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America's Saints: Rise Of Mormon Power
After careful research and extensive interiviews, the authors have prepared this compelling and controversial portrait of the Mormon's organizational structure and economic empire-and the men who control both. Index.
- GenresNonfictionMormonism
280 pages, Paperback
First published September 28, 1984
About the author
Peter Booth Wiley
9 books1 followerPeter Booth Wiley has served as Chairman of the Board of John Wiley & Sons since 2002 and has been a member of the board since 1984. He represents the sixth generation of Wileys to play a leadership role at the company.
Wiley is Chairman of the California Polytechnic University at San Luis Obispo’s Library and Technology Advisory Council and serves on the Board of Directors of the University of California Press. He is also the author of many books including Empires in the Sun: The Rise of the New American West, America’s Saints: The Rise of Mormon Power, and Yankees in the Land of the Gods: Commodore Perry and the Opening of Japan. Wiley has lectured extensively on the history and future of publishing, San Francisco history and architecture, and the writing experience.
Wiley received a B.A. in English literature from Williams College and an M.A. in United States history from the University of Wisconsin (Madison).
Wiley is Chairman of the California Polytechnic University at San Luis Obispo’s Library and Technology Advisory Council and serves on the Board of Directors of the University of California Press. He is also the author of many books including Empires in the Sun: The Rise of the New American West, America’s Saints: The Rise of Mormon Power, and Yankees in the Land of the Gods: Commodore Perry and the Opening of Japan. Wiley has lectured extensively on the history and future of publishing, San Francisco history and architecture, and the writing experience.
Wiley received a B.A. in English literature from Williams College and an M.A. in United States history from the University of Wisconsin (Madison).
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 14, 2024
AN INTERESTING STUDY OF THE MORMONS BY TWO NON-MEMBERS
The authors write in the Preface to this 1984 book, "We soon discovered that, despite the plethora of books about the Mormon experience, nothing comprehensive had been written about the contemporary church---the rapidly expanding, spiritually influential, politically and economically powerful organization that had emerged in the post-World War II period. Further, little had been written about the dynamics of church organization ... Nor had there been much analysis of the changing of the guard...
"As non-Mormons and transplanted Californians, we realized that undertaking a book on the contemporary church offered hazards as well as opportunities... We also had to contend with the deep penchant among Mormon leaders for secrecy... The church encourages an internal spying system so that documents and information do not get leaked to the outside world."
They note, "(Ezra Taft) Benson was becoming increasingly vitriolic in his warnings about the dangers of Communism... Instead of bringing the (Mormon) Prophet into an alliance with the Birchers, Benson's activities set off alarm bells in church headquarters... Benson continued to work with the Birchers without becoming a member... Using his position in the church to imply that church leaders supported his views, he worked to create the impression that ... the increasingly frail (President David O.) Mckay, endorsed his activities." (Pg. 78)
They observe, "Years later, when (Nathan Eldon) Tanner became the financial leader of the church and counselor to four church presidents, questions were raised about Tanner's political philosophy. Known for his occasional support for liberal positions within the church on such matters as civil rights and opposition to the John Birch Society, Tanner, many of his liberal supporters assumed, was something of a 'socialist' in his early years." (Pg. 103)
They state, "In Latin America, the growth of the Mormon church and other Protestant fundamentalist groups has had a direct relationship to the fortunes of the Catholic church." (Pg. 143)
"The church's missionary work has brought gradual and continuous rather than dramatic growth in Indian membership." (Pg. 168) They admit, "Beliefs and paternalistic attitudes such as (Spencer) Kimball's (toward Native Americans) became an embarrassment to the church. Then in 1981, the church announced that in an 1840 edition of the Book of Mormon Joseph Smith had changed the words 'white and delightsome' to 'pure and delightsome.' But there was no modification of the passage in Nephi where the Lamanites were punished for their transgressions by being turned 'dark and loathsome.'" (Pg. 174)
They state, "Right-wing Mormons took the revelation (granting blacks the priesthood) in stride. They had been carefully prepared for the eventuality of a revelation. Unlike their liberal counterparts, these more orthodox Mormons maintained a nearly absolute belief in church leadership and obedience to the General Authorities." (Pg. 185)
They say, "The BYU and church security networks were crucial to the church campaign. Files were compiled, and whenever a BYU student was thought to be gay... that student was called in to talk... Surveillance of gay bars in Salt Lake City was commonplace, and lists were drawn up that identified 'persons involved in lewd behavior.'" (Pg. 224)
This reasonably well-balanced book will be of interest to anyone studying the Latter-Day Saints.
The authors write in the Preface to this 1984 book, "We soon discovered that, despite the plethora of books about the Mormon experience, nothing comprehensive had been written about the contemporary church---the rapidly expanding, spiritually influential, politically and economically powerful organization that had emerged in the post-World War II period. Further, little had been written about the dynamics of church organization ... Nor had there been much analysis of the changing of the guard...
"As non-Mormons and transplanted Californians, we realized that undertaking a book on the contemporary church offered hazards as well as opportunities... We also had to contend with the deep penchant among Mormon leaders for secrecy... The church encourages an internal spying system so that documents and information do not get leaked to the outside world."
They note, "(Ezra Taft) Benson was becoming increasingly vitriolic in his warnings about the dangers of Communism... Instead of bringing the (Mormon) Prophet into an alliance with the Birchers, Benson's activities set off alarm bells in church headquarters... Benson continued to work with the Birchers without becoming a member... Using his position in the church to imply that church leaders supported his views, he worked to create the impression that ... the increasingly frail (President David O.) Mckay, endorsed his activities." (Pg. 78)
They observe, "Years later, when (Nathan Eldon) Tanner became the financial leader of the church and counselor to four church presidents, questions were raised about Tanner's political philosophy. Known for his occasional support for liberal positions within the church on such matters as civil rights and opposition to the John Birch Society, Tanner, many of his liberal supporters assumed, was something of a 'socialist' in his early years." (Pg. 103)
They state, "In Latin America, the growth of the Mormon church and other Protestant fundamentalist groups has had a direct relationship to the fortunes of the Catholic church." (Pg. 143)
"The church's missionary work has brought gradual and continuous rather than dramatic growth in Indian membership." (Pg. 168) They admit, "Beliefs and paternalistic attitudes such as (Spencer) Kimball's (toward Native Americans) became an embarrassment to the church. Then in 1981, the church announced that in an 1840 edition of the Book of Mormon Joseph Smith had changed the words 'white and delightsome' to 'pure and delightsome.' But there was no modification of the passage in Nephi where the Lamanites were punished for their transgressions by being turned 'dark and loathsome.'" (Pg. 174)
They state, "Right-wing Mormons took the revelation (granting blacks the priesthood) in stride. They had been carefully prepared for the eventuality of a revelation. Unlike their liberal counterparts, these more orthodox Mormons maintained a nearly absolute belief in church leadership and obedience to the General Authorities." (Pg. 185)
They say, "The BYU and church security networks were crucial to the church campaign. Files were compiled, and whenever a BYU student was thought to be gay... that student was called in to talk... Surveillance of gay bars in Salt Lake City was commonplace, and lists were drawn up that identified 'persons involved in lewd behavior.'" (Pg. 224)
This reasonably well-balanced book will be of interest to anyone studying the Latter-Day Saints.
September 19, 2025
BOOK REVIEW - America's Saints, Rise Of Mormon Power, by Robert Gottlieb, Peter Wiley (1988)
America’s Saints is a journalistic‐historical examination of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints focused on how the Church has built organizational, political, and economic power in the U.S. in the 20th century. Gottlieb and Wiley aim to show that what began as a religious organization with utopian roots has evolved into a powerful institution with vast assets, political influence, and a centralized bureaucracy.
The authors interviewed Church members (including leaders and "ordinary" members), analyzed public documents, and attempted to give a portrait of the LDS Church not only as a religious movement, but as a major institutional actor in American society.
One of the book’s greatest strengths is its broad scope—both historically (from early Mormonism to the late 20th century) and functionally. The way it tracks organizational growth (church bureaucracy, finances, politics, media) gives view of how a religious body becomes a large institution.
Particularly interesting are the sections where the authors explore relatively less publicized aspects of the LDS Church’s operations: its internal governance, how it manages global membership, how finances are handled, its political strategy, etc. The discussion of “Correlation” (which standardizes curricula, imposes tighter control over local church materials and teaching, etc.) is especially telling. The book doesn’t shy away from difficult topics: questions about gender, about transparency, about how a church balances religious doctrine with social and political pressure. Many of these topics have become more central in later LDS scholarship, but Gottlieb & Wiley pushed them into broader public discussion earlier.
The authors are outsiders to the LDS Church. While that gives them some distance, it also may mean certain interpretations are less sympathetic to internal rationales. In some cases, they may overinterpret or generalize from particular incidents (especially when drawing on critical voices) to larger institutional judgments. While the authors interviewed many people and used public records, parts of the book rely on sources that are anonymous or, or unverifiable.
America’s Saints is an important work in the study of Mormonism, especially from the mid-1980s. It does a useful job of probing how a religious movement, once persecuted and marginalized, becomes integrated into national life—with power, influence, and also conflicts. It is not a balanced or exhaustive history of Mormonism in its theological or devotional dimensions; and its critical stance makes it more of a “watchdog” or “journalistic” history rather than a church-friendly portrayal. But that is not a defect per se if one reads it for what it is.
I found America’s Saints to be a compelling, often uncomfortable read—but in a good way. It forces readers (whether Mormon or not) to reckon with the fact that religious institutions are not just spiritual; they are economic, political, social actors—and with power come responsibilities, tensions, contradictions.
America’s Saints is a journalistic‐historical examination of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints focused on how the Church has built organizational, political, and economic power in the U.S. in the 20th century. Gottlieb and Wiley aim to show that what began as a religious organization with utopian roots has evolved into a powerful institution with vast assets, political influence, and a centralized bureaucracy.
The authors interviewed Church members (including leaders and "ordinary" members), analyzed public documents, and attempted to give a portrait of the LDS Church not only as a religious movement, but as a major institutional actor in American society.
One of the book’s greatest strengths is its broad scope—both historically (from early Mormonism to the late 20th century) and functionally. The way it tracks organizational growth (church bureaucracy, finances, politics, media) gives view of how a religious body becomes a large institution.
Particularly interesting are the sections where the authors explore relatively less publicized aspects of the LDS Church’s operations: its internal governance, how it manages global membership, how finances are handled, its political strategy, etc. The discussion of “Correlation” (which standardizes curricula, imposes tighter control over local church materials and teaching, etc.) is especially telling. The book doesn’t shy away from difficult topics: questions about gender, about transparency, about how a church balances religious doctrine with social and political pressure. Many of these topics have become more central in later LDS scholarship, but Gottlieb & Wiley pushed them into broader public discussion earlier.
The authors are outsiders to the LDS Church. While that gives them some distance, it also may mean certain interpretations are less sympathetic to internal rationales. In some cases, they may overinterpret or generalize from particular incidents (especially when drawing on critical voices) to larger institutional judgments. While the authors interviewed many people and used public records, parts of the book rely on sources that are anonymous or, or unverifiable.
America’s Saints is an important work in the study of Mormonism, especially from the mid-1980s. It does a useful job of probing how a religious movement, once persecuted and marginalized, becomes integrated into national life—with power, influence, and also conflicts. It is not a balanced or exhaustive history of Mormonism in its theological or devotional dimensions; and its critical stance makes it more of a “watchdog” or “journalistic” history rather than a church-friendly portrayal. But that is not a defect per se if one reads it for what it is.
I found America’s Saints to be a compelling, often uncomfortable read—but in a good way. It forces readers (whether Mormon or not) to reckon with the fact that religious institutions are not just spiritual; they are economic, political, social actors—and with power come responsibilities, tensions, contradictions.
June 13, 2013
Secular history of the modern LDS church. Written in the 80s, so a bit dated, but illuminates major developments that underscore the church's subsequent evolution.
As a former Mormon, I thought this book might make me angry. Instead it just made things clear--what is happening in the church, and why. Should be part of the LDS history canon.
As a former Mormon, I thought this book might make me angry. Instead it just made things clear--what is happening in the church, and why. Should be part of the LDS history canon.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews