BOOK REVIEW
The Palgrave Handbook of Global Mormonism
by R. Gordon Shepherd (Editor), A. Gary Shepherd (Editor), Ryan T. Cragun (Editor) 2020
About the Book
This handbook explores contemporary Mormonism within a global context. The authors provide a nuanced picture of a historically American religion in the throes of the same kinds of global change that virtually every conservative faith tradition faces today. They explain where and 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 Mormon 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?
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Endorsements
“In the decades after World War II, the LDS Church grew from an American religion to a worldwide faith. This handbook tells this story in 31 accessible, deeply-researched chapters. Explaining how the Church has changed and what lies ahead, the handbook’s authors provide an invaluable resource to students and scholars of Mormonism, global religion, and religious change.” (Diane Winston, Knight Chair in Media and Religion, Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, University of Southern California, USA)
“The spread of the churches of the Mormon tradition beyond North America is the most pressing issue confronting these faiths today, and a potentially transformative process at every level, from institutional policy to member practice. As an evaluation of the issues at stake this book leaves no stone unturned. It will be vital not only to scholars in the field, but to anybody interested in the fate of religion in an increasingly globalized world.” (Matthew Bowman, Associate Professor of History and Religion, Howard W. Hunter Chair of Mormon Studies, Claremont Graduate University, USA)
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