The gathering, which runs June 13-16, will bring together a who’s who of Mormon scholars and focus on “living religion” in cities and places so dear to Joseph Smith’s followers.
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) This year’s Mormon History Society conference is scheduled for June 13-16, and its closing prayer meeting will be held inside the Kirtland Temple, a sacred site for Latter-day Saints and Community of Christ members.
| June 7, 2024 12:00 pm
“I lived my religion.”
That’s a phrase you’re likely to hear coming from organizers of this year’s Mormon Historical Society conference. The event, which runs June 13-16, is scheduled to feature many luminaries in Mormon academia and is open to the public. If there was ever a year to book a flight, it’s now, stressed Christine Brice, executive director of the Mormon Historical Society.
The 59th annual conference will be held in Kirtland, Ohio, the former home of church founder Joseph Smith’s early followers, giving attendees a chance to learn about the faith’s history in a place where it is deeply rooted.
That includes the famous Kirtland Temple, built in 1836 and preserved by the Community of Christ for nearly 200 years. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints purchased it earlier this year. A sacred site to both religions, members of the much larger, Utah-based church believe Jesus himself once called to the temple, and the conference will use it for tours and a closing prayer.
“Kirtland belongs to many peoples, not just one,” said Bryce, a Latter-day Saint, “and its importance goes far beyond the 19th century.”
She explained that this year’s gathering is an opportunity for members to come together and think together about what that means.
Historian David Howlett, a member of Community and Christ and president of the MHA, agreed, explaining that “the thought of the temple changing hands still makes me want to cry sometimes.” Still, he said he’s “confident” that fellow Latter-day Saints “will be sensitive” to what this great loss means for their religious community.
(David Howlett) David Howlett is a historian for the Community of Christ, visiting professor of religion at Smith College in Massachusetts, and author of Kirtland Temple: A Biography of Mormon Sacred Space. He serves as president of the MHA.
Kyle McKay, a Latter-day Saint General Authority Seventy and official church historian, will begin the event with an examination of the Kirtland Temple’s past and future.
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) Church historian and recorder, General Authority Seventy Kyle S. McKay, will be introduced at an upcoming Mormon History Society conference.
Gender, race, sexuality, globalization and indigenous issues are all topics that will feature in the conference’s panels and plenary addresses, including a Saturday session titled “The History and Future of Social Justice Interpretations of the Book of Mormon.” There will also be sessions examining fundamentalism, podcasting and politics (separately, that is).
Along with these more modern approaches to religion and history, there will be conversations about how early Book of Mormon believers understood and used the scriptures, the hymns sung by Kirtland church members, and what their leaders believed and taught.
Brice and Howlett said they were especially excited to hear the data report from Latter-day Saint sociologist and Religion News Service columnist Jana Reese, who will present the results of her latest study on “jack Mormons,” or believers on the fringes of the community, on Saturday.
(Jeremy Harmon | The Salt Lake Tribune) 2019 speaker Jana Reese will present some of her latest research on “liminal” Latter-day Saints, also known as “Jack Mormons,” at this year’s MHA conference.
Also of note, they said, was a lecture Saturday on “sacred sexuality” by Robert Orsi, a prominent religion scholar at Northwestern University.
“There’s something for everyone at this conference,” Blythe said.
Those who wish to attend virtually can purchase tickets online ($125 for non-MHA members, $85 for members, and $50 for students). In-person tickets start at $280 per person for non-members.
