John C. Hamer
| John C. Hamer | |
|---|---|
| Born |
1970 (age 46–47) Chicago metropolitan area |
| Residence | Toronto, Canada |
| Alma mater |
BYU U-M |
| Occupation | Author, mapmaker, pastor |
| Years active | mid 1990s–present |
| Spouse(s) | Mike Karpowicz |
John C. Hamer is an American-Canadian historian and mapmaker. His research has focused primarily on the Latter Day Saint movement, and he has contributed several books on the topic. Raised in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Hamer left the religion before joining Community of Christ and now serves as Pastor of its Toronto Congregation.
Hamer was a contributor to By Common Consent, the Restoration Studies Coordinator at Sunstone Education Foundation, and the Executive Director of the John Whitmer Historical Association.[1]
Biography
Hamer's mother's ancestry goes back seventh generations to the early Latter Day Saint church in 1833.[2] His family history is connected to many variations of the Restoration (including Brighamites, Josephites, Rigdonites, Whitmerites, and Strangites).[1]
Hamer was born in the suburbs of Chicago, and grew up a suburb of Minneapolis.[2] He was raised LDS—and very active as a Deacons Quorum President, Seminary Quorum President, Eagle Scout at 13— but became a "closet doubter" as a teenager, and left organized religion altogether as an adult. Disinterested in Mormonism, at age 26 he read No Man Knows My History, and commented that— ironically— Fawn Brodie rehabilitated Joseph Smith for him.[3]
Hamer received a B.A. degree from Brigham Young University, and a master's from the University of Michigan.
Career
Hamer has produced maps for university presses and museums, including the University of Michigan Press, Columbia University Press, the Smithsonian Institution Press, the Strategic Air and Space Museum, and the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail Interpretive Center. In Mormon studies, he has made maps for the LDS church's Joseph Smith Papers Project, Herald Publishing House, Greg Kofford Books, the Journal of Mormon History, Mormon Historic Studies, the JWHA Journal, and Restoration Studies, among others.[4]
On 6 April 2010, Hamer joined Community of Christ. He presently serves as pastor of its congregation in downtown Toronto, Canada, and as a Historian for its Canada East Mission. He is President of the Sionito Group of Charities.
Personal life
Hamer is married to Mike Karpowicz. They live in Toronto, Ontario, where they attend the Community of Christ's Bathurst Street congregation.[1]
Works
Books
- Donia, Robert J.; Fine, John V. A., Jr. (1994). Bosnia and Hercegovina: A Tradition Betrayed. New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 0-231-10160-0.
With maps by John C. Hamer
- Bringhurst, Newell G.; Hamer, John C., eds. (10 September 2007). Scattering Of The Saints: Schism Within Mormonism. Independence, Missouri: John Whitmer Books. ISBN 1-934-90102-4.
- Walden, Barbara; Lachlan, MacKay (2008). House of the Lord: The Story of Kirtland Temple. United States: John Whitmer Books. ISBN 1-934-90106-7.
With photographs by Val Brinkerhoff, and illustrations by John Hamer
- Hamer, John C. (12 September 2008). 1844-1859: A Time Of Transition. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. ISBN 1-440-42207-9.
Souvenir book of the 36th Annual Meeting of the John Whitmer Historical Association, held in Old Voree (Burlington), Wisconsin, in 2008. Includes maps, photos, association information, and the complete program of the conference.
- Hamer, Ginger, ed. (8 May 2009). Fitly Framed Together: The Life and Testimony of Bob and Louise Erekson. BookSurge Publishing. ISBN 1439229120.
Cover design by John C. Hamer
- Howlett, David J.; Walden, Barbara B.; Hamer, John C. (January 2010). Community of Christ: An Illustrated History. Independence, Mo.: Herald Publishing House. ISBN 0-830-91490-0.
- Hamer, John C. (12 September 2011). Northeast of Eden: Atlas of Mormon Settlement in Caldwell County, Missouri, 1834-39. John Whitmer Books. ISBN 1-934-90107-5.
Articles
- Hamer, John C. (Spring 2008). "Mapping Mormon Settlement in Caldwell County, Missouri" (PDF). Mormon Historical Studies. 9 (1): 15–38. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
Podcast appearances
Hamer has been a guest on many podcasts including Mormon Stories, Gay Mormon Stories, Mormon Stories Sunday School, Project Zion Podcast, Feminist Mormon Housewives, Mormon Expression, Infants on Thrones, Mormon Expositor, Sunstone, Radio West, Back Story with the American History Guys, Interesting Canadian Mormons, Naked Mormonism, Rational Faiths, and Mormon Matters.[5]
References
- 1 2 3 "John Hamer". By Common Consent. 6 April 2009. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
- 1 2 Dehlin, John (14 June 2013). "422-423: John Hamer on Returning to Mormonism via the Community of Christ". Mormon Stories. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
- ↑ Parkinson, Daniel (14 June 2013). "040: John Hamer Pt.1 on growing up Mormon and being a gay agnostic at BYU". Gay Mormon Stories Podcast. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
- ↑ "1844–1859: A Time Of Transition—'About the Author'". amazon.com. Retrieved 28 July 2017.
- ↑ Hamer, John (14 September 2013). "John Hamer in Mormon Podcasts". Saints Herald. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
External links
- John C. Hamer on Facebook
- "Hamer on 'Church for the Unchurched'". YouTube. Toronto Congregation. 4 December 2015. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
- "'There's More than One Kind of Mormon: A History of Schism in the Latter Day Saint Movement', a visual presentation by Hamer". YouTube. Calgary Community of Christ. 19 November 2016. Retrieved 9 August 2017.