As one explores the following fifteen lesson plans, instructors and students alike will discover the "power not my own" that led Joseph Smith III to guide the Community of Christ for 54 years. His devotion to fulfill God's will sparked a faith movement to express a passionate desire for a world as God perceives it, rather than a world through human eyes. Joseph III (1832-1914) experienced personal joy and pain, victory and defeat throughout his life. He endured the agony of his father's violent death at a very young age. Joseph buried two beloved wives and many precious children. He clung to his mother's guidance as he matured, and revered her deeply as he entered manhood. Joseph Smith III was more than a significant religious leader, he was a husband, brother, son, and father to those most precious to him. His life spanned one of America's most crucial time periods as the United States tore itself asunder and struggled to put the pieces back together, minus 600,000 lives. As the nation struggled, so Joseph struggled personally, politically and spiritually. He gathered many of the "Scattered Saints" in his early years to strengthen the infant Community of Christ, and ardently supported its continued expansion. Joseph III's leadership spanned a complete generation of faithful disciples. In his fifty-four years, the Community of Christ grew from a scattered band of diverse believers with broad differences to a teeming world-wide church of over 70,000 united by the mission of Christ. Joseph was indeed one of the greatest influences on Community of Christ history.
Learn more about Joseph Smith III and the early Community of Christ in Joseph Smith III: Pragmatic Prophet by Roger Launius (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1988) with accompanying lesson plans for a deeper understanding of this "giant" of history. All lesson plans were created by Kevin and Katie Bryant, 2010.
NOTE: The Community of Christ Historic Sites Foundation is pleased to make the Joseph Smith III lesson plans available for use by all. To help the Foundation produce additional resources such as these, we would ask you to consider a donation of $2 per lesson plan download. Donations are accepted online here.
Thank you for helping share and preserve church heritage with your generosity!
Learn more about Joseph Smith III and the early Community of Christ in Joseph Smith III: Pragmatic Prophet by Roger Launius (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1988) with accompanying lesson plans for a deeper understanding of this "giant" of history. All lesson plans were created by Kevin and Katie Bryant, 2010.
NOTE: The Community of Christ Historic Sites Foundation is pleased to make the Joseph Smith III lesson plans available for use by all. To help the Foundation produce additional resources such as these, we would ask you to consider a donation of $2 per lesson plan download. Donations are accepted online here.
Thank you for helping share and preserve church heritage with your generosity!
|
|