Greetings, fellow nerds!

If you're like me, it's hard to find glimmers of hope in the current environment. It can be even more difficult to peel your eyes off the terrifying news. And I wish history wasn't as relevant as it is right now, but we continue to encounter new crises that have direct connections to the past. As a historian, I take some solace in knowing my research and skills are needed, but also continue to wish the stakes weren't so dire. Nevertheless, we press on.

Lots of important news this week, so make sure to read through!

NEWS/NOTES/ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Utah Book Signing: If you live new Salt Lake City, I'll be in your neighborhood next week! I'm headed out for the Utah State Historical Society's Award's banquet--I'm honored to be receiving recognition for my book American Zion. And while I'm in the area, the great folks at Benchmark Books, the best Mormon history bookstore in the state, is kindly hosting a book signing/meet-and-greet on Tuesday, 1/27, 5-6pm MT. It will be informal with no presentation--I'll just be hanging out, signing books, and hopefully meeting some of my readers/watchers/listeners. And I'll be recommending lots of the great books you can buy while at the store!
• Free MHA Digital Event: One of my duties as president of the Mormon History Association is organizing their online lecture series. This year I'm doing a series of "State of the Field" roundtables. This Thursday, 1/22, at 7pm MT, we will have a free online roundtable on "Gender and Sexuality in Mormon Studies," featuring a slew of brilliant scholars: Taylor Petrey, Caroline Kline, Janan Graham-Russel, Amanda Hendrix-Komoto, and Nathan Kitchen. You can register for the event at the bottom of this page. (Recordings of previous events in the series are also on that page.)
• Recording of Live Discussion with Dan McClellan: last week I did my monthly live discussion on YouTube, and this time I was privileged to be joined by Bible scholar Dan McClellan. It was a lot of fun. You can watch the whole thing here. (Don't miss a fun moment when an unnamed family member knocked over my camera!) And mark your calendar for my next Live YouTube AMA on Wednesday, 2/4, at 7pm MT. We'll be discussing polygamy, since that's the topic of a series of YouTube videos I'm currently working on.

YOUTUBE VIDEOS

• ​Inside the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible (1/5): This is a long and detailed walk-through of Joseph Smith's attempt to produce his own version of the Bible. I discuss his types of revisions, the theological consequences, and the questions of contemporary influences. I also survey how the JST has been interpreted by the LDS tradition since it's creation.
• ​When LDS Leaders Turned on Their Own Historians (1/9): This year marks the 50th anniversary of James Allen and Glen Leonard's The Story of the Latter-day Saints, one of the best one-volume surveys of the church every written. Though produced by the LDS Church History Division, it caused a major backlash from more conservative LDS leaders. This video looks at the book's reception and legacies.
• ​Why Mormons Love the King James Version of the Bible (1/12): The LDS Church recently softened its attachment to the KJV Bible. But how did the institution come to embrace the translation as their preferred version? It's actually more recent than you think. This video walks through how the KJV evolved from the common Bible to the exclusive Bible for Latter-day Saints.
• ​Was Mormonism Responsible for Jodi Hildebrandt? (1/14): The short answer is no, of course not. But Mormonism did play a role within the extreme movement that Hildebrandt and her accomplice Ruby Franke represented. This video dissects the latest documentary on the tragic story and explores not just the role of the LDS faith, but also why these stories remain so prominent in the American imagination.
• ​Inside the Wilkinson Diaries and BYU’s Contested History (1/16): Ernest Wilkinson, though short in stature, towered over BYU for two decades in the mid-twentieth century. He oversaw the university's massive expansion and tepid professionalization, but also caused controversy by trying to root out liberals and indoctrinate his conservative ideas. This video highlights a new published volume of Wilkinson's diaries and interviews the editor, Gary Bergera.
• ​Joseph Smith’s Most Controversial Revelation Explained (1/19): This is the first of a three-part series on Joseph Smith's revelation on polygamy, later canonized as D&C 132. In Part One, I investigate the documents origins, creation, and immediate reception.

SOCIAL MEDIA VIDEOS

• When Captain Moroni Stormed the US Capitol: TikTok and Instagram
• A Lighter Moment from my Live Discussion on Mormonism & the Bible with Dan McClellan: TikTok and Instagram​
• The Family Ties of Mormon Apostles: TikTok and Instagram
• Thoughts on Receiving the ASCH Book Award for American Zion: TikTok
• Book Recommendation: Richard Bell, The American Revolution and the Fate of the World: TikTok and Instagram
• The Tale of BYU’s 1966 Student Spy Ring: TikTok and Instagram
• MLK’s Contested Legacy Among LDS Leaders: TikTok and Instagram

And that's all I got for this week! It's been a busy January so far, with lots of fun stuff to close out the month. I hope to see many of you digitally Thursday night for the MHA panel, and others next Tuesday at Benchmark.

Until Next Time,

Benjamin Park, historian and nerd