Article
“Things Which Are Abroad”: Latter-day Saints and Foreign Affairs

Patrick Moran

Patrick Moran discusses the involvement of Latter-day Saints in foreign affairs. Beginning with the influence of J. Reuben Clark, he traces the development of Latter-day Saint thought in response to major historical events including the Cold War and the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Moran then focuses on the experience of contemporary Latter-day Saints involved in the world of foreign policy, an area of government service that has attracted a large number of Church members. He examines the contributions these members make as well as the challenges they face.

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History

Joseph Smith’s Iowa Quest for Legal Assistance: His Letters to Edward Johnstone and Others on Sunday, June 23, 1844

John W. Welch

On June 23, 1844, Joseph and Hyrum Smith left Nauvoo, Illinois, shortly after midnight and rowed across the Mississippi River to Iowa Territory. They knew they were about to be arrested by Illinois authorities who would take them to Carthage. Records indicate that they were considering their options: submit to being arrested, flee to the west, head east to Washington for help, or possibly other actions. While they were on the west side of the river, Joseph wrote to lawyers, asking for their legal assistance. Hoping that legal assistance would get them a fair trial, they decided to submit to arrest and returned to Nauvoo. They were arrested on June 24 and were murdered in Carthage Jail on June 27. This article by John W. Welch shares many details about the difficulties the two brothers faced as they made their fateful decision.

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Come, Follow Me

1 Kings 17–19

“If the Lord Be God, Follow Him”

Elijah Reviving the Son of the Widow of Zarephath by Louis Hersent

Elijah the prophet served in a time of turmoil. In his service to God, he caused a famine to come upon the land because of the disobedience of the kings and the people. He performed miracles and stood bravely against the king’s prophets of Baal. He heard the Lord in a still, small voice. He anointed Elisha as a prophet and placed his mantle on Elisha. He later appeared on the Mount of Transfiguration to Peter, James, and John, and he restored the sealing keys to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery at the Kirtland Temple. Because of this sealing power, we can be sealed to others throughout eternity.

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Book Review
The Saints and the State: The Mormon Troubles in Illinois

Brent M. Rogers

The Saints and the State offers a more complete, albeit complicated and theoretically heavy portrait of the Latter-day Saint experience at Nauvoo, helping readers understand the political theories and philosophies that drove decisions and actions by Joseph Smith, Thomas Ford, and Thomas Sharp.

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Joseph Smith Papers
Documents, Volume 13 Released

The Church Historian’s Press announced the release of the latest volume of The Joseph Smith Papers. Documents, Volume 13 includes documents from August through December 1843 and details Joseph Smith’s ongoing efforts to lead, teach, and minister to the growing number of Latter-day Saints in the United States and abroad.

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