Philip Barlow
Encyclopedia
Philip Layton Barlow is a Harvard-trained scholar who specializes in American Religious History, religious geography, and Mormonism
. In 2007 he became the country’s first full-time professor of Mormon studies at a secular university by being appointed as the Leonard J. Arrington
Chair of Mormon History and Culture at Utah State University
.
. In 1975, he graduated with a B.A. in History from Weber State College. In 1980 and 1988, respectively, he received his Masters in Theological Studies and Doctorate of Theology (Th.D.) from the Harvard Divinity School
. While in the Boston area, Barlow taught at the local LDS Institute of Religion
. Following the completion of his education, he served in consecutive years as a Mellon Post-doctoral Fellow at the University of Rochester
. Prior to his arrival at Utah State University
, Barlow spent 17 years in the Department of Theological Studies at Hanover College
in Indiana.
and the Bible
: The Place of the Latter-day Saints in American Religion (Oxford, 1991, 1997) analyzed Latter-day Saint uses of the biblical text, including issues revolving around the LDS Church’s official backing of the King James translation. In 1992, the Mormon History Association
awarded the volume its Best First Book Award. His second book, the New Historical Atlas of Religion in America (co-authored with Edwin Scott Gaustad), examined the implications of religion’s connections with “place” and created hundreds of maps portraying the religious composition of the United States over time. The Association of American Publishers named the work the “Best Single-volume Reference Book in the Humanities” for 2001.
has been inaugurated as the Howard W. Hunter Chair of Mormon Studies at Claremont Graduate University
of Religion, Utah Valley University has continued to offer its students a minor in Religious Studies, the University of Utah
has recently followed suit, with both programs showing interest in Mormonism, and the University of Wyoming
is working to gather funds for a professorship in Mormon studies.
, and currently serves on the Boards of Directors for the Society for Mormon Philosophy and Theology and the Dialogue Foundation, on the Steering Committee for the American Academy of Religion
’s new Consultation in Mormon Studies, and as a member of the editorial board of the Intermountain West Journal of Religious Studies.
As Editor:
Mormonism
Mormonism is the religion practiced by Mormons, and is the predominant religious tradition of the Latter Day Saint movement. This movement was founded by Joseph Smith, Jr. beginning in the 1820s as a form of Christian primitivism. During the 1830s and 1840s, Mormonism gradually distinguished itself...
. In 2007 he became the country’s first full-time professor of Mormon studies at a secular university by being appointed as the Leonard J. Arrington
Leonard J. Arrington
Leonard James Arrington was an author, academic and the founder of the Mormon History Association. He is known as the "Dean of Mormon History" and "the Father of Mormon History" because of his many influential contributions to the field.-Biographical background:Arrington was born in Twin Falls,...
Chair of Mormon History and Culture at Utah State University
Utah State University
Utah State University is a public university located in Logan, Utah. It is a land-grant and space-grant institution and is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities....
.
Biography
Barlow was raised in Bountiful, UtahBountiful, Utah
Bountiful is a city in Davis County, Utah, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 42,552, a three percent increase over the 2000 figure of 41,301...
. In 1975, he graduated with a B.A. in History from Weber State College. In 1980 and 1988, respectively, he received his Masters in Theological Studies and Doctorate of Theology (Th.D.) from the Harvard Divinity School
Harvard Divinity School
Harvard Divinity School is one of the constituent schools of Harvard University, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in the United States. The School's mission is to train and educate its students either in the academic study of religion, or for the practice of a religious ministry or other public...
. While in the Boston area, Barlow taught at the local LDS Institute of Religion
Institute of Religion
Institutes of Religion provide religious educational classes for young single adult and university students who belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
. Following the completion of his education, he served in consecutive years as a Mellon Post-doctoral Fellow at the University of Rochester
University of Rochester
The University of Rochester is a private, nonsectarian, research university in Rochester, New York, United States. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees. The university has six schools and various interdisciplinary programs.The...
. Prior to his arrival at Utah State University
Utah State University
Utah State University is a public university located in Logan, Utah. It is a land-grant and space-grant institution and is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities....
, Barlow spent 17 years in the Department of Theological Studies at Hanover College
Hanover College
Hanover College is a private liberal arts college, located in Hanover, Indiana, near the banks of the Ohio River. The college is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church . The college was founded in 1827 by the Rev. John Finley Crowe, making it the oldest private college in Indiana. The Hanover...
in Indiana.
Scholarship
Barlow's research interests have ranged over American religious and historical geography, concepts of “time” in secular and religious society, the problem of suffering and evil, and Mormon theology and practice. Barlow's first book, MormonsMormons
The Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, a religion started by Joseph Smith during the American Second Great Awakening. A vast majority of Mormons are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints while a minority are members of other independent churches....
and the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
: The Place of the Latter-day Saints in American Religion (Oxford, 1991, 1997) analyzed Latter-day Saint uses of the biblical text, including issues revolving around the LDS Church’s official backing of the King James translation. In 1992, the Mormon History Association
Mormon History Association
The Mormon History Association is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to the study and understanding of all aspects of Mormon history to promote understanding, scholarly research, and publication in the field...
awarded the volume its Best First Book Award. His second book, the New Historical Atlas of Religion in America (co-authored with Edwin Scott Gaustad), examined the implications of religion’s connections with “place” and created hundreds of maps portraying the religious composition of the United States over time. The Association of American Publishers named the work the “Best Single-volume Reference Book in the Humanities” for 2001.
The Arrington Chair of Mormon History and Culture
The establishment in 2007 of the Arrington Chair at Utah State University is one prominent symbol of a new era for the study of the Mormon faith in secular higher education. It is part of the new Religious Studies Program at the University, the first program in Utah enabling students to major in religion. Since the establishment in 2007 of the Arrington Chair, Richard BushmanRichard Bushman
Richard Lyman Bushman is an American historian and Gouverneur Morris Professor of History emeritus at Columbia University. He is currently the Howard W. Hunter Visiting Professor in Mormon Studies at Claremont Graduate University...
has been inaugurated as the Howard W. Hunter Chair of Mormon Studies at Claremont Graduate University
Claremont Graduate University
Claremont Graduate University is a private, all-graduate research university located in Claremont, California, a city east of downtown Los Angeles...
of Religion, Utah Valley University has continued to offer its students a minor in Religious Studies, the University of Utah
University of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
has recently followed suit, with both programs showing interest in Mormonism, and the University of Wyoming
University of Wyoming
The University of Wyoming is a land-grant university located in Laramie, Wyoming, situated on Wyoming's high Laramie Plains, at an elevation of 7,200 feet , between the Laramie and Snowy Range mountains. It is known as UW to people close to the university...
is working to gather funds for a professorship in Mormon studies.
Academic service
In 2006, Philip Barlow was President of the Mormon History AssociationMormon History Association
The Mormon History Association is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to the study and understanding of all aspects of Mormon history to promote understanding, scholarly research, and publication in the field...
, and currently serves on the Boards of Directors for the Society for Mormon Philosophy and Theology and the Dialogue Foundation, on the Steering Committee for the American Academy of Religion
American Academy of Religion
The American Academy of Religion is the world's largest association of scholars in the field of religious studies and related topics. It is a nonprofit member association,...
’s new Consultation in Mormon Studies, and as a member of the editorial board of the Intermountain West Journal of Religious Studies.
Publications
As Author:- New Historical Atlas of Religion in America. Oxford University Press, 2001. (Co-authored with Edwin Scott Gaustad.)
- Mormons and the Bible: The Place of the Latter-day Saints in American Religion. Oxford University Press, 1991.
As Editor:
- Religion and Public Life in the Midwest: America’s Common Denominator? Alta Mira Press, 2004. (co-edited with Mark Silk.)
- A Thoughtful Faith: Essays on Belief by Mormon Scholars. Canon Press, 1986.