Season 3 Episode 4 of the Scholars & Saints Podcast Now Available

Nicholas Shrum talks about the latest Joseph Smith biography with author John G. Turner

The third season of Scholars & Saints continues! Host Nicholas Shrum (PhD Student in American Religions at the University of Virginia), continues to explore some of the most pressing issues, unique histories, and cutting-edge methods in Mormon Studies.

Season 3 Episode 4 – A Biographical Look at Joseph Smith (feat. John G. Turner)

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.

What is Scholars and Saints?

Scholars & Saints is the official podcast of the University of Virginia’s Mormon Studies program, housed in the Department of Religious Studies. Scholars & Saints is a venue of public scholarship that promotes respectful dialogue about Latter-day Saint traditions among laypersons and academics. On this podcast, we dive into the academic study of Mormonism, engage recent and classic scholarship, interview prominent and up-and-coming thinkers in the field and reflect on Mormonism’s relevance to the broader study of religion.

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