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Richard P. Howard is an American historian emeritus of
Community of Christ Community of Christ, known legally and from 1872 to 2001 as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS), is an American-based international church, and is the second-largest denomination in the Latter Day Saint movement ...
, having served as world church historian of that organization (previously named the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) from 1966–1994. He was the first professionally trained scholar to occupy that position.David J. Howlett, Barbara B. Walden, and John C. Hamer, ''Community of Christ: An Illustrated History,'' (Independence, Missouri: Herald Publishing House, 2010), 59. Howard has frequently been compared to
Leonard Arrington Leonard James Arrington (July 2, 1917 – February 11, 1999) was an American author, academic and the founder of the Mormon History Association (MHA). He is known as the "Dean of Mormon History" and "the Father of Mormon History" because of hi ...
, his counterpart in
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...
(LDS Church). Both church historians are recognized as pioneering scholars of the New Mormon History. Howard's contributions include foundational work on Latter Day Saint scriptureMarvin Hill, "The 'New Mormon History' Reassessed in Light of Recent Books on Joseph Smith and Mormon Origins," ''Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought,'' Vol. 21, No. 3 (Fall 2002):122. and the professionalization of the history of the Reorganization and the Community of Christ. His research into the origins of Mormon polygamy helped change his church's official stance on the subject.


Education

Howard earned an associate degree from
Graceland College Graceland University is a private university with campuses in Lamoni, Iowa, and Independence, Missouri. The university offers degree completion and master's degree programs. It also offers undergraduate and graduate programs online. The universi ...
, a B.A. in education from the
University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States. Two branch campuses are in the Kansas City metropolitan area on the Kansas side: the university's medical school and hospital ...
, and an M.A. in history from the
University of California-Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after the Anglo-Irish philosopher George Berkeley ...
. He pursued further graduate studies at the University of Kansas,
American University The American University (AU or American) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Its main campus spans 90-acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, in the Spri ...
in
Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
, and
Saint Paul School of Theology Saint Paul School of Theology (SPST) is a United Methodist seminary in Leawood, Kansas, United States. In addition to the Kansas City area campus at Church of the Resurrection, Saint Paul School of Theology at Oklahoma City University has be ...
in
Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...
.


RLDS Church historian, 1966–1994

When Charles A. Davies retired as church historian of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in 1963, Howard succeeded him in that position, becoming the first professionally trained RLDS church historian.William D. Russell, "A Brief History of the John Whitmer Historical Association," in ''The John Whitmer Historical Association: 2002 Nauvoo Conference Special Edition,'' by Joni Wilson (ed.) (Independence, Missouri: The John Whitmer Historical Association, 2002) 147. This change took place against the backdrop of a broader trend of professionalization in the history of the
Latter Day Saint movement The Latter Day Saint movement (also called the LDS movement, LDS restorationist movement, or Smith–Rigdon movement) is the collection of independent church groups that trace their origins to a Christian Restorationist movement founded by ...
commonly known as the " New Mormon History". In the RLDS context, major participants in the New Mormon History included Howard, Robert Flanders, Alma Blair, Barbara Higdon, Paul M. Edwards, William D. Russell, and W. Grant McMurray. Howard's first major contribution was a study of the scriptures produced by Joseph Smith Jr., entitled ''Restoration Scriptures: A Study of Their Textual Development'' (1969). In this work, Howard noted evolutionary changes in the Joseph Smith Translation or "Inspired Version" of the
Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...
and similar changes in the revelations recorded in the
Doctrine and Covenants The Doctrine and Covenants (sometimes abbreviated and cited as D&C or D. and C.) is a part of the open scriptural canon of several denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement. Originally published in 1835 as Doctrine and Covenants of the Chur ...
. More provocative was his comparison of the various texts of the
Book of Mormon The Book of Mormon is a religious text of the Latter Day Saint movement, first published in 1830 by Joseph Smith as ''The Book of Mormon: An Account Written by the Hand of Mormon upon Plates Taken from the Plates of Nephi''. The book is one of ...
from the 1829 manuscript through the 1840 printed version. In noting the numerous changes in the text, Howard concluded that the composition process of the Book of Mormon could not have been a word for word "translation" that some of Smith's contemporaries reported. Howard's study received the "Best Book Award" from the
Mormon History Association The Mormon History Association (MHA) 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. MHA was founded in ...
in 1969/1970. While serving as church historian, Howard contributed articles to the independent, progressive RLDS periodical, ''Courage: A Journal of History, Thought, and Action''. Published quarterly between 1970 and 1973, ''Courage'' anticipated many of the progressive changes that would occur within the RLDS Church as it transformed into the
Community of Christ Community of Christ, known legally and from 1872 to 2001 as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS), is an American-based international church, and is the second-largest denomination in the Latter Day Saint movement ...
. Howard's contributions included a study of the
Book of Abraham The Book of Abraham is a religious text of the Latter Day Saint movement, first published in 1842 by Joseph Smith. Smith said the book was a translation from several Egyptian scrolls discovered in the early 19th century during an archeologic ...
in which he concluded with candor that "separate analyses of modern Egyptologists have established conclusive evidences that Joseph Smith's Book of Abraham (text and interpretations of the papyri drawings) is not even remotely related to the cultural reality behind the inscriptions and artwork on the Egyptian papyri brought to Kirtland."Richard P. Howard, "The 'Book of Abraham' in the Light of History and Egyptology" ''Courage: A Journal of History, Thought, and Action'' Pilot Issue (April 1970): 45-45. Howard further suggested that "it may be helpful to suggest that the Book of Abraham represents simply the product of Joseph Smith Jr.'s imagination" because it is "neither a scholarly translation...nor any kind of 'inspired' translation." Howard was one of the first three RLDS historians to join the Mormon History Association (MHA), and he was among the original fifteen founders of the
John Whitmer Historical Association The John Whitmer Historical Association (JWHA) is an independent, nonprofit organization promoting study, research, and publishing about the history and culture of the Latter Day Saint movement. It is especially focused on the History of the Commu ...
(JWHA) on September 18, 1972. He served as president of JWHA in 1985 and as president of MHA in 1990–91. Also among the founders of JWHA was Howard's assistant in the Church Historian's Office, W. Grant McMurray. McMurray later became a member of the church's
First Presidency Among many churches in the Latter Day Saint movement, the First Presidency (also known as the Quorum of the Presidency of the Church) is the highest presiding or governing body. Present-day denominations of the movement led by a First Presidency ...
, rising ultimately to become
prophet-president In the Latter Day Saint movement, the president of the Church is generally considered to be the highest office of the church. It was the office held by Joseph Smith, founder of the movement, and the office assumed by many of Smith's claimed succe ...
of the church. By the 1960s and 1970s, the traditional RLDS view that
Brigham Young Brigham Young ( ; June 1, 1801August 29, 1877) was an American religious leader and politician. He was the second President of the Church (LDS Church), president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1847 until h ...
rather than Joseph Smith Jr. was the origin of
Mormon polygamy Polygamy (called plural marriage by Latter-day Saints in the 19th century or the Principle by modern fundamentalist practitioners of polygamy) was practiced by leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) for more t ...
had been called into question by scholars of the New Mormon History. In 1965, Robert B. Flanders, a professor of history at
Graceland College Graceland University is a private university with campuses in Lamoni, Iowa, and Independence, Missouri. The university offers degree completion and master's degree programs. It also offers undergraduate and graduate programs online. The universi ...
published ''Nauvoo: Kingdom on the Mississippi.'' Flanders concluded that the traditional RLDS view was incorrect, asserting instead that the practice had indeed originated with Joseph Smith. In 1977, the First Presidency of the RLDS Church directed Howard to investigate the issue. Several years of careful study led Howard to generally agree with Flanders' conclusions. His seminal article on the topic, "The Changing RLDS Response to Mormon Polygamy: A Preliminary Analysis" (1983), opened the door to reassess the church's official policy. However, as Howard recalled decades later, this study was "heavily edited" and "watered down" at the direction of church leaders and Howard considered its final form to be "a painful compromise." Among Howard's final accomplishments as church historian was the production of ''The Church through the Years,'' published in two volumes in 1992 and 1993. Volume 1 was subtitled "RLDS Beginnings to 1860" and Volume 2 was subtitled "The Reorganization Comes of Age, 1860–1992." As Howard explains in his introduction, the work resulted from the desire of RLDS prophet-president
W. Wallace Smith William Wallace Smith ( – ) was a grandson of Joseph Smith, Joseph Smith Jr. and Prophet-President of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Community of Christ), from October 6, 1958, to April 5, 1978, when he retire ...
to have "a more legitimate history of the church" with the goal of producing "a more honest, less defensive history." In a review published in the ''John Whitmer Historical Association Journal,'' Mormon historian Glen Leonard (a member of the
LDS Church The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian restorationist Christian denomination and the largest denomination in the Latter Day Saint movement. Founded during ...
) agreed that Howard had "written a less defensive (though still denominational) and more legitimate (though still faith-centered) history of the church through its formative years."


Retirement and Emeritus Historian, 1994–present

Howard retired as church historian in 1994, becoming church historian emeritus. He was succeeded by Mark A. Scherer. Since his retirement, Howard has continued to publish new articles and to actively promote scholarship. More recent articles by Howard include, "The Quest for Traces of a Peace Gene in Restoration History" and "The RLDS Church's Anti-Polygamy Stance Adapted/Canonized 1967–1972: The Specter of an Impending Schism" Since Ronald E. Romig retired as church archivist in 2009, Howard has served as a part-time volunteer in the
Community of Christ Community of Christ, known legally and from 1872 to 2001 as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS), is an American-based international church, and is the second-largest denomination in the Latter Day Saint movement ...
Archives at the
temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...
in
Independence, Missouri Independence is a city in and one of two county seats of Jackson County, Missouri, United States. It is a satellite city of Kansas City, Missouri, and is the largest suburb on the Missouri side of the Kansas City metropolitan area. In 2020 Unite ...
. The John Whitmer Historical Association presented Howard with its "Lifetime Achievement Award" in 2003. On September 24, 2011, at the association's annual presidential banquet, outgoing president
John C. Hamer John C. Hamer (born 1970) is an American-Canadian historian and Cartography, mapmaker. His research has focused primarily on the history of the Latter Day Saint movement, authoring several books on the topic. Hamer is a leading expert on various ...
announced that the association would sponsor an annual lecture series named the "Richard P. Howard Lecture" beginning in 2012.


Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Howard, Richard P. 21st-century American historians 21st-century American male writers Historians of the Latter Day Saint movement Living people Year of birth missing (living people) American male non-fiction writers Graceland University alumni