John J. Stephenson
Mormon Historian & Scholar
In Memoriam
1957-2020
Johnny showed up in my life at a time I didn’t realize I needed him.
Things were really heating up in 2014 after I had published and released Debunking FairMormon. I was already a target with the CES Letter going viral but things went next level after I released Debunking FairMormon.
Out of nowhere, Johnny introduced himself and we became immediate friends. I learned later that he learned about me from Brian Hales' drive-by hit pieces on me and was furious at how mistreated I was by Hales. He had to reach out to help me in doing a response and debunking.
Johnny defended me over the years. He defended me at my low points when I didn’t have the bandwidth or energy to defend myself. One Mormon apologist tried to insult Johnny by calling him “Jeremy’s apologist” but Johnny loved it. He took it as a badge of honor and I often greeted Johnny with a “How’s Jeremy’s apologist doing today?”
If I was ever the village idiot on Mormon history like the apologists desperately try to smear me as, Johnny changed that with our countless hours of discussions, research, writing and debate on Mormon history these past 6 years. He was a mentor to me on Mormon history and research. He took me to new levels in research on the subject - especially with Joseph Smith's and Nauvoo era polygamy / polyandry. You can see the fruits of some of our labors:
We last met during Sunstone 2019 when we went to the Wilford Wood Museum in Bountiful, Utah. He came to Salt Lake from Buffalo, New York where he lived most of his life. We had a wonderful visit and I’m so glad we had this time together.
We both are huge cinephiles and shared a love for movies and TV shows. Some of my fondest memories were reminiscing over the latest Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, Hell on Wheels and Walking Dead episodes or movies with him.
If I had to summarize Johnny’s and my friendship and my feelings about his death from a movie scene, it would be this scene in Django Unchained - a favorite. Dr. King Schultz changed Django’s life by helping him, teaching him, defending him and freeing him.
When Johnny was in the hospital for lymphocytic leukemia in September 2020, he posted on Facebook an update. This was my last communication with him:
He was my friend to the very end and I’ll always be grateful to him for always being there when I needed him.
I miss our times together but I'm grateful for the education, mentorship and friendship Johnny gave me along the way.
Goodbye, "Jeremy’s apologist". May you rest in peace.
Born and raised in Southern California, Jeremy is a seventh generation Mormon of Pioneer heritage who reached every Mormon youth milestone. An Eagle Scout, Returned Missionary, BYU alumnus, Jeremy was married in the San Diego Temple with expectations and plans of living Mormonism for the rest of his life.
In February 2012, Jeremy experienced an awakening to the LDS Church's truth crisis, which subsequently led to a faith transition that summer. In the spring of 2013, Jeremy was approached and asked by a CES Director to share his questions and concerns about the LDS Church's origins, history, and current practices. In response, Jeremy wrote what later became publicly known as the CES Letter (originally titled Letter to a CES Director).
The CES Director responded that he read the "very well written" letter and that he would provide Jeremy with a response. No response ever came.
“I believe that members and investigators deserve to have all of the facts and information on the table...to be able to make a fully-informed and balanced decision as to whether or not they want to commit their hearts, minds, time, talents, income and lives to Mormonism. Anything less is an obstruction to the free agency of the individual.”
- Jeremy Runnells
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