“When Souls had Wings:

 Preexistence in Western Thought” 

Oxford, 2009

If there is one assertion that every disgruntled mortal seems safe in making, it is the petulant insistence that we didn’t ask to be born. Birth has, in the West at least, usually been seen as the result of forces that operate entirely independently of what those forces produce. Whether engendered by spontaneous passion or parental planning, and viewed as the consequence of biological laws or a divine procreative power—it has seemed self-evident to generation after generation of humanity that newborns are the passive objects of another’s will, springing into being at their behest—or careless instigation—set “naked and helpless on the shore of this great ocean, the world.”

But there is another possibility that has erupted into consciousness—and into theological, philosophical, and literary expression—throughout history and across cultures. This study examines a wide range of speculative literature ranging from Platonic texts to early Christian variations to Romantic preoccupation with the theme and modern poetry by Robert Frost. Along the way, I explore the meaning such belief may have for theories of human nature, freedom of the will, and the sovereignty of God.

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"Parley Parker Pratt: The St. Paul of Mormonism "

Oxford, 2011 (projected) 

(with Matthew Grow )

 After Joseph Smith and Brigham Young, Parley P. Pratt is the most influential figure in shaping early Mormonism. That influence was felt across an astounding spectrum: Pratt excelled as a missionary, hymnist, satirist, autobiographer, historian, and theologian. Long well-known among Mormons due to his perennially published and highly readable autobiography, Pratt has never received the scholarly biography that has long been overdue. His autobiography is a highly selective, posthumous publication, neglects in any case significant engagement with his intellectual and artistic contributions, and provides negligible cultural context. Pratt’s writings are extensive, and he both organized and extended much of Joseph Smith’s foundational theology. Aside from his profound influence on Mormon thought, Pratt’s life was intrinsically fascinating: He was married to 12 wives, served several missions domestically and abroad, and died a violent death under circumstances that are still disputed.