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 listen in!

The post Podcast #10: An Interview with Alex Beam, Author of American Crucifixion appeared first on Mormon History Guy.

Podcast #10: An Interview with Alex Beam, Author of American Crucifixion

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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. Spencer McBride discusses Joseph Smith as a champion for religious liberty and discuss how Joseph Smith’s presidential campaign reveals the difficulty faced by religious minorities. His book on Joseph Smith and the plight for religious minorities is currently under contract with Oxford University Press.

The post Podcast #17: Joseph Smith and Religious Liberty with Dr. Spencer McBride appeared first on Mormon History Guy.
The post Podcast #17: Joseph Smith and Religious Liberty with Dr. Spencer McBride appeared first on Mormon History Guy.

Podcast #17: Joseph Smith and Religious Liberty with Dr. Spencer McBride

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.

A Family Home Evening Lesson on Martin Luther King Day

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 a past that is anything but clean. I discuss Gerald’s work as a black actor in Utah and the significance of the Church’s move to dramatize Ables for the public eye.  A story both personal and historical, Gerald offers us an intriguing look into how the LDS Church is taking steps to present an important chapter in Mormon history heretofore left neglected in Mormonism’s public discourse.
The post Podcast #16: The Man Who Plays Elijah-An Interview with Danor Gerald appeared first on Mormon History Guy.

Podcast #16: The Man Who Plays Elijah-An Interview with Danor Gerald

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 Los Angeles, and Marvin Perkins, an African-American Latter-day Saint man and producer of Blacks in the Scriptures. You will also hear stunning musical performances from Catherine Papworth, Rashida Jordan, and Cherie Call.

The post Podcast #15: Of One Heart and One Mind Fireside appeared first on Mormon History Guy.
The post Podcast #15: Of One Heart and One Mind Fireside appeared first on Mormon History Guy.

Podcast #10: An Interview with Alex Beam, Author of American Crucifixion

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