The Brigham Young Podcast with John Turner - Pt. 1 | Ep. 2188

From Mormon Stories Podcast by Dr. John Dehlin

August 31, 2026 · 1h 59m

About this episode

This episode features historian Dr. John Turner discussing the early life and influences of Brigham Young, a key figure in Mormon history.

In this new series on Mormon Stories Podcast, we’re joined once again by historian Dr. John Turner to take an in-depth look at one of the most important –and complicated –figures in Mormon history: Brigham Young. Dr. Turner is the author of Brigham Young: Pioneer Prophet, his acclaimed 2012 biography of the second president and prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. John was recently our guest for an extensive series on his newer biography, "Joseph Smith: The Rise and Fall of an American Prophet." In this episode, we begin at the beginning: Who was Brigham Young before he became the leader of the Mormon movement? John takes us through Brigham’s early life, his difficult relationship with his father, his exploration of different religious traditions, his attraction to spiritual gifts and “ecstatic worship,” and his eventual conversion to Mormonism. We explore the religious environment that shaped Brigham Young and the broader culture of early Mormonism, including speaking in tongues, visions, healings, prophecy, and other spiritual manifestations. We also examine Brigham’s relationship with his first wife, Miriam, his friendship with Heber C…

People in this episode

Host: Dr. John Dehlin

Guest: Dr. John Turner

Topics covered

Brigham Young
Mormon history
religious traditions
spiritual gifts
early Mormonism
Joseph Smith

Keywords

Brigham Young
Mormonism
Joseph Smith
religious history
spirituality
ecstatic worship
early missionaries

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints