Out of Obscurity: Mormonism since 1945

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. Out of Obscurity brings the story of Mormonism since the Second World War into sharp relief, explaining the ways in which a church very much rooted in its nineteenth-century prophetic and pioneering past achieved unprecedented influence in the realms of American politics and international business.

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

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.

Review :
"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