The following comments are excerpted from a longer paper I read at the annual meeting of the Mormon History Association. The purpose of the paper is not to defend or deride any political positions, but to look at ways the War in Heaven narrative has been used in Mormon thought. I find it fascinating that we often cite scripture in political debates in a way that assumes we have made the ultimate authoritative point; however, scripture can and often is used by different people to support a very different agenda.

Earlier this year, Glenn Beck, as he put it, went “all Jesus Freak” on his radio show by linking the Progressive agenda with Satan’s plan in the pre-mortal world: "If you believe in the War in Heaven where a third of the angels were cast out and all of that stuff, it was about man’s choice . . . and Satan’s plan was 'hey I’ll save everybody; give me the credit . . . I’ll make sure everybody returns home it’s going to be fantastic, you just take away their choice and give me the credit.' Well gee, I think that plan was rejected because God knew that failure was important for growth." Whether Beck was aware of the fact that he was describing a uniquely Mormon version of this story or was instead attempting to subliminally convert his radio audience to Mormon theology is not clear. What is clear is that Beck follows a long tradition of employing this Mormon narrative of premortal ideological confrontation as a tool for earthly, political debate. Beck was, however, likely unaware that this narrative can be and has been used in radically different ways to support radically different agendas. More...

On March 27th, we celebrated the 100th birthday of Hugh Nibley. The Nibley family held a family reunion and we got to see most of the East Coast contingency that we usually see only at funerals, so it was a party. And a good one at that. When Nibleys get together there is talking, loud talking, and much boisterous laughter, and amazing desserts. The Famous Nibley Apple Pie with the Certified Whole-Wheat Crust is only exceeded in greatness, in my opinion, by the lemon meringue pie, made with lots of real lemons and all their fruity bits. The only downer was that the guest of honor didn't make it, at least not in the flesh. Although I did sometimes sense him guffawing at the political jousting and witty one-up-man ship and looking oh-so proud of his children. Hugh loved being around his family when they're having fun, particularly when they aren't taking themselves too seriously. And Nibleys seldom take each other too seriously. More...

Today we are seeing Mormon Studies slowly emerge as a legitimate field of study in the academy. Endowed chairs have been established at Utah State and Claremont Universities with more on the horizon; courses on Mormonism and Mormon-themed scholarly conferences are found at schools across the nation; and several university presses are publishing major works in the field. The LDS Church has published two articles in its newsroom on the subject, one in 2008 here and one in 2007 here.

Both newsroom articles take a warm and welcome approach to this new era of scholarship. It appears we are moving into a period where scholars are beginning to take Mormonism seriously and the Church is recognizing that, as the newsroom article puts it, "Mormonism has a depth and breadth of substance that can hold up under academic scrutiny."

For the past few years, I have taught Mormon Literature at Utah Valley University, where, I believe, we offer more classes on Mormon themes than any other school. I have come to believe that Mormon fiction, poetry, drama, and film should be a central focus for scholars seeking to understand and teach Mormonism. Far too often, textbook descriptions of Mormonism tend to "flatten" out the diversity and complexity of the religion, and I see Mormon literature as a corrective to this tendency, enlarging the view and pointing out the breadth of Mormon thought. Terryl Givens' book People of Paradox: A History of Mormon Culture provides numerous examples of the value of Mormon cultural production in expanding the vision of Mormonism. He demonstrates that the tensions within Mormon thought give rise to our culture, that great art emerges only when Mormon artists take the religion and theology seriously. And he also documents a more robust version of Mormonism than that portrayed in many Religious Studies textbooks.

So my question for AML blog readers is this: if you were suddenly asked to teach a course on Mormonism at a secular university, what works of Mormon fiction, poetry, drama, and film would you use and why? What works best depict the history and theology of Mormonism? And what works do you see as giving this broader, more robust, view of Mormonism?

I want to interrupt our regular blog discussion to extend an invitation to all members, former members, and future members of the Association for Mormon Letters to attend our Annual Meeting on Saturday 27 February at UVU's library. The theme of this year’s Meeting is “One Eternal Round: Mormon Literature Past, Present, and Future.” In keeping with this theme, we will be screening the 1931 film “Corianton: A Story of Unholy Love,” one of the first feature-length Mormon films to be produced. The film is a must-see for those interested in Mormon cultural studies, bringing together a fictionalized Book of Mormon narrative; epic Cecil B. DeMillesque production; Aztec stage settings; Roman costumes; pseudo-Shakespearean dialogue; some glitzy dance numbers; and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir for good measure. This is one film that must be seen! BYU’s film archivist, James D’Arc will introduce the film, setting it in its appropriate context. This may be one of the few chances audiences will have to see this historic Mormon film.

Additionally, I have been busy reviewing conference submissions and want to report that we have some extremely strong papers this year. The discussion of Mormon literature, film, drama, and art is going to be unprecedented. You simply cannot afford to miss this year’s AML Annual Meeting.

Attendance is free to all AML members and students. (AML membership is inexpensive and includes an annual subscription to Irreantum and can be purchased at the door!) Registration starts at 8:00 a.m. and seating for “Corianton” will close (not begin, close) at 9:00 a.m.

AML also will host a luncheon starting at 1:00 p.m. Seating for the luncheon is limited so tickets should be ordered ahead of time. You can order luncheon tickets through a PayPal option on the AML website at http://www.mormonletters.org/Events.aspx

Finally, you will be impressed at our awards ceremony at the quality and breadth of our Mormon literary landscape. We’ve got some spectacular winners this year!
I look forward to meeting all of you at our Annual Meeting, and, trust me, you will not soon forget “Corianton.”

I love the Christmas season. I start playing Christmas music just before Thanksgiving and continue several weeks into the New Year. I love the lights, colors, parties, and foods. And each year our family resumes the previous year’s non-alcoholic eggnog taste testing. I don’t think there’s a nog I’ve not sampled. So even though I’m posting this on New Years Day, I’ve still got a couple of more weeks of Christmas left in me, so I hope you’ll indulge me a bit.

I think, however, the reason I love this holiday so much is that it is a time of emotional extremes. The beauty of the season comes from stark contrasts: it’s a season of light during the darkest point of the winter; a holiday of warmth during the coldest time of year; a time we sing joyous carols, mostly written in minor keys. All of this is appropriate since we celebrate the birth of a child who was born to die for us. For all Christians, Christ’s birth is inseparable from his death, the two acts intertwined in our economy of salvation.

This year has been particularly intense for me, since the week prior to Christmas my mother was diagnosed with cancer. The doctor warned us that this will likely be her last Christmas with us. More...

In 1982, Eugene England surveyed the history and current landscape of Mormon literary production in a seminal article published in BYU Studies entitled “The Dawning of a Brighter Day: Mormon Literature after 150 Years.”  There England celebrated the flowering of Mormon “faithful realism”; the publication of Richard Cracroft and Neal Lambert’s anthology of Mormon literature A Believing People; the creation of a course on Mormon literature at Brigham Young University; and the foundation of the Association for Mormon Letters in 1976. He saw these as signs that Mormon culture was not only producing but beginning to recognize a unique literary heritage.

Nevertheless, England saw with clear vision that much of work remained to be done. He acknowledged that no scholarly bibliography of Mormon literature had been produced. He also recognized that a unique Mormon literature not only required writers but criticism, and he lamented that little had been done. More...