Stretching the Heavens: The Life of Eugene England and the Crisis of Modern Mormonism

Scholar Givens (Wrestling the Angel) offers a revealing, detailed biography of influential 20th-century Latter-day Saint intellectual and educator England (1933–2001). The author argues England’s progressive positions highlight both a Modernist-like crisis in Mormonism and a “Protestantizing Mormonism” (which England opposed) that removed many distinctive features. After serving as a missionary in Samoa in the 1950s alongside his wife Charlotte, England pursued graduate work at Stanford University and upset church leaders by launching Dialogue, a journal open to critical examination of LDS history and practices. England’s positions to the left of the increasingly conservative church, especially on racial issues, delayed his dream of teaching at Brigham Young University—but he did attain a position there in 1977 with help from influential colleagues. His sometimes inflexible interactions with LDS leaders—including controversies around his support of feminism and questioning of theological orthodoxy—led to his forced retirement in 1998. Givens leans into England’s sincere dedication despite his “obliviousness to clear and loud signals” of leaders’ displeasure, and manages to make the complex politics and doctrine of Mormonism accessible for outsiders. This is a solid biography that will illuminate key trends and moments in LDS history for scholars and general readers alike. (Aug.)