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 Washing￾ton, D.C. Between 1990 and 2002, he served as chief historian of the Na￾tional Aeronautics and Space Administration. His works in the history of Mormonism include Joseph Smith III: Pragmatic Prophet (1988); Differing Vi￾sions: 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 Revis￾ited: 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

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A Prophet’s Progress: The Personal Writings of Joseph Smith

Articles/Essays – Volume 22, No. 2

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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

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Affidavits Revisited: Joseph Smith’s New York Reputation Reexamined by Rodger I. Anderson

Articles/Essays – Volume 24, No. 2

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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

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The “New Social History” and the “New Mormon History”: Reflections on Recent Trends

Articles/Essays – Volume 27, No. 1

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Coming of Age? The Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in the 1960s

Articles/Essays – Volume 28, No. 2

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Pretender to the Throne? R.C. Evans and the Problem of Presidential Succession in the Reorganization

Articles/Essays – Volume 30, No. 2

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The Reorganized Church, the Decade of Decision, and the Abilene Paradox

Articles/Essays – Volume 31, No. 1

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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.