
Roger D. Launius
ROGER D. LAUNIUS is chair of the Division of Space History at the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. Between 1990 and 2002, he served as chief historian of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. His works in the history of Mormonism include Joseph Smith III: Pragmatic Prophet (1988); Differing Visions: Dissenters in Mormon History, co-edited with Linda Thatcher (1994); Cultures in Conflict: A Documentary History of the Mormon War in Illinois, co-edited with John E. Hallwas (1995); and Kingdom on the Mississippi Revisited: Nauvoo in Mormon History (1996), co-edited with John E. Hallwas.
Methods and Motives: Joseph Smith III’s Opposition to Polygamy, 1860-90
Articles/Essays – Volume 20, No. 4
A Prophet’s Progress: The Personal Writings of Joseph Smith
Articles/Essays – Volume 22, No. 2
An Ambivalent Rejection: Baptism for the Dead and the Reorganized Church Experience
Articles/Essays – Volume 23, No. 2
Dialogue 23.2 (1990): 61–83
Launius shares how the Reorganized Church has changed their stance on baptisms for the dead.
The Papers of the Prophet: The Papers of Joseph Smith: Volume 1, Autobiographical and Historical Writings
Articles/Essays – Volume 23, No. 3
Affidavits Revisited: Joseph Smith’s New York Reputation Reexamined by Rodger I. Anderson
Articles/Essays – Volume 24, No. 2
Is There a New Mormon History?: The New Mormon History: Revisionist Essays on the Past edited by D. Michael Quinn
Articles/Essays – Volume 25, No. 4
The “New Social History” and the “New Mormon History”: Reflections on Recent Trends
Articles/Essays – Volume 27, No. 1
Coming of Age? The Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in the 1960s
Articles/Essays – Volume 28, No. 2
Pretender to the Throne? R.C. Evans and the Problem of Presidential Succession in the Reorganization
Articles/Essays – Volume 30, No. 2
The Reorganized Church, the Decade of Decision, and the Abilene Paradox
Articles/Essays – Volume 31, No. 1
Is Joseph Smith Relevant to the Community of Christ?
Articles/Essays – Volume 39, No. 4
Dialogue 39.4 (Winter 2006): 58–67
I spoke as a member of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints/Community of Christ. As a result, I had a decidedly different perspective on Joseph Smith than my co-panelists.