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Contents
CHAPTER 1. THE NEW GOSPEL DISPENSATION
CHAPTER 2. THE CALL OF A MODERN PROPHET
CHAPTER 3. THE NEW WITNESS FOR CHRIST
CHAPTER 4. FOUNDING THE NEW DISPENSATION
CHAPTER 5. THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD RESTORED
CHAPTER 6. THE NATURE AND ORDER OF THE COSMOS
CHAPTER 7. THE PRIMAL NATURE OF MAN
CHAPTER 8. CHRIST'S PATHWAY TO GODHOOD
CHAPTER 9. THE MINISTRY OF CHRIST AS THE FATHER AND THE SON
CHAPTER 10. MANIFESTATIONS OF THE GLORY AND POWER OF CHRIST
CHAPTER 11. PREPARATIONS FOR MAN'S SECOND ESTATE
CHAPTER 12. BASIC CONCEPTS IN THE CREATION STORY
CHAPTER 13. THE SEVEN DAYS OF CREATION
CHAPTER 14. THE FALL OF MAN
CHAPTER 15. THE ATONING MISSION OF JESUS CHRIST
CHAPTER 16. THE POWER OF THE ATONEMENT
CHAPTER 17. THE NATURE AND CHALLENGE OF MORTAL MAN
Preface
This study is an effort to analyze the total spectrum of Joseph Smith's thought as expressed in his teachings and in the teachings of men who were taught personally by him or who had first-hand information of what he taught. Since it is a study of early Latter-day Saint thought, I have limited the sources which I have used primarily to those which record the teachings of the Prophet and his associates. Such a study has never before been undertaken; and the publication of this volume, the first of a series of four, is the climax of years of research and discussion. After serving as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the East Central States Mission from 1947 to 1949, where I wrote and introduced a mission proselyting plan, I taught as a student instructor in religion at Ricks College, from 1949 to 1951. During these years at Ricks I was challenged to show how the plan of life set forth by Joseph Smith proposed to give solution to the social, economic, and political problems of man. This challenge caused me to broaden my scope of interest in the gospel; and when I continued my studies at Brigham Young University, I centered my attention upon both political and religious thought. My master's thesis was written on the subject "World Government Envisioned in the Latter-day Saint City of Zion." I give special thanks to Professors William C. Carr and Sidney B. Sperry, my graduate committee, for directing me in this study. At Syracuse University, where I received a Doctor of Social Science degree, my interest in the social, economic, and political aspects of early Latter-day Saint thought continued; and in 1955, I wrote my doctoral dissertation on "Joseph Smith, Social Philosopher, Theorist, and Prophet." I am particularly indebted to Dr. Marguerite J. Fisher for her assistance and support in this study; also Dr. William P. Hotchkiss and Dr. Michael O. Sawyer.
In returning to Ricks College as Director of Religions Studies, I continued my interest and research; after joining the faculty of Brigham Young University in the fall of 1956. I began to discuss Joseph Smith's social, economic, and political thought in classes and in special lectures. As an outgrowth of these discussions and lectures, I wrote Joseph Smith and World Government in 1958, a pioneer study of the Prophet's views on the subject and the influence of his ideas in the westward move of the Saints to the Great Salt Lake Basin. Since then my desire to write a comprehensive work on Joseph Smith's vision of the Kingdom of God and its relationship to the anticipated reign of Christ on earth has increased. The four volumes in this study will be the realization of that objective.
Materials for this work have been gathered from many libraries throughout the United States: The New York Public Library, Library of Congress, Chicago Historical Society, Huntington Library, Library of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Independence, Mo., and Utah Historical Society. For source material, I am particularly indebted to the Church Historian's Library at Salt Lake City where I have spent three summers and many less extended periods in research. The Latter-day Saint collection at Brigham Young University has also been extremely helpful. Special thanks are given to Brigham Young University for two major grants to assist me in my study, and to the Brigham Young University Alumni Association for selecting me as a recipient of the Karl G. Maeser Research Award in 1967. Financial assistance given in conjunction with this award has been used to make the final preparations for publishing this volume.
Special thanks are given to William E. Berrett, Administrator of the Seminaries and Institutes of Religion, Dr. Chauncey C. Riddle, Chairman of the Department of Graduate Studies in Religious Instruction at Brigham Young University, and Dr. Richard L. Anderson, Professor of History and Scripture at Brigham Young University for helpful suggestions which they made concerning the manuscript of this volume. Dr. Milton V. Backman and Ruth Shinsel contributed helpful material. Professor Ralph A. Britsch and Dr. Soren F. Cox of the Department of English gave valuable assistance by reading the manuscript and checking its style and grammar. Finally, I am greatly indebted to my wife, Helen Mae, for her patient and intelligent assistance over the years in the work of preparing this manuscript for publication.
In this work it is my endeavor to present Joseph Smith's thought in the depth and breadth that evidence makes possible. Where conclusive evidence is lacking on a given point, I have indicated this fact by qualifying my conclusions on the subject. Although others have read the manuscript and offered helpful suggestions, I alone am responsible for the views expressed in this volume and for the conclusions that have been drawn from the sources quoted.