Lighthouse: Jerald and Sandra Tanner, Despised and Beloved Critics of Mormonism

by Ronald V. Huggins

Overview

While some may view Jerald and Sandra Tanner only as despised critics of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, it is impossible to trace the course of Mormon history over the past sixty years without acknowledging their contribution. Many both inside and outside of Mormonism respect them for their unflinching quest for truth no matter the cost, as when Jerald declared Mark Hofmann’s notorious Salamander Letter a forgery months before some experts declared it authentic. Their Utah Lighthouse Ministry has operated for decades only blocks from church headquarters, where their many works on Mormonism are still printed and sold. Jerald died in 2006 but Sandra continues to oversee the ministry. 

The Tanners consistently challenged the church’s position on many historical issues. Utah Lighthouse was long the only source for Mormon scholars to obtain crucial historical reprints, which they still happily or begrudgingly purchase; for others, the Tanners’ writings have been the source of disillusionment with the church. Despised or beloved, the influence of Jerald and Sandra Tanner cannot be underestimated or ignored.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781560854500
Publisher:	Signature Books, Incorporated
Publication date:	07/25/2022
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	390
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.30(d)
Age Range:	17 - 18 Years

About the Author

Ronald V. Huggins received his ThD from the University of Toronto/Toronto School of Theology. He taught at Moody Bible Institute Northwest, Salt Lake Theological Seminary, and Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he also served as managing editor of the Midwestern Journal of Theology. He has published in the Journal of Biblical Literature, Novum Testamentum, Ephemerides Theologicae Lovaniensis, and the Westminster Theological Journal. His writings in the fields of world views, psychology, and comparative religion have appeared in The Evangelical Dictionary of World Religions, the Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, The Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies, Phanês: Journal of Jung History Studies, and Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought. He and his wife Marguerite have four children and ten grandchildren.

Table of Contents

Introduction vii

1 Marriage 1

2 Those Who Came Before 9

3 Digging into the Past 37

4 "Dear Friend" 61

5 Questioning the Book of Mormon 73

6 The Struggle to Reprint the Book of Commandments 89

7 Shadow or Reality? 101

8 The First Vision Revisited 121

9 The Book of Abraham and the Egyptian Alphabet 133

10 Dee Jay Nelson and the Joseph Smith Papyri 147

11 Watergate and Wiretapping 165

12 Dr. Clandestine 195

13 Jerald's Other Ministry: The Rescue Mission of Salt Lake 207

14 Race and Priesthood 219

15 Documents and Forgeries 237

16 A Second Front 261

17 "I Just Need Some Rest" 281

18 Lawsuits and Departures 299

19 A New World 317

Epilogue: Friday March 9, 2018 329

Bibliography 333

Index 353