Sunstone Mormon History Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Episode 19A: Part One: More Episodes Than One Dec 13, 2019

Show notes

The history of polygamy is long and discursive so we try to break it down for you in this two-part episode. Listen to Lindsay and Bryan give an overview of Mormon polygamy and discuss the history of its origins to today. This episode also features and interview with Randy Barlow, an expert on priesthood authority …

Episode 18: Translate Like an Egyptian Nov 13, 2019

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Joseph Smith’s Book of Abraham project was just the tip of the capstone when it came to his engagement on Egyptian lore and artifacts. Join Lindsay, Bryan and Christopher as they discuss the Book of Abraham translation and Joseph Smith’s fascination with ancient antiquity. Listen to this episode here.

Episode 17: Boys and Bayonets Oct 25, 2019

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Missouri would be a tough time for Mormons and Gentiles alike. How did the conflict get started? How did violence change the landscape of Zion? Check out this episode with Bryan Buchanan, Lindsay Hansen Park and Christopher C. Smith about Zion’s Camp and more. Listen to this episode here.

Episode 15: Words on the Words of Wisdom Sep 27, 2019

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There’s a lot to be said about the Mormon “health code,” the Word of Wisdom. Tune in to hear Lindsay Hansen Park, Bryan Buchanan and Christopher C. Smith join with researchers and historians Clair Barrus and Joe Geisner to better understand the history of Mormonism’s most talked about commandment, er, revelation, er, suggestion. You get …

Episode 14: Translating the Joseph Smith Translation Sep 13, 2019

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What’s the deal with the Joseph Smith translation of the Bible? In this episode, Bryan, Lindsay, and Christopher explore what Joseph Smith did and what he might have been trying to accomplish when he attempted his own translation of the Old and New Testaments. Listen to this episode here.

Episode 13: Early Black Mormons Aug 30, 2019

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Mormonism isn’t always known for its diversity, especially in its beginnings on the edge of the frontier. This episode will discuss some of the early black Latter-day Saints who joined the movement with help from Mica McGriggs, Darius Gray, and Christopher C. Smith. Listen to this episode here.

Episode 12: Crazy For Kirtland Aug 17, 2019

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Mormonism’s earliest converts weren’t always the straight-laced, pious pioneers we sometimes remember them as. As this episode will demonstrate, early Kirtland was a wild, wild time. Join Lindsay Hansen Park and Bryan Buchanan as they talk about early ecstatic Kirtland, the Smith entheogenic theory with Bryce Blakenagel, and the Morley Farm. Listen to this episode …

Episode 11: An Episode Full of Females Jul 20, 2019

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What attracted women to the early Mormon church? Podcast hosts Lindsay Hansen Park and Bryan Buchanan dig into this question and ask historians Brittany Chapman Nash and Christopher C. Smith to help shed light on who these early Mormon women converts were. Special thanks to Grace Pool and TheBurningBosom and Sister Jensen on Youtube. …

Episode 10: Restoring What Was Lost: Priesthood Restoration Narratives Jul 05, 2019

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Exactly how was Christ’s Priesthood restored in the mind of Latter-day Saints? That question isn’t easily answered. Bryan Buchanan and Lindsay Hansen Park bring on Mormon historians Dan Vogel and Christopher C. Smith to give it a try. Listen to this episode here.

Episode 9: Straight Outta New York Jun 23, 2019

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The Mormon movement was seeded in New York and spread throughout the United States. Why New York? How did the geography surrounding Mormonism impact the doctrine, culture, and belief? How did white settler narratives impact the Book of Mormon? Bryan Buchanan and Lindsay Hansen Park explore these ideas with help from Mormon scholars Cristina Rosetti …