Panel 201 (8:30 a.m., Friday, September 19)
Title: “Historians and their Books: The Latest Scholarship on Joseph Smith” by Steven C. Harper, David J. Howlett, and John G. Turner
Abstract: This session will focus on the scholarship of award-winning author John Turner, whose long-awaited biography of Joseph Smith will serve as the basis for this session. Turner’s book, Joseph Smith: The Rise and Fall of an American Prophet (Yale University Press, 2025), was years in the making and promises to situate the Mormon prophet in a new light. Respondents Harper and Howlett will engage Turner in a conversation about the book’s unique contribution to the historiography of Smith, teasing out insights from his public and private life and, most of all, his founding of the Church of Jesus Christ and its various Restorationist strands.
Biographical Sketches:
Steven C. Harper is a professor of church history and doctrine at Brigham Young University and author of First Vision: Memory and Mormon Origins.
David J. Howlett is visiting assistant professor of religion at Smith College where he has taught
since 2019. He is the author of Kirtland Temple: The Biography of a Shared Mormon Sacred Space (2014) and co-author of Mormonism: The Basics (2017). He serves as a volunteer church historian for the Community of Christ.
John G. Turner is professor of Religious Studies and History at George Mason University. He is the author of several books on the intersection of religion and U.S. History, including Brigham Young: Pioneer Prophet (2012), The Mormon Jesus: A Biography (2016), and Joseph Smith: The Rise and Fall of an American Prophet (2025). He also co-wrote Antisemitism, U.S.A.: A History Podcast (2024).
Session 202 (8:30 a.m., Friday, September 19) Exploring Faith, Identity, and Human Rights in Restoration Communities
Title: “God, Water, and Guns: A Study of Human Rights in the LeBaron Colony and Surrounding Communities” by Heather Harper Yates
Abstract: A brief review of international human rights, and relevant human rights treaties that Mexico has signed, is followed by examples of successful campaigns to use these treaties to petition the state of Mexico for relief. There are various human rights that may be at risk of being violated in the Lebaron Colony and surrounding communities, affecting religious freedoms, human trafficking, water rights, and drug cartel violence. Compliance with international human rights treaties may improve individual and community outcomes.
Biographical Sketch: Heather Harper Yates was raised in southern Idaho, graduated in English Teaching from BYU, and is currently attending law school at UMKC. She has been a research assistant to Professor Nancy Levit, a member of UMKC’s Women’s and Gender Studies faculty. She is the president of the J Reuben Clark Law Society student chapter at the school. Heather and her husband live near Liberty, Missouri, with their five children.
Title: “The 1891 Debate at East Jordan: A Struggle for Latter Day Saint Prophetic Authority” by Kyle Beshears
Abstract: The 1891 debate in East Jordan, Michigan, between Wingfield Watson, a staunch defender of Strangite Mormonism, and William Blair, a leading figure in the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS), marked a watershed moment in Watson’s public defense of the Strangite faith. Framed around the question of lawful succession within Mormonism, the debate was Watson’s bold attempt to convince the RLDS of Strangite legitimacy, secure his family’s religious loyalty, and revitalize a dwindling movement through public discourse.
However, Watson’s defeat—marked by his scattered rhetoric against Blair’s sharp oratory—had profound consequences. Publicly discredited, Watson shifted from aggressive debate to a more reserved strategy focused on preserving Strangite identity. In the aftermath, while he still sought new converts, his primary focus turned to pamphleteering, securing Strangite properties, and reinforcing the faith of existing believers to safeguard the movement’s fragile future.
This presentation explores the debate as a pivotal turning point in the post-Strang church, illustrating how religious authority is contested not only through public confrontation but also through the quieter work of preservation amid decline. It reveals how Watson’s personal loss mirrored the broader struggle of the Strangite movement to endure in the shadow of the Reorganization’s growing influence.
Biographical Sketch: Kyle Beshears earned a PhD from Southern Seminary and is a Protestant minister in Mobile, Alabama. His dissertation examined the Strangite movement after the death of its founder, James J. Strang. Kyle has published on Strang’s church in the Journal of Mormon History and John Whitmer Historical Association Journal, where he presently serves as a board member. He is the author of the forthcoming 40 Questions About Mormonism, an introduction to the Latter-day Saint faith from a non-polemic, traditional Christian perspective.
Session 203 (8:30 a.m., Friday, September 19) Politics, Faith, and Personal Sacrifice: Exploring Law, Marriage, and Leadership in 19th Century America
Title: “Missouri Governor Daniel Dunklin’s Statesmanship Opens Joseph Smith’s Redemption Eye” by Glen Larson
Abstract: The yearning for Zion and the redemption of Zion have always created tension between the need to govern the whole needs of the community. This state-religious friction has played itself out with the intentions of Mormon leadership through Joseph Smith, Jr. in building the now world-wide movement. In Palmyra, New York, Smith had to pack his bags and move to Kirtland, Ohio. His next target was to claim Northwestern Missouri as the center point of Zion.
The redemption of Zion in Missouri is, in many ways, a painful experiment in how not to make friends and influence people. The Latter-day Saints would learn throughout their young years and would find better ways to work with their communities more effectively. The independent Missourians did not gain their nickname as the Show-Me State through community collectiveness but rather through stubborn individualism.
The Church to survive requires this reciprocal family spirit to meet their needs. This, of course, created envy among their rugged neighbors. The mass expansion movement and sheer numbers that initially moved into Jackson County and subsequently sprawled were alarming to already established settlements. This influx of people who controlled the body politic strained the already existing resources and fanned the flames of the already brewing conflict.
This exposition will focus on Latter-day Saint’s appeal to the Missouri Daniel Dunklin (1832-1836) for police state assistance, which the overzealous Mormons had created in the first place. The context will be provided for how the feeble governance and militia responded to the Saints’ requests. Courses could be taught on Jacksonian governance doctrines, Western expansion, geographic distances, laissez-faire, diplomacy, resources, and accommodations. The presentation provides a concise overview of the granular issues facing the Missouri government in resolving local conflict issues.
Here is an excellent case study illustrating how various nuances of Manifest Destiny unfolded in the different adaptations that combined governance, people, and religion within the same community’s shared space. Following this contentious saga, Governor Dunklin is rewarded with a prestigious and lucrative appointment as an appraiser, and the Mormons move to Western Illinois to create their City of God on the banks of the Mississippi.
Biographical Sketch: Glen Larson has a keen interest in the study of Early Restoration Theology Leadership, such as Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon, and the Whitmer Family. He has presented and written papers on the Micro (Bootstrap Economy) of Utah, Missouri Establishment of Zion: Governor Daniel Dunkin, the Law of Stewardship and Consecration, Kirtland Bank, Deseret Telegraph, Cattle: Bearing the Burden of West, Mormon Battalion, and Canadian Colonization. He has a keen attentiveness for church president Joseph F. Smith, whom he calls the “Father of Modern Mormonism,” and Latter-day Saint Apostle Abraham Owen Woodruff, who served in the Twelve for eight years—filled with Post-Manifesto Polygamy. He has been a member of both the John Whitmer Historical Association and the Mormon History Association for the past forty-three years. Holds a master’s in Business Administration (MBA) with a focus on Health Care Financial Management. During his career, he served as Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of Finance, strengthening the organization to improve financial performance through matrixed analytics. His love for church history blossomed when he served a mission in New York, often referred to as the “Cradle of Mormonism” (1973-75), with Joseph Fielding Smith’s (1876-1972) book, Essentials in Church History, required reading on his mission. This book opened his ever-expanding mind to Restoration Thought, Latter-day Saint Economics, and associated doctrinal development; Smith found no fault with Mormonism, past or present. Smith had a pessimistic yet optimistic view of humanity and their destiny and was certain of his origin and potential.
Title: “Living Outside the law: My Seven Foremothers Who Lived Celestial Marriage” by Marian Peck Rees
Abstract: I am descended from seven women who lived in polygamy. Each woman had a different experience. Two were married as teenagers to much older men. One, as an older widow, was sealed to an apostle. Three were first wives, who had to welcome other wives into the family. The husband of one took other wives after the Manifesto was issued. One divorced her monogamous husband to marry into polygamy. Another divorced her polygamous husband and married into monogamy. There are seven stories, varied and eventful. Each woman had a difficult life, made more so by her marriage situation.
Biographical Sketch: Marian Peck Rees has a BS from the University of Utah in Elementary Education. She taught Kindergarten and First Grade for many years while raising her five children. She is very interested in Mormon history and especially polygamy. She is a member of the Mormon History Association as well as the John Whitmer Historical Association.
Session 204 (8:30 a.m., Friday, September 19) Legacy of Faith and Community in the Restoration Movement
Title: “Legacy of Community from the Prophet Joseph Smith: Making the Other a Brother” by Deanna Warden
Abstract: Restoration churches enjoy a legacy of community building and service from the fountain of teachings and the example of the Prophet Joseph Smith. Deanna explores powerful examples of how true disciples of Christ within the Restoration movement seek to transform the “other” into a brother through acts of service and faith in a divided world.
She first examines how a politically conservative Latter-day Saint, initially opposed to immigration and distrustful of refugees, answers the Spirit’s call to serve a Congolese refugee community. He experiences a profound change of heart, replacing fear with love and embracing these individuals as brothers and sisters.
Similarly, a woman in the Community of Christ ministers across denominational lines through a personal ministry, appearing as a clown and using humor and service to break down barriers and show Christlike love in unexpected ways.
These stories highlight how Restorationist faith transcends ideology, culture, and religious divisions, embodying Joseph Smith’s vision of a community built on faith, service, and unity. This legacy continues to inspire today.
Biographical Sketch: Deanna Warden earned a BA in Humanities from Brigham Young University. She has been passionate about church and family history since age eleven. She descends from two restoration movements. She is the great-great-granddaughter of Charles Abraham Hall, who was once the president of the Church of Jesus Christ-Temple Lot, and the third great-granddaughter of eight sets of overland pioneers to Utah. She and her husband co-founded two small nonprofits: one provides education and inspiration, focusing on self-reliance and ethics, while the other encourages family history research and connection, with a focus on the Indian Subcontinent. Since 2016, she has been deeply involved with a personal ministry of refugee work, running women’s artisan programs and supporting resettlement efforts. Currently transitioning from Las Vegas to Des Moines, she looks forward to living near church history sites. When she moves, Bev Thompson in Council Bluffs plans to help her recreate her grandmother’s fudge recipe—possibly the best benefit of joining this society!
Title: “C. Eugene Austin: A Child of Zion” by David Wilson
Abstract: While attending Community of Christ Seminary, one of the assignments was a biography on someone in Community of Christ history. As a teenager in the Detroit International Stake, our Stake President, C. Eugene Austin, was called to be an apostle in the Community of Christ, then the RLDS Church. In the years that followed, conservative members in the Detroit area viewed Austin as a conservative, more in line with their thinking than that of others in church leadership. My original thought was of a conservative Apostle in a time of change, but as I spoke with those who knew and worked with him, I became aware of a disciple of Christ who considered himself, first and foremost, a child of Zion. He encouraged Zionic Communities and social development in the communities he served. He served on the Council of Twelve from March 29, 1976 to April 10, 1994.
Biographical Sketch: David Wilson is sixty-five years old, born in Detroit, Michigan, and raised in Livonia, Michigan. He graduated from Graceland College in 1982 and began a job with Marathon Oil Company, now Marathon Petroleum, in Findlay, Ohio. He worked at Marathon for 38 years in Information Technology. After retiring, he attended Community of Christ Seminary at Graceland University, receiving a Master’s in Religion in 2022. He has three adult children: Xanthe, Zara, and Zedric. He is an elder in the Community of Christ, serves as a counselor to the Western Ohio Mission Center President, and is on the board of the Community of Christ Historic Sites Foundation.
Session 211: (10:15 a.m., Friday, September 19) Faith, Politics, and Exile: Mary Fielding Smith and Hannah Louisa Leavitt Terry
Title: “Mary Fielding Smith and the Politics of Religion in Missouri, 1838” by Robyn Shahan Spears
Abstract: Mary Fielding Smith, a recent immigrant and convert, was directly influenced by tensions between politics and religion in Missouri in 1838. After moving to a new state, with a new religion, new husband, and five new step-children, Smith’s time in Missouri proved to be a refiner’s fire for this Bedfordshire-born British Saint. By late May, she had been a permanent resident of the United States for one year. She had been a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for two years. She had also just entered the second trimester of her first pregnancy. Just shy of her 37th birthday, Smith was not the typical young first-time mother. She and her husband, Hyrum, staked their claim in Caldwell County by procuring “several hundred acres” of farming land and a temporary house in Far West. Their intention to establish permanent residence sparked warning signals among the already distrustful locals. This paper will explore Smith’s varied responses to the political and religious tensions of Missouri in 1838.
Biographical Sketch: Robyn Spears teaches in the Department of History at the University of Arkansas, Alice L. Walton School of Medicine, and the Northwest Arkansas Institute of Religion. She researches Latter-day Saint global women. Her current work details the lives of the first Latter-day Saint women baptized in Europe and Oceania during the nineteenth century. Dr. Spears is also co-authoring a book about Mary Fielding Smith with Ron Esplin. She and her husband, Greg, have five brilliant children and one adorable dog. They live nearby in Bentonville, Arkansas.
Title: “‘Like Hagar, Sent Away’: The Life of Hannah Louisa Leavitt Terry, Pioneering Exiled Polygamist, Agent and Faithful” by Maclane E. Heward
Abstract: Thirty miles west of St. George, located in a wash flowing with seasonal water sits a beautiful homestead in a harsh and remote wilderness called Beaver Damn Wash. Hannah Louisa Leavitt Terry was born to Dudley and Mary Ann Huntsman Leavitt (grandfather of Juanita Brooks), the first of 48 children born to her father. Because of her convictions regarding plural marriage, she became the fourth wife of Thomas Sirls Terry. In 1888, with the enforcement of the federal anti-polygamy laws, Thomas moved Hannah to Beaver Dam Wash while pregnant with her sixth child. Hannah told Thomas that he could name their daughter either Banished or Exiled. Exie spent her earliest years along the wash. Hannah’s story exemplifies the hardship and difficulty of other women battling with federal enforcement of anti-polygamy laws, which led to Hannah’s exile in Beaver Damn Wash. She used her agency to push against systems while staying loyal to her family and faith. This presentation will show how Hannah, like others, used her agency to support and push against the difficulties of plural marriage.
Biographical Sketch: Maclane E. Heward is an Assistant Professor in the Church History department at BYU. His favorite thing about teaching religion at BYU is wrestling with difficult historical and doctrinal topics with students focused on becoming better covenant oriented Christian disciples. He graduated from Claremont Graduate University in 2019. Religious history fascinates him. He and his wife, Maria, have 6 children and reside in Cedar Hills, Utah.
Panel 212 (10:15 a.m., Friday, September 19)
Title: “Zion at a Crossroads: The Supreme Directional Control Controversies of the 1920s and Their Lasting Impact” by Ken R. Mulliken, R. Jean Addams, Jason R. Smith, and Mark A. Scherer
Abstract: The 1920s marked one of the most contentious and pivotal periods in the history of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS) when Prophet-President Frederick Madison Smith advanced the doctrine of Supreme Directional Control (SDC). Arguing that the First Presidency should possess ultimate authority over all facets of church governance, Smith challenged the traditional balance between prophetic leadership and communal consent that had long defined RLDS polity. This panel brings together four scholars to explore the historical, theological, and institutional dimensions of the SDC controversies, as well as their lasting repercussions across the broader Restoration Movement.
Biographical Sketches:
Ken R. Mulliken spent his career in higher education as a Professor, Department Chair, Global Studies Institute Director, and Honors College Director. He served as the Associate Vice Chancellor for Undergraduate Education and Institution Effectiveness at the University of Illinois-Springfield and then as the Academic Vice President at Marian University. Mulliken is now an Artificial Intelligence Content Analyst and Project Editor for GlobalLogic (a division of Hitachi) and Editor of the John Whitmer Historical Association Journal.
R. Jean Addams is a lifetime Mormon history enthusiast, independent historian, and author. He holds a BS in Accounting and MBA from the University of Utah and is happily retired. Addams has presented and published several articles dealing with the “Church of Christ (Temple Lot)” and the “Redemption of Zion.” Relevant articles include: “The Church of Christ (Temple Lot) and the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints: 130 Years of Crossroads and Controversies” (Journal of Mormon History, Spring 2010) and “A Contest for Sacred Space” (The John Whitmer Historical Association Journal, Spring/Summer 2011). More recent articles include: “Zion’s Printing & Publishing Company: From Redemption of Zion to Corporation,” (Journal of Mormon History, April 2020); “The Past and Future of the Temple Lot in Independence, Jackson County, Missouri,” (Interpreter Journal, 2021), “John Beck’s Fabulous Mine and Its ‘Consecrated’ Stock” (Latter-day Saints Historical Studies, Spring 2021), and “The Temple Lot at Independence, Jackson County, Missouri (The John Whitmer Historical Association Journal, Spring/Summer 2023). He is the author of Upon the Temple Lot: The Church of Christ’s Quest to Build the House of the Lord (John Whitmer Books, 2010). Addams is a past president of the John Whitmer Historical Association, a member of the Mormon History Association, and the Missouri Mormon Frontier Foundation. He and his wife Lize reside in Kirkland, Washington. His other interests include family and fishing.
Jason R. Smith (he/him) holds a BA in history from Cameron University and an MA in Religious Studies from Chicago Theological Seminary. He is beginning a PhD at Chicago this Fall. His interests include interreligious engagement, new religious movements, and exploring the diverse expressions of the Smith-Rigdon Restoration Movement. Jason lives in Duncan, Oklahoma, where he works in IT for the public sector.
Mark A. Scherer was born and raised in Independence, Missouri, and attended Van Horn High School, graduating in May 1968. He attended Graceland College from 1968 to 1972 and graduated with a Baccalaureate degree in history and earned teacher certification in Social Studies. He finished his twenty-three-year secondary instructional career at Truman High School, in Independence. During his teaching career Scherer received graduate professor of history adjunct appointments with Baker University, Park University, and Ottawa University. On May 21, 2008, Scherer officially resigned his position with the World Church to accept installation as Associate Professor of History assigned to the Graceland Seminary.
In 1977, he took a Master’s Degree in American history from the University of Missouri at Kansas City and completed a Doctor of Philosophy degree in interdisciplinary studies (history and education) in 1998. An academic at heart, Scherer enthusiastically pursued his career either sitting at a desk as a student, researching in the field, or standing in front of a class of students.
In May 1995, Scherer became the World Church Historian for the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, later renamed as Community of Christ, headquartered in Independence, Missouri. In his institutional capacity, he traveled extensively in North America, Central America, Europe, the Pacific Islands, and Australia.
During his two-decade tenure as Church Historian Scherer authored three books that provided the definitive history of the Community of Christ faith tradition. Titled Journey of a People, all three separate volumes won Best Book Awards from the John Whitmer Historical Association. Scherer’s writings appear in many scholarly journals and guest lectures internationally.
Scherer’s pastime interest is in American presidential history. His highlight was teaching a graduate-level course through Baker University titled “Truman at the Crossroad: The Presidency of Harry S. Truman” at the Truman Library in Independence, Missouri. He is a member of the Harry S. Truman Institute, and currently serves on the City of Independence Harry S. Truman Public Service Award committee, and was appointed to chair the Heritage Commission for the City of Independence. Currently Scherer is retired but still enjoys reading, exploring, and making sense of the past.
Session 213 (10:15 a.m., Friday, September 19) Religious Authority and Memory: Analyzing Joseph Smith Jr.’s Prosecutions and the First Vision through the Self-Memory System
Title: “Reconstructing Revelation: A Cognitive Approach to Joseph Smith’s First Vision” by Taylor Kerby
Abstract: This paper examines the evolving narrative of Joseph Smith’s First Vision through the lens of the Self-Memory System (SMS), a framework developed by Conway and Pleydell-Pearce in cognitive psychology. The SMS views autobiographical memory as reconstructive and goal-driven. Joseph Smith, founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, produced multiple accounts of his foundational vision, each varying in emphasis, structure, and theological framing. These changes are analyzed in relation to Smith’s shifting self-concept and emerging institutional role. Previous scholarship—particularly by Richard Bushman and Steven C. Harper—has traced the historical development of these First Vision accounts, noting the increasing institutional and theological complexity over time. Bushman emphasized the historical plausibility and evolving self-understanding of Smith, while Harper underscored the integrity and consistency within the prophetic narrative when understood contextually. However, while both have richly explored the historiographical and devotional dimensions, less attention has been paid to how cognitive mechanisms of memory formation and identity development might explain the shifts in Smith’s accounts.
This paper addresses that gap by applying the Self-Memory System to demonstrate how autobiographical memory operates in service of a coherent self-narrative, particularly as Smith transitioned from a solitary seeker to a prophetic leader. Early accounts focus on private spiritual yearning and confusion; later ones foreground theological authority and ecclesiastical legitimacy. This study contributes to a growing interdisciplinary effort to understand how religious memory is shaped not only by theology and history but also by the psychological processes underlying self-construction and narrative adaptation.
Biographical Sketch: Taylor Kerby holds a PhD in Psychology with a specialization in instruction and cognition from Grand Canyon University, as well as master’s degrees in both Religion and Education from Claremont Graduate University. He teaches undergraduate courses in the social sciences, with a research focus on the intersection of memory, identity, and narrative within religious and cultural contexts. His work explores how autobiographical memory functions in the construction of belief systems, particularly in relation to trauma, personal transformation, and institutional authority. Drawing on cognitive psychology and historical analysis, Kerby integrates interdisciplinary perspectives to better understand how people make meaning of their experiences. He is also an experienced educator dedicated to fostering critical inquiry and reflective learning across disciplines.
Title: “Joseph Smith Jr. and 19th Century Prosecutions of Cunning Folk” by Nicholas S. Literski
Abstract: Scholars have long been aware that Joseph Smith Jr. was charged in at least two cases with being a disorderly person for the crime of “glass-looking” to find lost items. Numerous critics have used these events to support their claim that Smith was a conniving fraud who exploited gullible citizens. In reality, Smith was the victim of longstanding efforts to persecute “cunning folk,” persons of lower socioeconomic status who practiced magical arts. While many among the elite engaged in the same magical spiritual practices, the common folk were deemed too lowly to do so with wisdom and virtue. Laws were thus created specifically to discourage practitioners among the lower classes, charging them with disorderly conduct and other similar offenses. By placing Smith’s legal entanglements into this context, a new appreciation arises for his spiritual gifts.
Biographical Sketch: Nicholas S. Literski is an Assistant Professor of Depth Psychology and Creativity at Pacifica Graduate Institute, a professional spiritual guide, and host of The Reflective Soul Podcast. Their research includes depth psychology, spirituality, magic, Paleolithic cave art, and LGBTQ+ studies. Their book, Method Infinite: Freemasonry and the Mormon Restoration, was published in 2022.
Session 214 (10:15 a.m., Friday, September 19) Uncovering Hidden Histories: Legal Triumphs and Forgotten Mormons in 19th Century America
Title: “‘Zion in the Hills’: The Tale of a Wandering Latter-day Saint Sect” by Katherine Peake
Abstract: Traces of the Mormon presence on the Central Texas frontier from 1846-1858 have almost vanished from current memory. The few ephemeral remnants are generally without context. The average Texan citizen would be surprised to know that Mormons played an important part in the settlement of the Texas Hill Country just as followers of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are generally not aware that the first Latter Day Restoration temple west of the Mississippi was at Zodiac, near Fredericksburg, Texas, not in St. George, Utah.
Historical narratives are shaped by those with the opportunity, means and authority to preserve the past. In 1858, after the death of leader Lyman Wight, the Texas Saints dispersed and evidence of their presence and contributions were not preserved.
This presentation will examine the reasons for Mormon presence in early Texas, describe known Mormon memorabilia and discuss a Texas Supreme Court decision in which a Mormon farm played a decisive part.
Biographical Sketch: Katherine Peake is a retired Texas Municipal Judge and accidental historian. While researching local land titles, she discovered that a splinter Mormon sect had operated a farm near her home. Digging into county deed and court records, she uncovered long forgotten Central Texas history involving Lyman Wight and his wandering family and followers.
Title: “Guilty Until Proven Innocent: James J. Strang’s 1851 Court Trial” by Vickie Cleverley Speek
Abstract: In 1851, James J Strang and many of his followers on Beaver Island, Michigan, were arrested and charged with treason against the United States, counterfeiting, trespassing on government land, and the theft of government property. Strang was taken by ship to trial in Detroit, where his enemies expected him to be found guilty. But Strang’s successful trial defense proved him innocent and brought him considerable favorable press. I intend to use actual depositions taken in the case to discuss how the general public changed their opinion about Strang and his followers—at least for a short time.
Biographical Sketch: Vickie Cleverley Speek is a former newspaper reporter and book and journal editor, having served as both editor of John Whitmer Books and the John Whitmer Historical Association Journal. She is also a published author and ghostwriter. Her book, The Amazing Jimmi Mayes: Sideman to the Stars, won an Award of Excellence in Historical Recorded Sound Research from the Association of Recorded Sound Collections, while her book, God Has Made Us A Kingdom; James Strang and the Midwest Mormons, was the winner of the 2007 Best First Book Award from the Mormon History Association. Speek has recently relocated from sunny southwest Florida to the cold and windy city of Rockford, Illinois, to be closer to family.
Session 221 (12:00 p.m., Friday, September 19) Exploring Perspectives on War and Peace: Insights from Activism and Religious Doctrine in the 1960s
Title: “The Other Side of the Cornfield: Greg Walden’s Role in Anti-War Activism on the Graceland Campus in the Late 1960s” by Barbara Walden and William D. Russell
Abstract: This presentation will explore the actions and impact of Gregory Blair Walden, a student at Graceland College in the late 1960s. The presentation will focus primarily on Walden’s anti-war activism on the Lamoni campus and involvement in the founding of the Peace and Freedom Mobilization (formerly known as the Peace Studies Committee). Walden was the author behind a series of articles known as “The Other Side of the Cornfield,” published in the Graceland campus newspaper, “The Tower.” This presentation will examine Walden’s activism in the written word, in action, and through testimony before a congressional committee of the 91st Congress in Washington, D.C., in May 1970.
Biographical Sketch: Barbara Walden is the executive director of the Community of Christ Historic Sites Foundation. She serves on the faculty at the Community of Christ Seminary/Graceland University and is one of three official historians of Community of Christ. She is a past president of the John Whitmer Historical Association.
Biographical Sketch: William D. Russell is a founder of the John Whitmer Historical Association. He is a former President of the John Whitmer Historical Association and of the Mormon History Association. He is the author of many articles and book reviews in the John Whitmer Association, The Journal of Mormon History, Dialogue, Sunstone, and other publications.
Session 222 (12:00 p.m., Friday, September 19) Prairie Saints and Mountain Saints in Politics and War: Interdenominational Encounters in Early-20th-century America
Title: “WWI Chaplain Herbert Maw and the 89th Infantry Division” by Kenneth L. Alford
Abstract: Herbert B. Maw was one of three Utah Latter-day Saints chosen by Church authorities in Salt Lake City to serve as an active-duty Army chaplain during the First World War. Chaplain Maw was assigned as a chaplain in the 89th Infantry Division. Soldiers in the 89th Division were drawn from across the Midwestern United States, but the largest number of division recruits came from Missouri. Many of those soldiers were members of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. When military officials in Washington, D.C., assigned Chaplain Maw to serve in the 89th Division, they surely thought they were assigning him to support soldiers from his own denomination. This presentation will share some of Chaplain Maw’s wartime experiences and explore the relationships that developed between Chaplain Maw and the soldiers he served in the 89th Infantry Division.
Biographical Sketch: Kenneth L. Alford is a Professor of Church History and Doctrine at Brigham Young University, a retired Colonel in the U.S. Army, a previous Ephraim Hatch Teaching and Learning Faculty Fellow, and an Honorary Life Member of the Utah State Historical Society. Ken served in numerous assignments during almost 30 years on active duty in the Army—including the Pentagon, supporting Pershing nuclear missile units, managing over $5 billion in government information technology contracts, teaching computer science and information systems engineering at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and as Department Chair and Professor of Strategic Leadership at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C. He’s earned the rank of full professor twice—but neither time in his PhD discipline (computer science). He has published and presented on a wide variety of subjects—authoring and editing thirteen books and over 200 other publications.
Title: “‘These Mormons Fight Polygamy’: Utah Politicians’ Plural Marriage Scandals and How the Reorganized Church Acquired National Attention, 1899–1907” by Makoto Hunter (Scholarship Recipient)
Abstract: At the turn of the twentieth century, three Utah politicians garnered national newspaper attention for varying involvement with polygamy: state senator Martha Hughes Cannon as a plural wife, congressman B. H. Roberts as a polygamist, and senator Reed Smoot as an apostle for a polygamous church, though he was monogamous.
Scholarship about these political polygamy scandals rarely includes the Reorganization. Ironically, at the time, the Reorganized Church enjoyed a rare moment in the spotlight. Positioning themselves as “Mormon” but monogamous, Reorganized congregations and officers drew attention to themselves by issuing resolutions calling for unseating polygamist politicians, telling newspaper interviewers their antipolygamy interpretations of Restoration scripture, and starting arguments about Joseph Smith’s polygamy. Newspapers across America reported on the Reorganized Saints and even ran features, and sometimes this led to admiration. By 1907, multiple newspapers and politicians alike complimented the Reorganization for being law-abiding, patriotic citizens (unlike “Utah Mormons,” they often added). The Reorganized version of Restoration history even became part of the congressional record: in a speech to the Senate, legislator Julius Burrows called the Reorganization the “legitimate successor” to “the original Mormon Church”!
This paper presents the first academic history of a previously understudied moment in American politics when the Reorganization was a topic of curiosity.
Session 223 (12:00 p.m., Friday, September 19) Expanding Borders: Transformations in Geography, Politics, and Race Among Latter-day Saints
Title: “Saints in Canada, Mexico, and the Early Internationalization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints” by Harrison Endicott (Scholarship Recipient)
Abstract: It is well documented that the interconnectivity of church and state in Utah territory contributed to unique, theocratic, Mormon governmental structures. However, the link between community structures in Utah and local governments in the Mormon colonies of Canada and Mexico has not been thoroughly studied. This paper will examine the influence of Latter-day Saint cultural norms and early Utah governmental practices on the civic organization of Mormon colonies in Canada and Mexico. The research presented herein will draw upon recollections, memories, and personal histories available through the Harold B. Lee Library at BYU as well as secondary academic research by scholars in the field of Mormon history. The study of these colonies often focuses on Latter-day Saint efforts to preserve the institution of polygamy. Still, their under-researched civic structures highlight key aspects of Mormon institutional norms in the latter half of the 19th century. I argue that settlement in Canada and Mexico acted as the de facto colonial expansion of the perceived Latter-day Saint Kingdom of God upon the Earth. As a whole, this paper seeks to put the history of the Canadian and Mexican colonies into conversation while exploring the mechanics of early Mormon expansion beyond the borders of the United States.
Biographical Sketch: Harrison Endicott is a sophomore undergraduate student at Brigham Young University. His primary field of study is history, with an emphasis on religious history in the early American Republic, and his minor field of study is English. He is a member of Phi Alpha Theta, the History Honor Society. His work includes the winner of the 2022 BYU Department of History Cultural History Award: “Home, Sweet Home,” an unpublished paper that examines songs and sociality among American Civil War soldiers. Harrison is currently working as the research assistant to Jeff Hardy on a project analyzing trends in Latter-day Saint hymnody.
Title: “Joseph Smith and Mitt Romney: Shifting Political Tides and American Latter-day Saints” by Phoebe E. Turvaville (Scholarship Recipient) by Phoebe E. Turvaville
Abstract: In 1844, in the upper room of the Red Brick store in Nauvoo, Illinois, Joseph Smith announced his candidacy for the presidency of the United States. In his own words, he was endeavoring to improve the lives of his fellow church members, lives which had been fraught with turmoil and violence. His campaign, though cut short by his incarceration and subsequent murder, proved to be a radical one, with some of the issues for which he advocated remaining still on the fringes of political discussion. He was far from the last Latter-day Saint to pursue the presidency; perhaps the most notable of these was Mitt Romney in 2012. His platform was conservative, suited to the Republican party that nominated him, and he won 47% of the popular vote. There are many reasons for the differences between these two campaigns, most obviously the fact that they took place 166 years apart. What is notable, however, is that Smith ran a progressive campaign while Romney ran a conservative one. Romney’s Republican conservatism was not an anomaly among contemporary Latter-day Saints, so what happened between 1844 and 2012 to account for this shift? This paper provides a brief explanation by examining the social circumstances surrounding both campaigns and their influence on each candidate. Through this examination, this paper will demonstrate that the transition of Latter-day Saints from a persecuted minority to comfortable citizens was a driving force in their embracing of Republican conservatism.
Biographical Sketch: Phoebe Turvaville is a second-year student at Brigham Young University pursuing a degree in History with minors in Music and Art History & Curatorial Studies. Throughout her life, she has engaged in a study of history through personal research and time spent at numerous historical sites, both near her home in North Carolina and abroad in her favored European locale. She believes if everyone studied history more, the world would be a better place. To that end, she is working towards a career in museum education and historic site preservation.
Title: “Adam S. Bennion and the Priesthood and Temple Policy” by Casey Paul Griffiths
Abstract: Adam S. Bennion was only an Apostle for five years, but he served during a period of critical reassessment of the priesthood and temple policies of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. During Bennion’s service Church leaders worked to understand the historical and doctrinal origins of the policy. Bennion kept careful notes of the process, and later donated his papers to special collections at Brigham Young University. These notes later assisted Lester Bush in writing an article that played a crucial role in changing the minds of Church leaders towards the policy, and open the door for the revelation that brought about one of the most important changes in the Church in the last century.
Biographical Sketch: Casey Paul Griffiths is an Associate Professor of Church History and Doctrine at Brigham Young University. Before coming to BYU he worked for eleven years as a teacher and curriculum writer in Seminaries & Institutes. He is an active member of the Mormon History Association, the Latter-day Saint Education Society, and the John Whitmer Historical Association. He is the co-host of the Church History Matters Podcast and hosts documentaries on Church History for Scripture Central. He is the author and editor of dozens of articles and several books, including Restorations: Scholars in Dialogue from Community of Christ and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He is also active in the historical community and has served as president of the John Whitmer Historical Association. He lives with his wife, Elizabeth, and their four adorable children in Saratoga Springs, Utah.
Session 224 (12:00 p.m., Friday, September 19) Sacred Spaces and State Power: Latter-day Saint Experience in Far West and Post-Soviet Russia
Title: “LDS Missionary Work in the Shadow of Russian Governance” by Grace Guentzel (Scholarship Recipient)
Abstract: In the early 1990s, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints formally established missions in Russia, signaling a new era of religious expansion in the post-Soviet world. However, the initial optimism quickly gave way to increasing governmental repression. The 2016 Yarovaya Law, which severely restricted missionary activity, marked a turning point in the Russian state’s approach to regulating religious expression.
This paper examines how Russia’s evolving cultural, legal, and political landscape has shaped the LDS Church’s presence, operations, and messaging within the country. Drawing on legal documents, Church publications, and oral missionary testimony, this study also examines how governments utilize legislation to restrict religious practice and assert ideological and nationalistic control over religious institutions.
Biographical Sketch: Grace Guentzel holds a BS in Economics, a BA in History, and a BA in Business (Global Politics) from Arizona State University, where she is currently pursuing her MA in History. Her research interests include the intersection of religion and politics in post-Soviet Russia, as well as Jewish and Latter-day Saint history. She was a finalist in the Philadelphia Jewish Film and Media Social Media Contest and posts weekly history videos on TikTok and Instagram, where she has garnered over 80,000 followers and 60 million views combined.
Title: “Joseph and Emma Hale Smith’s Residences in Far West, Missouri, 1838-1839” by Alex Baugh
Abstract: The arrival of Joseph and Emma Hale Smith at Far West, Missouri, on March 14, 1838, marked yet another chapter in the life of Mormonism’s “first family.” However, their time as residents of Missouri turned out to be short-lived, about eleven months, due to the outbreak of the 1838 Missouri-Mormon War, followed by the evacuation of the Mormons from the state in early 1839.
When Joseph, Emma, and their children arrived in Far West in mid-March, they found temporary lodging at the home of George W. and Lucinda P. Harris, where they stayed for about six weeks. By May 1838, Joseph Smith made arrangements with Samuel Musick to occupy a portion of his tavern, presumably located on one of two lots located across the street from the public square at Far West. However, the Smith’s time in the Musick Tavern was relatively short there as well. In late June, Joseph Smith made arrangements with George M. Hinkle to purchase Hinkle’s home, which he had built in 1836, located a short distance southeast of the public square on the southeast corner of Lot 17 of the original Far West plat map. It was at this location where Joseph Smith was taken into custody by Missouri authorities on October 31, 1838, which marked the beginning of a confinement that would last until mid-April 1839.
This paper/presentation will discuss Joseph Smith and his family’s activities at each of these locations during their time in Far West. Evidence will also be given to show that the homesite located on Lot 17 of the Far West plat map was indeed the site of the home occupied by the Smith family from July 1838 to mid-February 1839. Descriptions of the Hinckle-Smith home will also be analyzed, in addition to a photograph purported to be that of the original home.
Biographical Sketch: Alex Baugh is a professor and former chair of the Department of Church History and Doctrine at Brigham Young University, where he has been a full-time faculty member since 1995. He received his BS from Utah State University and his MA and PhD degrees from Brigham Young University. He specializes in researching and writing about the Missouri period of early Church history (1831–39). He is the author, editor, or coeditor of twelve books, including three volumes of the Document series of The Joseph Smith Papers (Documents, volumes 4, 5, and 6). Additionally, he has published over eighty historical journal articles, essays, and book chapters. He is a member of the Mormon History Association and the John Whitmer Historical Association, having served as president of the latter organization from 2006 to 2007. He is also the past editor of Mormon Historical Studies and past co-director of research for the BYU Religious Studies Center.
Panel 231 (3:00 p.m., Friday, September 19)
Title: “Pregnant Possibilities: Sexuality in Joseph Smith’s Nauvoo” by Mark Tensmeyer, Amanda Hendrix-Komoto, Rick Bennett
Abstract: This is an interdisciplinary discussion on why there are no known children from Joseph Smith and any of his known or suspected wives other than Emma. Clearly, Joseph was fertile, having fathered 9 children with Emma. We will examine historians’ explanations for this lack of children, including those of Richard Bushman, Todd Compton, George Smith, Brian Hales, and others. The discussion will include gender and sexuality practices in the 19th century, & the broader history of sexuality, including birth control and sexual restraint. This will set the stage for a discussion about the probability of a child across the marriages from Joseph Smith. We will also explore what the apparent lack of children may suggest about the frequency of sexual intercourse or other possible behaviors or interventions to prevent births in these unions.
Biographical Sketches:
Mark Tensmeyer is a graduate of BYU-Idaho and Florida State University School of Law. He is an attorney living in San Antonio, Texas, with his wife and two daughters. This is his second time presenting at JWHA. Other Restoration history credits include contributing a chapter to Secret Covenants: New Insights on Early Mormon Polygamy, edited by Cheryl Bruno, and several book reviews for the JWHA journal and Association for Mormon Letters.
Amanda Hendrix-Komoto is an Associate Professor of History and Philosophy at Montana State
University. The University of Nebraska Press published her first book, Imperial Zions: Religion, Race, and the Family in the American West, in 2022. She is currently writing a biography of Ina Coolbrith.
Rick Bennett holds a Master’s Degree in Biostatistics from the University of Utah. His Masters project was on the topic of fertility, titled “Calculating Confidence Intervals for Observed versus Expected Pregnancies and Standardized Fecundity Ratios.” He is an independent historian and hosts the Gospel Tangents Podcast.
Session 232 (3:00 p.m., Friday, September 19) Connecting Histories and Divergent Journeys: Insights into Local Links and Broader Movements in American Religious History
Title: “James A. Garfield and the Booth Family of Hiram, Ohio: Examining Their Intersections and Peripheral Ties to Mormonism” by Kyle R. Walker
Abstract: This paper will explore the little-known connection between President James A. Garfield and the Booth family at Hiram, Ohio. Like many eventual Latter-day Saints, Garfield’s family was drawn to unite with the Disciples of Christ, a prominent group in the community where he grew to maturity. He later attended the Western Reserve Eclectic Institute (later Hiram College) in Hiram, Ohio, where he formed a fast friendship with a co-teacher named Almeda Booth, the only child of Ezra and Dorcas Booth. Ezra, and presumably Dorcas, had joined with the Saints decades earlier in 1831, only to leave a short time later. Ezra then became a noted antagonist of Joseph Smith and the Saints in the vicinity. Garfield’s connection to both the Booths and the Saints will be highlighted in this paper.
Biographical Sketch: Kyle R. Walker is an administrator in the Counseling Center at Brigham Young University-Idaho. He received his PhD in marriage and family therapy from Brigham Young University. His doctoral dissertation focused on the family dynamics of the Joseph Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith family. He is the editor of United by Faith: The Joseph Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith Family. He is also the author of the award-winning biography William B. Smith: In the Shadow of a Prophet and, most recently, Sister to the Prophet: The Life of Katharine Smith Salisbury. He has served on the Board of Directors and as president of The John Whitmer Historical Association.
Title: “Divergent Paths of the Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement” by Mike LeCheminant
Abstract: The religious revival of the Second Great Awakening gave birth to two restoration movements. Steven Shields coined the term Smith-Rigdon Movement to describe the many groups descended from the Church of Christ, founded by Joseph Smith Jr. and highly influenced by Sidney Rigdon. This paper will discuss the history of the Stone-Campbell Movement, a merger of Barton Stone’s Christian Church and Alexander Campbell’s Disciples of Christ. Rigdon and other early Mormons had previously been followers of Campbell, creating connections between the two movements and causing Campbell to speak out against Smith, accusing him of borrowing his theology and stealing his sheep. The first portion of this paper will provide brief biographies of Stone and Campbell and will describe the characteristics of their movement. The second portion will discuss the movement’s schisms, including the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), the independent Christian Churches, the Churches of Christ, the International Church of Christ, and other related groups. The branches of the Stone-Campbell Movement will be compared with those of the Smith-Rigdon Movement, identifying interesting parallels between the two traditions.
Biographical Sketch: Mike has received degrees in zoology, dentistry, and endodontics from Brigham Young University, the University of Louisville, and the University of Southern California, respectively. He practices dentistry in Houston, specializing in root canals, and he is currently a part-time history student at Sam Houston State University. He and his wife have seven children and seven dogs.
Session 233 (3:00 p.m., Friday, September 19) Critics of Mormonism’s Flight from Polygamy
Title: “Heber J. Grant versus Heber Bennion: Relative(s) Conflict over Post Manifesto Polygamy” by Newell G. Bringhurst
Abstract: This presentation focuses on the evolving relationship between LDS Church leader, Heber J. Grant and Heber Bennion, the latter a long-time LDS Bishop. Brothers-in-law, having married sisters from the same family, Grant and Bennion developed a close personal relationship. Both embraced plural marriage, each marrying a total of three wives. However, their relationship turned negative during the early 20th Century when Grant strongly condemned polygamy after becoming LDS Church President in 1918, while Bennion asserted strong support for the practice to the point of supporting the fledgling Mormon Fundamentalist Movement. Their adversarial relationship is noteworthy in that it reflects continuing divisions within the larger Mormon movement over the legitimacy of plural marriage as an essential doctrine.
Biographical Sketch: Newell G. Bringhurst is Professor Emeritus of History and Political Science at College of the Sequoias. He is a past President of both the Mormon History Association and the John Whitmer Historical Association. He is the author, co-author, and editor of thirteen books dealing with varied topics in Mormon-Restoration Studies. He is also actively involved in researching and writing on local (Tulare County) history. He and his wife, Mary Ann, reside in Visalia, California.
Title: “Second Echelon Latter-day Saints and the Early Fundamentalists” by Craig L. Foster
Abstract: The hierarchy/General Authorities of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was considered the elite, or first echelon elite in both the church and early Utah. Those directly below could be considered the second echelon elite. They were in this social position because of ecclesiastical callings, business connections, community positions, and family connections.
Among those who entered into post-Manifesto marriages were not only General Authorities. Many were second echelon elite. Indeed, some of these second echelon or their family members eventually became early fundamentalists. This paper will identify these second echelon families, their connections to one another, and what became of them in the years of post-Manifesto polygamy and the beginnings of the fundamentalist movement.
Biographical Sketch: Craig L. Foster has presented at numerous conferences over the years, including many JWHA conferences. He is the author of numerous articles and two books. He co-edited the three-volume The Persistence of Polygamy series with Newell G. Bringhurst, as well as co-author of American Polygamy: A History of Fundamentalist Mormon Faith with Marianne T. Watson.
Session 234 (3:00 p.m., Friday, September 19) Faith, Economy, and Innovation: Exploring Joseph Smith’s Role in the United Order and the Spiritual Architecture of Mormonism
Title: “The United Order and the Political Economy of Joseph Smith: An Economic Analysis” by Mark Skousen
Abstract: In the early history of the church, the Prophet Joseph Smith instituted an economic program among the Latter-day Saints known variously as “the Law of the Church,” “the law of consecration,” ..the law of stewardship…, “The Order of Enoch,” and most commonly, “the United Order.” These experiments went through three phases from 1830 to 1844: (1) communal living, (2) the law of consecration and stewardship, and (3) the tithing principle. In this paper, I use economic analysis (marginal analysis, wealth effects, profit motive, entrepreneurship, capital surplus, and decentralized decision-making) to explain why these early communitarian programs (as well as Brigham Young’s United Orders) failed, while the tithing principle became a permanent, workable feature that has continued to this day. Interpretation of the degree of liberty enjoyed under the United Order varies significantly by commentators.
Biographical Sketch: Mark Skousen is known as “America’s Economist.” He is a university professor, investment expert, and author of over 25 books. He earned his BA and MS degrees from Brigham Young University in 1971 and 1972, respectively, and his doctorate in economics from George Washington University in 1977. In 2022, he was appointed the first Doti-Spogli Endowed Chair of Free Enterprise at Chapman University after receiving the “My Favorite Professor Award.” In 2018, he was awarded the Triple Crown in Economics for his work in theory, history, and education. He has the unique distinction of having worked for the government (CIA), non-profits (president of FEE), and several for-profit companies. In 2004-05, he taught economics and finance at Columbia Business School and Columbia University. He has also taught economics, finance, and business at Barnard College, Mercy College, Rollins College, and Chapman University.
Since 1980, Skousen has been editor-in-chief of Forecasts & Strategies, a popular award-winning investment newsletter. He was an analyst for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), a columnist for Forbes magazine, chairman of Investment U, and past president of the Foundation for Economic Education (FEE) in New York. He is the producer of FreedomFest, “the world’s largest gathering of free minds,” which meets every July in Las Vegas (www.freedomfest.com). He has written for The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, The Christian Science Monitor, and The Journal of Economic Perspectives and has made regular appearances on CNBC and C-SPAN’s Book TV. His economics works include The Structure of Production (NYU Press), The Making of Modem Economics (Routledge), Economic Logic (Capital Press), and EconoPower (Wiley & Sons). His investment books include Investing in One Lesson (Capital Press) and The Maxims of Wall Street (Eagle Publishing). His latest book is The Greatest American: Benjamin Franklin, History’s Most Versatile Genius (Republic Books). Based on his work, “The Structure of Production,” the federal government began publishing a broader, more accurate measure of the economy, Gross Output (GO), along with GDP, every quarter starting in the Spring of 2014.
Title: “Joseph Smith: The Architect of Mormonism–Documenting the Development of the Founding Prophet” by Ganesh Cherian
Abstract: The Book of Mormon vs. the Church: A Tale of Two Visions. Most people see the Book of Mormon and the church Joseph Smith founded as inseparable—two halves of a single story. Yet when we examine the Book of Mormon as a literary product of 1829 and contrast it with the church as it evolved by 1844, we encounter two strikingly different worldviews. The key to reconciling this divide lies in understanding Joseph Smith himself.
The Book of Mormon mirrors Joseph’s life, beliefs, and struggles up to 1829. But when he attempted to translate its ideals into a real-world institution after 1830, the result was a turbulent process of trial, error, and adaptation. This messy, often chaotic dance ultimately led to Joseph’s martyrdom in 1844—and to the diverse religious traditions that now comprise a global faith.
To truly grasp Mormonism, one must grapple with Joseph Smith’s life: his impoverished, itinerant upbringing, his relentless pursuit of a better world, and his extraordinary ability to articulate a vision so compelling that it captivated millions. Yet that same vision, when put into practice, sparked both revival and revolt, forcing improvisation and evolution—until violence cut his work short.
Joseph Smith’s genius was more complex, more human, and more remarkable than most have imagined. His story is not just the foundation of a religion—it’s a testament to the collision of idealism and reality and to the unpredictable power of a single visionary life.
Biographical Sketch: Ganesh Cherian is an independent historian with a uniquely diverse background. Academically trained in Accounting, Commercial Law, and Psychology, he has built a rich professional life spanning small business, IT, steel fabrication, construction, caregiving, teaching, and manufacturing. His passions are as varied as his career—art, music, photography, dance, travel, cuisine, sports, technology, running, sailing, comedy, and philanthropy all fuel his curiosity and enthusiasm for life.
A lifelong member of the Utah Restoration movement, Ganesh attended the Church College of New Zealand (an LDS high school), where he served as Student Body President. He later served a mission in Auckland, New Zealand, and married Lyndi Neilson, a fellow missionary from Seattle. Together, they raised five sons, now adults scattered across the globe. Deeply engaged in his Mormon tradition, Ganesh has been a Seminary and Institute teacher, Gospel Doctrine instructor, High Councilor, and Bishop. His experiences also include extensive travel and a period living in Powell, Wyoming. An avid student of church history and American politics, Ganesh is the author of Joseph Smith: The Architect of Mormonism—A Topical Biography. Today, he resides in Wellington, New Zealand, where he remains an active member of the same ward he grew up in—and once led as Bishop.
Keynote 241 (6:30 p.m., Friday, September 19)
Title: “Prophetic People Deciding Together” by Stassi Cramm
Abstract: In her keynote address, President Stassi Cramm of Community of Christ will discuss the evolving understanding and application of common consent as a decision-making tool in Community of Christ. She will explain how common consent engages the prophetic people of the church and upholds the church’s identity as a theocratic democracy. President Cramm‘s primary focus will be more “modern day” than historical as she reflects on her personal experience as a church leader. She will ground her presentation in the church’s long-term commitment to common consent as a faith movement.
Biographical Sketch: Stassi D. Cramm serves as Prophet-President of Community of Christ. She has served as a member of the First Presidency and counselor to the president of the church. Additional past assignments include serving as presiding bishop of the Presiding Bishopric, a member of the Presiding Bishopric as a counselor to the presiding bishop, a member of the Council of Twelve Apostles, and the Southwest Pacific Region administrator and stewardship commissioner.
Stassi received a Bachelor of Science in general engineering from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, and a Master of Arts in organizational management from the University of Phoenix. She received a Master of Arts in religion from Graceland University and a PhD in organization and management from Capella University. Previous to full-time ministry for Community of Christ, Stassi was employed as a flight test engineer for the United States Air Force.