Eugene England
Encyclopedia
George Eugene England, Jr. (July 22, 1933 – August 17, 2001), usually credited as Eugene England, was a Mormon
writer, teacher, and scholar. He founded Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought
, the oldest independent journal in Mormon Studies, with G. Wesley Johnson in 1966 and cofounded the Association for Mormon Letters
in 1976. He is also widely known in the LDS Church for his many essays about Mormon culture and thought. From 1977-1998, England taught Mormon Literature
at Brigham Young University
. England described the ideal modern Mormon scholar as "critical and innovative as his gifts from God require but conscious of and loyal to his own unique heritage and nurturing community and thus able to exercise those gifts without harm to others or himself."
to George Eugene England and Dora Rose Hartvigsen England. He grew up in Downey, Idaho
, where his father owned a wheat farm. At age 20, he married the former Charlotte Hawkins, with whom he was soon called to serve an LDS mission
to Samoa
.
After serving as a captain in the U.S. Air Force, England entered graduate school at Stanford University
, where he was both influenced by the 60s-era campus movement and the LDS Church as an active member and a leader in his student ward. While at Stanford, England met Wesley Johnson and together the two men conceived of and announced the formation of an academic journal on Mormon culture, Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought.
Leaving Stanford, England taught at St. Olaf Lutheran College
in Minnesota
, while completing work on his Ph.D., awarded in 1974. But he was forced to leave when some of his students expressed interest in Mormonism and their parents complained. He then taught at the University of Utah
's LDS Institute of Religion
for two years, before receiving a professorship at Brigham Young University
.
At BYU, England was able to teach classes in Mormon literature and in 1976 he helped found the Association for Mormon Letters in order to raise the visibility of the study of Mormon literature. He also explored religious themes in important literary works. During his years at BYU England was at his most prolific, writing books of essays such as "Dialogues with Myself" and "Why the Church Is as True as the Gospel," poetry, a biography and numerous articles. In 1981 England received a letter from Apostle Bruce McConkie chastising him for publicly advocating the view that God's eternal progression includes learning new truths.
According to historian Claudia Bushman, "the McConkie-England disagreement revealed the division between theological conservatives and liberals within the believing camp and, in a larger sense, the tensions between authoritarian control versus free expression."
In the last decade of his life, England felt increasingly under fire for his work, which led him to retire from BYU in 1998. He was then offered the position of writer in residence at Utah Valley State College in Orem, Utah
. There he started the Center for the Study of Mormon Culture, as part of the college's religious studies program. Before England could fully develop the Center, he suffered a debilitating case of brain cancer. Despite an operation that removed two golf-ball sized cysts and a portion of a tumor, he died on August 17, 2001.
Mormon
The term Mormon most commonly denotes an adherent, practitioner, follower, or constituent of Mormonism, which is the largest branch of the Latter Day Saint movement in restorationist Christianity...
writer, teacher, and scholar. He founded Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought
Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought
Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought is an independent quarterly journal of "Mormon thought" that addresses a wide range of issues on Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint Movement....
, the oldest independent journal in Mormon Studies, with G. Wesley Johnson in 1966 and cofounded the Association for Mormon Letters
Association for Mormon Letters
The Association for Mormon Letters is a nonprofit founded in 1976 to promote quality writing "by, for, and about Mormons." The broadness of this definition of Mormon literature has led the AML to focus on a wide variety of work that has sometimes been neglected in the Mormon community...
in 1976. He is also widely known in the LDS Church for his many essays about Mormon culture and thought. From 1977-1998, England taught Mormon Literature
Mormon literature
Mormon literature is generally considered to begin a few years before the March 1830 publication of the Book of Mormon. Since this time Mormon literature has grown to include more scripture, histories, fiction, biographies, poetry, hymns, drama and other forms.-See also:* A Motley Vision*...
at Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
. England described the ideal modern Mormon scholar as "critical and innovative as his gifts from God require but conscious of and loyal to his own unique heritage and nurturing community and thus able to exercise those gifts without harm to others or himself."
Biography
England was born July 22, 1933 in Logan, UtahLogan, Utah
-Layout of the City:Logan's city grid originates from its Main and Center Street block, with Main Street running north and south, and Center east and west. Each block north, east, south, or west of the origin accumulates in additions of 100 , though some streets have non-numeric names...
to George Eugene England and Dora Rose Hartvigsen England. He grew up in Downey, Idaho
Downey, Idaho
Downey is a city in Bannock County, Idaho, United States. It is part of the 'Pocatello, Idaho Metropolitan Statistical Area'. The population was 613 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
, where his father owned a wheat farm. At age 20, he married the former Charlotte Hawkins, with whom he was soon called to serve an LDS mission
Missionary (LDS Church)
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of the most active modern practitioners of missionary work, with over 52,000 full-time missionaries worldwide, as of the end of 2010...
to Samoa
Samoa
Samoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...
.
After serving as a captain in the U.S. Air Force, England entered graduate school at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, where he was both influenced by the 60s-era campus movement and the LDS Church as an active member and a leader in his student ward. While at Stanford, England met Wesley Johnson and together the two men conceived of and announced the formation of an academic journal on Mormon culture, Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought.
Leaving Stanford, England taught at St. Olaf Lutheran College
St. Olaf College
St. Olaf College is a coeducational, residential, four-year, private liberal arts college in Northfield, Minnesota, United States. It was founded in 1874 by a group of Norwegian-American immigrant pastors and farmers, led by Pastor Bernt Julius Muus. The college is named after Olaf II of Norway,...
in Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, while completing work on his Ph.D., awarded in 1974. But he was forced to leave when some of his students expressed interest in Mormonism and their parents complained. He then taught at the University of Utah
University of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
's LDS Institute of Religion
Institute of Religion
Institutes of Religion provide religious educational classes for young single adult and university students who belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
for two years, before receiving a professorship at Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
.
At BYU, England was able to teach classes in Mormon literature and in 1976 he helped found the Association for Mormon Letters in order to raise the visibility of the study of Mormon literature. He also explored religious themes in important literary works. During his years at BYU England was at his most prolific, writing books of essays such as "Dialogues with Myself" and "Why the Church Is as True as the Gospel," poetry, a biography and numerous articles. In 1981 England received a letter from Apostle Bruce McConkie chastising him for publicly advocating the view that God's eternal progression includes learning new truths.
According to historian Claudia Bushman, "the McConkie-England disagreement revealed the division between theological conservatives and liberals within the believing camp and, in a larger sense, the tensions between authoritarian control versus free expression."
In the last decade of his life, England felt increasingly under fire for his work, which led him to retire from BYU in 1998. He was then offered the position of writer in residence at Utah Valley State College in Orem, Utah
Orem, Utah
Orem is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States, in the north-central part of the state. It is adjacent to Provo, Lindon, and Vineyard and is about south of Salt Lake City. Orem is one of the principal cities of the Provo-Orem, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Utah and...
. There he started the Center for the Study of Mormon Culture, as part of the college's religious studies program. Before England could fully develop the Center, he suffered a debilitating case of brain cancer. Despite an operation that removed two golf-ball sized cysts and a portion of a tumor, he died on August 17, 2001.
Publications
- A Teacher's Faith and Values (edited with Erling Jorstad). St. Olaf CollegeSt. Olaf CollegeSt. Olaf College is a coeducational, residential, four-year, private liberal arts college in Northfield, Minnesota, United States. It was founded in 1874 by a group of Norwegian-American immigrant pastors and farmers, led by Pastor Bernt Julius Muus. The college is named after Olaf II of Norway,...
, 1973 - Brother Brigham. BookcraftBookcraftBookcraft was a major publisher of books and products for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints .-History:In 1940, LDS Church President Heber J. Grant asked the church's Improvement Era magazine to compile his sermons into a book called Gospel Standards. Compiler G...
, 1980. ISBN 0-88494-394-1 - Dialogues With Myself. Orion Books (a division of Signature BooksSignature BooksSignature Books is a press specializing in subjects related to Utah, Mormonism, and Western Americana. The company was founded in 1980 by George D...
), 1984. ISBN 0-941214-21-4 "Full text" - Why the Church Is As True As the Gospel. BookcraftBookcraftBookcraft was a major publisher of books and products for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints .-History:In 1940, LDS Church President Heber J. Grant asked the church's Improvement Era magazine to compile his sermons into a book called Gospel Standards. Compiler G...
, 1986; Tabernacle Books, 1999; Mormon Arts & Letters, 2007. ISBN 0-85051-101-1 - The Best of Lowell L. Bennion: Selected Writings, 1928-1988 (edited with Lowell Lindsay Bennion). Deseret BookDeseret BookDeseret Book is the largest Latter-day Saint book publisher and also owns a chain of LDS bookstores in the western United States. Over 150 people work in its Salt Lake City headquarters...
, 1988. ISBN 0-87579-184-0 - Converted to Christ Through the Book of Mormon. Deseret BookDeseret BookDeseret Book is the largest Latter-day Saint book publisher and also owns a chain of LDS bookstores in the western United States. Over 150 people work in its Salt Lake City headquarters...
, 1989. ISBN 0-87579-268-5 - Harvest: Contemporary Mormon Poems (edited with Dennis Clark). Signature BooksSignature BooksSignature Books is a press specializing in subjects related to Utah, Mormonism, and Western Americana. The company was founded in 1980 by George D...
, 1989. ISBN 0-941214-80-X - Beyond Romanticism: Tuckerman's Life and Poetry. State University of New York PressState University of New York PressThe State University of New York Press , is a university press and a Center for Scholarly Communication. The Press is part of the State University of New York system and is located in Albany, New York.- History :...
, 1991. ISBN 0-7914-0791-8 - Bright Angels & Familiars: Contemporary Mormon Stories (edited). Signature BooksSignature BooksSignature Books is a press specializing in subjects related to Utah, Mormonism, and Western Americana. The company was founded in 1980 by George D...
, 1992. ISBN 1-56085-026-4 - The Quality of Mercy: Personal Essays on Mormon Experience. BookcraftBookcraftBookcraft was a major publisher of books and products for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints .-History:In 1940, LDS Church President Heber J. Grant asked the church's Improvement Era magazine to compile his sermons into a book called Gospel Standards. Compiler G...
, 1992. ISBN 0-88494-830-7 - An Open World: Essays on Leslie Norris (edited with Peter MakuckPeter MakuckPeter Makuck is an American poet, short story writer, and critic. He is Distinguished Professor emeritus Professor of English at East Carolina University, where he was also the first Distinguished Professor of Arts and Sciences; he has also served as Visiting Writer in Residence at Brigham Young...
). Camden House, 1994. ISBN 1-87975-182-8 - Making Peace: Personal Essays. Signature BooksSignature BooksSignature Books is a press specializing in subjects related to Utah, Mormonism, and Western Americana. The company was founded in 1980 by George D...
, 1995. ISBN 1-56085-069-8 - Tending the Garden: Essays on Mormon Literature (edited with Lavina Fielding AndersonLavina Fielding AndersonLavina Fielding Anderson is a Latter Day Saint scholar, writer, editor, and feminist. Anderson holds a Ph.D. in English from the University of Washington...
). Signature BooksSignature BooksSignature Books is a press specializing in subjects related to Utah, Mormonism, and Western Americana. The company was founded in 1980 by George D...
, 1996. ISBN 1-56085-019-1 - Proving Contraries: A Collection of Writings in Honor of Eugene England. Signature BooksSignature BooksSignature Books is a press specializing in subjects related to Utah, Mormonism, and Western Americana. The company was founded in 1980 by George D...
, 2005. ISBN 1-56085-190-2 - Eugene England: essays on values in literature (edited by C. Jay Fox, Steven C. Walker, Jesse S. Crisler). Center for the Study of Christian Values in Literature, Brigham Young UniversityBrigham Young UniversityBrigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
, 2006. ISBN 0-939555-08-5