Mormonism and Peacebuilding: A Conversation with Patrick Mason

In the inaugural episode of Dialogue Unbound, co-editors Caroline Kline and Margaret Olsen Hemming sit down with scholar Patrick Mason to explore what Mormon theology has to say about peace and peacemaking in our turbulent world.
Patrick is the Leonard J. Arrington Chair of Mormon History and Culture at Utah State University and the author of several books, including Proclaim Peace: The Restoration’s Answer to an Age of Conflict. His scholarship on peacebuilding began with his influential Dialogue article, “The Possibilities of Mormon Peacebuilding” (Spring 2004), which has shaped conversations on Latter-day Saint approaches to conflict and reconciliation for the past two decades.
As Dialogue celebrates its 60th anniversary, Dialogue Unbound revisits classic articles from the journal’s archives, bringing them into conversation with current events and contemporary Mormon thought. In this discussion, Patrick reflects on how Mormon discourse around peace has evolved, the theological foundations of peacemaking, and the practical ways ordinary people can foster peace in their own communities.
Caroline and Margaret also share their own insights from the interview, including the reminder that a Mormon ethic of peace must begin with recognizing the humanity of all people—even those on the “other side.”
✨ Subscribe to Dialogue Unbound for thoughtful conversations at the intersection of Mormonism and the world today. For more, visit dialoguejournal.com.