The Joseph Smith Podcast

Welcome back to part 16 of our Joseph Smith Podcast with Dr. John G. Turner! In this episode, we cover chapter fifteen of John Turner’s new book titled “Joseph Smith: The Rise and Fall of an American Prophet” which covers 1834-1835 in Kirtland, Ohio and parts of Missouri. We discuss the rise of patriarchal blessings, the creation of new church offices –like the Twelve and the Seventy. We also disc...

We are back again with Dr. John Turner in part 15 of the Joseph Smith Podcast, covering his new book “Joseph Smith: The Rise and Fall of an American Prophet.” Join us as we explore the dramatic events of 1834 when Joseph Smith led Zion’s Camp, from Kirtland, Ohio to Clay County, Missouri. This episode dives deep into the historical and spiritual implications of Zion’s Camp –including Joseph Smith’...

We are here today with part fourteen of our Joseph Smith: The Podcast series with Dr. John Turner. Today we are continuing on with chapter thirteen of his new book “Joseph Smith: The Rise and Fall of an American Prophet.” The chapter is titled “Zion is Fled” and covers the years 1883-1834 in Missouri. In this episode we explore one of the most turbulent periods in early Mormon history. We dive int...

Welcome to another episode with Dr. John Turner as we cover his new book “Joseph Smith: The Rise and Fall of an American Prophet.” Today we are covering chapter thirteen titled “Zion is Fled” that covers 1833-1834 in Kirtland, Ohio. We answer important questions like: What is the importance of scriptures and what does that mean for this religious movement? Is Joseph Smith credible as a prophet, se...

We are back with Chapter Twelve of John Turner’s new book “Joseph Smith: The Rise and Fall of an American Prophet.” Today we are covering Chapter Twelve which is titled: “Olive Leaves” that covers the years 1832-1833 in Kirtland, Ohio. We tackle topics like the excommunication of Jesse Gause, one of the first General Authorities and other conflicts between the Mormon leaders. We also answer questi...

We are back again with historian Dr. John Turner to explore Chapter Eleven of his new book Joseph Smith: The Rise and Fall of an American Prophet. The chapter is titled “Pure Language” and covers the years 1831-1832 in Kirtland, Ohio. Turner discusses the stories of healing on the part of Joseph Smith, the controversy surrounding the publishing of the Book of Commandments as well as some of the me...

Welcome to part ten of the Joseph Smith Podcast! We welcome back Dr. John Turner who is here to discuss chapter ten of his new book Joseph Smith: The Rise and Fall of an American Prophet. Chapter ten covers the 1832 time frame in Independence, Missouri.  Turner answers questions like: Where did Joseph Smith get the idea of a New Jerusalem? Where did Joseph Smith get the idea of temples? Did Joseph...

Welcome to another episode with Dr. John Turner! Today we are covering Chapter Nine of his new book “Joseph Smith: The Rise and Fall of an American Prophet." Chapter nine is titled “Flying High” and covers the year 1831 which mostly took place in Kirtland for Joseph Smith and the early Saints. Topics include:-Comments from listeners on this podcast series-Why Joseph Smith didn’t preach from t...

In this episode, we dive into Chapter Eight of Joseph Smith: The Rise and Fall of an American Prophet by John G. Turner. The chapter is titled “Enoch” which focuses on the fall of 1830 through the move to Kirtland, Ohio in 1831. We explore major challenges to Joseph Smith’s authority, including Hiram Page’s seer stone revelations and Oliver Cowdery’s pushback on church governance. Why did Joseph s...

In this episode, we dive into Chapter Seven of Joseph Smith: The Rise and Fall of an American Prophet by John G. Turner. The chapter is titled “Moses” and covers the 1830 period and the transition from New York to Kirtland, Ohio. We explore early public criticism of Joseph Smith by figures like Abner Cole, the satirical Book of Pukei, and Luman Walters' possible influence. We also examine Jose...

Welcome back to part six of the Joseph Smith Podcast where we are covering Dr. John Turner’s new book “Joseph Smith: The Rise and Fall of an American Prophet.” Today we are diving into Chapter Six titled “A Choice Seer” which continues to discuss the 1829 period in Palmyra, New York. This episode explores the controversies surrounding the Book of Mormon—its origins, witnesses, and textual issues....

In this episode, we continue our in-depth series with historian John G. Turner, author of Joseph Smith: The Rise and Fall of an American Prophet. Continuing with chapter five of his book which takes place in 1829 in Palmyra, New York, we take a deep dive into the claims of the Three and Eight Witnesses to the golden plates. Did they actually see physical plates—or was it a visionary experience? We...

In Part 4 of our deep-dive podcast series with historian Dr. John G. Turner, we explore one of the most debated questions in Latter-day Saint history: Did Joseph Smith actually use the golden plates to translate the Book of Mormon? This episode covers Chapter Five in John G. Turner’s new book titled Joseph Smith: The Rise and Fall of an American Prophet. Chapter Five deals with the three and eight...

Welcome to part three of the Joseph Smith Podcast! Today we are back with Dr. John Turner to cover his new book “Joseph Smith: The Rise and Fall of an American Prophet.” Today we are covering Chapter Four titled: Lost in Translation which takes place in 1827-1829 in Palmyra, New York. In this episode, we explore one of the most pivotal and mysterious events in early Mormon history — the story of M...

In this second episode exploring the new book “Joseph Smith: The Rise and Fall of an American Prophet” by John G. Turner, we dive into chapters two and three. Chapter Two titled “Light” covers the years 1817-1825. We discuss such topics as Joseph Smith's evolving accounts of the First Vision, early controversies, treasure digging escapades, and his transformation into a religious leader. We discus...

We're kicking off this brand-new series with special guest John G. Turner, historian and author of the newly released book Joseph Smith: The Rise and Fall of an American Prophet. In this episode, we dive into Turner's research process, the inspirations behind the book, and how his work compares to previous scholars like Fawn Brodie and Richard Bushman. We discuss the Introduction and Chapter One o...