This Mormon Apostle Was Caught In An Affair

Newsletter: https://benjaminpark.kit.com/e8e78e2331

Richard and Amy Brown Lyman were once the power couple of early 20th-century Mormonism—until everything fell apart. Amy helped reshape the LDS Relief Society into a modern force for social reform, while Richard rose to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. But their lives—and the progressive path of the LDS Church—were forever altered by scandal.

In this video, we dive deep into the affair that led to Apostle Richard R. Lyman’s excommunication, the ideological battle between Amy and J. Reuben Clark, and how the fallout redirected the future of Mormonism. Learn how polygamy’s lingering legacy, the politics of gender, and the struggle over orthodoxy still echo today. If you want to understand the pivotal turning point that redefined modern LDS doctrine and leadership, this story is essential.

Books:
Journal of Mormon History Vol. 37, No. 4, Fall 2011: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/vi...
American Zion: https://amzn.to/4j8Ms16
Kingdom of Nauvoo: https://amzn.to/4cmigxw

Video Chapters:
00:00 Power Couple
00:54 Early Lives
02:01 BYU Romance
03:13 Modern Reformers
04:19 Relief Society
05:21 LDS Politics
06:16 Family Strain
08:11 Hidden Affair
09:04 Counseling Case
10:09 Emotional Justification
11:09 Political Conflict
12:13 Mission Distraction
13:17 Surveillance Trap
14:24 Public Fall
15:17 Petition Denied
16:15 Amy’s Downfall
17:08 Institutional Shift
18:09 Was It Polygamy?
19:11 Legacy Lessons
20:14 Historical Echoes

#MormonHistory #Excommunication #ReliefSociety

About This Channel:
Welcome to the channel! I’m Dr. Benjamin Park—historian, author, professor, and unapologetic history geek. If you're tired of hearing that everything is unprecedented or nothing like this has ever happened before, you're in the right place. This channel dives into the complex (and fascinating) intersections of American religion, politics, and culture. I bring history out of the ivory tower and into real-world conversations—making it relevant, accessible, and even a little fun. Expect weekly deep dives, quick takes on current events, book recommendations, and sharp insights from the past to help us understand our present. From Mormon history to the abolitionist movement and beyond, let’s unpack how we got here—and where we might be going. Subscribe and geek out with me on the power of the past.

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