The Tim Ballard saga—especially reactions from his defenders like Glenn Beck—is an important reminder of a particular type of Mormon dissent.

Namely, the prevalence of conservative schism, and how it differs from progressive critique. /1 1st, let me make clear: I’m not saying conservatism leads more to dissent than liberalism. I’ve no idea the quantitative difference. Nor do I care. (I assume most who go inactive do so not purely for ideological reasons.)

Rather, I’m saying they react to dissent differently. /2

LDS Church denounces Tim Ballard for using Apostle Russell Ballard's name and alleged support. The OUR founder “betrayed their friendship, through the unauthorized use...for Tim Ballard’s personal advantage and activity regarded as morally unacceptable.” vice.com/en/article/bvj… Here is the full statement from the church. For those who follow this kind of stuff, it is *very* rare to get this kind of explicit denunciation from LDS authorities.

There's a lot of talk about the new Chat GPT and how it will affect writing assignments, so I thought I'd jot down some ideas about what it is, why it's seen as a threat, and some measures for what to do. /1 If you haven't noticed, a company released Chat GPT, an advanced chatbot designed to answer questions with human-like responses. It's leagues beyond anything that's been available before. And it's free! chat.openai.com/chat /2

We're three days--seriously, THREE DAYS--away from @signaturebooks publishing #DNAMormon. So let's highlight another chapter!

The always brilliant @CristinaMartaR wrote on Quinn's contributions to the study of fundamentalist Mormonism. /1 First, Rosetti details how Quinn came to become interested in the topic. All scholarly projects have roots in questions. Quinn was struck by post-manifesto polygamy for both personal & historical reasons, especially since 1970s-80s was a boom for fundamentalism. /2

We're FOUR days away from @signaturebooks releasing #DNAMormon, so time to highlight another chapter.

Today I'm overviewing Ian Barber's engagement with Quinn's famous EARLY MORMONISM AND THE MAGIC WORLD VIEW. /1 Quinn published the first edition of MAGIC WORLD VIEW in 1987. It was a climactic moment for the field of Mormon history: just a couple years removed from the Mark Hofmann bombings, and in the middle of the tense internal debates over the field. /2

We're FIVE days away from the release of #DNAMormon (@signaturebooks), so time to highlight another chapter.

The legendary @patrickqmason and his student Hovan Lawton dug into Quinn's fascination with LDS leadership, and offer a compelling & surprising conclusion. /1 This chapter kicks off the second section of the book. The first section, comprised of the chapters I've already covered, treated Quinn as a historical figure. This and the next three chapters cover his historiographical contributions. /2

We're SIX days away from @signaturebooks releasing #DNAMormon, so let's highlight another provocative chapter.

The legendary Maxine Hanks, who was also one of the famed September Six, wrote about Quinn as a "Dissenter." /1 Quinn was more than just a dissenter, Hanks, argues; he was *deconstructing* myths and traditions that had no bearing in history or reality. We should not privilege power, Quinn's work showed, but tear it down. /2

Last night LDS apostle Dale Renlund cautioned Latter-day Saints not to become fixated on "speculation" concerning Heavenly Mother.

How did we get to the point where this concept became so divisive? A quick #MormonAmerica thread. /1 sltrib.com/religion/2022/… Mormonism has a surprisingly long and dynamic tradition of theologizing Heavenly Mother, dating all the way back to Nauvoo. A recent @BYUStudies article--aided by the legendary @rachelsteenblik!--uncovered this potent history. /2 byustudies.byu.edu/article/a-moth…

Okay, it's been a while, so here's a #MormonAmerica thread on the LDS Church being forced to reckon with racial ideas, doctrine, and folklore that persisted long after 1978. The story includes recent converts, scholars, leaked media, BYU, and, of course, Mitt Romney. /1 When LDS President Spencer Kimball announced a revelation in 1978 that ended a restriction for all members with African descent from priesthood ordination and temple ordinances, many leaders hope they could just turn the page without more discussion. /2

This topic has come up quite a bit in the last while, so I thought I'd do a new #MormonAmerica thread.

Let's talk about the last century of Mormonism & American politics; or, the road to modern-day conservatism. /1 Modern day observers often, and justifiably, think Mormonism & conservatism are synonymous. However, that has not always been the case. Indeed, when looking over the entire past century, the LDS connection to GOP is a recent creation.

It's a fascinating tale. /2

Hey y'all: I've been made aware that I goofed on a statistic in my WaPo essay--I gave the figure for Utah's total vaccination rate when I said "eligible." That is my mistake and I apologize. And I know that given Utah's demographics, that means something. washingtonpost.com/outlook/2021/0… However, I still stand by my broader points, and don't think much changes by switching those two words. (Though I'll certainly be haunted by the mistake!) And while smart people can differ on historical causations, I think Mormonism's anti-intellectual trajectory is clear.

As Canadians and Americans come to grips with the grisly details of children's burials near boarding schools, it is also important to note the role that voluntary & religious organizations played, too.

A #MormonAmerica thread on the LDS Indian Student Placement Program. /1 In 1947, a young Navajo girl named Helen John traveled with her family to Richfield, Utah, hired as field laborers. Growing up, Helen hid whenever cars drove through her reservation out of fear they would abduct her and take her to boarding schools. /2

I've been really enjoying the virtual #SHEAR2021 conference, though certainly missing seeing everyone in person. But one of my favorite events are the book awards, so in advance of tonight's @SHEARites announcements, here are my Top #10 Early Republic Books from 2020. First, because I'm a cheater, I want to list three "Honorable Mentions"--books that I loved, but probably fall just outside SHEAR's scope, which I interpret as *after* the Revolution and *before* the Civil War.

Spent my sabbath morning returning to @benjamingwright’s powerful, and quite relevant, BONDS OF SALVATION: HOW CHRISTIANITY INSPIRED AND LIMITED AMERICAN ABOLITIONISM, to resurrect my #ReviewThread series.

Note: capitalized words are categories. /1 SUMMARY: from the beginning, most American Christians could be categorized in two camps: conversionists, or those who believed spreading salvation was too priority, and purificationists, or those who believed abolition would purify the nation. /2

There’s few more consequential figures in Mormon studies than D. Michael Quinn, who worked for LDS church, taught at BYU, was excommunicated, & published a series of books that reshaped the field.

Mike passed away last night. I’d like to highlight some of his life and impact. /1 Quinn was born to a Mexican immigrant father & sixth-generation Mormon mother. He earned a degree in English from BYU, served mission to UK, then spent 3 years in military before finding history. He 1st did MA at Utah, then a PhD at Yale, where he studied the Mormon hierarchy. /2

I vividly remember my American Heritage teacher at BYU spending an entire week arguing why raising the minimum wage would not only be disastrous for the economy, but a betrayal of LDS theology.

It was that moment I recognized the cultural gulf between me and many in the faith. Also, there’s a great history to be written dissecting BYU’s massive American Heritage program to understand the modern Mormon mind. My textbook had an image that showed abortion rights as the first step toward atheist totalitarianism.

In honor of passing 10k followers, how about a #MormonAmerica thread? (For those new: these are historical threads drawn from my current book project.)

Tonight, let's talk about the rise & fall of Amy Brown & Richard Lyman, the most significant LDS couple in the 20th century. /1 Amy Brown and Richard Lyman were born to prominent Mormon families in 1872 and 1870, respectively. They met at Brigham Young Academy in 1888 and were quickly drawn to each other. /2

Public health crisis-related #MormonAmerica story time? Public health crisis-related #MormonAmerica story time.

Let's talk about a time when Utahns rejected medical intervention as an infringement on personal rights, resulting in unnecessary suffering and death. /1 Around 1900, smallpox, a scourge that had troubled civilizations for centuries, was becoming more containable. Crude vaccines had been around for generations, but in the 1890s scientific advances made them more reliable and available, resulting in state mandates. /2

While Frederick Douglass is being recognized more and more nowadays, and his powerful anti-racist arguments are increasingly popular, I think there's another part of his legacy that is overlooked.

This is random, but here's a short thread on Douglass and religious liberty. /1 It's sometimes overlooked that Douglass's first job, after escaping slavery, was as a preacher, and many of his literacy lessons came from reading the bible. This, of course, makes sense given his frequent biblical allusions, the number of which always astound my students. /2

There’s been a lot said about whether BH Roberts lost faith in the Book of Mormon. I think much of the debate is misplaced: what he was argued was not belief/unbelief, but the *nature* of belief. And the debate said a lot about modern Mormonism.

A brief #MormonAmerica thread./1 BH Roberts (1857-1933) did more than nearly anyone else to synthesize and codify Mormon thought during the faith’s transition period. As Sterling McMurrin once put it, he was neither a great historian or theologian, but he was the best historian & theologian Mormonism had. /2

Okay, so you've watched the #HamiltonFilm, and want to celebrate #FourthofJuly by digging deeper into America's founding. Here are some recommendations for books that not only cover key themes and topics from the play, but are also very engaging and approachable. /1 First, there's an excellent collection of essays by historians on the play itself, including its many meanings and misreadings, edited by @TenuredRadical. I especially like @jlpasley's essay on the modern uses of federalists like Hamilton. /2 rutgersuniversitypress.org/historians_on_…