Thunder from the Proper: Ezra Taft Benson in Mormonism and Politics

Ezra Taft Benson’s ultra-conservative imaginative and prescient made him one of the polarizing leaders within the historical past of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His willingness to combine faith with excessive right-wing politics troubled many. But his fierce protection of the standard household, unabashed love of nation, and deep data of the religion endeared him to thousands and thousands. In Thunder from the Proper, a gaggle of veteran Mormon students probe points of Benson’s extraordinary life. Subjects embrace: how Benson’s views influenced his actions as Secretary of Agriculture within the Eisenhower Administration; his dedication to the conservative motion, from alliances with Barry Goldwater and the John Birch Society to his condemnation of the civil rights motion as a communist entrance; how his idea of the principal of free company grew to become central to Mormon theology; his advocacy of conventional gender roles as a counterbalance to liberalism; and the occasions and implications of Benson’s time period as Church president. Contributors: Gary James Bergera, Matthew Bowman, Newell G. Bringhurst, Brian Q. Cannon, Robert A. Goldberg, Matthew L. Harris, J. B. Haws, and Andrea G. Radke-Moss