Date
12-19-2023
Department
College of Arts and Sciences
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in History (PhD)
Chair
Thomas Upchurch
Keywords
Mormonism, Race, Priesthood, Charisma, Weber, Authority, Routinization, Religion, Christianity, Joseph, Smith, Brigham, Young, Elijah, Able, Jane, Manning, James, Wayne, Denton, Ban
Disciplines
History | Sociology
Recommended Citation
Denton, Wayne A., "A Brief History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints with Emphasis on the Charismatic Roots of the Race-Based Priesthood Denial" (2023). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 5105.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/5105
Abstract
This dissertation provides an overview of the history of race relations and the evolution of authority in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). It traces the early charismatic leadership of Joseph Smith and his liberal racial views, which increased tension between the LDS church and broader American society. After Smith's death, Brigham Young instituted racist policies like slavery in Utah and a priesthood ban for black members to reduce tensions. In the Progressive Era, LDS scholars theologically entrenched the priesthood ban despite their progressive leanings. A push towards correlation and centralized control of doctrine in the twentieth century led to whitewashing of problematic racial history in church curriculum. The dissertation examines the tensions that ultimately forced church leaders to lift the priesthood ban in 1978 as an assimilation effort, though correlated church materials continued to avoid transparent discussions of the topic. Overall, it argues declining charismatic authority and increased bureaucratization in the LDS church hierarchical structure dictated the proliferation of the priesthood ban for 126 years.
