Before Turner’s “Joseph Smith: The Rise and Fall of an American Prophet,” there were two major accounts of Smith’s life. Fawn Brodie’s biography, “No Man Knows My History,” describes a Smith who is a deliberate liar. Richard Bushman’s book, “Rough Stone Rolling,” is the faith-affirming version of Smith’s story. John Turner’s biography stands between these. He doesn’t believe that Joseph Smith actually discovered golden plates, because Smith wouldn’t show them to anyone. But he says the creation of the Book of Mormon is a feat of remarkable audacity. Turner appreciates Smith as a brilliant religious innovator too, someone who was able to speak to the anxieties of 19th century American Christians, console, excite, and frustrate them, and — before his assassination in 1844 — forge a modern religious legacy that endures today.
John Turner will speak at the Smith-Pettit Lecture at the Sunstone Symposium on Thurs., July 31. You can find more information about the event here.
GUEST –
John G. Turner | Professor of Religious Studies at George Mason University. His new book is called “Joseph Smith: The Rise and Fall of an American Prophet.” [Amazon|Bookshop]
Airdate: Wednesday, June 25, 2025 at 9 a.m. and 7 p.m.