© Columbia University Press
Believing History: Latter-day Saint Essays
Paper, 312 pages,
ISBN: 978-0-231-13007-3
$26.00
May, 2004
Cloth, 312 pages,
ISBN: 978-0-231-13006-6
$75.00
"Probably the greatest scholar who happens to be a Latter-day Saint, Richard L. Bushman is a historian of exceptional accomplishment. . . . A careful scholar, he has always balanced the academic with the religious." — Dennis Lythgoe, Deseret Morning News
"Over against the diffidence of evangelical historians, who may sometimes say too little in what they write, Bushman's essays are refreshingly bold." — Elesha Coffman, Christian Review
"17 thoughtful personal and scholarily essays." — Richard H. Cracroft, BYU Magazine
"This volume represents a significant contribution... The depth and quality of these essays affirm Bushman's status as the most articulate scholar defending the traditional interpretation of early Mormon origins." — Newell G. Bringhurst, Journal of Mormon History
"These essays strike at the tension between the seemingly incompatible views of the believing Mormon in the unbelieving world... Informative and revealing." — Byron C. Smith, Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought
"Reflecting a long career, these addresses and critical studies showcase Bushman's skill as a historian. As 'Mormon essays' they also highlight tensions a distinguished practitioner experiences studying his own faith. Rich and rewarding for scholars and lay folk alike." — John F. Wilson, Collord Professor of Religion emeritus, Princeton University
University
"Believing History is an unparalleled compilation of essays capping three decades of Mormon scholarship by one of the country's top American historians. Richard Bushman exemplifies the historian's goal of understanding a subject matter on its own terms, without compromising his own Mormon faith. The result is an impressive achievement of interest to both Mormon and non-Mormon readers seeking a further understanding of America's greatest religious success story." — Harry S. Stout, Jonathan Edwards Professor of American Religious History, Yale University
"Classic Bushman throughout: erudite, elegant, witty, and unassuming. Others have illumined the complexities of American religious history, and still others have defended the credibility of Christian faith in the modern (and postmodern) world. But few have equaled, and none has surpassed, Bushman's ability to do both at once, cogently, and with the excitement of a conversation very much in process. Non-Mormon academics sometimes have said that the LDS tradition is still young enough to feel a need to justify itself historically. These essays suggest that the opposite may be true. In Bushman's hands LDS scholarship displays the wisdom of a traditiongracefully come of age: intelligently at ease with itself in a strangely non-believing culture." — Grant Wacker, Duke University