A Thoughtful Faith - Mormon / LDS: Recent Episodes
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The shadow and light of the church are a part of the same story and integrating the suffering and the healing that the church created is part of our necessary preparation for the next part of our journey.
Acceptance of our past life in church with its blessings is a wholesome alternative to staying locked in the fight with what has been. In which case, there's no freedom to move on.
It’s one thing to know that letting go is possible and even necessary. But it’s another to stand at the threshold of leaving without feeling fear. Most of us will carry some fear. In this episode I discuss the DNA of Mormon fear of leaving the church.
In this episode:
"Letting go needn't be truly feared. Letting go can become a friend to us, releasing us into the flow of an abundant and growthful life."
This episode opens up the last chapters of my time as host of A Thoughtful Faith Podcast. I aim to hang up the mic at the end of the 2022.
The remainder of my time with the podcast will be devoted to faith reconstruction and exploring how to have a good church ending and an even better spiritual beginning.
Some years ago, Tali Aitofi found Mormon podcasts and became hooked. But Tali isn't Mormon, he's Pentecostal. His faith journey has played out with the hum of Mormon faith crises in the background.
Tali recently came out as gay; he left his family church, and is currently suffering from a life threatening illness. All of this has caused deep and searching questions. Tali joins me to talk about his life journey and how the Netflix series Midnight Mass spoke to his larger questions about church, God, Jesus, shame and forgiveness.
Painter, now documentary film maker and producer Nathan Florence joins me to discuss ‘Bright Spark: The Reconcilation of Trevor Southey’
For eleven years, artist Nathan Florence documented Trevor Southey's life with his heart and with his lens in order to tell an unfolding story that ended in Trevor’s death in 2015.
It’s an unusual documentary but nonetheless affecting because like a painting it constantly unfolds. The film is a soft place among the polarized voices of LDS folk in and out of the church, because it has no agenda beyond the story of art as an expression of the deepest musings of humanity; How it's made; at what cost; who it's for, and mostly, how does it change lives?
Utah based life coach, Jana Spangler, reflects on her extensive work with Mormons who are in the thick of deconstruction and reconstruction. She argues that being in healthy relationship with our bodies will yield precisely the wisdom we need to make critical life decisions.
If you love Christmas, then this episode isn't for you.
But, if you or someone you know doesn't approach Christmas with merriment and cheer, then this conversation between me and my good friend Nicola Petty might be worth listening to.
Both of us are avowed Grinches and as a concession to those who have to put up with our annual disagreeableness we get together for a chat to identify our points of disagreement with the Silly Season. And we wonder if we need to cancel it next year?
At Syracuse University, moral injury is defined as,
"… the damage done to one’s conscience or moral compass when that person perpetrates, witnesses, or fails to prevent acts that transgress one’s own moral beliefs, values, or ethical codes of conduct."
In this episode, clinical psychologist Dr. Sean Aaron joins me to discuss moral injury. Many coming from the LDS tradition have been taught to spiritually bypass our gut reactions to practices or doctrines, chalking our doubts up to our personal failings and faithlessness.
Sean draws on the concept of moral injury to help us understand what is happening when we do so, and how we can trust and respond to our emotions in healthy ways.
Child sexual abuse in the church is pernicious and confounding. Why anyone purporting to be Christian would sexually abuse a child is beyond the imagination of many. Yet it happens, and far too often to be dismissed.
The Royal Commissions of Inquiry into Sexual Abuse in Ireland and Australia, and currently being conducted in New Zealand, have resulted in powerful evidence-based recommendations for best practices that keep children safe from predatory behaviour in faith-based institutions.
Despite the extent, breadth and thoroughness of these inquiries, the Salt Lake church seems largely disinterested in the wisdom and advice originating from any legal jurisdiction or cultural context other than their own.
Neville Rochow joins me to discuss how child sexual abuse is managed legally and ecclesiastically in the LDS Church in light of the Royal Commissions of Inquiry.
Author of the Spiritual Child, Professor of Psychology Lisa Miller writes in ‘The Spiritual Child’:
“Spiritual development through the early years … provides a protective health benefit, reducing the risk of depression, substance abuse, aggression, and high-risk behaviors.”
It’s for this reason that the team at Upliftkids have created a resource for parents to help them spiritually nurture their children, regardless of religious persuasion.
The resources at Uplift Kids help both parents and children find their inner compass by integrating the best of modern science and ancient wisdom that honour and support the gracious spiritual development and sensitivity of children.
Amanada Suarez and Drew Hansen join me to discuss the healthy spiritual formation of children.
Australian barrister Neville Rochow QC has offered the LDS Church legal advice over the years and has appeared for the church at parliamentary committees on the question of religious freedom. For two years, he also represented the church at the European Parliament in Brussels.
He has been intimately involved in the church’s legal concerns and is well versed in how its legal machinery works, particularly internationally.
In part two of this series, Neville joins me to discuss the LDS Church and its financial activities.
Australian barrister Neville Rochow QC has offered the LDS Church legal advice over the years and has appeared for the church at parliamentary committees on the question of religious freedom. For two years, he also represented the church at the European Parliament in Brussels.
He has been intimately involved in the church's legal concerns and is well versed in how its legal machinery works, particularly internationally.
In part one of this series, Neville joins me to discuss the LDS Church and its legal machinations. In this episode he offers an overview of the relationship between the US church in the international legal arena.
Mark Crego and I met around eight years ago, fellow sojourners in the quest to understand our shared faith in the LDS church. We had a similar curiosity about the spiritual life and consequently we both completed a Masters degree: He in theology and me in ministry. Having taken a Christian formation path we find ourselves similarly interested in the necessity of the divinity of Jesus. Was he literally, biologically the Son of God?
Neither of us think so.
This conversation is not new. Jane Schaberg is one scholar who tackled the question front on, and she paid dearly for it.
Mark and I come to similar conclusions, that the divinity of Jesus has more to do with claims of power, authority and Empire than it has to do with biology. For Mark and I, the illegitimate, fatherless Jesus who God chose as his son is a far more spiritually enlivening and plausible alternative.
While the Mountain Saints speak of the Law of Chastity being the iron clad rule that anything sexual should happen in marriage, the Praire Saints have a statement of Sexual Ethics.
The Statement of Sexual Ethics is the distillation of years of discussion with church leaders across the world and continues as a living document up for discussion and debate.
Community of Christ Apostle Robin Linkhart and former LDS members and now Community of Christ Ministers, Brittany Mangelson and Nancy Ross join me to have the conversation about sex from the perspective of two very different restoration traditions.
When I began questioning the LDS Church, I did not expect the Stake Relief Society president to join me. Nicola Petty went from orthodox and loyal member guided by the priesthood to a Stake Relief Society President who had been woken up by the Ordain Women movement. It was in this capacity that I watched her press priesthood button after priesthood button advocating intelligently and determinedly for the women in our stake. And then, when the church was no longer reconcilable, rather than spit the church out, Nicola planned her exit well, and took up the challenge to build a new life. Her’s is a story of integrity, integration, and extraordinary grace for a church she once loved deeply but no longer sees as essential to her human becoming.
This is a personal story of breaking up well.
Born and raised a devout Mormon in Utah, Katie Langston chronicles her unexpected conversion to orthodox Christianity with candor and theological depth. Her remarkable debut memoir explores themes of religious fundamentalism, mental illness, and family belonging—culminating in her surprising and liberating encounters with the grace of God in Jesus Christ.
Gina and Katie dive deep into the question of faith and family.
We were made for tenderness, gentleness, openness, authenticity, vulnerability, compassion and caring. We are threaded through with the strands of genuine goodness. Our true selves, our inner landscapes are beautiful and potentiated for wholeness, fullness and love.
Mormon trauma is most profoundly felt into being culturally, or institutionally permitted to be our true selves but to live in this highly controlled world where we are treated as potentiated for evil and best kept managed, where the greatest virtue is obedience.
Mormon trauma is experienced as death by a thousand cuts, from the way that policy and doctrine is dropped to way we serve, teach and lead, to the way we are with each other and in our families, to the stories we tell about the world beyond Mormonism.
Lindsay Hansen Park joins me to discuss the ordinariness of Mormon trauma.
Some people say that Community of Christ is just LDS lite. This simply isn't true.
Despite their common roots, you would be unlikely to find two more differently wired faith traditions than the Community of Christ (RLDS) and the LDS (Mormons).
To discuss how this came to be and why the RLDS set about revising and reforming their church in the 1960's while the LDS took on a renewed commitment to restoration fundamentalism and American political conservatism, Professor of American religion, David Howlett from Smith College joins A Thoughtful Faith Podcast.
Ambivalence, ambiguity, lack of accountability and spiritual abuse characterize Natasha Helfer's membership council. Her witnesses speak out about their experience.
Spencer Wells and Isaac Barnes May seek to put the recent ex-communication/name removal of Natasha Helfer from the LDS Church into the broader context of church boundary maintenance in America.
As a performance artist, Andi has been feeding her culture with bread for many years. She bakes, graffitis and gifts her bread warm to those in need.
Artistically weaving mountains, fire, lament and bread comes from an elemental and a cosmic drive to make the spiritual immanent.
Andi and I talk about how material culture becomes spiritual culture.
Natasha Helfer (LCMFT, CST, CSTS )is a licensed clinician and mental health professional who has been summoned to a LDS Church trial for her public stance on sexual health. Taking offence at the idea that the LDS Church is a toxic religious home for our LGBTQIA+ community, and that masturbation can be both appropriate and healthy, a Kansas Stake President has held onto Natasha's records for 18 months in order to execute this action.
Natasha joins me to discuss the broader context of LDS Church culture that makes such punitive measures acceptable and actionable.
This month, our discussion comes from listeners' questions about; white supremacy, intra-faith marriage, community belonging, spirituality and the true church!
One of 150 siblings, Mary Jayne Blackmore is the daughter of Mormon leader Winston Blackmore. Mary Jayne Blackmore grew up within the closed-off polygamist community of Bountiful, BC. Her family’s staunch Fundamentalist Mormon faith imposed fanatical doomsday preparation and carried an instilled fear of the world outside her community.
Mary Jayne has written a memoir 'Balancing Bountiful' of her evolution as a woman with a most unusual childhood. Now out of the church but still in the community Mary Jayne has made a life for herself both inside and outside.
Today Katie Langston returns to the Spiritual Advice Line. We discuss spiritual abuse; unhelpful images of God; spiritual direction; the necessity of community, and how to read the Bible. If you would like to submit a question you may do so by going to katielangston.com
(These discussions are not necessarily representative of the official positions of either the ELC or the Community of Christ.
Emily Rose is the Campus Minister for Faith, Justice and Solidarity at a Jesuit University in Kansas City, Missouri.
In this episode, Emily Rose joins me to discuss eco-spirituality, eco-justice and eco-feminism and the way that the environment undergirds her relationship with her faith, the Divine and ultimately with the rest of the human family.
As a young person in the service of younger persons, her voice is essential as we think about the future of faith, spirituality and Christianity.
Eco-humanitarian and eco-theologian BYU Professor George Handley joins me to discuss his immense concern for the Earth and its future.
Professor Handley argues that humanity must be seen in light of our intimate and dependent relationship with Earth’s natural systems. The Earth sustains and nourishes life but it needs our reciprocal care to ensure that it can do its sacred work.
Any theology that positions humanity as superior to the Earth or entitled to take what we like is why we face this current problem and insecurity over whether or not our home planet will last humanity’s trouble impact.
Katie Langston joins me to discuss Christmas; Why it's perfectly fine not to take the Bible literally; Why Jesus is not the Jehovah of the Old Testament; Finding new images and symbols for God, and the power and versatility of spiritual practice.
Liz Brown MacDonald was curious about the effect of the behaviour of religiously rigid parents on their children who disaffiliate from the LDS Church.
This is Part Two of the discussion.
Liz Brown MacDonald was curious about the effect of the behaviour of religiously rigid parents on their children who disaffiliate from the LDS Church.
'It's never good,' she concludes, 'to complicate a parental relationship with an expectation of your children's life long affiliation to your religious tradition.'
Liz, joins ATF Podcast to discuss why.
While we honour the expectant Mary at Advent, we rarely discuss her in the context of the suffering of pregnancy and birth. Our sacred texts and Christmas stories leave out the intensely feminine experience of a mother's body, bruised and broken for the sake of Jesus. Too often written out of the reflections on Advent are the earthiness, the blood and mess of pregnancy and childbirth and the scars it all leaves on women's bodies.
ReNee McDonald and Kristin Jensen, two women at different stages in their mothering, join me to discuss the suffering of mothers.
How does a young gay, afakasi, Samoan, Mormon man put his spiritual life together when he sits across many religious and cultural divides? When the moorings of fixed belief systems that defined prior generations fall away, what of the spiritual life that is so integral to Māori and Pasifika mental health?
Is it even possible?
My guest today says 'Yes.'
Lutheran Ordinand Katie Langston and Community of Christ Elder, Gina Colvin get together in this monthly series to offer our responses to Mormons who are grappling with their spiritual and religious deconstruction and reconstruction.
Today's topics, Grace; The Trinity; Telling family you no longer believe
For those who grew up in the 'Mission Field', Utah is often referred to as Zion. But, in the 2020 US Presidential elections, Utah seemed anything but Zion.
Utah voted for the least Mormon person on the ticket (Donald Trump). About 20% of Utahns voted to keep slavery in their state constitution. In an age of pandemic, it's been difficult for Governor Gary Herbert to get popular compliance on the wearing of masks. Seasoned statesman, Representative Ben McAdams (a good Mormon man) was replaced by Burgess Owen, a notorious Trumpian who thinks that systemic racism is the fault of Marxists.
To help unravel the politics of the state that (on the surface) seems at odds with the faith that dominates, scholar, strategic planner, author and former mission president Roger Hendrix joins us.
In this conversation, blogger, Michael Mathews II exegetes Doctrine & Covenants Section 132. Mormons socially read Section 132 as pointing to the endurance of familial ties after death. However, Mathews argues, there is no evidence to suggest that this is the case at all.
The temple, he further argues, is the place where covenants to live into the promise of plural marriage under the domain of the male priesthood is contracted.
Mormons are making of Section 132 and the Temple covenants something that is literally irreconcilable with the text and the language of the covenants.
Are unique Mormon communities like Laie, in Hawaii worth celebrating?
Absolutely.
Mormon communities like Laie on Hawaii's North shore, which are uniquely indigenous Mormon, have made good homes that have been blessed by the confluence of culture, faith, history, structure, spirituality and solidarity.
But, that's not the whole story.
This conversation is an invitation to think about the shadow side of the church's involvement in places like Laie in Hawaii and Temple View in New Zealand, because there's a pattern here of blatant litigious disregard for Indigenous rights, Indigenous relationships with the land and water, Indigenous people's labour and the appropriation of their culture for financial gain.
This is also an invitation to consider how faithful the LDS Church has been to native people's in the light of advances in United Nations and domestic legislation that have sought to place protections around Indigenous people that the LDS church has neglected to offer.
Whatever your position on LDS Studies, it can't be said that the Mormonism is boring. Socially, historically, culturally, politically and theologically its a gold mine of intrigue and interest. Nevermore so than on the topic of sex.
Taylor G. Petrey’s history of sexuality and gender in modern Mormonism is a rollicking and delightfully thorough documentation of the LDS modern teachings on gender, sexual difference, and marriage. He joins me at ATF podcast to discuss his latest book, 'Tabernacles of Clay.'
When Mormon divorce happens acrimoniously it's never a better time to observe the LDS church's position on the wellbeing of women and children.
The wife of a physician and the mother of four children Leslie felt that she was fulfilling 'the measure of her creation' until she found herself fleeing from abuse. However, the involvement of church leaders, that Mormon divorce often requires, complicated financial, legal, relationship and spiritual matters again and again.
Les Butterfield joins me to discuss the pastoral care (or the inadequacy of it) when her own marriage was in free fall.
Cat McFedries joins me to talk about youth spiritual and religious formation and how some radical pastoring that she received as a young person might have put her off the church, but it didn't put her off the person of Jesus.
This disconnect between the heart of the gospel, which is on the streets, and the fears of the church as it sits on the pews needs to change according to Cat. Until then the church will be a thing of growing irrelevance to today's young people.
In the wake of Joanna Brook's book that starkly presented a case for Mormon white supremacy, Samoan Mormon, Tasi Young, BYU alumna and die-hard Cougars fan wrote to the Salt Lake Tribune asking for the name of BYU to be changed sparking an important conversation among the Mormon Polynesian community.
What has been the effect of Mormon White Supremacy on Polynesians?
Two Afakasi (half-castes), (Tasi a Samoan and Gina who is Maori) ponder and critique what it means to be Polynesian/Pasifika in a white supremacist church.
In the basic beliefs of Community of Christ The Book of Mormon is understood as follows:
We affirm the Bible as the foundational scripture for the church. In addition, Community of Christ uses the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants—not to replace the witness of the Bible or improve on it, but because they confirm its message that Jesus Christ is the Living Word of God. When responsibly interpreted and faithfully applied, scripture provides divine guidance and inspired insight for our discipleship.
That might be so, but its not quite that straightforward in practice, as my guest Elray Henrickson has elsewhere written:
"Community of Christ has had a complicated relationship with the Book of Mormon. Although we believe it to be scripture, we can no longer say we are big fans."
Community of Christ peace and non-violence activist, Norwegian Elray Henrickson, joins me from Belgium where he lives with his husband, Anton. Elray attends the Graceland University seminary and has been working on repurposing and rethinking the Book of Mormon for a post-literal context.
Professor Rick Phillips hails from Utah and has an impressive Mormon pedigree. He was raised under the sacred canopy of LDS belief and faith. And it was a good life, one that Rick remains nostalgic about to this day.
But, his aspirations to be a seminary teacher didn't last as more and more questions and conundrums took the place of the orthodoxy he was born into.
Prof. Rick Phillips joins me to discuss his subtle evolution from a profoundly vested believer of Mormonism to a deeply interested non-believer.
Exponent II Editor, Margaret Olsen Hemming says of the Exponent guest edition of Dialogue, "
In this issue, we asked women to write about claiming power. We hoped that writers would think creatively about the idea of power, including traditional forms of authority in an organizational hierarchy but also going beyond this sometimes-limiting definition. We wanted women to examine their engagement of power within their families, wards, workplaces, and selves."
Artist Michelle Franzoni, Mormon scholar Nancy Ross and Margaret Olsen Hemming join me to discuss this historic issue of Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought.
The question as to whether or not Mormonism is a cult is a contentious one, but despite your definitions, one thing is for certain, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a high demand faith and as such the exercise of agency and decision making is a charged issue.
Wherever you are in relation to the LDS Church, it is useful to understand the science of belief and how we can indeed cultivate healthy cognitive responses to life's most vexing questions, so that (as Luna argues), 'we can relieve ourselves of:
"feelings of depression, guilt, shame, exhaustion, phobias, magical thinking, passive-aggressive behaviour, and hidden familial abuse.'"
Liberation theologian James Cone has said:
“It is ironic that America, with its history of injustice to the poor, especially the black man and the Indian, prides itself on being a Christian nation.”
So, what sense does a profoundly faithful black Christian woman make of America still mired in its many racial sins? What can be said about a nation who remains at odds with itself in its resistance to the spiritual healing that it so desperately needs?
In this very personal conversation, The Rev. Dr Fatimah Salleh mourns with me the brokenness that is her nation and her church.
Is the USA a democracy, a nascent theocracy, or a mobocracy? Perhaps it's all of those things and all at the same time.
The Nauvoo experience gives us a strong sense of the unsettled ideological, economic and religious arguments that remain unresolved in the United States. Powder Keg is what the United States feels like in 2020, and after reading Kingdom of Nauvo that covers a short period of American religious history between 1839-1846, this book brings some of these centuries-old quandaries about America into perspective.
Faith and violence are twinned in this remarkable telling of a doomed social and theocratic experiment to find a religious utopia under the leadership of the Joseph Smith.
Plodding and boring this story is not.
In this much-needed volume, that follows the evolution of LDS Church thought about race, from its earliest beginnings to its contemporary constructions, Professor Brooks seeks to account for a religious tradition that has never made a definitive departure, nor offered an explanation or an apology for why being racist is not a matter for Mormon censure while advocating for the increased authority of women or the safety of children is?
In Mormonism and White Supremacy: American Religion and the Problem of Racial Innocence Brooks offers a vital racial critique of the faith of her ancestors and her birth.
Professor of Law, Annick Masselot and I reflect on the many gender inequalities that the COVID-19 pandemic has made apparent.
With research foci on equality and anti-discrimination law, gender equality, pregnancy and maternity rights, and work-life balance, Annick argues that world leaders are well-positioned to create new economic and social arrangements that are fairer and more humane particularly for women.
One of the great American phenomena is the enmeshment of religion and politics. That relationship is never more present than in the Book of Mormon belt where being Republican is a matter of faithfulness. From Southern Alberta down to Arizona being Mormon means listening to Fox news like its a sermon; supporting the NRA like its a mission and loving the Constitution like its scripture.
For Steve Otteson, this was the ideological food that he grew up with. A Mormon boy of pioneer stock who was raised simultaneously without much space between the politics of his region and the religion of his ancestors.
And then one day it all came crashing down; both his political and religious certainties.
Great, great-great-grandson of Joseph and Emma Smith, Lachlan Mackay, is a member of the Council of Twelve Apostles in Community of Christ.
A native of Independence, Missouri, Lach argues that context is absolutely critical when doing church history. Unbundling theology from history offers these disciplines the integrity they both need and deserve.
This has been important to Lach both professionally and personally as someone who sits in a faith tradition founded by a great-grandparent who continues to be one of America's most controversial religious figures.
John Hamer, the Pastor of Centre Place in Toronto, joins me to talk about how digital technology has radically changed his congregation.
The Toronto community has had a long and continuous presence in Canada since the very early days of the Restoration.
Now, from a congregation of dwindling numbers, the pastorate team have transformed Centre Place into a community without borders which, during the COVID-19 pandemic, has welcomed nearly 1000 weekly participants from 26 different nations.
The Navajo Nation has approximately 356,000 people living on the reservation and from the Navajo Times on Monday 27 April 2020 we read:
“As of Monday evening, there are 1,769 positive COVID-19 cases on the Navajo Nation, more than one per cent of the residents on the reservation...The total number of deaths remains at 59.”
For comparison, New Zealand has a population of 5 million and has had 1472 cases and 19 deaths.
Something is clearly amiss and to discuss the urgent situation on the Navajo Nation, Jo Overton (Lakota) joins me.
In this episode, my guests Nancy Ross from St George and Brittany Mangleson from Saratoga Springs discuss the Utah response to Covid-19 including some of the philosophical, ideological and religious issues with which this disease intersects.
What happens to Easter when a member of the LDS Church Alumni Association can no longer believe in one of Christianity’s greatest stories? What happens when there's too much religious hurt caused by an emphasis on literalism and religious authority that made about 150 too many supernatural claims that became tests of fellowship? Could Easter ever offer hope again?
This episode is for those who find themselves in this sometimes lonely corner of the Christian world where there's still faith even when literal belief in Christianity's more persistent supernatural claims are no longer.
Dr Joanne LaFleur is Associate Professor in the College of Pharmacy at the University of Utah. Joanne has taken an interest in questions that lie at the intersection of science and morality. In this state of lockdown, there are surprisingly many things to see as science, public health, politics, economics, morality and philosophy generate many new questions for all of us. Whose lives are worth saving? How is life-saving to be done? Does this moment expose the flaws in our economic systems? Does Covid-19 bring us into conversation about alternative ways of understanding the structures we depend upon for human survival?
Not, all of these questions will be answered in this conversation, but I hope Joanne’s reflections on this moment as a scientist and an epidemiologist and as a regular person who is entering into the question with refreshing honesty and humility, will give us permission to wonder anew this thing we call life.
Rome stands out because of its Christian history and now, even churches have shut down leaving Rome almost empty of the crowds who for centuries have arrived daily to make their pilgrimage to the eternal city.
To discuss Italy's lockdown, its cultural impact and the comfort hope he’s found in online Community of Christ ministry, Michael Wright joins me from the Eternal City.
Duke Divinity School graduate and Baptist Pastor, Rev. Dr Fatimah Salleh and Exponent II Chief Editor, Margaret Olsen Hemming team up to give the Book of Mormon a Social Justice Reading. The Book of Mormon for the Least of These is the result.
Refreshingly, and without making any origin or belief claims, Fatimah and Margaret offer a new perspective on the Book of Mormon arguing that there are yet spiritually useful things to pay attention to that goes beyond our squabbling about whether or not the book is what the church says it is.
As Marcus Borg argued, "believing something to be true has nothing to do with whether it is true.”
One of the most important issues confronting those who have left fundamentalist faith traditions is what to do about their faith life.
In this episode, I discuss deconstruction and reconstruction from a personal perspective for those who are curious about how others proceed across the bridge of what once was a reconstructed spiritual life.
Of course, one's faith reconstruction will be done on one's own terms and in one's own way, but it might be useful to hear another’s story!
"When Jesus said, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth” (Matthew 6:19), the term “lay-up” did not simply speak of having possessions, but of your possessions having you. “Lay up” could be better translated “hoard” or “stockpile.” - Greg Laurie
Theologically what are we to make of a church that religiously taxes its adherents, demands their labour for a lay clergy and then banks its money only to watch it accrue?
Is it justifiable?
Most actively participating and paying Mormons won’t question it. They’ll call it good stewardship and an indication of the care with which the LDS Church Corporations treat its donor revenue. For others, including my guest, former Salt Lake City tax attorney Mark Barnes, there are more than legal reasons to question the LDS church’s outsized fortune.
Let's be fair. Neither Joseph nor Brigham could be considered as good men in their care, affection, fidelity and love for their wives. To the contrary, they were want to swap them, share them, manipulate them, ignore them, betray them and abandon them. We might make much of Joseph's affection for Emma, but he broke her heart over and over again.
These were two men for whom the idea of a good husband had entirely eluded them. And there was a terrible price to pay for all of the women who had to endure what could only be considered a despicable mischief.
Joe Geisner joins me to discuss wives, sex, priesthood, power in Joseph's inner circle.
Maxine Hanks and I have a conversation about Christmastide. Christmastide runs from 25 December until early January. More particularly we discuss the delicious idea of incorporating Mary as more than just incidental to our celebrations. According to Maxine Christmas is Mary’s holy time. Mary symbolizes so much more than the vessel through which the Christ child emerged into the world. Mary is prophetic, priestly and queenly.
But getting to that reading of Mary requires a deeper way of engaging scripture so we begin with a conversation about hermeneutics and suggestions for deepening our reading of the Christmas story. And with another year to prepare perhaps this will help enrich our forthcoming Christmas celebrations.
Generation Y and Zeds are vexing for the traditional church. Author of ‘Losing Our Religion’ Christel Manning argues that Millennial and Gen Zed Nones (those born in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s)
“hold a wide variety of worldviews, ranging from deeply religious to highly secular, and transmit them in diverse ways. What ties them all together is a commitment to spiritual choice—a belief in the moral equivalence of religions and secular worldviews and in the individual’s right to choose—and it is that choice they seek to pass on to their children.”
In sociological speak, instead of having their identities ascribed or handed down and inherited, Gen Y’s and Zeds value elective identities and that includes religious and spiritual identities.
Dutch religious studies teacher and theologian Frank Brouwer joins me to discuss this fascinating question of how the young in Western Europe are responding to the deeper questions of life, how they understand the church and how, most interestingly, they are building their own spiritual literacy, on their own terms.
On the 17th December, the Washington Post published an article about a former employee of Ensign Peak Advisors, (a not for profit corporation constituted under the direction of of the Corporation of the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints). The article tells of the whistleblower's complaint to the IRS alleging that Ensign Peak has failed to meet its charitable giving obligations. According to the complaint, not one charitable distribution from the $100billion dollars that purportedly sits with Ensign Peak has been made during its 22 years of operation, which it is obligated to do as a supporting organisation with tax-exempt status.
Professor Sam Brunson, a tax law specialist at Loyola University, joins me in order to make sense of what the complaint to the IRS is all about and if and how it might be resolved.
David’s book 'The Complete Heretic’s Guide to Western Religion: The Mormons' is not your usual snipe at faith that Atheists can bore you with. His history of the Mormons is straight-shooting without being unfeeling; it's efficient without cutting too many corners, and it leaves one feeling both impressed and rightly appalled at the faith that gave us the 'Family’s Can Be Together Forever' and a disciplinary culture that would make God blush.
David Fitzgerald and I are unlikely conversations partners; me a theologian and spiritual formation enthusiast and he an avowed atheist. But, it’s one that seems to work well because we both have an appreciation for the absurd. And Mormonism is brimming with absurdities.
Mormon history, as it turns out, makes its people and its past seriously interesting.
Jana Johnson Spangler, a recent graduate from Richard Rohr's 'Living School', joins me to discuss the spiritual formation and potential richness of the place between the sometimes intractable institution, and the soul's organic growth.
We address the questions: How do we manage and trust our growth when there is little in the way of a healthy institutional response to our spiritual change? How can we find our own faithful path through our faith crisis?
Brigham Young's status in the early LDS Movement needs to be understood in order to tackle the hard question of what gave him the right to claim the presidency, particularly in light of the fact that it is now well known that the transfiguration of Brigham was a myth.
Joe Geisner joins me to discuss Brigham's 'right' to succeed Joseph?
Bringing a philosophical eye to Mormonism helped author Brittany Hartley to appreciate the beauty and potential of Mormon thought as she came into her own questions about her ongoing affiliation.
Unfortunately, Mormon thought kept alive by generations of curious Mormon intellectuals, can’t quite compete with the heft of Mormon authoritarianism. When push comes to shove, the church’s direction is often decided by edict rather than drawing on the traditions own philosophical and theological resources.
Where one stands in relation to this tension between the Big ‘C’ Church’s bent toward authoritarianism, and the small ‘c’ church’s concern for keeping the Mormon theological conversation expanding and emerging is where the heart of faith crisis lies.
Brittney’s book ‘Mormon Philosophy Simplified’ is a philosophically accessible treatise that excavates the best of what Mormonism continues to offer while not being naive that most of it will ever make it to the pulpit or to the Ensign.
Cristina Rosetti is a Roman Catholic woman and scholar who is interested in Mormon Fundamentalism.
She joins me to discuss her own religious and spiritual path. Oddly her inquiry into Mormon Fundamentalism comes out of an interest in how certainty shapes and creates religious identities. Her scholarship in Mormonism was initially a way of helping her understand the relationship between faith and doubt, certainty and uncertainty
But, her questions of faith drew her into the world Mormon Fundamentalism and the way in which Mormonism has unfolded as highly schismatic and overly concerned with truth claims and authority.
In order to really understand the LDS Church, one absolutely needs to understand Mormon history. There are few periods in Mormon history that are darker and more defining than the Mormon Reformation.
In order to really understand the LDS Church, one absolutely needs to understand Mormon history. There are few periods in Mormon history that are darker and more defining than the Mormon Reformation.
Lindsay Hansen Park characterizes this period of Mormon history as best understood by imagining what you’d get if you introduced the wild, wild West to an Old Testament God. She further argues that the LDS Church today continues to be shaped by the unresolved violence that took place during that murderous time.
Over the last couple of years, Michael Wright has discovered his spiritual self anew in the LDS Restoration tradition. A descendant of Mormon pioneers he spent years trying to make himself straight in the LDS Church so he could be everything that was expected of him. But, despite his efforts, nothing worked and his religious and spiritual life went on hold.
Then he discovered Community of Christ, (not an offshoot but a Restoration cousin of the Utah Mormons) a Christian church that offers full inclusion to LGBTQ people and women.
Now, the newly baptized Michael participates fully in the spiritual and missional life of Community of Christ from his home in Rome, Italy. He has discovered, God and Jesus Christ and the Spiritual life as a gay man married to the love of his life, Antonio.
For most people, General Conference is a pleasant ritual.
But General Conference over the years has become less straightforward, particularly for women. Sara Hughes-Zabawa a licensed mental health worker, and Carrie Salisbury, a board member and moderator at Exponent II share their reflections on the General Conference fall out.
What kind of claim does the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have to the proposition that they are a faithful continuation of the church Joseph established? What kind of character was Brigham Young anyway? What did he really want with a church and a people?
Dr David Mason is the author of Brigham Young: Sovereign in America and he joins me to discuss the man who made the Mormons.
The perennial question is where, how and what do we teach our children about sex and sexuality? What is appropriate, and what isn't? Additionally, those who have come from orthodox faith traditions are often on the back foot and at a loss as to how to re-think sex let alone teach their children about sex and sexuality.
Our Whole Lives (OWL) is life span sexuality programme that caught my attention after being mentioned in 'Pure: Inside the Evangelical Movement that Shamed a Generation of Young Women and How I Broke Free' by Linda Kay Klein. The premise of OWL is that the more informed we are, the better positioned we are to make holistic, healthy decisions about our sexuality.
OWL is based on four key values: Self-worth (everyone has worth); Sexual Health; Responsibility; Justice and Inclusivity.
Dr Melanie Davis is the OWL Program Manager for the Unitarian Universalist Association and joins me to discuss OWL a lifespan sexuality program that takes nothing for granted.
Those who grew up in the Restoration tradition will be familiar with the songs of Zion; That place where God and community meet.
But, despite his original intentions Joseph Smith was corrupted by his 'Kingdom' ego. Kirtland and Nauvoo failed as intentional communities, and Utah has not been faithful to the promise and hope of Zion either.
So, can Zion ever be realized?
Andrew Bolton, former apostle of Community of Christ certainly likes to think so.
Nick Literski discusses the many and varied ways that he has found a vibrant spiritual life after leaving active involvement as a family man in this LDS Church. It has surprised and delighted him that having a deep and rewarding spirituality did not depend on him denying his sexuality.
Nick and I talk early faith needs; fundamentalism; faith changes and renewal.
After Debra Brown Gordy discovered that her husband, a BYU Professor, was gay her world fell apart. They tried to keep the marriage together but it wasn't to be.
After the divorce, Debra went back to graduate school and conducted research about the experience of women in relationships with gay men. She joins me to discuss her personal experience being married to a gay man; the results of her research and the reconstruction of the lives of women divorced from gay men.
How can our service to the dying be improved? What pastoral practices are helpful in order to help our loved ones or those to whom we’ve been called to minister pass away in peace.
Sue Bergin, a hospice chaplain and spiritual carer, with more than 10 years of experience in Salt Lake City and Utah County, joins me to offer helpful suggestions for ministering to the dying.
Alexandre Christoyannopoulos is a Senior Lecturer in Politics and International Relations at Loughborough University. He’s of French and Greek parentage and without a religious upbringing arrived out of curiosity at the door of Christian anarchism and ended up writing his PhD thesis on the topic.
Alex’s book, 'Christian anarchism: A Political Commentary on the Gospel' brings some of the most important thinkers together in one volume. Alex's book highlights the underlying revolutionary intention of the gospels that gets so lost in the business, ideologies, and the financial exchanges of the church.
Alex joins me to discuss the radical character of the Jesus Way that has shaped Christian Anarchist thinking
Dr Matt Frizzell (former Dean of the Graceland University Seminary) and I get deep and animated about theology.
Theological conversations by their very nature are porous, expansive and self-reflexive. Theology is all about breathing in the mystery and letting the mystery discover the words that have always pulled at our souls. Theology is profoundly intimate and deeply transformative, wonderfully elusive, and ever-changing.
But, it's ideal to be trained in theology, as our robust discussion reveals!
Brenda Nicholson joins me to discuss the social life of women in the FLDS church where she grew up under Rulon and Warren Jeffs. She’s since left the sect and fiercely argues that there is no way, that polygamy benefits anyone.
Women, she argues are dehumanized in a system that was designed, as Section 132 intends, for the glory of men. More recently Brenda has made some interesting connections between Hulu’s Gilead in the Handmaids Tale and the social hierarchy in the FLDS community.
David Ostler is a former LDS Bishop, a Stake President and a Mission President. David has been kept awake at night by questions of what good pastoral care or ministry to those who question and doubt might look like.
But, rather than guess (as is often the case), he went to both those in faith crisis and to those in leadership and he collected data. From that data his book ‘Bridges; Ministering to those who Question’ emerged, and the results are fascinating.
This episode is co-hosted with Nathan McCluskey.
Gina Colvin, host of A Thoughtful Faith Podcast offers a reflection on her personal spiritual and religious journey and how a vibrant spiritual life is invariably filled with interesting twists and turns; some quite surprising!
In this Reconstructing Death series, I talk with a range of LDS spiritual, palliative and health care professionals whose work is with those at the threshold of death. Each of them explores their evolving understandings of dying and death as a result of both their professional work and their personal faith development.
Dr Kathleen Moncrieff: Family and community physician: Calgary
Dr Kathleen Moncrieff completed medical school, her family medicine residency, and her master’s degree in medical education at the University of Calgary and she currently works in community-based family medicine. Kathleen talks about assisted dying in light of Canada’s new laws. She discusses how religious and cultural pluralism has shaped her approach to the dying and their families.
In this Reconstructing Death series, I talk with a range of LDS spiritual, palliative and health care professionals whose work is with those at the threshold of death. Each of them explores their evolving understandings of dying and death as a result of both their professional work and their personal faith development.
Dr Julia Durrant: Neurocritical care attending physician: Oregon
Dr Julia Durrant is an attending physician in neurocritical care at a university hospital in Oregon. Julia has attended hundreds of deaths and she talks wisely about the point at which religion, faith and science intersect which has caused her to strongly believe that God is not orchestrating anyone’s death.
In this Reconstructing Death series, I talk with a range of LDS spiritual, palliative and health care professionals whose work is with those at the threshold of death. Each of them explores their evolving understandings of dying and death as a result of both their professional work and their personal faith development.
Anni Lehti-Nieminen: Oncology Nurse: Finland Anni Lehti-Nieminen is a registered nurse who works in outpatient palliative care at a university hospital in Tampere in Finland. Anni talks about dying, death and grief in Finland including how LDS funerals can sometimes be in competition with Finnish customs and needs.
In this Reconstructing Death series, I talk with a range of LDS spiritual, palliative and health care professionals whose work is with those at the threshold of death. Each of them explores their evolving understandings of dying and death as a result of both their professional work and their personal faith development.
Dr Ryan Williams: Internal Medicine Physician: Idaho
Dr Ryan Williams is a Board Certified Internal Medicine Physician. He served for 4 years in the US Air Force and he went on to specialize in Hospital, Skilled Nursing and Hospice Care. He has been practicing in the Boise Idaho area for 10 years. Ryan discusses how his maturing faith has gifted him with more uncertain views of death and dying but have improved his capacity to respond to his patients with more openness.
In this Reconstructing Death series, I talk with a range of LDS spiritual, palliative and health care professionals whose work is with those at the threshold of death. Each of them explores their evolving understandings of dying and death as a result of both their professional work and their personal faith development.
Ana Nelson Shaw: Spiritual Care Co-ordinator
Ana Nelson Shaw lives in Butte Montana where she works coordinating spiritual care and volunteer services for hospice patients including making spiritual care visits. Ana talks about creating environments of kindness and compassion for those at nearing death.
Dr Taylor Petrey and I talk about the Bible, its wonders, its frustrations and its possibilities. And we discuss openly and honestly the widely felt frustration that Sunday School classes are not always welcoming of the skills of Biblical interpretation. While the curriculum is not always sound as it could be.
Lesley Butterfield is a registered nurse and survivor advocate who works with victims of abuse.
She’s passionate about increasing literacy about abuse and trauma in particular for women survivors of spiritual and ecclesiastical abuse in the Church.
Lesley has certifications and training in Trauma-Informed Care, Community Advocacy, Faith and Spiritual Development, Familial Mental Health, Domestic Abuse, and Resiliency.
We discuss the role that women play in the revictimization of female trauma victims in the Church and the lack of protection and safety for women who find themselves in abusive situations.
Community of Christ is a worldwide church, and though small in numbers maintain a consistent effort to “proclaim Jesus Christ and promote communities of joy, hope, love, and peace.” Their vision is a ‘table’ with everyone invited and participating and belonging regardless of gender, race, or sexuality.
One of their first progressive actions was to ordain women which they did so in 1984. Today five of the council of twelve positions in Community of Christ are held by women. At the 2019 world conference, Catherine Mambwe from Zambia was the first African woman to be ordained an apostle.
So, what does spiritual formation look like for a woman in Community of Christ?
Janné Grover is a member of the Council of Twelve Apostles, the lead missionary quorum of Community of Christ. She is assigned to the Central USA Mission Field. She is also director of Formation Ministries.
Her previous employment includes disciple formation ministries specialist for Community of Christ and is a musician by training and vocation.
Apostle, Janne joins me to discuss spiritual formation and what it means for a woman to be in senior ecclesiastical leadership in a progressive worldwide church.
Church College of New Zealand, which was opened in 1958, had a short life by education standards. For 52 years it served the mostly Māori Mormon LDS community. But, in a swirl of confusion, it was finally closed in 2009 and demolished.
The school's motto was 'Build Now For Eternity' which motivated many Māori Mormons to contribute money, material resources and years of labour for the building of the school. Today, despite promises to develop the land and reinvigorate the community of Temple View, few of the promised improvements which were offered to replace a much-beloved school have been realised.
Peter Witehira, former Chair of the Temple View Heritage Committee, and Rā Puriri join me to discuss the beginning and end of Church College of New Zealand.
(Music by St Joseph's Maori Girls' College)
In 2019 Professor Peter Lineham was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to religious history and the community. And that honour is well deserved.
Few, if any scholars in the field of religious history in New Zealand have the sweeping knowledge and intimate understanding of religion in Aotearoa. He’s written about Māori prophets to Catholic missionaries to LDS History over the period of his distinguished career.
Peter's fluency and his impressive breadth of understanding of Mormon history highlight the issues arising out of an American church who are in a complex relationship with New Zealand Māori.
In this episode, we look at child abuse from the perspective of prevention. My guest is Gwen Knight, the executive director of Prevent Child Abuse Utah.
According to Prevent Child abuse Utah, its mission is to forge and guide a community commitment to prevent child abuse in all of its forms.
In Utah one in five children will be sexually abused before the age of 18, suggesting the issue of child abuse in the Beehive state is epidemic.
Gwen joins me for a very pragmatic discussion about what child abuse is in all of its forms and varieties, what to notice, and how to respond when you suspect it.
Anthony Miller lives in Billings Montana. He grew up Mormon He did all the things required of good Mormon boys and he thought he knew where his life was heading. But a dramatic and sudden period of faith deconstruction had him reconsidering everything about his religious life.
Mormon leave-takers don’t usually manage the God and church conversation without some nervousness but Anthony wanted to understand his inner journey well and despite his resignation, he has remained open and curious about spirituality and spiritual formation inside and outside of the LDS Church. And, Anthony has found gracious and wise ways of accommodating his still adherent wife’s journey in the LDS faith.
Anthony joins me to talk about gracious LDS leave-taking, deconstruction and spiritual reconstruction.
At the beginning of May 2019 two mothers of children who were sexually abused by convicted pedophile, Michael Jensen, appeared back in their former ward in Martinsburg, West Virginia to warn the congregation that the children there are not safe.
This is a community, they argued, that circled their wagons around the perpetrator and their leaders. This is a community that made sinners out of those who pointed out the sin. This is a community that never apologized for their role in creating a climate that turned a church against the victims and their families.
Alice Koivu and Kelly Plante join me to talk about their journey back (as uninvited guests with a message) to the LDS Church pulpit.
Lucy Cammock talks passionately and with clarity about the subtle side of sexual abuse trauma that trailed her (a sexual abuse survivor) through her life.
"I'm never done with the trauma", she argues.
And while that may sound hopeless to some, for Lucy, what was more harmful was any idea that at some predetermined stage it will all be over.
Lucy discusses the ideas that she has worked through as a woman and a mother as she works to get into a healthy relationship with her childhood sexual abuse.
Section 132 was Joseph Smith's revelation that provided the theological justification that allowed select men of the early LDS restoration to have sex with more than one authorized partner.
For The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, section 132 and the doctrines that have emerged from it inform gender inequality, the continued practice of post-mortem polygyny, male priesthood and more importantly it lays out the doctrine of the New and Everlasting Covenant which is central to the ordinances of the LDS temple.
It's absolutely essential that those of us in the LDS restoration movement understand Section 132 in order to make sense of Mormon History and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint's contemporary theological challenges.
In that spirit I read Section 132 in plain English.
Tim Kosnoff, victims' advocate and attorney, returns to the podcast to discuss the growing wave of sexual abuse allegations being made against the Boys Scouts and the long-standing relationship between the BSA and the LDS Church.
The Rev. Rob McKay began his religious formation in the LDS Church. When he returned home from his mission he affiliated with a Pentecostal church in Auckland, New Zealand. He then became Anglican and was ordained a priest in Tikanga Māori. Recently he converted to Islam.
Despite these movements, he honours each tradition for what they offered him in his spiritual formation. Though his journey hasn't been straightforward he is without regret.
In light of the mosque shootings in Christchurch, Rob's ability to deeply appreciate and understand these sometimes adversarial traditions might just be what our New Zealand religious community needs.
Rob McKay and I have a delightful conversation about the many unexpected places to which God calls us home.
When the crime documentary 'Abducted in Plain Sight' was released on Netflix, Jan Broberg (the woman at the centre of this seemingly bizarre story of multiple kidnappings, an alien mission and sexual assault while a child) was full of regret and worry. Her parents, Maryann and Bob Broberg, were publicly mocked and vilified for what seemed to be their complicity with the abuser Robert Berchtold.
But a 90-minute crime documentary cannot hope to capture the complexity and nuance of a story that has spanned several decades. This was a story, not just about the violation of a child, but about the manipulation and grooming of a whole family.
The Broberg women sit down with me in order to set the record straight about their beloved parents. Their only motivation in telling this sometimes excruciating story is to have families, churches and communities speak up courageously about the banality of grooming and sexual abuse among our own.
Sara Hughes-Zabawa joins me for the final episode of the Fowler's Stages of Faith series. In this episode we discuss the failings of Fowler's stages. We also talk about how we can notice or engage stage 6 without falling into the trap of imagining that a universalizing faith is the terrain of the political and religious luminaries alone..
Jana Riess discusses her study 'The Next Mormons' and how the changing worldviews of Millennials will impact the Church of Jesus Christ Latter-day Saints. From 'The Next Mormons': "American Millennials--the generation born in the 1980s and 1990s--have been leaving organized religion in unprecedented numbers. For a long time, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was an exception: nearly three-quarters of people who grew up Mormon stayed that way into adulthood. In The Next Mormons, Jana Riess demonstrates that things are starting to change."
Joanna Brooks and Kalani Tonga join me to discuss their book of women's blessings and poetry, 'We Hold Your Name' (2019) From the jacket: "A collection of blessings and poetry written by Mormon women responding to the announcement of Gina Colvin's disciplinary council. This work of love features the voices of established authors like Carol Lynn Pearson and Joanna Brooks, as well as first time poets, and renowned visual artists. It is designed to lend comfort and courage to those who feel unwanted by their religious community, and was written specifically for those facing excommunication from the Mormon Church."
Richard James is a member of the Council of Twelve Apostles, the lead missionary quorum of Community of Christ. He is assigned to the Eurasia Mission Field.
Richard was born in Swansea, South Wales.
In the spirit of LDS Restoration ecumenism Richard joins me to discuss how Community of Christ has developed as a vital expression of the Restoration.
An interview on environmentalism, eco-theology, and Mormon intersections with George Handley, professor of comparative studies and interdisciplinary humanities at Brigham Young University. Conducted by Jay Griffith and Sarah Collett.
Mormonism has the potential to bring people together to have powerful and profound conversations, and both as Gina Colvin's bishop couple while Gina was newly married and later as friends, Pete and Liz Cammock have stood out as faithful members of the church who are also nuanced, thoughtful, questioning, and singularly unafraid of hard conversations. Its for this reason they have gained the immense respect of Mormons all over New Zealand.
In this episode, Gina and the Cammocks riff on life as Mormons in a small city on the outskirts of the world, discuss this particular Mormon moment and the challenges that we face as a community in conflict, and talk about things of the spirit and the things of Christ as we look for ways to heal our church communities from the strain of ideological partisanship and lives that are often too busy for compassion.
Carys Bray is a British novelist who lives with her family in Southport a seaside town in Lancashire in North West England. A Song for Issy Bradley is Carys’ debut novel and was published recently by Hutchinson Books. It has been released in the UK and is soon to be released in paperback in the U.S. A Song for Issy Bradley has had a full suite of reviews from the UK dailies all of which have been overwhelmingly positive. his is remarkable not simple because Carys is a first time novelist but that her book is a novel about Mormons. To be precise she writes about a British Mormon family, bishops family no less.
"A Song for Issy Bradley" explores five year old Issy Bradley’s death through the eyes of each family member. Ian Bradley the father, husband and orthodox Mormon, Claire his convert wife, through the eyes of Issy’s teenaged siblings Zipporah and Alma, and her brother seven year old Jacob. However rather than resorting to the predictable caricatures of Mormon life or romanticizing death from the doctrinal position of a faith tradition, Carys’ treatment of each of her characters is nuanced, compassionate, and profoundly kind.
Only one who has been steeped in the Mormon faith is capable of such authenticity and Carys Bray is Mormon to the bone. A thoughtful faith is a supportive conversation to help those struggling in their faith transition, so it might come as surprise that Carys has disaffiliated from the church. Nonetheless her book is refreshingly generous in its treatment of Mormonism. While there is candor, one doesn’t find oneself blindsided by someone who uses literature to eviserate the church. It stands in this place between belief, and furious honesty and makes sense of these polarities through the perspective of faith. It’s this luminous and mindful quality that makes this discussion of the book "A song for Issy Bradley" a wonderful fit for A Thoughtful Faith.
Kelly, a recently excommunicated Mormon feminist, is the founder of Ordain Women. Though she has attracted significant media attention she still remains a bit of an enigma. A staunch apologist for the fundamentals of Mormon theology she holds doggedly to the doctrines of continuing revelation and open cannon. At the same time she is an unapologetic feminist, an international human rights lawyer, and remains deeply concerned about questions of justice.
In this interview with Gina Colvin, Kelly talks about her feminist awakenings, the development of Ordain Women, her church discipline and her hopes for the future. An archetypal idealist Kelly’s irrepressible optimism and faith shines. For Kelly the question of equal rights and ordination for women are issues that are far from settled. Kelly’s thoughtful faith is reflected in her belief that her excommunication doesn’t mean the end for her and others’ pursuit for equity and fairness in the church. Rather, her excommunication signals that the conversation is merely at a beginning.
After nearly a year break, A Thoughtful Faith podcast is back! Mark Crego and Gina Colvin are taking over the administrative reins, as well as serving as co-hosts. We are also thrilled that longtime ATF host Sarah Collett will continue conducting interviews.
This “get to know the new gang” episode is hosted by Open Stories Foundation board member Dan Wotherspoon and features Mark and Gina sharing the broad outlines (and many specifics!) about their own faith journeys within Mormonism, as well as about their plans for the podcast going forward.
Terryl Givens did graduate work at Cornell University in Intellectual History and UNC Chapel Hill where he received his PhD in Comparative Literature. He holds the James A. Bostwick chair of English, and is Professor of Literature and Religion at the University of Richmond, where he teaches courses in 19th century studies, and the Bible’s influence on western literature. As a commentator on Mormon religion and culture, he has appeared on PBS, NPR, and CNN. Author of ten books, his writing has been praised by the New York Times as “provocative reading,” and includes, most recently, When Souls had Wings, a history of the idea of premortal life in western thought, and a two volume history of Mormon theology underway for Oxford University Press.
In part 3 of this multi-part interview with Dr. Richard Bushman, the world’s foremost scholar on Joseph Smith and early Mormonism and author of Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling, Brother Bushman discusses Joseph Smith’s bringing to light of the Book of Mormon, from angel Moroni’s visit, to the obtaining of the plates, to the actual mechanics of the translation process. He also discusses the process of receiving revelation within Mormonism, as a Patriarch in the LDS Church.
In part 1 of this multi-part interview, Dr. Richard Bushman, the world’s foremost scholar on Joseph Smith and early Mormonism and the author of Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling, discusses his years as a Mormon historian, including his struggle with faith as a Harvard undergraduate, his decision to get a PhD in history, and his experiences with Leonard Arrington, Dialogue and Sunstone. He also discusses the role of candid, honest history within the modern LDS Church.
Jeff and Amy have a unique perspective of what it is like to be fully active, participating members of the church even though they aren't members of the social club. Infertility and the struggles that come with it created a situation where they felt that they were always looking in from the outside. In this interview we explore their experience and the wisdom that comes with many years of knowing what it feels like to be rejected and excluded. These are two great people who share a compelling message.
Dr. Jeremy Timothy MD is a Pediatric Neurologist for Cardon Children's Medical Center in Mesa, Arizona. In this podcast Dr. Timothy shares how his Social Anxiety Disorder presented formative challenges throughout his life, and how bouts of depression and severe anxiety during his Residency almost ended his medical career. Through a combination of good medicine and therapy he emerged as a leader in his specialty, which requires him to treat to injured, mentally disabled, and handicapped children. On a daily basis he is confronted with the incredible tensions of faith and science, suffering and theodicy, and life and death. How he has learned to cope with his own weaknesses and bear the burdens of his patients and their families has shaped his faith in God and his connection to Mormonism.
Dan McDonald is a husband, father, lawyer, author. His book, Gethsemamnesia: Forgotten Lessons From Gethsemane, Golgotha and Beyond, chronicles the lessons he learned while dealing with a life threatening disease. The evolution of his faith has been shaped by his understanding of a savior who doubted and who experienced real fear. In this interview we talk about his book, but also his faith and his dedication to Christ. Dan has a very refreshing view of the gospel, developed through hardship and trial. I hope that you will listen and enjoy.
Dan McDonald is a husband, father, lawyer, author. His book, Gethsemamnesia: Forgotten Lessons From Gethsemane, Golgotha and Beyond, chronicles the lessons he learned while dealing with a life threatening disease. The evolution of his faith has been shaped by his understanding of a savior who doubted and who experienced real fear. In this interview we talk about his book, but also his faith and his dedication to Christ. Dan has a very refreshing view of the gospel, developed through hardship and trial. I hope that you will listen and enjoy.
While preparing for this interview with Adam Miller, whom Richard Bushman described as "the most original and provocative Latter-day Saint theologian practicing today," I was delighted to have my paradigm yanked out from under me again and again to reveal a world much richer and more colorful than I had imagined. In covering his 'Rube Goldberg Machines,' and 'Letters to a Young Mormon,' we explore a range of topics like how to "care" for our bodies desires, the revelations of science, and the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves, all in the context of something Adam Miller calls "grace" which is not what you think it is. Adam shows us a new way of seeing and living life using scripture and philosophy in a way that is surprisingly and profoundly useful.
Thanks to Adam Miller for being willing to give us this interview.
We at A Thoughtful Faith are really proud to announce a new ATF project. This Saturday April 6th at 11:00pm MDT, we will launch the all new A Thoughtful Faith Blog. Since the beginning we have been extremely interested in supplementing the podcast with regular blog posts that support our message of thoughtful belief and participation in Mormonism.
Thanks to the efforts of our new blog manager Shan Rees Sullivan we now have an awesome group of contributors that will share their thoughts and perspectives under the Blog tab at AThoughtfulFaith.org.
In this recording, Micah and Sarah officially announce the launching of the blog, and Shan shares a little bit of her story and what her vision is for the blog. Thanks for listening and reading, and please join us for the launching of our blog this weekend!
In 2001 Rebecca Maesato founded a non-profit organization: Foundation for Children in Need. She and her two daughters traveled to Haiti in 2002 to work in orphanages and among the neediest children in the world. This began a journey that would ultimately expand their small family of four to a family of twelve and change their world view forever. Rebecca has come to understand a larger Christian community and establish her life's work with the people of Haiti. I had the wonderful opportunity to sit and speak to her and her sister, Kathy Mitchell, about some of their experiences and lessons they learned. Rebecca's approach to life and God is inspiring and hopeful.
This is an episode of A Thoughtful Faith that has been a long time in the making. I made contact with Andrea Radke-Moss shortly after we launched the podcast, and we recorded the first part of our interview in October 2012. Due to various circumstances, including a blunder on my part (I lost my original audio), we had to postpone the release of the episode. Thankfully a couple months ago I was able to recover a low-resolution backup of our interview. However, Andrea and I realized that by this time so much had changed in the Mormon Gender Equality debate, that we needed to augment our discussion. So several weeks ago we recorded the second half of our discussion. You can find all four segments of our discussion at the links below.
Andrea Radke-Moss is a professor of Women's History at BYU Idaho. Over the years she has become regarded as an expert in Mormon Women's History, and her perspective is incredibly helpful in providing perspective on our current discussion on LDS gender equality. In the interview, Andrea provides her backstory and a brief foray in the evolution of Mormon Women's roles from the 1800's to the present. Afterwards, the rest of our discussion focuses on how in a modern LDS Church and culture we can find ways to produce greater gender equality, while still embracing the important foundational principles of Mormonism.
Jay Griffith and I had the chance to sit with James (Jim) W. McConkie and speak to him about his personal history and family. As a nephew of Bruce R. McConkie and Joseph B. Wirthlin, Jim has a unique perspective of the Church and the brethren and a valuable approach to the Gospel. Speaking about his faith, parenting, and his views on the historical Christ, Jim explains his approach to doubt and difficult questions. He has written a book, Looking at the Doctrine and Covenants Again for the Very First Time, and is currently working on a book focusing on the inclusive Christ.
I recently had the privilege of hearing one of the most concise, respectful, and thoughtful explanations and approaches to Mormon Feminism through this brilliant podcast by our friends at the Feminist Mormon Housewives Podcast. If you are new to the concept of feminism, and particularly how feminism fits into an LDS perspective, please enjoy this wonderful discussion between Lindsay Hansen Park, Danielle, Meredith, and Amanda. And please make sure you visit the podcast website and subscribe to enjoy their growing library of content.
The theory of Cognitive Dissonance is a well-established concept in the field of psychology that explains why we all experience discomfort and anxiety when we are exposed to new ideas and beliefs or engage in behavior that conflict with our pre-existing views, ideals, and beliefs. I've been extremely interested in producing an episode of A Thoughtful Faith that could explore the concept of Cognitive Dissonance as it relates to an LDS faith crisis / faith transition. When the opportunity came to produce a collaborative episode with the wonderful Nathasha Helfer Parker at the Mormon Mental Health Podcast, this seemed like a really good fit for both audiences. So, I couldn't be more thrilled about sharing my discussion with Natasha Helfer Parker and the amazing Jennifer Finlayson-Fife.
Both Natasha Helfer Parker and Jennifer Finlayson-Fife are active Latter-Day Saints, as well as marriage and family therapists. Natasha and Jennifer each have experience with treating Mormon individuals and couples, and have observed the function of Cognitive Dissonance as it pertains to Mormon culture and ideals. Please visit their respective websites below.
In the first part of this episode we explore the clinical definition of Cognitive Dissonance, including some of the history behind the theory, as well as common examples from day-t0-day life. Afterwards, we transition into how understanding Cognitive Dissonance can be useful in understanding and navigating faith transitions and crises. We hope you enjoy, and please share your thoughts and comments with us below. Thanks again to Natasha and Jennifer for sharing their experience and expertise with me and our audience.
We are incredibly excited to feature this fascinating interview by Daniel Parkinson at Gay Mormon Stories Podcast of John Gustav-Wrathall. John shares his amazing story, including his LDS upbringing, his wrestling with his sexual identity, his journey away from Mormonism, his sexual awakening, and the path that led him back to the LDS Church.
John's story of courage, love, and faith is a wonderful example of the diversity and possibilities of Mormonism's future. Thanks again to Gay Mormon Stories and John Gustav-Wrathall for sharing this interview with our audience.
Bob Rees and I recorded this interview a little while ago. I've been holding on to it, hoping to release it to our audience at the right moment. This past week I re-listened to our conversation and found myself moved and enlightened all over again by Bob's wisdom and insight. Though I don't know what's special about this week, for some reason the timing feels right. I hope you will enjoy Bob's perspective on Mormonism as well as his take on faith crisis and how to successfully engage with the Modern Church as an unconventional Mormon.
Bob Rees is no stranger to the Intellectual Mormon community. He was the second editor of Dialogue, and has been contributing to to progressive Mormon thought and scholarship most of his life. We hope our listeners enjoy Bob's unique approach. Please leave us your comments and feedback below.
DISCLAIMER: This audio was a low-resolution recovery of Bob's interview, and so the quality may be a little spotty. Sorry for the inconvenience.
I recently had the wonderful opportunity to interview one of my new favorite LDS bloggers Nathaniel Givens. A friend of mine introduced me to Nathaniel's series on the concept of Epistemic Humility that he wrote for Times and Seasons. Embracing epistemic humility allows us to be more open to new ideas, and better equipped to search for additional knowledge and truth. I felt Nathaniel's ideas here are especially applicable and useful in our LDS community, which is often a culture that shies away from uncertainty and doubt, and loves to frame discourse in the terms of "I know . . ."
We apologize in advance for the audio quality from this interview. We had some Internet connection difficulties, which resulted in conducting the interview via telephone.
Since recording this interview, Nathaniel has become a perma-blogger for Times and Seasons. He also maintains his own blog, Difficult Run. Please be sure to check out Nathaniel's writings and provide feedback and responses below. Many thanks to Nathaniel Givens for his contributions to A Thoughtful Faith.
I recently had the wonderful opportunity to interview one of my new favorite LDS bloggers Nathaniel Givens. A friend of mine introduced me to Nathaniel's series on the concept of Epistemic Humility that he wrote for Times and Seasons. Embracing epistemic humility allows us to be more open to new ideas, and better equipped to search for additional knowledge and truth. I felt Nathaniel's ideas here are especially applicable and useful in our LDS community, which is often a culture that shies away from uncertainty and doubt, and loves to frame discourse in the terms of "I know . . ."
We apologize in advance for the audio quality from this interview. We had some Internet connection difficulties, which resulted in conducting the interview via telephone.
Since recording this interview, Nathaniel has become a perma-blogger for Times and Seasons. He also maintains his own blog, Difficult Run. Please be sure to check out Nathaniel's writings and provide feedback and responses below. Many thanks to Nathaniel Givens for his contributions to A Thoughtful Faith.
I recently had the wonderful opportunity to interview one of my new favorite LDS bloggers Nathaniel Givens. A friend of mine introduced me to Nathaniel's series on the concept of Epistemic Humility that he wrote for Times and Seasons. Embracing epistemic humility allows us to be more open to new ideas, and better equipped to search for additional knowledge and truth. I felt Nathaniel's ideas here are especially applicable and useful in our LDS community, which is often a culture that shies away from uncertainty and doubt, and loves to frame discourse in the terms of "I know . . ."
We apologize in advance for the audio quality from this interview. We had some Internet connection difficulties, which resulted in conducting the interview via telephone.
Since recording this interview, Nathaniel has become a perma-blogger for Times and Seasons. He also maintains his own blog, Difficult Run. Please be sure to check out Nathaniel's writings and provide feedback and responses below. Many thanks to Nathaniel Givens for his contributions to A Thoughtful Faith.
This week I had the pleasure of sitting down with John Kesler to hear about his conversion to the church and subsequently to eastern meditative practices years later. Lately I have been inspired by so many expressions of expanding faith and feel that this expansion is often the natural outcome of questioning and reevaluating. John Kesler offers a very hopeful perspective on the possibility of continued spiritual communion with God despite doubt or lack of literal belief. After encountering Eastern meditative practices years ago he went on to be a founding teacher of the Integral Spiritual Center, consisting of a group of senior members of various Eastern and Western spiritual traditions. John then went on to develop his own meditation and awareness practice called Integral Polarity Practice. He is a active member of the LDS Church and has served as a bishop and in several bishoprics and high councils. If you are interested in receiving emails regarding his workshops please email him at j_Kesler@woodburycorp.com.
Since it's the beginning of a new year and all, we thought it would be a great opportunity to discuss how Sarah and I became involved in the A Thoughtful Faith Podcast, and what our collective has been so far, and where we see the podcast moving forward in 2013. We also want to take this opportunity to express our extreme gratitude for our listeners, who with resounding support have made us feel validated and uplifted as we have strived to provide the best experience possible for our audience. So thank you all very much, and please stay tuned for a promising new year -- more great episodes ahead!
Pantsmageddon! PantsGate! Pants-apocalypse! Whatever term you've used over the past week to describe the Mormon frenzy about All Enlisted's oddly controversial "Wear Pants to Church" event, I think most of us are intrigued about what will actually happen at church tomorrow. With the hope of providing a calm, respectful dialogue on what has become a controversial subject, my lovely wife Stefanie had an opportunity today to interview Kristina Monson, who is a spokesperson and core leader for All Enlisted, the organization sponsoring this event.
Kristina describes herself as a devout, active Mormon Feminist. In this interview she shares some of her backstory and how she has become involved in this new form of Mormon activism. Stefanie and Kristina discuss the motivation and intentions of All Enlisted, and what they hope to accomplish with "Wear Pants To Church" and future activities.
Many thanks to Kristina Monson for taking time out of her national interview circuit to speak with us! And of course, thanks to Stefanie Nickolaisen for sharing this wonderful interview!
We have been humbled and astonished at the caliber of guests we've been able to have on our podcast thus far. People like Greg Prince, Margaret Young, John Sorenson, Phil Barlow, and so many others are the true progenitors of the modern Intellectual Mormonism community. I was surprised to find out early on that many of these living legends had rarely experienced a monumental faith crisis in their lives. Since one of the objectives of this podcast is to help individuals navigate through a faith crisis with testimonies intact, I thought it would be important for us to find some regular LDS folks who have faced that "dark night of the soul" but still remained faithful.
Thanks to our wonderful A Thoughtful Faith Facebook Group and a recommendation by his brother Paul, I've had the wonderful opportunity to get to know Michael Barker and hear his amazing story. In this interview, Mike shares how a close look at polygamy and polyandry catalyzed his doubts in the mission of Joseph Smith. He shares how a combination of unapologetic Mormon Scholarship and communion with God allowed him to find a way to maintain his faith as an active, believing Latter-Day Saint. Michael also discusses how his discovery of the concepts of Natural Theology led him to start the Rational Faiths Blog, and how a burning desire to inoculate the Saints fuels his current zeal for Mormonism.
Before this interview, I had known of Michael Barker and his brother Paul through their work at RationalFaiths.com, a blog dedicated to creating a "safe, fair, and balanced space to discuss the complexities, difficulties, and beauty of their Mormon tradition." At Rational Faiths the Barker Brothers provide insights into the current LDS Sunday School Curriculum, book reviews, and various topics within Mormonism from seer stones to modesty. Be sure to check out their wonderful blog at RationalFaiths.com.
In conjunction with the Winter Issue of Exponent II, which is guest edited by the Mormon Women Project, we are proud to share Sarah Collett's interview with Neylan McBaine. As an active and faithful Latter-Day Saint, Neylan shares her story of how she was led to start the Mormon Women Project, a non-profit website which features weekly interviews with LDS women from around the world. Neylan and Sarah also discuss the various modern issues and challenges that face the LDS Church and its members as it relates to gendered participation, which Neylan presented on at the 2012 FAIR Conference.
Neylan McBaine is a graduate of Yale University and is currently an Associate Creative Director at Bonneville Communications. Neylan's writings have been published in Newsweek, The Washington Post, Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, Segullah, Meridian Magazine, Patheos.com and BustedHalo.com. She is also the author of a collection of personal essays—How to Be a Twenty-First Century Pioneer Woman (2008). In addition to her career as a marketing guru, her contributions as an essayist, and her work with MWP, Neylan is also a devoted wife and mother of three daughters. We are incredibly grateful for her willingness to share her story and thoughts with us at A Thoughtful Faith.
We are proud to release Sarah Collett's recent interview of Terryl and Fiona Givens. In this episode we are introduced to some of the beautiful themes in the Givens' new book The God Who Weeps: How Mormonism Makes Sense of Life. Terryl and Fiona also express their concern, empathy, and encouragement for those who experience doubt as a integral part of their relationship to faith and Mormonism.
Terryl Givens (PhD Comparative Literature, UNC Chapel Hill) holds the James A. Bostwick chair of English and is professor of literature and religion at the University of Richmond. Author of several books, his writing has been praised by the New York Times as provocative reading, and includes, most recently, When Souls Had Wings, a history of the idea of premortal life in Western thought, and a biography (with Matthew Grow) of Parley Pratt (winner of the 2012 Best Book Award from the Mormon History Association). Fiona Givens (MA European History, University of Richmond) recently retired from directing the French Language program at Patrick Henry High School, in Ashland Virginia. Besides education, she has worked in translation services, as a lobbyist, and as communications director of a non-profit. A longtime collaborator in Terryls previous books, this is her first coauthorship.
We are incredibly grateful for the Givens, who graciously gave of their time and thoughts for our new podcast. Please check out The God Who Weeps, as well as Terryl's recent Letter to a Doubter referenced in the interview.
In this interview with our own Sarah Collett, Dr. Thomas G. Alexander covers the broad spectrum of his many historical writings and research. From Post Manifesto Polygamy, to Mormons in American Politics, to the Word of Wisdom, and Evolution, Dr. Alexander provides an overview of many topics of interest within contemporary Mormon Scholarship.
Dr. Alexander's thoughts and research provide an interesting examination of how revelation, doctrine, culture, and human weakness connect and intermingle into the inspiring yet imperfect religious movement of Mormonism. Thomas Alexander explains how his awareness of what can be complicated and challenging issues have broadened and deepened his own connection to Mormonism. He stands as a brilliant model of thoughtful belief, and has provided our community an amazing legacy of wisdom, faith, and scholarship.
We would like to offer our sincere thanks and gratitude for Dr. Thomas G. Alexander for taking the time to share his thoughts with us and our listeners. Enjoy.
Dr. Thomas G. Alexander is an American and Mormon Historian, and professor emeritus of Brigham Young University.
In conjunction with Kylan Rice's interview with Margaret Young for A Thoughtful Faith, we would like to feature Margaret Young and Darius Gray's Mormon Stories podcast episode from April 2006 on Blacks and LDS Priesthood.
At the time of this podcast Margaret and Darius had been invited by Brigham Young University to deliver a presentation entitled, “Blacks and the LDS Priesthood.”
In this podcast, Darius re-delivers this presentation, along with Margaret Young. Darius and Margaret are co-authors of a trilogy dealing with black Mormon history entitled: Standing on the Promises.
Rock Waterman is a popular LDS blogger who owns and operates the Pure Mormonism blog. In this interview Rock shares some of his backstory, including his "Mighty Change" that shifted his perspectives on Mormonism and ultimately motivated him to start his blog and share his perspective with all of Mormondom.
Rock stands as a unique voice, warning the Saints about relying too much on the institutional church headquartered in Salt Lake City and its administrative leadership at the expense of developing our own relationship with God through scripture, revelation, and the Spirit of God. In the interview, we touch on a few topics including: the error of institutional infallibility and blind obedience, the nature of true revelation mediated through prophets, and how to maintain faith in Jesus Christ independent of religious institutions.
I think Rock's unique take is an important and desperately needed voice in Modern Mormonism. We have all been taught that the Church and the Gospel are codependent and inseparable. As such, it is common for Mormons who take issue with certain aspects of Church policy, history and perceived past crimes to allow those grievances to influence their relationship to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Rock Waterman's approach to this situation allows us as Mormons to embrace what we feel is true and right about the Gospel while setting aside aspects of our Mormon experience that are not in harmony with our values and ethics.
We would like to thank Rock again for his willingness to share his experience and perspective with our listeners.
We are proud to present this brilliant interview by Sarah Collett of Dr. John Sorenson. Dr. Sorenson is an emeritus professor of anthropology at Brigham Young University, and a renowned expert of Book of Mormon archeology and geography. His seminal work An Ancient American Setting for the Book of Mormon popularized the Limited Geography Theory within LDS culture, and has been the reference point for both apologetic and critical approaches to historicity of the Book of Mormon. Since his retirement from BYU, Dr. Sorenson has dedicated over two decades of research into the body of work that will be released in his upcoming book Mormon's Codex, which will be published through the Neal A. Maxwell Institute of Religious Scholarship.
In this interview, Dr. Sorenson provides insight into his backstory and how he became enthralled with Book of Mormon archeological research. Here he also provides us a brief teaser of his upcoming book which serves as his last stand on the issue of Book of Mormon historicity. In this interview, Dr. Sorenson shares some information about contemporaneous evidence of metalwork, horses, elephants, and inscribed sheets of gold consistent with the understood Book of Mormon chronology. We hope this episode of A Thoughtful Faith will serve as a great introduction to Dr. Sorenson's upcoming book, and further the scholarly discussion about this important issue.
Many thanks to Dr. John Sorenson for his willingness to share his experiences, research, and wisdom through our podcast.
We are pleased to share John Dehlin's recent interview with Phil Barlow, whose book "A Thoughtful Faith" has played a pivotal role in many Mormon's faith journey's, including John's, and is also the inspiration for the name and theme of this podcast.
Phil Barlow currently sits in the Arrington Chair of Mormon History and Culture, at Utah State University. He earned a B. A. from Weber State College and an M.T.S. and Ph.D. (1988, with an emphasis on Religion and American Culture and on the History of Christianity) from Harvard University. He spent two years as a Mellon Fellow at the University of Rochester after which he became professor of Theological Studies at Hanover College in Indiana. In addition to articles, essays, and reviews, Dr. Barlow has published Mormons and the Bible: The Place of the Latter-day Saints in American Religion (Oxford Univ. Press, 1991) and several other books. He is past president of the Mormon History Association.
For our inaugural installment of this new podcast, I couldn’t think of anyone better to have than Greg Prince. Greg is well known in our little Mormon world for his historical contributions and his grassroots activism within the LDS Church. Greg is an advocate for better curriculum, scholarship, gender equality, and open dialogue within Mormon discourse and church policy. Greg sits on the board of directors for Dialogue Foundation, as well as the Madison House Autism Foundation.
In this interview, Greg and I discuss Dialogue, one of Mormondom’s oldest and most controversial publications, and what role it will continue to play in the Internet Age. Greg is a bold advocate for gender equality and women’s issues within Mormon culture. We discuss the contributions of Chieko Okasaki, women and the priesthood, and what practical solutions are available today to affect positive change in Mormon gender equality.
In October 2011, at the Washington DC Mormon Stories Conference, Greg Prince gave a wonderful summary of his experiences of activism within Mormonism, discussed his role models, and in Section 5 of his speech provided a manifesto for how we should take ownership of the future of Mormonism. Greg and I discussed in further depth his admonitions, which range from influencing curriculum, creating better scholarship, and how to navigate the political intrigue of church service.
Toward the end of the interview, I asked Greg to tell us more about his newest project, the Madison House Autism Foundation (MHAF), which he and his wife JaLynn co-founded in 2009. MHAF is a very important organization that strives to find solutions for the needs of adults with autism. I strongly encourage our listeners to visit MHAF’s website. We will provide links below.
It was a sublime experience to interview one of Modern Mormonism’s greatest champions. I would like to thank Greg from the bottom of my heart for helping us start off on the right foot.