In this episode, Terryl Givens and Paul Reeve explore the history of the Church’s priesthood-temple ban that concluded in 1978.
Paul is the Simmons Professor of Mormon Studies at the University of Utah. His award-winning book, Religion of a Different Color: Race and the Mormon Struggle for Whiteness, is considered by many the best book written to date on the subject.
Dr. Reeve has also written a fantastic essay that addresses how to make sense of our history of denying priesthood and temple blessings to our Black brothers and sisters. It’s a fascinating read—and you really shouldn’t miss it. You can view it on our website here:
https://faithmatters.org/making-sense-of-the-churchs-history-on-race/
In this episode, Paul and Terryl go both wide and deep on the priesthood-temple ban. Among other historical details, they discuss how the church was broadly criticized as being too inclusive in its early years—not white enough. This became a factor in Brigham Young’s 1852 decision to ban Black people from the priesthood and temple.
They also explore some of the explanations that developed in the church to explain the ban during its 126 year duration—and how each of these explanations have since been rejected and disavowed by the church.
We think this is an incredibly important and insightful episode. We suspect you’ll enjoy it.
136. Let Me Drown with Moses — A Conversation with James Goldberg
135. Imagining a Four-Stage Church — A Conversation with Patrick Mason
134. Do I Stay Christian? — A Conversation with Brian McLaren
133. The Love Map — A Conversation with Carol Lynn Pearson
132. History and Faith — A Conversation with David Holland
131. The Burning Book — A Conversation with Jason Olson
130. Original Grace — A Conversation with Adam Miller
129. The Early Christian World — A Conversation with Laura Nasralla
Remembering Kate Holbrook
128. Relentless Hope: The Chiou Family Story —Sam Chiou, Mindy Chiou, and Julia Chiou Knutson
127. Mind, Matter, and Spirit — A Conversation with Michael Ferguson
126. Lift and Love — A Conversation with Allison Dayton
125. Proving Polarities — A Conversation with Jared Halverson
124. Getting Real About Missionary Work — A Conversation with Jeff Strong
123. Behind the Scenes at Faith Matters — Bill Turnbull, Aubrey Chaves, Tim Chaves, and Zach Davis
122. Under the Banner — A Conversation with McKay Coppins and Patrick Mason
121. Hope and Healing in a Time of Crisis: A Conversation with Anne Snyder
120. The Law of Love — A Conversation with Steve Young
119. Is God Alive in Cambridge? — A Conversation with Noah Feldman
118. The End of Roe v. Wade? — With Sherif Gergis, Jenet Erickson, and Justin Collings
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