The Mormon Hierarchy: Extensions of Power [Hardcover]

D. Michael Quinn (Author)

Book Description

Series: Mormon Hierarchy | Publication Date: February 15, 1997

The Mormon church today is led by an elite group of older men, nearly three-quarters of whom are related to current or past general church authorities. This dynastic hierarchy meets in private; neither its minutes nor the church's finances are available for public review. Members are reassured by public relations spokesmen that all is well and that harmony prevails among these brethren. But by interviewing former church aides, examining hundreds of diaries, and drawing from his own past experience as an insider within the Latter-day Saint historical department, D. Michael Quinn presents a fuller view. His extensive research documents how the governing apostles, seventies, and presiding bishops are likely to be at loggerheads, as much as united. These strong-willed, independent men--like directors of a large corporation or supreme court justices--lobby among their colleagues, forge alliances, out-maneuver opponents, and broker compromises. There is more: clandestine political activities, investigative and punitive actions by church security forces, personal "loans" from church coffers (later written off as bad debts), and other privileged power-vested activities. Quinn considers the changing role and attitude of the leadership toward visionary experiences, the momentous events which have shaped quorum protocol and doctrine, and day-to-day bureaucratic intrigue from the time of Brigham Young to the dawn of the twenty-first century. The hierarchy seems at root well-intentioned and even at times aggressive in fulfilling its stated responsibility, which is to expedite the Second Coming. Where they have become convinced that God has spoken, they have set aside personal differences, offered unqualified support, and spoken with a unified voice. This potential for change, when coupled with the tempering effect of competing viewpoints, is something Quinn finds encouraging about Mormonism. But one should not assume that these men are infallibile or work in anything approaching uninterrupted unanimity.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Quinn's first volume of The Mormon Hierarchy (The Origins of Power, Signature, 1994) was a landmark in Mormon studies. This latest volume demonstrates the ways and methods by which the leadership maintains and applies its authority. Some believers may not be pleased with the portrait Quinn paints, but his documentation is so thorough and indisputable that few will be able to challenge his arguments. Some chapters are case studies in the rise to leadership of particular individuals, most notably Ezra Taft Benson (13th president/prophet of the church and Eisenhower's secretary of agriculture), and their employment of power. Other chapters look at the means by which power is exercised in governance. The biographical and chronological appendixes are worth the price of the book. Quinn, now an independent scholar, is unquestionably Mormonism's leading historian. A magisterial study; recommended for all libraries with collections in American history.?David S. Azzolina, Univ. of Pennsylvania Libs., Philadelphia
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

The Mormon church today is led by an elite group of older men, nearly three-quarters of whom are related to current or past general church authorities. This dynastic hierarchy meets in private; neither its minutes nor the church's finances are available for public review. Members are reassured by public relations spokesmen that all is well and that harmony prevails among the brethren. But by interviewing former church aides, examining hundreds of diaries, and drawing from his own past experience as an insider within the Latter-day Saint historical department, Michael Quinn presents a fuller view. His extensive research documents how the governing apostles, seventies, and presiding bishops are strong-willed, independent men (much like the directors of a large corporation) who lobby their colleagues, forge alliances, out-maneuver opponents, and broker compromises. Quinn's The Mormon Hierarchy: Extensions Of Power reveals clandestine political activities, investigative and punitive actions by church security forces, personal "loans" from church coffers (later written off as bad debts), and other privileged power-vested activities. The Mormon Hierarchy considers the changing role and attitude of the leadership toward visionary experiences, the momentous events which have shaped quorum protocol and doctrine, and day-to-day bureaucratic intrigue from the time of Brigham Young to the dawn of the twenty-first century. --Midwest Book Review

D. Michael Quinn takes a behind-the-scenes look at the hierarchy of the Mormon Church in his powerful new book, The Mormon Hierarchy: Extensions of Power. Quinn offers a glimpse of the power struggles that often characterize the elite group that leads the Church. In his investigations, he finds evidence of financial mismanagement and political corruption at the highest level of the Mormon hierarchy. Yet, Quinn also indicates that he is encouraged by the times that these leaders have pulled together when they have been convinced that God has spoken to them. Quinn's detective work makes for exciting reading. --Publishers Weekly

Extraordinary devotion to a research project begun thirty years ago has documented the workings of the Mormon church administration from its New York state beginnings in 1830 to the present. Quinn's first volume, Mormon Hierarchy: Origins of Power surveys the period to the arrival of the Mormons in Utah in 1847. This second volume, a magisterial compilation of information, is a history of Mormon church leadership from 1848 to November 1996. One should start at the back; first scan the 150-page chronology (Appendix 5), which outlines church positions taken in regard to social, ecclesiastical, political, and economic concerns of the western Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Then go to the beginning and peruse the narrative chapters, each of which grounds itself in the 1830-1847 period, without necessarily duplicating the first volume, and carries its topic forward to the present. Organized into sections, the book places its material in the larger context of social issues with specific emphasis on Mormon involvement. Conflict between the governing quorums as units of power, and between personalities of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve, The Council of Seventy and the expanding bureaucracy reveal the impossibilities inherent in the deceptive appearance of monolithic unanimity. Joined to an extraordinary degree by kinship and marriage, the Mormon hierarchy closed its ranks to democratic process without stilling internal disputes. Separate chapters look at policies regarding church finances, attitudes toward violence, the rule of the male priesthood, and involvement in politics. It documents the increasingly powerful role relatively few Mormons play in determining national policy. The research is so extensive that the text is less than half the book; no history speaks for itself without the aid of historians wiling to organize material in such manner as to give the past a voice. The strength of this volume lies in its ability to let events and policies juxtapose themselves with the traditional desire of the Mormon church to shape its history into an affirmative testimony of its divinity. When the bureaucrats speak and act, as Quinn has them so effectively documented, the secular side of Mormonism becomes available to Saint and gentile alike. Quinn's writing style is clear, graceful, and lucid; it relies heavily on colorful and descriptive quotations from its subjects to come to the heat of its matters. This book is the culmination of a distinguished scholar's work to the mid-point of his life. Part biography, part documentary, part social history, part statistics, and part interpretation, scholars seeking the extent of Mormon influence in American life cannot afford to ignore it. Michael Quinn has given us an understanding of Mormonism available in no other place. --Western Historical Quarterly, Valeen Tippetts Avery

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 928 pages
• Publisher: Signature Books; 3rd Printing edition (February 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560850604
• ISBN-13: 978-1560850601
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 2.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #201,086 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

56 of 67 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Human History of "Gods in Embryo", March 23, 2000

By 

Richard Garrard (utah) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Mormon Hierarchy: Extensions of Power (Hardcover)

Dr. Quinn's book is a remarkable accomplishment. For a brief time, in the 70's and 80's, the historical office of the LDS church allowed for some objective, professional examination of its records. Quinn brings us some of the fruits of that time. This is not "faith-promoting" history-Deseret Book and Bookcraft have taken care of that-but shows the Brethren in all their human glory. Some reviewers have indicated that this volume has not threatened their LDS testimonies, but only confirmed what they already knew, that church leaders are human and fallible; other reviewers may be threatened by this realization, although many past presidents have pointed it out. The marketing of the infallibility of church leaders continues, perhaps because it gives comfort to those church members who are intolerant of ambiguity, but also because toadying is often rewarded in organizations.

Extensions of Power is actually several books. It is topically arranged to consider more or less controversial aspects of the church leadership-violence, involvement in politics, etc. It also includes, as the earlier companion volume did, hundreds of pages of notes and a detailed chronology of church activities from 1848 to 1996. We are afforded a glimpse into the complex personalities, power factions, and challenges of maintaining, growing and adapting a religious movement to a constantly changing and evolving U. S. and world culture. I was by turns frustrated with church leadership and empathetic with them in their struggle to understand and accommodate `the world' without losing their unique identity. I was also able to see how present problems have their roots in the past, and the futile efforts of those leaders--such as Gordon B. Hinckley and Boyd K. Packer--who would like to bury the past.

Mormonism is a religion which was established and grew during historical, literate times, and leaders and members must come to terms with the difficulties of their history. Despite Correlation committees, Strengthening the Members Committees and million dollar public relations and marketing campaigns, and particularly since the advent of the internet, historical problems will not go away. For the questioning believer or the student of religions and U. S. history, Dr. Quinn's book is a very useful tool in understanding how the present Mormon church came to be.

22 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible accomplishment, October 1, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Mormon Hierarchy: Extensions of Power (Hardcover)

I have read the Extensions of Power, and found that the accomplishment of such a study is on par with ground breaking studies in other fields of historical research. Quinn has obviously spent a great deal of effort in providing a clear and concise and convincing argument. I hope that he will continue his work and perhaps augment the appendices - particularly the chronology section with footnotes. Again, extremely well written by a reliable historian, and a pleasure to read and recommend.

42 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Other Side of the Patriarchal Coin, December 15, 2000

By 

Missing in Action (Idaho Falls, Idaho USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Mormon Hierarchy: Extensions of Power (Hardcover)

This is a fascinating book. Don't be disuaded by the number of pages, and don't fret the large number of citations. Quinn is a master researcher, but more important, he has some strong and insightful opinions regarding the power structure of the Mormon Church. He respectfully (and candidly) explores some difficult issues, such as the evolution of the various offices of general authorities, (no, it's not the same today as it was 150 years ago, or the way it was in Old Testament times...), the degree of familial relationship among general authorities, and the manner in which decisions are made to appear unanimous, even when there is real dissent. Along the way, he shines his detective's light on stories tucked away in the collective cognitive closet of Mormondom, such as efforts to keep black men from receiving the priesthood nearly 15 years earlier than they eventually did, political entanglements on the Equal Rights Amendment and homosexual issues, and especially fascinating was the chapter on Ezra Taft Benson's extremely controversial John Birch Society association and his partisan political activities during the tumultuous "cold war" years. This is a fascinating read, and a great opportunity for folks to see "the other side," the real, human side, of the men Mormons revere as "prophets, seers and revelators."

A note about Quinn's critics. Quinn takes a lot of heat for his copious, almost obscene number of footnotes and references. Many reviewers of Quinn's writings are not convinced that his research is reliable. I say "hogwash." The reason I say that is that the author of a book such as this is doing more than just reporting a list of facts, dates, times and places. He's consuming massive amounts of information, and synthesizing it according to his own experience, education, history and paradigms, and producing an interpretation of his study. This is not unique to Quinn...I would argue that every historian, no matter how objective they think they are, in the final analysis produces nothing more than their personal interpretation of events that are only observable from a distance. The reality is, the Mormon people are, and always have been, a "record keeping people." Subsequently, Michael Quinn has a remarkable amount of material available to him. As the historian consumes such material, an integrated picture begins to form; his interpretation. It may not represent the same conclusions that another, equally well-read researcher might come up with, but it is valid non-the-less. So my response to the critics below who are concerned that their interpretation of Quinn's reference material is not the same as his is, "so what?" You are apparently standing and looking at what he is looking at from a different perspective, with different ideas, learning and study, and you are entitled to a different oppinion. That in no way minimizes Quinn's efforts, but rather magnifies the point that such scholarly investigation and study is well worth the time and effort.

Well done, Mr. Quinn, and thanks for sharing your thoughtful observations with the many of us who will never gain access to the materials that you have studied. To those who disagree with him, feel free to write a book, and we'll explore your conclusions, too!