What Was Joseph Smith’s Core Prophetic Message?

We’re really excited to share this week’s episode with you—a conversation with scholar and historian, Matt Bowman. 

Matt is the Howard W. Hunter Chair of Mormon Studies and an associate professor of religion and history at Claremont Graduate University. In this conversation, he draws on ancient scripture to explore two archetypes that show up again and again: the prophet and the priest.

The prophet, Matt says, is often a voice from the outside—someone who has had a powerful, personal encounter with the divine and is sent to deliver a message that calls the community to repent. They challenge, critique, and call us back to our spiritual roots.

The priest, by contrast, usually nurtures from within—building and sustaining community, preserving memory, and ministering through sacred ritual. The priest creates belonging, continuity, and connection.

And while these approaches may seem to contrast, they work in harmony to support and strengthen the spiritual life of a community.

Matt notes that beginning around the 1950s, we began consistently referring to the president of the church as the prophet. And he wonders if, in doing so, we may have come to sometimes undervalue the essential priestly work the President of the Church also does.

This conversation helped us see something familiar—and deeply cherished in our tradition—in a fresh and powerful way and we came away feeling more grateful for a structure that makes room for both priestly care and prophetic vision.

We’re so thankful to Matt for this conversation, and we hope you love it as much as we did.

Matt’s piece that inspired this conversation, The Prophet and the Priest, will be published in Issue 6 of Wayfare alongside poetry, stories, essays and more exploring the roles of prophets and of prophecy in our tradition. We’re putting this issue in the mail to all Wayfare paid subscribers and Friends of Faith Matters on December 1, so subscribe now if you haven’t already to be sure you get your copy! 

​What does Joseph Smith’s legacy mean today? Join Terryl Givens and Jenny Reeder at The Compass in downtown Provo on November 20 for a lively discussion on the Prophet’s enduring influence—his vision, his challenges, and the spiritual movement he helped create. You can RSVP here. Friends of Faith Matters will receive the livestream link for free as a thank you for your continued support.