Out of Obscurity: Mormonism since 1945

by Patrick Q. Mason (Editor), John G. Turner (Editor)

Overview

In the years since 1945, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has grown rapidly in terms of both numbers and public prominence. Mormonism is no longer merely a home-grown American religion, confined to the Intermountain West; instead, it has captured the attention of political pundits, Broadway audiences, and prospective converts around the world. While most scholarship on Mormonism concerns its colorful but now well-known early history, the essays in this collection assess recent developments, such as the LDS Church's international growth and acculturation; its intersection with conservative politics in recent decades; its stances on same-sex marriage and the role of women; and its ongoing struggle to interpret its own tumultuous history. The scholars draw on a wide variety of Mormon voices as well as those of outsiders, from Latter-day Saints in Hyderabad, India, to "Mormon Mommy blogs," to evangelical "countercult" ministries.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780199358229
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	08/01/2016
Pages:	360
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Patrick Q. Mason is the Howard W. Hunter Chair of Mormon Studies and Associate Professor of Religion at Claremont Graduate University.

John G. Turner is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at George Mason University.

Table of Contents

Contributor biographies

Introduction
Patrick Q. Mason

Part I. Internationalization
1. International Legal Experience and the Mormon Theology of the State, 1945-2012
Nathan Oman
2. The Internationalization of Mormonism: Indications from India
Taunalyn Rutherford

Part II. Political Culture
3. Ezra Taft Benson and Modern (Book of) Mormon Conservatism
Patrick Q. Mason
4. The Romney Lens: A Bifocal Approach to Mormonism, American Religion, and Politics in the Past Half-Century
J. B. Haws
5. "The Puritan Ethic on High": LDS Media and the Mormon Embrace of Free Enterprise in the 20th Century
James Dennis LoRusso
6. The Pageantry of Protest in Temple Square
Max Perry Mueller
7. Mormons and Same-Sex Marriage: From ERA to Prop 8
Neil J. Young

Part III. Gender
8. Mahana, You Naked! Modesty, Sexuality, and Race in the Mormon Pacific
Amanda Hendrix-Komoto
9. Mormons and Housework during Second Wave Feminism
Kate Holbrook
10. Saying Goodbye to the Final Say: The Softening and Reimagining of Mormon Male Headship Ideologies
Caroline Kline
11. Blogging the Boundaries: Mormon Mommy Blogs and the Construction of Mormon Identity
Kristine Haglund

Part IV. Religious Culture
12. The Evangelical Countercult Movement and Mormon Conservatism
Matthew Bowman
13. Holding on to the "Chosen Generation": The Mormon Battle for Youth in the Late 1960s and Early 1970s
Rebecca de Schweinitz
14. Everyone Can Be a Pioneer: The Sesquicentennial Celebrations of Mormon Arrival in the Salt Lake Valley
Sara M. Patterson
15. "All the truth does not always need to be told": The LDS Church, Mormon History, and Religious Authority
John G. Turner

Index

Editorial Reviews

"It is a true anthology, a collection of stand-alone essays on a diverse assortment of topics in LDS history that share one commonality: post-World War II Mormonism. For those who find their knowledge of LDS history in this period lacking, Out of Obscurity provides a sometimes fascinating glimpse of the LDS experience since 1945."—Roger Terry, BYU Studies Quarterly

"This book is a great example of a text that is suitable for upper-level undergraduate and graduate students wishing to expand their knowledge of Mormon history, as most chapters assume more than a basic knowledge of the subject. Individual chapters could easily be assigned for both undergraduate and graduate classes. The book's chapters are relatively short in length, around twenty pages or so each, and this allows one to dip in and out of the text. The inclusion of chapters by established academics in the field, as well students in the last stages of their doctoral work at the time of publication, helps demonstrate a plurality of voices and is an excellent example of the editors' efforts to support junior scholars."—Philippa Juliet Meek, Reading Religion

"[T]his is an excellent and provocative collection of essays. The editors have done a superb job of putting it together, choosing the topics, and ensuring that every piece is clear and well organized and makes a significant argument. It will, I am sure, inspire much debate and new scholarship for many years to come."—Matthew Avery Sutton, Mormon Studies Review

"To observers who see Mormonism either as a remnant of the frontier American West or a captive of contemporary capitalism, this volume demonstrates the diverse ways in which the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has encountered and adapted to a globalized and diverse world. This book stands as the definitive exploration of Mormonism since World War II, charting a course for studies of this dynamic faith well into the 21st century."- Laurie F. Maffly-Kipp, Archer Alexander Distinguished Professor in the Humanities, Washington University in St. Louis

From the Publisher