What were the events and who were the key characters that led to the lifting of the priesthood and temple ban for black people? In this episode Matt Harris will answer those questions. Rumors have gone around that the ban was lifted due to the IRS threatening to take away their tax exempt status, or because of the lawsuits involving the NAACP, etc. Matt Harris puts many of these rumors to rest and answers the real reason why (and how) the ban was lifted. We are thrilled to announce that we have reached our donation goal to compensate Dr. Matt Harris for his contributions to this series. We sincerely thank everyone who supported this effort. While the goal to pay Matt has been met, producing this series incurred significant costs for the Open Stories Foundation. If you find value in this content and want to help cover these expenses and support future productions, we encourage you to donate at https://www.mormonstories.org/donate/ Your generosity makes a difference—thank you! Purchase Matt Harris' book here! “Second Class Saints” by Matt Harris https://www.amazon.com/Second-Class-Saints-Mormons-Struggle-Equality/dp/019769571X/ Show Notes: https://www.mormonstories.org/churchhistory/how-the-priesthood-and-temple-bans-ended/ 00:00:00 Thank you to everyone who has donated and will continue to donate! 00:10:16 Summary of where we left off 00:12:55 Hugh B. Brown was terrified the ban would last forever 00:22:16 Kimball is well aware of the history of doing away with polygamy 00:28:25 How doctrine is now created 00:33:29 Who is Spencer W. Kimball? 00:39:50 Kimball’s famous address in 1974 00:43:55 Lester Bush 00:51:55 There is NO revelation tying the ban to Joseph Smith 00:58:40 Packer and Andersen try to convince Bush not to publish his research 01:08:40 Did Lester Bush’s article affect Kimball’s revelation? 01:11:05 How groundbreaking was Lester Bush’s article? 01:30:31 What if the ban WAS started by Joseph Smith? 01:32:50 Did the IRS cause the ban to be lifted? 01:40:50 Asking Jimmy Carter if he put the pressure on the Church 01:42:46 The law didn’t go into effect until 1981 01:51:40 The Church and women’s rights and LGBTQ rights 02:03:15 What were some of the other factors for lifting the ban? 02:06:50 Kimball going after the hold-ups first 02:11:00 Kimball saying they needed new theology 02:14:35 Why didn’t the lifting of the ban go through Africa? 02:17:25 Helvécio Martins’ son wanting to serve a mission 02:22:30 Kimball at a meeting and has Martins come up 02:26:04 Sister missionary discovering that her grandfather was black 02:30:48 How Kimball gets the rest of the Apostles to agree to lift the ban 02:33:33 Can the Apostles keep journals? 02:36:33 Kimball meeting with the twelve in January 1978 02:40:00 Kimball sends Mark Peterson away on a mission 02:41:00 Convincing Ezra Taft Benson 02:47:45 Revelation occurs when people are on their tippy toes 02:48:50 How this revelation is different than members understand it 02:54:46 Seeing how the sausage is made 02:55:55 If Stapley and Peterson were there with Benson would the ban have been lifted 03:01:40 How they decide to tell the rest of the General Authorities 03:07:20 They were summoned to this special meeting 03:16:47 Statement made by the Church on lifting the ban 03:23:20 Questions that still remained unanswered ___________________ At Mormon Stories we explore, celebrate, and challenge Mormon culture through in-depth stories told by members and former members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as well as scholars, authors, LDS apologists, and other professionals. Our overall mission is to: 1. Facilitate informed consent amongst LDS Church members, investigators, and non-members regarding Mormon history, doctrine, and theology 2. Support Mormons (and members of other high-demand religions) who are experiencing a religious faith crisis 3. Promote healing, growth and community for those who choose to leave the LDS Church or other high demand religions 🤝Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today One-time or recurring donations: https://donorbox.org/mormon-stories?default_interval=m Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mormonstories Venmo: https://account.venmo.com/u/mormonstories Paypal: https://paypal.me/mormonstories Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCx6OgmoqJbOVRq-Lv1P7SzA/join Our Platforms: 🌐Mormon Stories Blog: https://www.mormonstories.org/episodes 🎙️Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mormonstories ✳️Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4sDzk7dRjODTSEqzZKZJzk?si=148b0efc1ccc4404&nd=1 🍎Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mormon-stories-lds/id312094772 🖼️Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mormstories 📱TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mormonstoriespodcast 🎮Discord: https://discord.com/invite/kuX5p6yyjF Contact us: 📧 MormonStories@gmail.com 📬PO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117