post Podcast #10: An Interview with Alex Beam, Author of American Crucifixion appeared first on Mormon History Guy.

In this exciting episode, Russell Stevenson interviews Chelsea Shields Strayer, a member of Ordain Women’s Executive Board. We discuss the history of the Ordain Women movement in the broader context of Mormon history and explore the contours of the relationship between Ordain Women and the institutional Church. The discussion that arises is rich, provocative, and […] The post Podcast #9: Ordain Women in Mormon History-An Interview with Chelsea Shields Strayer appeared first on Mormon History Guy.

Dr. Robert Millet, a longstanding and widely-respected scholar of the Latter-day Saint tradition, joins us this podcast to discuss his new book, Restored and Restoring: The Unfolding Drama of the Restoration. We discuss efforts to build bridges between the evangelical and Mormon communities, the idea of a “big Church,” and the role of historically verifiable […] The post Podcast #8: An Interview with Robert Millet appeared first on Mormon History Guy.

It is the foundational event of Mormonism–or at least that is what it became. Beginning in 1832, Joseph Smith began to publicly talk about a visionary experience he had in a grove of trees nearby his home in upstate New York. However, what he told audiences differed from year-to-year in what feels to be substantial […] The post Podcast #7: The First Vision appeared first on Mormon History Guy.

In this podcast–recorded live at the Salt Lake City Public Library–Russell Stevenson hosts a panel discussion in which he along with three single Latter-day Saints (Ryan Fleming, Kylee Shields, and Lisa Benson) discuss not only the history of Mormon single identity but also struggles and benefits of being a single Latter-day Saint today. Given the […] The post Podcast #6: Mormonism and the Single Saint appeared first on Mormon History Guy.

In this special episode, Russell Stevenson and Brittney Nielson delve into one of the most controversial topics of our times: homosexuality.   During the first half, they discuss the history of homosexuality in the Mormon tradition and homosexuals’ struggles to find a place within it. The second half is an interview with two of Mormonism’s most […] The post Podcast #5 -The History of Homosexuality and Mormonism appeared first on Mormon History Guy.

In this episode, Russell Stevenson and Kate Harline explore Mormonism’s fascinating interactions with the environment and environmentalist thought.  Unlike many Christian denominations, Mormonism has a mixed and complicated message, as it has endeavored to uphold its principles of stewardship over the material world while still navigating the American and world economy as a minority religious […] The post Podcast #4: Mormons and the Environment appeared first on Mormon History Guy.

In this podcast, Russell Stevenson and Kate Harline discuss an aspect of Mormon cultural art that is easy to overlook: dancing.   Though seemingly recreational, Mormon dance in fact highlights deeper issues in the development of Mormon identity: theologically, sexually, and even racially.  They analyze how Mormon dance has served as a cultural “contact zone” […] The post Podcast #3 – History of Mormon Dance appeared first on Mormon History Guy.

In this podcast, Kate Kelly Harline takes on the role of interviewer and discusses Russell Stevenson (author of Black Mormon: The Story of Elijah Ables and author of the forthcoming, For the Cause of Righteousness: A Documentary History of Blacks and Mormonism,  1830-2013). We discuss the meaning and ramifications of the LDS Church’s new statement on “Race and the […] The post Podcast #2: Race and the Priesthood appeared first on Mormon History Guy.

In this pilot episode, Russell Stevenson and Kate Harline discuss the historical undergirdings for the Mormon position on war.  Drawing on Mormon scripture and various episodes of Mormon armed conflict, they show that the Saints’ views on war have been more ambivalent than contemporary Mormon assumptions might suggest. Stay tuned for more. For Hosea Stout’s […] The post War – Mormon History Guy Show – Episode 1 appeared first on Mormon History Guy.