Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
This handbook explores contemporary Mormonism from a global perspective. The authors provide a nuanced picture of a historically American religion in the throes of the same kinds of global change that many conservative faith traditions face today. While some attention is given to Mormon groups other than the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the primary focus of the volume is on how the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has penetrated national and cultural boundaries in Latin America, Oceania, Europe, Asia, and Africa, as well as in North America beyond the borders of Utah. They also address numerous concerns within a multinational, multicultural church: What does it mean to be a Latter-day Saint in different world regions? What is the faith's appeal to converts in these places? What are the peculiar problems for members who must manage Mormon identities in conjunction with their different national, cultural, and ethnic identities? How are leaders dealing with such issues as the status of women in a patriarchal church, the treatment of LGBTQ members, increasing disaffiliation of young people, and decreasing growth rates in North and Latin America while sustaining increasing growth in parts of Asia and Africa?
Synopsis
I. Foundations of a New Religious Tradition
1. Global Mormonism: An Historical Overview
Colleen McDannell
2. The Evolving Ecclesiastical Organization of an International Lay Church
Gregory A. Prince
3. The Gathering of Scattered Israel: The Missionary Enterprise of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Ronald E. Bartholomew
4. Geographical Dispersion and Growth Patterns of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints since World War II
Samuel M. Otterstrom and Brandon S. Plewe
II. Contemporary Concerns and Issues Facing an International Church
5. Pulling toward Zion: Mormonism in its Global Dimensions
Laurie F. Maffly-Kipp
6. The Dynamics of LDS Growth in the Twenty-First Century
David G. Stewart, Jr.
7. Vestige of Zion: Mormonism in Utah
Rick Phillips
8. Gender, Belief Level, and Priesthood Authority in the LDS Church
Nancy Ross and Jessica Duckett Finnigan
9. Framing Eternal Sexual Identity in a Shifting Cultural Landscape
Laura Vance and Scott Vance
10. Changing Religious and Social Attitudes of Mormon Millennials in Contemporary American Society
Benjamin R. Knoll and Jana Riess
III. Living Global Mormonism
11. Mormons in North America, Latin America, the South Pacific, Europe, Africa, and Asia: An Overview
Matthew Martinich
12. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Canada: Historical Milestones, Contemporary Conversations from a Feminist Perspective
Christine L. Cusack
13. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Mexico
Rex Eugene Cooper and Moroni Spencer Hern ndez de Olarte
14. Mormons in Peru: Building Temples with Sacred Cornerstones and Holy Drywall
Jason Palmer and David C. Knowlton
15. An Oak Tree Bearing Fruits Internationally: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Brazil
Marcus H. Martins
16. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Islands of the Pacific
Riley M. Moffat and Fred E. Woods
17. Lands of Contrast: Mormons in New Zealand/Aotearoa and Australia
Ian G. Barber
18. Contemporary Issues for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Ireland and the United Kingdom
Alison Halford and Hazel O' Brien
19. Persisting in a Secular Environment: Mormonism in the Low Countries
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