John Turner (JS bio)--6/3
Evening with an Author
We are very excited that on Tuesday, June 3, John Turner will be here to speak about Joseph Smith: The Rise and Fall of an American Prophet (published by Yale University Press). He will be here from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., will speak at 6:00, and answer questions and sign books before and after that time. We hope you will be able to make it that night but, if not, we can mail a signed copy or hold one here at the store for pick-up. To RSVP on Facebook, click here.
Joseph Smith was one of the most successful and controversial religious leaders of nineteenth-century America, publishing the Book of Mormon and starting what would become the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He built temples, founded a city-state in Illinois, ran for president, and married more than thirty women. This self-made prophet thrilled his followers with his grand vision of peace and unity, but his increasingly grandiose plans tested and sometimes shattered their faith.
In this vivid biography, John G. Turner presents Smith as a consummate religious entrepreneur and innovator, a man both flawed and compelling. He sold books, land, and merchandise. And he relentlessly advanced doctrines that tapped into anxieties about the nature and meaning of salvation, the validity of miracles, the timing of Christ's second coming, and the persistence of human relationships for eternity. His teachings prompted people to gather into communities, evoking fierce opposition from those who saw those communities as theocratic threats to republicanism.
With insights from newly accessible diaries, church records, and transcripts of sermons, Turner illuminates Smith's stunning trajectory, from his beginnings as an uneducated, impoverished farmhand to his ultimate fall at the hands of a murderous mob, revealing how he forged a religious tradition that has resonated with millions of people in the United States and beyond.
Joseph Smith: The Rise and Fall of an American Prophet. Yale University Press. Hardback. $35.00. To purchase online, click here.
John G. Turner is professor of religious studies and history at George Mason University. His books include Bill Bright and Campus Crusade for Christ; Brigham Young: Pioneer Prophet; The Mormon Jesus; and They Knew They Were Pilgrims. He lives in Burke, VA.
Also by John Turner
Brigham Young: Pioneer Prophet. Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. Paperback. $25.00. Books unfortunately won't arrive in time but we will be able to get them signed soon (John will be back in town for the Sunstone Symposium).
Shipping: $7.50 for the first book—inquire for rates on multiple book orders
Priority/FedEx/UPS options available–inquire for details.
Utah residents–add 7.45% sales tax