"All Abraham's Children is Armand L. Mauss's long-awaited magnum opus on the origin and evolution of traditional Mormon beliefs and evolution of traditional Mormon beliefs and practices concerning ethnic minorities. Mauss examines how members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have defined themselves and others in terms of racial lineages." "He describes a complex process of the broadening of these self-defined lineages during the last part of the twentieth century as the modern Mormon church continued its worldwide expansion through intense missionary work." "Incorporating his own sociological research, Mauss contends that Mormon constructions of racial identity have not necessarily affected actual behavior negatively and that in some cases Mormons have shown greater tolerance than other groups in the American mainstream." "Employing a broad intellectual historical analysis to identify shifts in LDS behavior over time, All Abraham's Children constitutes an important contribution to Mormon historiography."--BOOK JACKET.