John C. Thomas was a faculty member in the Department of Religious Education at BYU–Idaho when this was written, where he was teaching in the Foundations program. He received BA and MA degrees in international relations from BYU (1988, 1989) and a PhD in political science from Indiana University (1995). After the completion of his formal education, he joined the Mormon History Association in 1997 and then began his career at then-Ricks College in 1998. He has published historical scholarship in a variety of forums, including BYU Studies, the Religious Educator, and the Journal of Mormon History. He and his wife, Maria, are the parents of three children.