Terryl Givens

Terryl Givens
Name	Terryl Givens
Birth date	1957
Occupation	Scholar, author, professor
Nationality	American
Alma mater	Brigham Young University, Oxford University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Notable works	"By the Hand of Mormon", "When Souls Had Wings"

Terryl Givens is an American scholar, author, and professor noted for his work on Mormonism, Latter Day Saint theology, and American religious history. He has published literary criticism, historical analysis, and theological reflection intersecting with figures and institutions across Brigham Young University, Harvard University, and Yale University. Givens's scholarship engages conversations involving Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, Orson Pratt, and broader transatlantic religious movements.

Early life and education

Givens was born in 1957 and raised in contexts connected to Provo and Salt Lake City, where he encountered communities linked to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and regional institutions like Brigham Young University. He earned undergraduate and graduate degrees at Brigham Young University and pursued doctoral studies that connected him with scholars at Oxford University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and networks associated with Harvard Divinity School and Princeton University. His academic formation involved interactions with traditions traced to Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery, Sidney Rigdon, and the wider milieu of nineteenth-century American religious innovators such as Charles Grandison Finney and Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Academic and teaching career

Givens has held faculty appointments and visiting positions at institutions including University of Richmond, Brigham Young University, and guest lectures at Yale University, Harvard University, Columbia University, and University of Chicago. He has participated in collaborative projects with researchers from Brown University, Duke University, University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford University, contributing to symposia alongside scholars connected to Joseph Smith Papers Project and editorial boards of journals associated with Religious Studies Center and university presses like Oxford University Press and Cambridge University Press. Givens has served on dissertation committees for students engaged with topics involving American Antiquarian Society, American Religious History, and the transatlantic circulation of texts between London and Boston.

Publications and major works

Givens is author or coauthor of several major books, essays, and edited volumes including "By the Hand of Mormon" (about Book of Mormon reception), "When Souls Had Wings" (on Heber C. Kimball-era devotional life), "The Crucible of Doubt", and "The God Who Weeps". His publications have been released by academic and trade presses such as Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, Princeton University Press, and University of North Carolina Press. He has written essays appearing in venues connected to Journal of Mormon History, Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, Sunstone Magazine, and contributed chapters to collections alongside scholars from Richard Bushman, Jan Shipps, John W. Welch, D. Michael Quinn, and Terrence L. Johnson. Givens's scholarship engages primary sources including Doctrine and Covenants, Pearl of Great Price, early Kirtland, Ohio manuscripts, and archival materials from repositories like the L. Tom Perry Special Collections and the Church History Library.

Theological views and contributions

Givens's theological work interprets Latter Day Saint movement doctrines in conversation with thinkers and traditions including Augustine of Hippo, Thomas Aquinas, Karl Barth, Paul Tillich, and contemporary theologians at Harvard Divinity School and Princeton Theological Seminary. He has explored themes related to exaltation narratives, atonement frameworks, and theodicy debates as discussed by scholars like N. T. Wright and Eleonore Stump. Givens emphasizes literary and historical readings of prophetic figures such as Joseph Smith and institutional developments under leaders like Brigham Young and Wilford Woodruff, drawing on comparative studies with John Wesley, Jonathan Edwards, and Joseph Priestley. His contributions have influenced apologetic and critical dialogs involving organizations such as Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies and critics associated with Sunstone and Dialogue communities.

Awards and honors

Givens has received recognition and awards from academic and religious organizations including prizes from the Mormon History Association, fellowships associated with National Endowment for the Humanities, grants tied to Cullman Center-style programs, and visiting scholar appointments at Harvard University and Oxford University. His works have been finalists and winners in categories judged by panels from Dialogue and the John Whitmer Historical Association.

Personal life

Givens is married and has family ties within communities in Provo, Utah, and has participated in seminars at places such as The Maxwell Institute and Religious Studies Center. He has collaborated with his spouse, scholars associated with Brigham Young University, and cultural commentators connected to Deseret News and The Salt Lake Tribune.

Influence and reception

Givens's scholarship has been cited and debated by historians, theologians, and commentators from institutions including Yale University, Princeton University, Harvard University, Brigham Young University, Rutgers University, and University of Utah. His books have prompted responses from figures like Richard L. Bushman, Jan Shipps, D. Michael Quinn, and reviewers in publications such as Journal of Mormon History, Dialogue, and Sunstone Magazine. Givens's interdisciplinary approach links American religious history, Latter Day Saint studies, and theological interpretation, shaping curricula at Brigham Young University and influencing public conversations on topics involving Book of Mormon historicity, Joseph Smith studies, and contemporary faith practice.

Category:American scholars Category:Latter Day Saint studies