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Dispatches from Mormon Zion
In today’s deeply divided world, how can people find common ground with each other?
One of the earliest goals of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was to build a modern Zion—a community where people would share one heart and one mind. That vision raises questions that are profoundly relevant in today’s divided society. Is unity of feeling and belief desirable or even possible? If so, what does it look like? Ryan Davis explores these questions by reflecting on personal stories from his life and work in the present-day Latter-day Saints faith community.
The stories that Davis is interested in are ones in which relative strangers or mere acquaintances catch a glimpse of each other’s humanity. Within that liminal space—which Davis calls “Mormon Zion”—they are able to listen to each other, learn from each other, and find common ground, qualities that are sorely needed in today’s public square. Combining gifted storytelling with keen analysis, Davis illuminates people’s lived experiences within the Latter-day Saints community and offers thoughtful reflections on what it might mean to share one heart and one mind in today’s polarized world.
One of the earliest goals of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was to build a modern Zion—a community where people would share one heart and one mind. That vision raises questions that are profoundly relevant in today’s divided society. Is unity of feeling and belief desirable or even possible? If so, what does it look like? Ryan Davis explores these questions by reflecting on personal stories from his life and work in the present-day Latter-day Saints faith community.
The stories that Davis is interested in are ones in which relative strangers or mere acquaintances catch a glimpse of each other’s humanity. Within that liminal space—which Davis calls “Mormon Zion”—they are able to listen to each other, learn from each other, and find common ground, qualities that are sorely needed in today’s public square. Combining gifted storytelling with keen analysis, Davis illuminates people’s lived experiences within the Latter-day Saints community and offers thoughtful reflections on what it might mean to share one heart and one mind in today’s polarized world.
205 pages, Hardcover
Published March 13, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 19, 2025
This was a pleasure to read.
May 17, 2025
“If, somehow or other, the universe deals you a chance to respond to someone in a way that affirms, understands or even shares in the way they value themselves, then you are in a position to give them a very special gift”
January 13, 2026
When I was but seven years old, my family stopped in Salt Lake City as we made our way to Denver to visit relatives. For some reason, our visit to Temple Square stuck with me through the years. By the time I was in high school, my fascination with Mormonism took on a new form, anti-Mormonism. I read everything I could about what I had come to believe was a cult. Besides the anti-cult books, I read Fawn Brodie's important biography, No Man Knows My History: The Life of Joseph Smith. My understanding of Mormonism has evolved. I still find Latter Day Saint views of God on the margins of Christian theology, but I no longer consider them to be a cult. Rather, they are just a different version of the Christian story. I offer this preface to my review of Ryan Davis' "Dispatches from Mormon Zion," to underscore that interest in the world of Latter Day Saint theology and life.
Davis's "Dispatches from Mormon Zion" is not a book of theology or apologetic for Mormonism, but it is an expression of what it means to be LDS and live in Mormon Zion. More specifically, Davis is a professor of political science at BYU and a resident of Provo, Utah. As one reads Davis's dispatches, I think they may discover how normal Mormons are. Here is a political science professor who loves to talk about Taylor Swift and is an avid fisherman. There is a lot of talk about both Swift (he is a male Swiftie, I believe) and fishing (fly-fishing). All of this takes place in the context of living in Provo and teaching at BYU.
The word Zion, which in most Christian and Jewish parlance means Jerusalem, for Mormons is understood to mean Utah. It has both a physical meaning --- a place where the saints will dwell, which eventually became the Salt Lake Basin, where Mormons migrated under the leadership of Brigham Young. But it also has a spiritual sense, as Davis points out, "Latter-Day Saints' scriptures define Zion as the 'pure in heart.' Zion is a people who are ' of one heart and one mind, and [dwell] in righteousness'." (p. xii). In these dispatches, we find both meanings present. Thus, in this book, Davis seeks to demonstrate the contemporary resonance of the concept of Zion. So, in these dispatches, Davis seeks to address several questions, such as "What is Mormon Zion like? What kind of experiences does it make possible? If you encounter another person in the way, just get what's happening to them, and they somehow intuit what you're feeling as well. What happens next?" (p. xv). That Davis has chosen to publish his "Dispatches from Mormon Zion" with a mainstream Christian publisher rather than an LDS publisher suggests that he wants to use these dispatches to reach out to the wider Christian world, as well as the LDS world. I believe he has done his job well. This is a thoroughly enjoyable read. You might even forget at times that the dispatches come from Mormon Zion.
Davis begins the book with a chapter titled "Millennial Beginnings," in which he offers a set of dispatches that speak of life in Utah County, the county where one will find the city of Provo and Brigham Young University. One finds here a series of brief pieces that come from his life in the area, including a sofa that travels down a Provo street and a Pioneer Day Pie-Bake contest. Mixed in is an "interlude," in which he reflects on how the idea of Zion emerged in Joseph Smith's mind. The message is that "Zion is about replacing discord with unity." With that in mind, he writes of the message of Zion that "We might not share the same beliefs, but we can imagine a time when we will" (p. 8). Chapter 2 is titled "I Don't Fish on Saturdays," the first of several chapters/dispatches where Davis speaks of his interest in fishing. Here, he meets a young girl who wishes to learn how to fish in the Provo River. It's a fun chapter, and I'll leave it at that, though I think he means it to reveal something about living in Zion.
Chapter 3 is titled "Visions of Freedom." Here he delves more fully into Mormon life and viewpoints, making use of a poem by Charles W. Penrose, a Mormon who never made it to Utah, but imagined the nature of Zion. Here again, we have dispatches and interludes that reveal something about imagining Zion and migrating there as well. There is a requisite mention of Taylor Swift and a reflection on fishing, this time for Walleye at the mouth of the Provo River. Taylor Swift gets her first full discussion in Chapter 4, "Taylor Swift and the Metaphysics of the Self." In this chapter, he reflects on Swift's song "You Are in Love." He uses her song as an entry point into a discussion of the meaning of the self and its construction, suggesting that the self is worthy of love. Not being a Taylor Swift fan, I learned a bit more about her than the clips of her concerts and her presence at Chiefs' games. But Davis is a fan and finds meaning in her songs. I do find it interesting that a male Mormon political science professor would be into her music. That said, we have this from Davis: "If Taylor Swift stands for anything, it's emotional honesty," which leads to a confession about what it means to love another (p. 57).
Further dispatches involve a reflection on Davis's mother, a wild raccoon, and what it means to be without guile (Chapter 5). I will let the reader figure out what that is all about. Chapter 6 is titled "The Dance," and it deals with fishing and a particular method of fly fishing. We then move to chapter 7, titled "The Thing They Don't Tell You," which offers a set of conversations about college exams. Remember that this is a book filled with dispatches that come from Mormon Zion. Not everything is about Mormonism, at least not explicitly, so you have to be awake to the messaging.
Our next chapter, titled "Divine Riddles in the Laser-Tag Line" (Chapter 8), offers a reflection about a Sunday morning talk given at a Mormon service. If you wanted to know what happens at a service, at least in terms of messaging, Davis clues us in. Here, the topic is a story of a Sunday morning talk about someone hearing from God, while in a laser-tag line that leads to a marriage. That leads to a conversation about how God might speak, including hearing a word from Jesus' parables. I found it interesting that in interpreting Jesus' parables, he turns to John Dominic Crossan. What he takes from the Sunday morning talk and the reflection on words from Isaiah and Jesus is that "God's revelation leaves us free to act" (p. 136).
Many Mormon families engage in what is known as Family Home Evening, which involves a religious lesson, prayer, a game (perhaps), and hopefully a snack. In "Family Home Evening, or How I Learned to Stop Worring and Love Quietist Theological Relativism" (chapter 8), he draws on a message from a Mormon friend who shared with his family a message titled "The End of the Word, Plan B." The question here has to do with justice and the end of the world, which he thinks we can't count on. So there is Plan B. In this chapter, Davis explores Joseph Smith's restorationism and the meaning of Smith's vision that sought to offer an answer to Smith's confusion as to which religion is the right one. Davis ends up with a bit of relativism. I am not sure how this might be perceived in LDS circles, but it offers a more open view of what Smith discerned on such matters. Chapter 10, titled "The Legend of Quint McCallister reflects on the meaning of a Sunday talk given by his father that involves planting hay for winter grazing, and relationships that help with that decision. I'll leave it at that, except it says something about trust.
In his conclusion, Davis suggests that Mormon Zion is "a kind of base camp for God's kingdom" (p. 174). With that said, he suggests that it is not his intention to persuade anyone about anything, but he does want to leave us with a question to consider. The question he wants us to consider is "What three best moments do you most vividly remember from the Last year?" Having asked the question and offered his three, he offers this takeaway, which is this: "if, somehow or other, the universe deals you a chance to respond to someone in a way that affirms, understands, or even shares in the way they value themselves, then you are in a position to give them a very special gift." He suggests that reading to the end is a great gift to him (p. 175).
As one reads "Dispatches from Mormon Zion," one learns about life in Mormon Zion, including some LDS theology. Ultimately, this is a fun read that slips in thoughts about faith from an LDS perspective.
Davis's "Dispatches from Mormon Zion" is not a book of theology or apologetic for Mormonism, but it is an expression of what it means to be LDS and live in Mormon Zion. More specifically, Davis is a professor of political science at BYU and a resident of Provo, Utah. As one reads Davis's dispatches, I think they may discover how normal Mormons are. Here is a political science professor who loves to talk about Taylor Swift and is an avid fisherman. There is a lot of talk about both Swift (he is a male Swiftie, I believe) and fishing (fly-fishing). All of this takes place in the context of living in Provo and teaching at BYU.
The word Zion, which in most Christian and Jewish parlance means Jerusalem, for Mormons is understood to mean Utah. It has both a physical meaning --- a place where the saints will dwell, which eventually became the Salt Lake Basin, where Mormons migrated under the leadership of Brigham Young. But it also has a spiritual sense, as Davis points out, "Latter-Day Saints' scriptures define Zion as the 'pure in heart.' Zion is a people who are ' of one heart and one mind, and [dwell] in righteousness'." (p. xii). In these dispatches, we find both meanings present. Thus, in this book, Davis seeks to demonstrate the contemporary resonance of the concept of Zion. So, in these dispatches, Davis seeks to address several questions, such as "What is Mormon Zion like? What kind of experiences does it make possible? If you encounter another person in the way, just get what's happening to them, and they somehow intuit what you're feeling as well. What happens next?" (p. xv). That Davis has chosen to publish his "Dispatches from Mormon Zion" with a mainstream Christian publisher rather than an LDS publisher suggests that he wants to use these dispatches to reach out to the wider Christian world, as well as the LDS world. I believe he has done his job well. This is a thoroughly enjoyable read. You might even forget at times that the dispatches come from Mormon Zion.
Davis begins the book with a chapter titled "Millennial Beginnings," in which he offers a set of dispatches that speak of life in Utah County, the county where one will find the city of Provo and Brigham Young University. One finds here a series of brief pieces that come from his life in the area, including a sofa that travels down a Provo street and a Pioneer Day Pie-Bake contest. Mixed in is an "interlude," in which he reflects on how the idea of Zion emerged in Joseph Smith's mind. The message is that "Zion is about replacing discord with unity." With that in mind, he writes of the message of Zion that "We might not share the same beliefs, but we can imagine a time when we will" (p. 8). Chapter 2 is titled "I Don't Fish on Saturdays," the first of several chapters/dispatches where Davis speaks of his interest in fishing. Here, he meets a young girl who wishes to learn how to fish in the Provo River. It's a fun chapter, and I'll leave it at that, though I think he means it to reveal something about living in Zion.
Chapter 3 is titled "Visions of Freedom." Here he delves more fully into Mormon life and viewpoints, making use of a poem by Charles W. Penrose, a Mormon who never made it to Utah, but imagined the nature of Zion. Here again, we have dispatches and interludes that reveal something about imagining Zion and migrating there as well. There is a requisite mention of Taylor Swift and a reflection on fishing, this time for Walleye at the mouth of the Provo River. Taylor Swift gets her first full discussion in Chapter 4, "Taylor Swift and the Metaphysics of the Self." In this chapter, he reflects on Swift's song "You Are in Love." He uses her song as an entry point into a discussion of the meaning of the self and its construction, suggesting that the self is worthy of love. Not being a Taylor Swift fan, I learned a bit more about her than the clips of her concerts and her presence at Chiefs' games. But Davis is a fan and finds meaning in her songs. I do find it interesting that a male Mormon political science professor would be into her music. That said, we have this from Davis: "If Taylor Swift stands for anything, it's emotional honesty," which leads to a confession about what it means to love another (p. 57).
Further dispatches involve a reflection on Davis's mother, a wild raccoon, and what it means to be without guile (Chapter 5). I will let the reader figure out what that is all about. Chapter 6 is titled "The Dance," and it deals with fishing and a particular method of fly fishing. We then move to chapter 7, titled "The Thing They Don't Tell You," which offers a set of conversations about college exams. Remember that this is a book filled with dispatches that come from Mormon Zion. Not everything is about Mormonism, at least not explicitly, so you have to be awake to the messaging.
Our next chapter, titled "Divine Riddles in the Laser-Tag Line" (Chapter 8), offers a reflection about a Sunday morning talk given at a Mormon service. If you wanted to know what happens at a service, at least in terms of messaging, Davis clues us in. Here, the topic is a story of a Sunday morning talk about someone hearing from God, while in a laser-tag line that leads to a marriage. That leads to a conversation about how God might speak, including hearing a word from Jesus' parables. I found it interesting that in interpreting Jesus' parables, he turns to John Dominic Crossan. What he takes from the Sunday morning talk and the reflection on words from Isaiah and Jesus is that "God's revelation leaves us free to act" (p. 136).
Many Mormon families engage in what is known as Family Home Evening, which involves a religious lesson, prayer, a game (perhaps), and hopefully a snack. In "Family Home Evening, or How I Learned to Stop Worring and Love Quietist Theological Relativism" (chapter 8), he draws on a message from a Mormon friend who shared with his family a message titled "The End of the Word, Plan B." The question here has to do with justice and the end of the world, which he thinks we can't count on. So there is Plan B. In this chapter, Davis explores Joseph Smith's restorationism and the meaning of Smith's vision that sought to offer an answer to Smith's confusion as to which religion is the right one. Davis ends up with a bit of relativism. I am not sure how this might be perceived in LDS circles, but it offers a more open view of what Smith discerned on such matters. Chapter 10, titled "The Legend of Quint McCallister reflects on the meaning of a Sunday talk given by his father that involves planting hay for winter grazing, and relationships that help with that decision. I'll leave it at that, except it says something about trust.
In his conclusion, Davis suggests that Mormon Zion is "a kind of base camp for God's kingdom" (p. 174). With that said, he suggests that it is not his intention to persuade anyone about anything, but he does want to leave us with a question to consider. The question he wants us to consider is "What three best moments do you most vividly remember from the Last year?" Having asked the question and offered his three, he offers this takeaway, which is this: "if, somehow or other, the universe deals you a chance to respond to someone in a way that affirms, understands, or even shares in the way they value themselves, then you are in a position to give them a very special gift." He suggests that reading to the end is a great gift to him (p. 175).
As one reads "Dispatches from Mormon Zion," one learns about life in Mormon Zion, including some LDS theology. Ultimately, this is a fun read that slips in thoughts about faith from an LDS perspective.
March 8, 2025
As one who lived in a Mormon Temple community I can attest that the author's Mormon Zion is truly a way of life for the Mormon people. The kindness and humanity they practice and share with their neighbors is inspiring. it behooves us all to educate ourselves in this way of life that the Mormon Zion inspires. This is a welcome view into the Mormon tenants and standards of living. As the most successful religion in the world what the everyday member gives to their community is what the world needs today. A sense of helping their neighbors, community and giving to others. A wonderfully written enjoyable read that I highly recommend for all interested in learning about the Mormon way of life.
February 7, 2025
Reading Dispatches from Mormon Zion is a rare pleasure. You are in the hands of a delightful, endearing, and exceptionally gracious narrator, possessed of a dry wit and uncommon wisdom for our fractious times. You will be grateful, as I am, for his gentle tutoring in the art of seeing others more truly.
March 26, 2025
The author implicitly makes the case that Zion is here, already. It’s found on the Provo River trail and in the classroom, but mostly it’s shared in millions of fleeting moments of connection. Subversive and delightful.
July 27, 2025
This is the kind of book that makes you feel gratitude for life and joy in the experience of being part of a community. I think I highlighted about 30% of the entire book! Ryan’s insights — especially his ways of thinking about life and religion — are superb.
July 27, 2025
Take your time to read & ponder what this book has to offer.
Nuggets of insight into "Mormon Zion".
Oh, and some interesting tidbits on fly fishing. 🤔
Nuggets of insight into "Mormon Zion".
Oh, and some interesting tidbits on fly fishing. 🤔
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews