200 years later, Joseph Smith, Jr. continues to draw popular and scholarly interest within the American imagination. But how can modern historians navigate diverse and controversial religious perspectives to offer a fair record of such a man's life?

John G. Turner, Professor and Chair of Religious Studies at George Mason University, is the latest historian to undertake such an endeavor in his 2025 biography, Joseph Smith: The Rise and Fall of an American Prophet (Yale University Press). Dr. Turner sits down with host Nicholas Shrum on today's episode of Scholars and Saints to discuss his methodological approaches to studying Joseph Smith outside of denominational polemics. He also analyzes key moments in Smith's life and the lasting legacies they have left for America's religious and political conscience.

To find out more about Dr. Turner, click here.

In a world where new forms of media have enabled the artistic expression of numerous cultures and experiences, the question must be asked: how do the millions of Latter-day Saints around the globe define themselves artistically?

This question is tackled by many Mormon Studies scholars in the 2024 book, Latter-day Saint Art: A Critical Reader. The book's editors, Mason Allred and Amanda Beardsley, sit down with host Nicholas Shrum for this episode of Scholars & Saints. Together, they discuss the diverse nature of global Latter-day Saint paintings, film, architecture, and other visual media. They also examine the universal themes that arise in this artwork—themes that relate to broader Mormon experiences. While they don't wish to create a canon of Latter-day Saint art, both Allred and Beardsley discuss the impact they hope this book will have as the first critical treatment of Mormon works of art.

Mason Allred is the Associate Professor of Communcation, Media, and Culture at Brigham Young University-Hawaii.

Amanda Beardsley is the Cayleff and Sakai Faculty Scholar in Women's Studies at San Diego State University.

Mormonism has been stereotypically conceived of as a patriarchal, heteronormative religion, from its past polygamy to its male-only priesthood. But what happens if you apply a queer studies lens to the faith?

This task was taken up by Kalamazoo College's Chair of Religion Taylor G. Petrey in his recent book, Queering Kinship in the Mormon Cosmos. On today's episode of Scholars & Saints, Dr. Petrey discusses the results of such an analysis with host Nicholas Shrum, focusing particularly on deep relationships of care known as kinship. From considering the gendered inter-relations of the Godhead to the role of Heavenly Mother, Dr. Petrey seeks to open up the world of Mormon theology to consider new cosmologies for underrepresented people groups.

To find out more about Dr. Petrey and his upcoming projects, click here.