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Faith Matters

Faith Matters offers an expansive view of the Restored Gospel, thoughtful exploration of big and sometimes thorny questions, and a platform that encourages deeper engagement with our faith and our world.We focus on the Latter-day Saint (Mormon) tradition, but believe we have much to learn from other traditions and fully embrace those of other beliefs.

2021

CLEAN

1 seasons

Production: Faith Matters Foundation

Episodes

Season 1

3400

Beyond Thoughts and Prayers: A Conversation with Sharon Eubank

Today, were sharing a conversation that feels especially urgent. In fact, wed planned to release this episode later in the monthbut this week, as a major hurricane moves through the Caribbean and the U.S. government shutdown is causing massively disruptive ripples in the daily life of countless families, we know so many are asking, What can I do? We hope this conversation offers real practical guidance and clarity for getting to work today. Were joined by Sharon Eubank, author...

3829

Faith on the Frontier of AI: A Conversation with Medlir Mema

Today, were bringing you what we think is one of the most important conversations we could be having right now. Were talking with our friend and scholar Medlir Mema about artificial intelligenceand what it means for people of faith. Now whether youre already fascinated by AI, cautious, or ready to turn this episode off, this episode is for everyone. Medlir makes the case that AI is a human issue. A spiritual issue. And that its urgent for people of faith to be asking how we can create an...

3686

The Spiritual Practice of Speaking Up: A Conversation with Cynthia Winward & Susan M. Hinckley

We sometimes reduce faith-promoting stories to those tidy endingswhere miracles show up just in time, doubts vanish, and testimony replaces tension. But sometimes growth begins when the script falls apart. For Susan Meredith Hinckley and Cynthia Winward, these stories are nourishing a faith that looks like trust and transformation. Susan and Cynthia are co-hosts of the At Last She Said It podcast and authors of a new book with the same title. They came to this work from different pa...

3231

The Last Book Written By a Human a conversation with Jeff Burningham

Today, were sharing a conversation with Jeff Burninghamentrepreneur, former candidate for governor, and now author of a new book called The Last Book Written by a Human. This conversation begins with an unforgettable scene Jeff witnessed in India on the banks of the Gangesa place where death, life, and the mundane all unfolded side by side. That image becomes a frame for everything we discussed: the reality of constant transformation and the deep human need for presence in the middle of i...

2320

How to Love Your Enemy: Arthur Brooks at Restore 2025

Today were sharing Arthur Brooks keynote from Restore this last weekend. This message was so powerfulit will stop you in your tracks, and feels so essential for this exact moment. We believe it needs to be heard everywherein our homes, our communities, and across the countryso were sharing it with you now. This year we gathered at Utah Valley University for Restore, where just two weeks earlier Charlie Kirk was assassinated while addressing a large crowd. So soon after such horrific vio...

3563

Peacemaking and Discipleship: A Live Conversation from Proclaim Peace with Jennifer Thomas and Chad Ford

This week, were sharing a special live episode of Proclaim Peace recorded in person at the Compass Gallery on Peacemaking and Discipleship with Jennifer Thomas and Chad Ford. Were also excited to announce the first-ever Waymakers conference, REPAIR, is taking place October 2325 in Provo, Utah. This is such an incredible opportunity to learn from world-class peacemakers leading intensive workshops to help us navigate the most challenging situations in our lives. If you feel frustrated or ho...

2226

Loving Your Neighbor: Jared Halverson at Restore 2024

This week, we're bringing you a special episode recorded live from the Restore gathering in 2024, where we were joined by Jared Halverson. This one one of my very favorite topics to hear Jared talk about. His session was on what he calls contraries or paradoxes that are inherent in a life of faith. His message feels especially timely this week. He offers the powerful image of the cross as a symbol of wholeness in our discipleship. One axis, reaching vertically, represents our connecti...

1785

Article 13 - A Church Where We Belong

Before we jump in, we wanted to acknowledge that so many in our community and across the world have been stunned and horrified by the murder of Charlie Kirk at UVU. It feels to us like a particularly difficult moment in this country, and we find ourselves grasping both for hope, and for the message to share in a moment like this. Its in that spirit that we wanted to share this weeks episode a conversation about belonging from the Faith Matters podcast Article 13. At their best, faith and...

2825

The Honest Truth About Our Messy Families: Joseph Grenny at Restore 2024

This week, were re-sharing what we thought was an instant classic from last years Restore Gathering; a deeply personal and thought-provoking message about family, faith, and the complexity of life from Joseph Grenny, author of Crucial Conversations and co-founder of The Other Side Academy. Drawing from his own experience with his own messy family, Joseph speaks openly about moments of despair, like the heartache of watching loved onesincluding his own childrenstruggle with addiction,...

3809

Why We Love Conspiracy Theories: A Conversation with Sharon McMahon

Youve probably heard the old jokewe caught it again recently on Ezra Kleins show. A conspiracy theorist dies and goes to heaven. At the pearly gates, God tells him he can ask one questionanything at all. The conspiracy theorist says, Who really killed JFK? God replies, Lee Harvey Oswald and he acted alone. The conspiracy theorist pauses, nods, and says, Wow. This goes higher than I thought. The joke captures just how impenetrable conspiracy thinking can be. Thats part of what were...

4064

Holiness to the Lord: A Conversation with Jonathan Stapley

Were excited today to talk about the temple. Its a topic we loveone that sits at the heart of our faithbut because of its sacred nature, it can sometimes be difficult to explore openly. Our guest today is historian Jonathan Stapley, who has spent the past two decades studying the temple and its role in Latter-day Saint life. His new book, Holiness to the Lord, is coming out this fall, and it incorporates a remarkable collection of never-before-seen archival records. The book explores th...

3529

That We Might Have Joy: Desire, Divinity, and Intimate Love, a conversation with Dr. Jennifer Finlayson-Fife

Were so happy to welcome back Dr. Jennifer Finlayson-Fifesomeone whose voice and work have shaped our thinking in really lasting ways. Today were talking with Jennifer about her brand-new book, published by Faith Matters: That We Might Have Joy: Desire, Divinity, and Intimate Love. The book offers an honest look at how sexual intimacy can reveal the truth of a relationshipand how, for those willing to confront that truth, it can serve as the starting point for deep joy, spiritual...

4045

A Fresh Look at the Word of Wisdoma conversation with Ali Essig and Bill Turnbull

Nearly 200 years ago, Joseph Smith gave us a holistic code of health called the Word of Wisdom. But over the next century, we largely reduced that revelation to a list of dontsone that came to define us as a church and serve as a kind of status marker within the Church. As we look ahead to the next hundred years, were asking: is it time to rethink how we see this revelation? Today, we face an overwhelming number of choices about what we put into our bodiessome deeply harmful, others...

1865

Joy is Our BirthrightAstrid Tuminez at Restore

Today, were so excited to share a powerful session from last years Restore gathering, given by Astrid Tuminez, president of Utah Valley University. Astrids story is truly extraordinary. She was born in a small village in the Philippines and raised in the slums of Iloilo City. Her journey has taken her from Catholic convent schools to Harvard and Wall Street to leading a major public universityand throughout, shes wrestled with what it means to belong and to find joy. Drawing from the B...

3806

The Last VoyageA conversation with Brian McLaren

Today were so happy to share a conversation with our friend Brian McLaren about his brand-new novel, The Last Voyage. The book is set in the future, as Earth nears collapse and a final crew is sent to Mars in a last-ditch effort to begin again. Its a compelling story on its own, but it also opens up space for deeper questionsabout what happens when we try to leave everything behind, only to discover weve brought all our baggage with us. So in this conversation, we got to explore som...

1104

Leap of Faith: Mauli Bonner at Restore 2024

Today were sharing another fun session from last years Restore gatheringone of the most unforgettable moments from the whole weekendfeaturing Mauli Bonner. Mauli has spent the past two decades in the entertainment industry, developing and writing for Grammy-winning artists and directing music for film and TV, and he also co-founded the nonprofit Lift Up Voices to empower young voices through creativity and community. In this session, Mauli shares a wild, personal story that starts with a...

3908

A Candid Portrait of Joseph Smith - A Conversation with John Turner

Today, were really grateful to share a conversation with historian John Turner about the brand new biography hes just published: Joseph Smith: The Rise and Fall of an American Prophet. John is a professor of Religious Studies and History at George Mason University. While not a member of the the Latter-day Saint faith, he has had a particular fascination with the early history of Mormonism, and wrote an earlier biography of Brigham Young. Some of the interpretations and conclusions Joh...

3843

The Untold Story of the Church's Young Women Organization - Lisa Olsen Tait and James Goldberg

Today we're so excited to share a conversation about the new book Carry On, a rich and thoughtful history of the church's Young Women organization. This project has been ten years in the making, created by historians Lisa Olsen Tait, James Goldberg, Amber C. Taylor, and the late Kate Holbrook. Joining us today to talk about the project are Lisa and James. In this conversation, they trace the arc of the organization's beginnings and evolution?from a small association founded among Brigham Youn...

1996

Holy Envy - David Butler at Restore

Today, were excited to bring you a special episodea replay of one of our favorite sessions from last years Restore Gathering, featuring Dave Butler. Were also thrilled to let you know that Restore 2025 is happening this September 2527 in Orem, Utah, and this episode is a great preview of the kind of experience you can expectthoughtful, joyful, expansive, and rooted in a deep desire to love and understand more fully. In this session, Dave explores the idea of Holy Envya concept that inv...

3843

The Untold Story of the Churchs Young Women Organization - Lisa Olsen Tait and James Goldberg

Today were so excited to share a conversation about the new book Carry On, a rich and thoughtful history of the churchs Young Women organization. This project has been ten years in the making, created by historians Lisa Olsen Tait, James Goldberg, Amber C. Taylor, and the late Kate Holbrook. Joining us today to talk about the project are Lisa and James. In this conversation, they trace the arc of the organizations beginnings and evolutionfrom a small association founded among Brigham Youn...

2010

I'm Still Here - John Gustav-Wrathall and Allison Dayton at Restore

Today, were sharing a really special session from last years Faith Matters gathering, Restore. This conversation has really stayed with us, and we're so grateful we get to share it with you now. It begins with a short, beautiful filmwed highly recommend heading to our YouTube channel if youd like to watch it. Youll hear John Gustav-Wrathall share his journey as a gay Latter-day Sainta path shaped by deep spiritual seeking, a loving and enduring partnership with his husband Goran, and a...

3351

Divorced in a Family-Centered Church - A Conversation with Anna Lott

Today were excited to share our conversation with Anna Lott, and were especially thinking of those who are walkingor have walkedthe path of divorce. Anna is the host of the Solo Saints podcast and retreats, and shes become a thoughtful and compassionate voice in our communityespecially for those who often feel like their experiences dont quite fit the mold. As a divorced mother of four, Anna brings honesty, heart, and hard-won wisdom to conversations about faith, family, and belonging....

4300

Lifting the Ban: The Untold Story of the 1978 Revelation - A Conversation with Matthew Harris

This weekJune 9thmarks the 47th anniversary of the 1978 revelation that ended the Churchs 126-year ban on Black members receiving the priesthood and entering the temple. Its a moment we often point to with reverence and gratitudebut the story weve inherited about how it happened is, in many ways, incomplete. To help us understand more fully what led to that pivotal moment, were joined by Dr. Matthew Harris, whose new book Second-Class Saints draws on previously unavailable documentsin...

1754

What We Owe Each Other - An Episode from Article 13

Today, were so excited to share something brand new with youthe very first episode of a new podcast were launching here at Faith Matters. Its called Article 13. This new narrative podcast brings together cutting-edge research and spiritual wisdom to explore creative paths toward a more connected and compassionate world. As our society grows increasingly divided along political and cultural lines, Article 13hosted by Zachary Davisoffers a hopeful and constructive alternative. Through dee...

4391

God Loves your ADHD - A Conversation with Steven Sharp Nelson

This week, we got to sit down with someone weve long admired and are so thrilled to finally have on the podcastSteven Sharp Nelson, known to millions around the world as The Cello Guy from The Piano Guys. Hes a creative force and a pioneer in "cello-percussion"where rhythm, melody, and movement come together in such creative and beautiful ways. If youve ever seen Steve perform, you know the energy he brings to music is unlike anything elseits vibrant, joyful, and instantly captivatin...

3471

A Thoughtful Faith - A Conversation with Philip Barlow

This week, were sharing a conversation with Phil Barlow about his new book, published by Faith Matters, called A Thoughtful Faith for the 21st Century. If that sounds familiar, it may be because Phil published the first volume back in 1986. That original collection included essays by Eugene England, Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, Francine Bennion, Richard Bushman, and otherseach exploring what it means to live a spiritually and intellectually honest life within the Latter-day Saint tradition. As P...

4219

Can Doubt be a Spiritual Gift? A Conversation with Terryl Givens & Jared Halverson

This week, were excited to share a special live episode recorded at the Compass Gallery in Provo, as part of our Big Questions series with Terryl Givens. Each month, Terryl is joined by a guest for a conversation about some of our biggest theological and historical questions. In this episode, hes joined by scholar and teacher Jared Halverson. Together, Terryl and Jared explore the question: can doubt be a spiritual gift? They consider how doubt might play a meaningful role in our spiritual...

2486

Heavenly Mother's Day - A Conversation with McArthur Krishna

With Mothers Day coming up, were so honored to bring you this conversation with McArthur Krishna about her new book, Mother in Heaven: A Gospel Topics Essay Study Guide. The doctrine of Heavenly Mother is one of the most beautiful and distinctive Latter-Day Saint teachingsbut for many, its still unfamiliar territory. McArthur and her co-authors created this study guide as an invitation to engage with this doctrine more deeply. Drawing on the churchs Gospel Topics essay, the book explores...

3828

Seventy Times Seven - A Conversation with Chad Ford

This week, were so glad to be sharing a conversation with our friend Chad Ford. Chad is a conflict mediator, peace educator, and associate professor of religious studies at Utah State University. Hes spent decades working in some of the most entrenched conflict zones in the worldfrom the Middle East to South Africa to Northern Ireland. Hes also the author of a new book called Seventy Times Seven: Jesuss Path to Conflict Transformation, published by Deseret Book. The book explores a quest...

3203

Easter Is for Everybody - A Conversation with Amanda Suarez and Jon Ogden

With Easter just a few days away, were so excited to share this conversation with Amanda Suarez and Jon Ogden. Amanda and Jon are two of the co-founders of Uplift Kids, a lesson library and curriculum that helps families explore spirituality, values, and emotional health together. Amanda is a school psychologist and certified conscious parenting coach, and Jon is a writer, curriculum creator, and author of When Mormons Doubt. In this conversation, Amanda and Jon offer a beautiful vision of E...

3916

How to Have a Conversation with God - A Conversation with Adam Miller & Rosalynde Welch

This week, were so excited to welcome Adam Miller and Rosalynde Welch to talk about their brand-new book, Seven Visions. This book is an exploration of seven visionary experiences in the Doctrine and Covenantsmoments where heaven and earth meet in powerful and sometimes surprising ways. Through these visions, Adam and Rosalynde invite us to consider how we engage with scripture and revelation in our own lives. In this conversation, we explore what it means to truly see Gods face and hear g...

4010

Changemakers - A Conversation with McArthur Krishna and Anne Pimentel

This week, were really excited to share a conversation about a brand-new Childrens book called Changemakers by McArthur Krishna and Anne Pimentel, with beautiful artwork by Jessica Sarah Beach. The book is a powerful and much-needed affirmation, especially in a moment when many women are quietly wondering where they fit. Through stories from scripture and the global history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, it highlights women whose ideas, faith, and courage have hel...

3684

Listening to Women: Jared Halverson hosts Aubrey Chaves, Kathryn Knight Sonntag, and Bethany Brady Spalding

Today were bringing you a special conversation hosted by Jared Halverson, whos joined by three womenBethany Brady Spalding, Kathryn Knight Sonntag, and mewhove been part of a larger, ongoing conversation sparked by one of Jareds recent videos on social media. If you havent seen the video, heres the context: Jared highlighted the recent trend of women leaving the Church in greater numbers than men and encouraged women to stay, he connects this to D&C 25, highlighting how much depen...

3506

The Blessings of a Quirky Ward - with James Goldberg

We have a really fun episode for you todayWere talking with James Goldberg about his delightful book Tales of the Chelm First Ward, which he co-wrote with his, wife Nicole Wilkes Goldberg, and his brother, Mattathias Singh. The book is a collection of fictional stories set in a Latter-day Saint ward in the imagined town of Chelma nod to Jewish folklore and the famous village of fools. The humor is wonderfully absurd but beneath the silliness is something powerful and profound. In this co...

3720

The Path of Descent - A Conversation with Mike Petrow

This week, were joined by Mike Petrow, who serves as the Director of Formation, Faculty Relations, and Theological Foundations at the Center for Action and Contemplation. The CAC is a nonprofit founded by Father Richard Rohr that introduces seekers to the contemplative Christian path of transformation. Mike is intimately involved with the CACs Living School, a core educational offering from the CAC that last year offered a course called Essentials of Engaged Contemplation that Tim and I par...

3703

A Counter-culture of Love - A Conversation with David French

This week, were excited to share a conversation between Zach Davis and New York Times columnist and author David French. David French began his career as a constitutional litigator, with a special focus on religious liberty. He has since become known for his thoughtful, principled political writing, having worked previously for The National Review, The Dispatch and The Atlantic. In their conversation today, David emphasizes the need for Christians to move from a fear-based political cu...

4556

The Ongoing Tug-of-War Between Tradition and Change - A Conversation with Jeff Strong

This week, were welcoming back our good friend Jeff Strong. Last year, Jeff and his team sent out a survey to the Faith Matters audience as part of a larger research project on faith and church participation. Over 1,600 of you responded, and the results were fascinating! Were excited to share them with you today. What emerged was a picture of a significant and often unheard cross-section of the Churcha community of people who are deeply devoted but also wrestling, holding both conviction a...

3116

When Sustaining Means Speaking Up: The Life and Legacy of Marion D. Hanks

For todays episode, were releasing a fascinating conversation that Aubrey had with Rich Hanks about the life and legacy of his father, Marion D. Hanks. For those who know his name, youll know exactly why this conversation matters so much to usMarion D. Hanks embodied so many of the values we hold dear. He was a leader of immense integrity, a champion for those on the margins, and a disciple of Christ in the truest sense. Even today, the ripples of his influence continue to shape the Churc...

2218

Thomas McConkie's back, and this could change your life

We have been waiting a long time for this episode with our friend Thomas McConkie. As many of you know, Thomas is an incredibly skilled meditation teacher and guide on the path of spiritual awakening. Faith Matters produced his very popular online course Transformations of Faith and also published his incredible book At-One-Ment, which has deeply impacted so many readers. For the last several years, Thomas has been doing graduate work at Harvard Divinity School. All the while, we have b...

3574

When Faith Heals and When it Hurts -- A Conversation with Janeen Martin

This week, Tim and I are sharing a fascinating conversation with therapist and researcher Janeen Martin about the complex and deeply personal ways that religion and mental health intersect. Janeen has spent years working with clients navigating the full spectrum of religious experiencesome who find their faith to be a source of deep resilience and healing, and others for whom it has been a source of pain and struggle. That contrast led her to ask some big questions: What makes religion a pr...

3659

How Free is your Will? A Conversation with Terryl Givens

This week, we are thrilled to welcome back Terryl Givensone of our all-time favorite guests and collaborators and someone we always have a running list of topics for. This time, were finally diving deep into the topic of agency and free will: its something that has come up in many of our past conversations but never had its own dedicated discussion. Terryls new book, Agency, is part of the Maxwell Institutes Doctrine & Covenants theological series, and it explores some of the m...

3939

Can God Speak Through AI? - A Conversation with Carl Youngblood

This week, were thrilled to talk with Carl Youngblood longtime technologist, software engineer, and president of the Mormon Transhumanist Association. Artificial Intelligence is no longer a distant, futuristic ideaits already shaping the way we learn, work, and even practice our faith. And just this past week, AI made big headlines again in the tech world with the release of vastly improved models and increasing belief among technology leaders that artificial general intelligence (AGI) is...

3586

Is it Rational to Believe? - A Conversation with Ross Douthat

This week, Zach Davis is joined by New York Times columnist and author Ross Douthat to talk about his new book, Believe: Why Everyone Should Be Religious. Ross has spent his career bridging worldsexplaining faith and conservatism to a largely secular audience while also translating secular ideas back to religious readers. In this conversation, he makes a compelling case for why belief isnt just a leap into the unknown, but a rational and maybe even necessary response to the world as we actu...

3882

Mercy at the Margins - A Conversation with Shima Baradaran Baughman

This week, were joined by Shima Baradaran Baughman, a nationally renowned expert on criminal justice reform and a law professor at BYU. After years focusing on shaping public policy and reforming systems, Shima began to recognize that the deepest and most lasting change wasnt coming from legislation alone, but from the quiet, compassionate efforts of faith communities and individuals who were directly transforming lives one by one. In this conversation, Shima shares her astonishing life sto...

3539

Be Ye Therefore a Perfectionist? - A Conversation with Justin Dyer

This week, were so grateful to share a conversation with Justin Dyer, a professor of religion at BYU and a researcher who has spent years exploring the intersection of faith and mental health. Justins most recent work focuses on perfectionism, especially within the church. He recently edited a special issue of BYU Studies Quarterly dedicated entirely to this subject, and you can find a link to it in our show notes. In this conversation, Justin shares some compelling research, including the...

3635

How to Stop Running from Your Feelings - A Conversation with Jana Spangler

This week, were joined by Jana Spangler for a powerful and practical conversation about emotionsespecially the ones well do just about anything to avoid feeling. Jana explains that emotions arent our enemies; theyre signalsmessages from deep within us, rooted in ancient systems designed to guide and protect us. While emotions can feel overwhelming or even painful, learning to pay attention to themrather than suppress or ignore themhelps us understand whats really going on and respond...

4121

Heretics & Popes - A Movie Show with McKay Coppins

As we wrap up the year, weve got something a little different in store for you today. Weve invited Zach Davis, Bill Turnbull, and McKay Coppins on for a conversation about two Hollywood Films that are making waves. Zach is the executive director of Faith Matters, Bill is one of the founders, and you may remember Mckay from his previous episodes. Hes a New York Times bestselling author and staff writer at the Atlantic. Theyre joining us today for a deep dive into two film...

457

O, Great Mystery": A Christmas Eve Meditation with Tyler Johnson

Today, as Christmas Eve settles around us, we invite you into a quiet meditation written by Tyler Johnson and published as the culmination of the advent series in the FM magazine, Wayfare, with music from the King's College Choir singing O Magnum Mysterium. This reflection draws us into the sacred reality of the Nativitythe laboring Mary, exhausted and tearful, the beauty born through pain. It reminds us that the Christ child did not come to erase suffering but to teach us how to live...

3415

221. The Amen Effect - A Conversation with Rabbi Sharon Brous

This week, we are honored to share with you a conversation with Rabbi Sharon Brous, author of the The Amen Effect: Ancient Wisdom to Mend Our Broken Hearts and World. From the moment we started reading Sharons book, we knew that she had a special message, and that she would be an incredible guest. Sharons book is a beautiful blend of ancient Jewish wisdom, contemporary science, and deep personal experience that shows how humans throughout history have taken up the responsibility to sit with...

3447

220. Pioneering Peace - A Conversation with Eboo Patel

This week, were sharing an episode from Proclaim Peace, a podcast we proudly co-sponsor in collaboration with Mormon Women for Ethical Government. Proclaim Peace is hosted by Jennifer Thomas, Co-Executive Director of MWEG, and Patrick Mason, Chair of Mormon History and Culture at Utah State University, and longtime friend and advisor of Faith Matters. In this episode, Patrick and Jennifer chat with Eboo Patel, the founder and president of Interfaith America and a powerful bridge-builder in...

3627

219. What's the Future of Women at Church? A Conversation with Neylan McBaine and Bethany Brady Spalding

This week were bringing you a conversation on a subject that were always thinking about, but that has taken on a special urgency over the last two monthsthe role of women in the Church. A large survey recently released showed a societal shift with regard to women and religion. In a reversal of trends from prior generations, young women are now leaving religion at significantly higher rates than men. Social issues and patriarchal structures are oft-cited reasons. Are there signs of tr...

2579

218. A New Book Every Time - A Conversation with Bob Rees

This week, we're excited to have Bob Rees on the podcast. Bob is a true "long-haul hero" (to use Pete Davis's term) -- a Latter-day Saint who has been studying and writing on Latter-day Saint topics for more than fifty years. To us, Bob exhibits the best of what we have to offer theologically, and practically, to the world. Bob believes that the deepest power of the Book of Mormon, even more than its remarkable origin story, is its ultimate message of love. After a lifetime of serious s...

4469

217. Surveying the Saints A Conversation with Josh Coates

This week, were sharing a fascinating conversation we had with Josh Coates, a computer scientist, entrepreneur, and founder of the BH Roberts Foundation. The BH Roberts Foundation is the non-profit behind Mormonr, a producer of Latter-day Saint media that tackles hard questions about the faith, as well as "LDSBot," an AI-driven chatbot that is able to handle just about any question about Latter-day Saint culture and theology shockingly well. In February of this year, Josh and his colle...

3533

216. Big Stories, Little Saints A Conversation with Sarah and Josh Sabey

We're so excited to have Sarah and Josh Sabey on the podcast this week. Sarah and Josh are writers, filmmakers, and spouses. Their films cover important issues in non-polarizing ways. Their first film, American Tragedy, reached the top ten most watched films on Amazon Prime. Their latest project is called The Book of Mormon Storybook for Little Saints. It's a beautiful 2-volume collection of 50 Book of Mormon stories, adapted for children and their parents. They write that the pri...

4106

215. Finding the Still Point in Tension John Kesler and Thomas McConkie

This week were joined by our good friend and contributor to Faith Matters, Thomas McConkie, along with his longtime mentor and friend, John Kesler. In many ways, Thomas and John's paths were mirror images of each other until they eventually collided. John Kesler developed an awareness and life practice called IPP or Integral Polarity Practice that has had a profound impact on Thomas's life. You're going hear a little about polarities or fundamental tensions of human development and how in f...

3440

214. Gathering All Safely In A Conversation with Liz and Jordon Sharp

**Disclaimer that this episode mentions suicide in connection to LGBTQ youth. If you are not in a place to listen right now, you might want to skip this one. If you are, though, we really encourage you to listen on this tough but important topic that impacts so many in our community.** In this conversation, Dr. Jordon and Liz Sharp from St. George, Utah, shared their remarkable and inspiring story of moving from trauma, confusion, and loss to miracles, enlightenment, and strength as an...

3631

213. Leading Deseret Book A Conversation with Laurel Day

Were really excited to share this episode with you. It was with someone weve wanted to talk to for a very long time Deseret Book president Laurel Christensen Day. We knew from afar that she was a trailblazing leader and a thoughtful publisher and we were not surprised to find that as we got to know her a little bit that shes a woman of deep faith as well. Uniformly, everyone we have ever spoken with who has had a chance to work with Laurel absolutely loves her. Weve always been fascin...

3086

212. Is God Disappointed in Me? A Conversation with Kurt Francom

This week, were bringing you an interview with Kurt Francom, author of a new book titled, Is God Disappointed in Me? Removing Shame from a Gospel of Grace. It seems to us that culturally, Latter-day Saints dont usually imagine an angry vengeful God but we may very well imagine a god who is perpetually disappointed with us when we inevitably fail again to live up to our highest ideals. Kurts book unpacks what hurts about the idea of a disappointed God and why this belief can be a real stumb...

3898

211. Come As You Are A Conversation with Jen and Sam Norton

Were excited to bring you an episode with a genuine lift-where-you-stand story of a family in the UK. Sam and Jen Norton have served young people in the church for more than twenty years and most recently as FSY Session Directors in London. FSY stands for For the Strength of Youth, and refers to the week-long summer events held for youth around the world. As FSY leaders, Jen and Sam began facing difficult questions about how to include and support youth with a range of perspectives and...

2376

210. The Gift of Dissonance A Conversation with Patrick Mason

Its General Conference weekend! Time to dig up the BINGO cards and park yourself in front of the TV with some cinnamon rolls and a Diet Coke or two, to soak in some inspiration and maybe even encounter some discomfort. We thought wed release a re-edited episode with Patrick Mason that feels really timely. In this conversation with Patrick, we talked about creating what Brian McLaren has called a four-stage community.. The stages were referencing here come from Brians book Faith After...

3711

209. What's So Good About Good Friday? A Conversation with Eric Huntsman

As Latter-day Saints, we often say that we focus more on Jesus resurrection than on His death, and we consider the atonement in Gethsemane as the most sacred event in Jesus life. In this episode, we consider a question we dont think about too often, stemming from this: why have we not cultivated more robust ways to celebrate Holy Week, and all the events leading up to Easter Sunday? Especially when we compare it to all that we do leading up to Christmas? We sat down to talk with Eric...

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209. What's so good about Good Friday? — Eric Huntsman

As Latter-day Saints, we often say that we focus more on Jesus’ resurrection than on His death, and we consider the atonement in Gethsemane as the most sacred event in Jesus’ life. In this episode, we consider a question we don’t think about too often, stemming from this: why have we not cultivated more robust ways to celebrate Holy Week, and all the events leading up to Easter Sunday? Especially when we compare it to all that we do leading up to Christmas? We sat down to talk with Eric Huntsman, a professor of ancient scripture at BYU and author of God So Loved the World: The Final Days of the Savior's Life. Eric has done a lot of work as a scholar to understand the events of Holy Week leading up to Jesus’ death on the cross on Friday, his resurrected visitations on Sunday, and where, as Latter-day Saints, we might place the points of emphasis differently than other Christian denominations. His family has cultivated Easter traditions, complete with meals, activities, and scripture readings, to help them really feel and anticipate these events, and invite a deeper witness of the Savior. By getting more creative with our Holy Week traditions, Eric says we can connect ourselves more deeply with the rest of Christianity while immersing ourselves more fully in a scriptural journey. We hope this episode inspires you to get more out Easter Weekend, which is coming up in just a few days. And for more on this topic, you can check out Eric’s book God So Loved the World at Deseret Book, Barnes & Noble, or Amazon.

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208. Curious Mind, Open Heart A Conversation with Bill Turnbull and Kathy Clayton

This week we sat down with Kathy Kipp Clayton and Bill Turnbull to talk about the fascinating chapters they contributed to a new book entitled No Division among You: Creating Unity in a Diverse Church. Bill, and his wife Susan, are two of Faith Matters co-founders. Kathy and her husband Whitney have served around the world on Church assignments for the past two decades. Whitney served in the presidency of the Seventy until his release in 2020. They now help supervise and often travel the wor...

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207. Feeling Separated? So did Jesus. A Conversation with Kerry Muhlestein

As Holy Week and Easter Sunday approach, we thought it would be helpful to visit with someone who could help us reflect on these sacred events in a new way. Our guest today, Dr. Kerry Muhlestein, recently wrote The Easter Connection, which dives into the biblical account of Holy Week and illuminates the theme of eternal unification. In this short bookyou could read it in just one sittingKerry explores the various ways Jesuss final week teaches us about disconnection, and the idea that thro...

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206. Tragedy in the Holy Land: What Can We Do? A Conversation with Chad Ford

Ever since October 7th, weve been wanting to better understand the conflict in Israel and Gaza and how we as Latter-day Saints can be good neighbors and friends to everyone impacted by it. We know there are no easy answers. Our guest this week, BYU Hawaii professor Chad Ford, has been working on peacemaking initiatives in the region for several decades and acknowledges the very real fear people involved in this conflict feel: that peace isnt going to happen in their lifetime. In the conve...

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205. Tough Love from the Book of Mormon A Conversation with Grant Hardy

Book of Mormon scholar Grant Hardy knows that there are lots of different views about what The Book of Mormon ishow it came to be, how credible its origin story and originator are, and what its value is to Latter-day Saints, and to the world. Though he himself falls firmly on the side of belief, he believes the approach of the Book as sacred text asks its reader to consider that every word or phrase may hold existentially significant meaning regardless of exactly how one views the Book...

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204. Advice from "The World's Worst Mom" A Conversation with Lenore Skenazy

When Lenore Skenazys son was nine, he asked her repeatedly if she would let him have a solo adventure in their hometown of New York City. Her son had a specific plan for this adventure: he wanted her to take him somewhere new in the city and then let him find his own way home. Lenore took the leap of faith, and when her son burst into their apartment later, he was practically levitating with pride and joy at what he had accomplished. Lenore then wrote an article in the New York Sun called...

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Proclaim Peace: A New Podcast by Faith Matters and Mormon Women for Ethical Government

Today were sharing with you an episode from a brand new podcast that Faith Matters is co-sponsoring in collaboration with Mormon Women for Ethical Government, called Proclaim Peace. This podcast is hosted by Jennifer Thomas, Co-Executive Director of MWEG, and Patrick Mason, Leonard Arrington Chair of Mormon History and Culture at Utah State University, and longtime friend and advisor of Faith Matters. In this first season, these two will be exploring with guests a peaceful reading of...

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203. Love is a Law, not a Reward Adam Miller at Restore

Were back sharing a favorite session from last years Restore Conference. In this session, Adam Miller retells the parable of the prodigal son and a highlight from the Childrens book series, 'Frog and Toad", to re-examine our relationship to love. It is our nature to think we have to work hard to earn love, and we constantly tell ourselves stories about what we have to do to earn it. But if Gods love is constant, then these stories are elaborate distractions. We feel guilt and shame whenev...

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202. The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in God A Conversation with Justin Brierley

A little less than two decades ago, you might walk past a bookstore and see The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins featured among the bestsellers. The mid to late 2000s were the heyday for the New Atheists, a small cohort of scientists and philosophers who were convinced religion was both untrue and a bad influence in the world. At the time, it was easy to see the rise of the New Atheists as the latest peak of secularism, a sign that public belief in religion was long gone, and there was no goi...

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201. The Counter-Culture of Commitment A Conversation with Pete Davis

In 2018, Pete Davis was graduating from Harvard Law School and was chosen to give a commencement address that ended up going unexpectedly viral, having now been viewed over 30 million times. The thesis of Petes speech was that our culture has entered what he calls infinite browsing modewith so many options to choose from, and devices that present those options to us literally endlesslywe can become paralyzed by choice and inadvertently live out our lives without ever dedicating ourselve...

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200. The Awakened Brain Lisa Miller at Restore

Today were sharing another fantastic session from our Restore Conference last October, this time from Lisa Miller. Lisa is a clinical psychologist and professor at Columbia University who specializes in the science of spirituality. Shes also the author of the popular 2021 book The Awakened Brain: The New Science of Spirituality and Our Quest for an Inspired Life. We often think of science and spirituality as separate ways of knowing that dont really speak to each other, where science focu...

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199. Integrity and Institutions A Conversation with George Handley on Lowell Bennion

Were excited to share with you this interview with George Handley, a professor of humanities at BYU. George recently published a fascinating and moving intellectual biography of Lowell Bennion. As weve learned more about Bennion, hes begun to loom large for us as a truly inspiring figure who models some of the best of what our faith tradition has to offer. He was an educator, humanitarian, and practical philosopher who had an outsized impact on the Church in the 20th century, even if few m...

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198. Seven Gospels A Conversation with Adam Miller and Rosalynde Welch

To kick off the new year, we recently had the privilege to speak to academic duo and long-time friends, Adam Miller and Rosalynde Welch about the new book they co-authored together, titled Seven Gospels: The Many Lives of Christ in the Book of Mormon. Their book examines the many ways that Christ shows up in the lives of individuals in the Book of Mormon, including Nephi, Abinadi, Abish, and others. Like the New Testament gospels, these distinct witnesses both affirm and challenge each...

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197. The Divinity and Humanity of the Book of Mormon A Conversation with Jared Halverson

Today were sharing a conversation that we had a lot of fun with, along with an exciting announcement about the work were doing at Faith Matters. Our guest was our friend Jared Halverson. Few people we know exude as much enthusiasm for scripturethe Latter-day Saint canon in particularas Jared does. Hes someone who clearly loves and cherishes these holy texts, and has taken the best they have to offer to heart. Hes as genuine, loving, and big-hearted as they come. So we felt Jared would...

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196. Peaceable Things: Three Names of Christ Terryl Givens at Restore

This week, were sharing another session from our Restore conference, this time featuring a scholar most of you will be familiar with: our long time friend and advisor Terryl Givens. Terryls heartfelt session explores what he finds to be the peaceable things of Christ, referred to in scripture. An unsettling experience at the age of sixteen led Terryl to confront the inherent risk and uncertainty of our choices in life. And while life may not always be peaceful, Terryl says, we can alwa...

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195. Who is the Church for? A Conversation with Patrick Mason

Nearly everything we do in the Church from missionary work and ministering efforts to baptisms and temple work hinges on an underlying question: who is the Church for? Is the project of the Restoration to find and shepherd the elect of God to exaltation in the next life, or is it to create a Zion community here that strives to include those on the margins, the way Jesus ministered? Should it be one or the other? Its seemed to us that theres an implicit discourse around this question pl...

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193. How to Celebrate Advent A Conversation with Eric Huntsman

Professor Eric Huntsman has an infectious enthusiasm when he talks about Christmas. Hes up for the fun, the decorating, the shopping, the lights, and the gift-giving. He also has a deep intellectual curiosity and many years academic research into the historical development of this holy day. And of course, most importantly, he has a profound devotional attachment to the holidays namesake, Jesus Christ. So its only natural that he would spend years developing ways to help his family,...

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194. Sacred Struggle A Conversation with Melissa Inouye

Buy Melissas book here: https://www.amazon.com/Sacred-Struggle-Seeking-Christ-Resistance/dp/1639931872/ As weve gotten to know her over the past few years, weve noticed that Melissa Inouye, in any group, has a remarkable way of reorienting a conversation. She tends to be the one with the eyes to see the least of these. She has a profound and sincere empathy for those who are in deep struggle, those on the edges, the marginalized, the looked-over, the passed-by. When these people and...

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How to Celebrate Advent — A Conversation with Eric Huntsman

Professor Eric Huntsman has an infectious enthusiasm when he talks about Christmas. He’s up for the fun, the decorating, the shopping, the lights, and the gift-giving. He also has a deep intellectual curiosity and many years’ academic research into the historical development of this holy day. And of course, most importantly, he has a profound devotional attachment to the holiday’s namesake, Jesus Christ. So it’s only natural that he would spend years developing ways to help his family, students and community find more meaning throughout the Christmas season. One way that he’s done that is through the observance of Advent. Much more than just the calendar many of us think of checking off the days in December leading up to Christmas, Advent is a traditional Christian season that’s been observed for at least 1500 years and is marked by the four Sundays prior to Christmas, each of which celebrates a theme of Christ’s birth: hope, love, joy, and peace. In today’s conversation, Eric shared with us the background and purpose behind Advent and some of its symbolism, how he celebrates it, and what he recommends for anyone looking to observe Advent as part of creating their own traditions or rituals. Resources: Good Tidings of Great Joy: An Advent Celebration of the Savior's Birth (Eric's book): https://www.amazon.com/Good-Tidings-Great-Joy-Celebration/dp/1606416596/r Come, Lord Jesus: An Advent Invitation (Wayfare Magazine): https://www.wayfaremagazine.org/p/come-lord-jesus Celebrating Advent: https://huntsmanseasonal.blogspot.com/2013/11/celebrating-advent.html First Advent: https://huntsmanseasonal.blogspot.com/2013/12/first-advent-hope.html Christmas Resource Guide (Daily December devotionals): https://huntsmanseasonal.blogspot.com/p/christmas-resource-guide.html Advent Carols: https://www.amazon.com/Advent-Carols-Countdown-Stories-Christmas/dp/1639930477

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192. How Church? Tom Christofferson at Restore

A few weeks ago, Faith Matters released a video we called Why Church? It features several of our favorite people, who gave really thoughtful answers to that question that is present for so many. Today, were sharing Tom Christoffersons Restore talk, which addresses the next question: How Church? Tom describes in poignant and sometimes hilarious detail his experiences joining a new ward where so many people are so unlike him, and, in the end, found that that was kind of the point.&n...

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191. At-One-Ment A Conversation with Thomas McConkie

Our guest today is a long-time friend and collaborator, and an incredibly unique voice in the Latter-day Saint tradition: Thomas McConkie. Thomas is an author, developmental researcher and meditation teacher who has been practicing under masters in the traditions of Sufism, Buddhism and Christian contemplation, among others for over 25 years. Thomas is the founder of Lower Lights School of Wisdom, and is is currently researching and writing on transformative spiritual practice at Harvard Divi...

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190. Romney: A Reckoning A Conversation with McKay Coppins

Were very excited about this week's episode. In early 2021, in the wake of January 6th, McKay Coppins contacted Mitt Romney with a bold request: he wanted to write a biography about him. But McKay had stipulations: not only would he have full access to the Senator hed also retain full editorial control. To his surprise, Romney agreed, and shortly had given him stacks of journal entries, emails, and texts. They met over 45 times over the coming years for lengthy interviews, and McKay...

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189. The Future of Spirituality A Conversation with Casper ter Kuile

Organized religious communities have seen steep declines in participation in recent decades and the rise of the nones, those who have no particular religious affiliation, is a well-rehearsed story. But that story isnt just about loss and lack. New forms of spiritual life and meaning-making are emerging that seek to fill the universal longings of the human heart: belonging, transformation, and love. Casper ter Kuile has studied this horizon of spiritual frontier for many years. 10 years ago...

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188. Disagree Better: Governor Spencer Cox with Judge Thomas Griffith at Restore

This week, were sharing with you one of sessions we had to kick off our Restore conference, which featured Utah Governor Spencer Cox along with Judge Thomas Griffith. Before we get going, were very excited to announce that weve decided to give free digital access to all of our Restore recordings! Although we were joined by 3500 of our closest friends, we know there were so many who wanted to join us but couldnt for a variety of reasons, so we decided to make all of the sessions available...

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187. All Things New A Conversation with Fiona and Terryl Givens

For this weeks episode, were sharing a conversation we had originally released almost three years ago before many of you had started listening to the podcast! Its the discussion we had with Fiona and Terryl Givens about the ground-shifting book they published in 2020 through Faith Matters Publishing, called All Things New: Rethinking Sin, Salvation, and Everything in Between. When this book was first published, we knew it had the potential to truly change lives, and change how Latter-day...

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186. Both Things Are True Rosalynde Welch on the Writings of Kate Holbrook

In July of 2022, Rosalynde Welch had a distinct impression while cleaning her house that she should reach out to Kate Holbrook and ask how she could help share more of Kates own writing and thinking with the world. As many of you know, Kate was a historian, scholar, and a light in so many lives. Kate had been previously diagnosed with a rare eye cancer, which had just entered a terminal phase. As she cleaned, it struck Rosalynde that Kate had spent so much time promoting others voices, p...

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185. Your Faith Isn't Broken Brian McLaren at Restore

For this weeks episode, were sharing one more talk with you from our Restore gathering in 2022. This was one of our absolute favorite sessions, and it was the final presentation, right at the end on Saturday afternoon. We were privileged to hear from Brian McLaren, who shared his simple and incredibly resonant framework for faith development. Its one that weve referenced before on this podcast, and we think youll love hearing Brian teach it. Brian does a beautiful job emphasizing that th...

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184. Your Brain on Awe A Conversation with Dacher Keltner

Dacher Keltner is a scientist who has been studying happiness and well-being for decades. He writes that hes taught happiness to hundreds of thousands of people around the world and that twenty years into teaching happiness, hes actually found an answer to how to live the good life: find awe. To that end, hes written a new book called Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How it Can Transform Your Life. The book was not only moving, fascinating and thoroughly researched, it al...

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183. Sex Educated A Conversation with Bonnie Young

When therapist Bonnie Young was a teen, the subject of sexuality was for her, drenched in fear. And many of us can probably relate. For many Latter-day Saints growing up in a sexually conservative culture and with a strict law of chastity for all of the goods those things can bring feelings of anxiety, fear, and shame around sexuality may be more the rule rather than the exception. Bonnies on a mission to change that, and we think shes done really important work to do so with her new...

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182. Missionaries Ministering Through Service Jeff Strong at Restore

This week, were excited to share with you another gem from our Restore gathering last year. This is a presentation by Jeff Strong. Now his name may sound familiar to you because Jeff also came on for an incredible episode called Getting Real About Missionary Work last year- episode #124, which we highly recommend. That episode is one of Faith Matters most listened to of all time. But in todays episode, youre going to hear about Jeffs experience as a mission president of the Bent...

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181. Creative Stewardship A Conversation with Stake President Ben Behunin

Today we talked with Ben Behunin, and we think when you hear him, youll feel immediately what we felt: this is someone who is absolutely full of pure, good energy who has been able to fully align his own gifts to serve in the world. Ben is a full-time artist, potter, and writer who makes his living through creativity. Hes also a stake president in downtown Salt Lake City. In our conversation with Ben, he talked about his mission experience and conversion to the Church his st...

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180. Renewing Our Religious Language Terryl Givens at Restore

This week were sharing something really special its Terryl Givens talk that opened last years Restore gathering. In it, Terryl gets more personal than weve ever heard him, telling a dramatic story about nearly drowning off the West coast of Africa and how the experience has helped him frame key aspects of his faith. Terryl also shares some other really meaningful moments from his life and career. In one of our favorite moments, he says "I have come to know the love of God as it i...

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179. The Path of a Seeker A Conversation with Charles Stang

Religion in America is undergoing a revolution. In 1972, 90% of Americans were self-professed Christians. Now, that number is about 64%. There are now large and growing populations of non-Christians, as well as many who have no particular religious beliefs. Such a time of change has made it an exciting time to be a scholar of religion, charged with making sense of the shifting landscape of American religious experience. For todays conversation, Zach Davis sat down with one of those scholar...

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178. Modesty from the Inside Out A Conversation with Jennifer Finlayson-Fife

Before we get started, we just wanted to give you a quick note that this episode does contain frank discussion about sexuality, so you can determine if its appropriate for anyone listening in. For this conversation, we were really happy to bring on our good friend and one of our favorite people, Jennifer Finlayson-Fife, and we know many of you are fans of her of her work, too. For a long time, weve wanted to have a discussion with Jennifer about the concept of modestysomething that anyon...

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177. Tackling the Teen Mental Health Crisis A Conversation with Gov. Spencer J. Cox

In recent months, Governor Spencer J. Cox of Utah has been in the news for the passage of two new state laws: one that puts strict limits on access to social media for teens, and another that would prohibit social media companies from using designs that are addictive to teens. Governor Cox believes that social media and smartphones really are the culprit behind a teen mental health crisis that has manifested, for example, in a skyrocketing rate of depression among teen girls. Tha...

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176. The Cherished Doctrine of Heavenly Mother A Conversation with McArthur Krishna and Michal Thomas

The Gospel Topics essay titled Mother in Heaven, on churchofjesuschrist.org states The doctrine of a Heavenly Mother is a cherished and distinctive belief among Latter-day Saints. Its with this in mind that three Latter-day Saint women McArthur Krishna, Ashli Carnicelli, and Trina Caudle, have curated a new collection of writing, poetry, and art called Cherish: The Joy of Our Mother in Heaven. We were lucky enough to bring McArthur on, along with another one of the books contributors,...

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175. The Story of You A Conversation with Ian Morgan Cron

This week we are covering the Enneagram, a fascinating topic and a tool that weve found to be very helpful and deeply meaningful over the past few years. For this conversation, we were lucky enough to bring on one of the worlds foremost proponents and teachers of the Enneagram Ian Morgan Cron. Ian is a bestselling author, psychotherapist, Enneagram teacher, Episcopal priest, and the host of the podcast "Typology," which has over 20 million downloads. His books include the Enneagram...

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174. Faith Journey 101 A Conversation with Jana Spangler

Over the years, much of the work that weve done at Faith Matters has tried to take into account much of the wisdom and research thats been done in the field of faith and adult development. Its also been important to us to share and discuss some of the existing models, including Brian McLarens four-stage framework, and the creation, fall, atonement framework that our amazing friend Jared Halverson has spoken about at Restore and on this podcast. All that said, weve never done a deep div...

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173. The $100 Billion Question A Conversation with Aaron Miller

In May of this year, the news program 60 Minutes aired a segment exploring the finances of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. David Nielsen, a former portfolio manager at Ensign Peak, the investment arm of the Church, alleged that the Church had been operating improperly as a tax-exempt organization and called for that tax-exempt status to be revoked. 60 Minutes also interviewed W. Christopher Waddell, first counselor in the Presiding Bishopric, who denied Nielsens claims. Near...

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172. Exploring Atonement A Conversation with Terryl Givens

A few weeks ago, we released a conversation with Terryl Givens about the life of Eugene England. Englands work on atonement theology had felt like it necessitated another conversation, but it was too big to fit into the first one. So this week, we brought Terryl back to talk not just about Englands views, but about atonement generally. The conversation starts with the fascinating premise that our faith doesnt actually have an official theology of Atonement. What is clear, doctrinally, is...

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171. My Lord, He Calls Me A Conversation with Alice Faulkner Burch

For this weeks episode, we were honored to bring on Alice Faulkner Burch, General Editor of Deseret Books new collection of essays by Black American Latter-day Saints: My Lord, He Calls Me. The title of the book comes from an early Black American spiritual called Steal Away to Jesus. The book shares contemporary experiences of Black Americans in the Church, and stories from every era of the Restoration. The essays found in the book are extremely personal the type of stories youd only h...

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170. Reckoning with Mountain Meadows Richard Turley and Barbara Jones Brown

In September of 1857, one of the greatest atrocities in the history of Mormonism was carried out. Now known as the Mountain Meadows Massacre, a group of Latter-day Saints led a siege in Southern Utah against a wagon train of emigrants on their way from Arkansas to California. After the siege had dragged on for several days, and under the guise of a truce, leaders of the Mormon party lured the emigrants out of their protective circle of wagons and marched them a short distance across the valle...

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169. Audacious Hope A Conversation with Tim Shriver

It isnt easy to be born into a famous family with big expectations. And theres few families more famous or with bigger expectations than the Kennedys. Tim Shrivers immediate family includes not only a former US president, a US Attorney General, and a US Senator, but his parents, Eunice Kennedy Shriver and Sargent Shriver, founded global humanitarian organizations like the Special Olympics, The Peace Corp, and more. But Tim has risen to the challenge in every respect and is adding a new asp...

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168. Parenting with Grace A Conversation with Brooke Romney

For this week's episode, we spoke with Brooke Romney, a guest that had been recommended to us over and over and we were so happy we were able to connect with her. Brooke is a writer who began her career on Capitol Hill and whose work has appeared in many publications, including in the Washington Post. She now spends much of her time writing and speaking, particularly on the subject of parenting, but also on social media, connection, and faith. In 2021, she published 52 Modern Manners...

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167. When Conscience and Authority Seem to Collide The Life of Eugene England

For todays episode, we were honored as always to bring back one of our favorite people and conversation partners, and likely one of yours: Terryl Givens. We spoke with Terryl about a book he released in 2021, a biography called Stretching the Heavens: The Life of Eugene England and the Crisis of Modern Mormonism. Terryls work on this biography led to a fascinating portrait of a man many of us look up to, and someone we truly wish we could have met (England died in 2001 at the age of 68). Hi...

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166. Finding Beauty in the Mundane A Conversation with Darlene Young

This weeks episode is with an incredible Latter-day Saint poet, Darlene Young. Darlene has just released a new book of poetry, called Here, and published by BCC Press. Its an honest, vulnerable, relatable, and incredibly approachable book that we laughed and cried our way through. In our conversation with Darlene, she talked about the value of poetry itself how it can be a dance to proses walk, and help us to see life as more abundant, and show the moments we might see as mu...

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165. Love in the Trenches A Conversation with Dr. Jason Whiting

For this weeks episode, were bringing you a conversation with Jason Whiting, a Professor and Program Director in the Marriage and Family Therapy program at Brigham Young University. Jason received his PhD from Michigan State University, and is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. Hes also the author of Love Me True: Overcoming the Surprising Ways We Deceive in Relationships. Jasons primary research centers around the love lives of couples, and it was fascinating, as a married couple...

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164. The Call To Be in the World A Conversation with Astrid Tuminez

Weve been really excited to share this week's interview with you. Our guest was Astrid Tuminez, President of Utah Valley University. Astrid is an absolute delight to talk with and listen to. Shes full of stories, humor, and deep insights that made our time with her pass way too quickly. This interview actually came about because Astrid wrote an essay in Melissa Inouye and Kate Holbrooks new book Every Needful Thing. We loved Astrids essay and knew we wanted to get to know her better. As...

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163. Why We Can't Cherry-Pick the Bible A Conversation with Dan McClellan

Were super excited to share this weeks episode with you. Our interview was with Dan McClellan, a Bible scholar who began sharing his insights and scholarship on TikTok in 2021, and immediately began racking up millions of views and hundreds of thousands of followers. One of the reasons people seem to resonate with Dans content is that he makes traditionally difficult and obscure topics extremely accessible if you watch any of his videos, youll see what we mean, but even those who are pr...

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162. Rethinking Forgiveness A Conversation with Matthew Potts

In June 2015, a white supremacist entered the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church and murdered 9 members of the church during a Bible study. During the first court hearing, a number of family members of victims said that they forgave the murderer, Dylann Roof. This act of forgiveness shocked many people. Some people were shocked by witnessing such an act of Christian charity. Others were shocked because they thought expressing forgiveness for such an act, especially so quickly, was wro...

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161. 15 Years to Redemption A Conversation with Dave Durocher

For todays episode, we thought wed bring you a really special story that we think we can all learn from, especially during this Easter season as we ponder concepts like redemption and new life. Our guest was Dave Durocher, the Executive Director of The Other Side Academy in Salt Lake City. If youre an especially up-to-date listener, or you went to Restore last year, youve heard a little bit about The Other Sides story from Joseph Grenny, Daves partner and the Academys Chairman. But w...

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160. Reckoning with Marriage A Conversation with Rachel Rueckert

This week were bringing you a conversation with Rachel Rueckert, a really amazing young writer who recently published a memoir called East Winds: A Global Quest to Reckon with Marriage. Rachels story is a fascinating one. Perhaps due to a highly tumultuous home life as a child, she inherited her suspicions about marriage early. Growing up in the Church, there was a constant drumbeat about marriage and eternal families, but those lessons always seemed to raise more questions for her than th...

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159. How to Celebrate Holy Week A Conversation with Eric Huntsman

When BYU professor Eric Huntsman was growing up, he spent time among Catholics in Pittsburgh and Baptists in Alabama and came to love the different ways other Christian denominations worshiped Jesus. And one of his favorite ways that other Christians worshiped was during Holy Week, the week leading up to Easter Sunday. Over the years, Eric began incorporating many Holy Week traditions into his spiritual practice and found it helped him connect more deeply with the Savior and his atoning sacri...

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158. The Other Side Academy: "Zion with F-Bombs" Joseph Grenny at Restore

This week were sharing with you one of the most popular presentations from our Restore gathering that happened last October a talk by Joseph Grenny called The Other Side. As a young father, Joseph was determined to have the perfect family. All of kids would be active, go on missions, go to BYU and be stalwart. But that dream was shattered when two of his sons got involved in drugs and crime. Eventually, one son overdosed and almost lost his life. As a result of that grief and...

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157. Using Your Gifts for Good A Conversation with Liz Shropshire

For this weeks episode, were bringing you a story that we really think will uplift and inspire you. Our guest was Liz Shropshire, the founder of Peace Through Music. In our interview with her, Liz tells the story of how she got started teaching music to children in Kosovo who had been affected by the war and ethnic cleansing that took place there in the 1990s. She knew just two things: she could teach music, and she wanted to help: so she got on a plane and made her way to a refugee camp wh...

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156. Friendship in Faith A Conversation with Andrew Teal

Several years ago, Matthew Holland, Elder Jeffrey R. Hollands son, was on a sabbatical at Oxford University. One day, he passed by a door that said Chaplain. Intrigued, he decided to knock. Thus began a remarkable relationship with Andrew Teal, an Anglican priest and lecturer in theology at Pembroke College, Oxford. Since then, Andrew has developed a close friendship with Elder Holland, attended General Conference, given a BYU devotional address and is currently partnering with BYU to esta...

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155. A Year of War and Miracles Svitlana Miller and Nancy Cadjan

** To help, head to https://www.toukrainewithlove.org ** Its been exactly a year since the world received the shocking news that Russian troops had invaded Ukraine, and exactly a year since the lives of millions of Ukrainian people changed forever. As news of troop movements, cities under siege, refugee crises and all kinds of geopolitical saber-rattling has come to those of us outside Ukraine, many of us have gone through varying stages of shock, dismay, and fear. But what have been harde...

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154. Every Needful Thing Melissa Inouye and Kate Holbrook

Today, youre going to hear a really special episode. Its a conversation with Melissa Inouye and Kate Holbrook that took place last summer, not long before Kates passing in August 2022. We spoke with Kate and Melissa about an amazing new book that they co-edited called Every Needful Thing: Essays on the Life of the Mind and the Heart. In their book, Kate and Melissa gathered so many remarkable Latter-day Saint women who are true leaders in their fields, including academics, psychology, medi...

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153. Developing Sexual Wholeness Jennifer Finlayson-Fife

This week, were sharing another one of our favorite presentations from our Restore conference, given by Jennifer Finlayson-Fife and called Developing Sexual Wholeness. In her talk, Jennifer brilliantly laid out human sexuality in terms of development, in the same way we might talk about adult development or spiritual development. Jennifer teaches that in its earliest stages, our sexuality is egocentric and focused on ourselves; eventually, moves into a social stage with deeper awareness of o...

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152. The Richard Bushman Interview

This week's guest is Richard Bushman, who is simply one of the most important scholarly voices ever in the Latter-day Saint tradition. Of course, Richard has been interviewed many times over the years, and we wanted to make sure that we covered new ground while asking for his perspective on some of the questions that have propelled and perplexed us throughout our faith journey. So in this very wide-ranging conversation, Richard spoke about his own early journey from agnosticism to faith; wh...

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151. When Faith is Hard A Conversation with Terryl Givens

For todays episode, we were honored to bring back the inimitable Terryl Givens. Terryl and his son Nathaniel have recently released a new book, called Into the Headwinds: Why Belief Has Always Been Hard And Still Is. This is a remarkable book and addresses some of lifes most profound questions, especially as they pertain to the modern world. Terryl and Nathaniel argue that though many of us see faith as hard in our scientific and rational age but the reality is that for many yea...

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150. How Are We Like the Ancient Christians? A Conversation with Kristian Heal

For todays episode, we spoke with Kristian Heal. BYUs Maxwell Institute has just released an amazing new volume of research called Ancient Christians, that offers remarkable insights into Christianitys earliest centuries. Its intended for Latter-day Saints, but based on the best scholarship available to give us a glimpse into what these ancient Christians believed, how they worshiped, and the ways in which they saw and experienced the world. Kristian Heal was one of the editor...

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149. Don't Let a Good Faith Crisis Go to Waste Jared Halverson

This week, were excited to share with you another presentation from our Restore conference, and one that we think was super memorable to everyone who attended. It was given by our friend Jared Halverson, and called Dont Let a Good Faith Crisis Go to Waste. In it, Jared shares his experiences as a scholar, teacher, mentor, and person of faith whos been through and helped others work through faith crises and faith journeys of all types. And what we loved about it was he completely remo...

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148. Equal Partnership in Marriage McArthur Krishna and Bethany Brady Spalding

This week, were bringing back a couple of our favorite guests and close friends, McArthur Krishna and Bethany Brady Spalding. McArthur and Bethany have just released a new book titled: In the Image of Our Heavenly Parents: A Couples Guide to Creating a More Divine Marriage. Bethany and McArthur have done super interesting and important work with this book it uses the model of divine partnership, based on the doctrine of Heavenly Parents, to inspire couples to create powerful and fulfil...

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147. Bittersweet - A Conversation with Susan Cain

This week, we were honored to bring on a guest weve hoped to have on for years Susan Cain. In 2013, she released her book Quiet: the Power of Introverts in a World that Cant Stop Talking. But today, we brought Susan on to talk about her new book, Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole, another masterwork that reached #1 on the New York Times bestseller list and has been praised by Brene Brown, Glennon Doyle, and Adam Grant. This book touched us deeply with its key truth:...

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146. Savior of the World - A Conversation with Esther Candari

As we imagine many of you have, weve been thinking a lot about Jesus these last few weeks. From the nativity we set up in our living room to the movies were watching to the hymns were singing in Church, this is a time that in so many beautiful ways, makes him more prominent in our lives and minds. And one question naturally comes up from there: when we imagine Jesus, what do we see? For many of us, its probably heavily influenced by the art we grew up with. If youre like us, you might ev...

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145. Envisioning the Restoration's 3rd Century Patrick Mason

Today were sharing with you one of our absolute favorite presentations from our Restore gathering that happened in October a talk by Patrick Mason that he called Envisioning the Restorations Third Century. As we prepare for our Church to enter into this next era, its become increasingly clear that something fundamental has changed; people inside and outside the Church are seeing the world and their place in it in different ways. Patrick points out that the world itself is rapidly...

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144. The Art of Transformation A Conversation with Makoto Fujimura

In Japanese culture there is a beautiful practice called Kintsugi, which translates roughly to golden repair. This is how it works: when a piece of ceramic breaks, like a teacup or plate, instead of gluing the broken pieces back together so that the cracks are hidden, a special gold or silver adhesive is used so that the fractures are emphasized and even celebrated. In this episode, Zach Davis spoke with Makoto Fujimura, an artist and writer who has reflected deeply on the meaning of...

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143. The Sin of Certainty A Conversation with Peter Enns

We couldnt be more excited about todays episode, and its with someone weve wanted to get on the podcast for years Peter Enns. Pete is a well-known bible scholar and is the Abram S. Clemens professor of Bible Studies at Eastern University in Pennsylvania. In recent years, Pete has become well known for several highly popular books, including How the Bible Actually Works, The Bible Tells Me So, and the book we discussed with him today: The Sin of Certainty. In addition to his...

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142. The Truth Will Set You Free A Conversation with Jason Portnoy

Everything seemed to be going right for Jason Portnoy. While studying engineering at Stanford, his career took a sharp and unexpected turn upward when he met the CEO of a new startup a company that became PayPal. He was soon offered a job, jumped on the rocketship and didnt look back. The years that followed led him to success after success, and Jason became a prominent figure in the high-flying worlds of tech and venture capital. The money and opportunities were endless. In the meantime,...

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141. The Song of the Heart Brett Stewart and Brandon Stewart

A few years ago, we were invited by some good friends to see a Christmas concert their kids were participating in. We were happy to be invited, and of course, wanted to support our friends and their kids! So we headed to Salt Lake City expecting a fun evening. But when we walked into Abravanel Hall, we knew something was going on that we didnt understand. The place was buzzing it was packed full of people, with a tangible excitement in the air. We took our seats, and when the lights went...

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139. How the Helpline Actually Works — A Conversation with Kate Taylor Lauck

*This episode discusses the topic of sexual abuse, and in particular, the recent sexual abuse case in Arizona that was covered by the Associated Press and widely shared and discussed in mainstream/social media. Please use discretion in determining whether or not this is a suitable episode for you or for anyone listening in.* As most of you know, in August of this year, the AP released an article that chronicled a case of sexual abuse, perpetrated by a member of the Church and, in at least in one instance in 2011, disclosed by the perpetrator to a bishop. The abuse continued for many years, with legal authorities only finding out — through other channels — and arresting the perpetrator in 2017. When the article came out, we were, of course, disturbed and upset. We knew that we’d want to address the topic somehow, but didn’t want it to be a “hot take.” We decided to wait until we felt we had something truly valuable to add to the conversation, and when we were introduced to our guest, Kate Taylor Lauck, we knew that she would do just that. Kate is a remarkable person and an investigative attorney who specializes in child abuse. She holds a master’s degree in national security strategies from the U.S. Naval War College and graduated cum laude from Georgetown Law in 2017. She’s worked on the Church’s help line as an attorney at Kirton McConkie and is also, herself, a survivor of sexual abuse. In the conversation with Kate, we talked through some of the AP article itself, but spent quite a bit of time covering the help line and its processes. She shared with us what it was like to work there, and what she felt the driving motivation was on her team at Kirton McConkie, and at the Church broadly, when it comes to abuse. Kate also shared incredibly helpful information with us about what we can do, as Church and community members, to help prevent abuse. Though of course we’re unable to adjudicate the details of the Arizona case — and we do think that it’s a tragedy that abuse was allowed to go on for many years when it didn’t need to — we felt it was important to address article’s implicit claims: that the Church’s help line’s primary purpose is to protect the Church against liability, regardless of what happens to victims. It’s never been Faith Matters’ objective to participate in apologetics — we’ve always believed that the truth, regardless of how hard it may be to hear, is the key to finding healing and peace. That said, we believe few people could address this as well as Kate could. We’ve found her to be incredibly courageous and honest, and we’re proud to call her a friend. We know that as with any topic of this importance and difficulty, every word and sentence we say has the potential to hurt someone, and we’re sure that we didn’t do this perfectly. As we’ve done in the past, we’re asking for grace and the benefit of the doubt. More than anything, we hope that this effort can further good faith efforts of everyone — Church members, Church leaders, and other members of our communities, to help prevent the tragedy of child sexual abuse.

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140. Understanding and Preventing Sexual Abuse Sage Williams and Rebecca Bettilyon

*This discusses the topic of sexual abuse and prevention of sexual abuse. Please use discretion in determining whether or not this is a suitable episode for you or for anyone listening in.* Sexual abuse and sexual violence are shockingly prevalent. In the United States, about 1 in 4 girls, and 1 in 13 boys experience child sexual abuse. In their lifetimes, over half of women and 1 in 3 men will experience sexual violence. And its remarkably common for child sexual abuse to go undisclosed for...

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138. The Rediscovered Gospel A Conversation with Elaine Pagels

In 1945 fifty-two papyrus texts were found concealed in an earthenware jar buried in the Egyptian desert. They turned out to be early Christian writings, some dating all the way back to the first few centuries AD. Elaine Pagels, a historian of religion at Princeton university, has dedicated her life to studying and interpreting these texts and it turns out that there are some surprisingly powerful connections between some of the teachings in these ancient texts and the doctrines of the Restor...

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137. Loving Your Enemy: Daryl Davis and the Ku Klux Klan

This week, Faith Matters is bringing you a story that defies expectations so completely that you really have to hear it straight from the source. Our guest was Daryl Davis, whos easily one of the most fascinating and inspiring people weve ever met. Daryl has spent his career as a professional musician, including decades playing alongside rock and roll legends Chuck Berry and Jerry Lee Lewis. Hes a master of multiple instruments, but specializes on the piano, where he blends unbelievable ta...

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136. Let Me Drown with Moses A Conversation with James Goldberg

For this episode, we were happy to bring on someone thats been on our list for a long time scholar and writer James Goldberg. James is a fascinating person and Latter-day Saint, and brings a truly unique perspective to our faith. In his words, his family is Jewish on one side, Sikh on the other, and Mormon in the middle. He works as a historian at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and is also a poet, novelist, essayist, playwright, documentary filmmaker, scholar, and t...

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135. Imagining a Four-Stage Church A Conversation with Patrick Mason

Weve been thinking and talking a lot recently about a phenomenon that sometimes happens and that weve occasionally felt ourselves something you might call a spiritual whiplash. It can happen when were really uplifted by something: maybe a book weve read, an inspiring group of people weve been around, or even a transcendental experience in nature. Were feeling fed, and our cup is full but then, we come back down to earth. Were faced with the realities of the mundane, and the imperf...

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134. Do I Stay Christian? A Conversation with Brian McLaren

In this episode, we were honored to bring back our friend Brian McLaren to talk about his brand new book, Do I Stay Christian? In this new book, Brian addresses a real question which underlies a startling sociological truth: people are leaving Christianity at a rapid pace. In fact, Pew Research shows that today, about 64% people in the US identify as Christian, after falling rapidly from a high of 90% just a few decades back. Brians book takes an unflinching look at the reasons people might...

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133. The Love Map A Conversation with Carol Lynn Pearson

In this episode, we got to speak with Carol Lynn Pearson about her new book, The Love Map: Saving Your Love Relationship and Incidentally Saving the World. Carol Lynn has been a powerful and well-known voice in the Latter-day Saint community for many years. Shes the author of several remarkable works, including the memoir Goodbye, I Love You, and the book of poetry Finding Mother God: Poems to Heal the World. Her full catalog of works is too impressive to list here, but one other highlight i...

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132. History and Faith A Conversation with David Holland

The Restoration occurred in a fascinating and complex religious and historical moment in American history, and knowing more about that context can help us more deeply appreciate the blessings and beauty of the Restored Gospel. One person at the forefront of expanding our knowledge of early American religious history is David Holland, a professor at Harvard Divinity School and also the son of Elder Jeffrey R. Holland. In todays episode Zach Davis and Terryl Givens visited David in his C...

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131. The Burning Book A Conversation with Jason Olson

For todays episode, we were really excited to bring on Jason Olson, who, along with James Goldberg, is the author of a new memoir called The Burning Book. Jasons story is truly fascinating: he was born into a reform Jewish household with a Jewish mother and a Christian father. As a child and young person, he was always drawn to God and to religion, and found himself very involved in both study and practice in his faith. After his Bar Mitzvah at age 13, he eventually encountered some Latter...

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130. Original Grace A Conversation with Adam Miller

For todays episode, we were lucky enough to bring back Latter-day Saint philosopher and theologian Adam Miller to talk about his new book, Original Grace. Of the many incredible books weve read from Adam, this one, we think, might have the most potential to really change the way we engage God and the world. Well let Adam explain the major theses of the book, but well just say that in many ways it entirely upends traditional understandings of concepts like justice, suffering, mercy, punish...

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129. The Early Christian World A Conversation with Laura Nasralla

In the past few decades, scholarship on the New Testament has opened up exciting new ways of understanding the context of the early followers of Jesus and has enabled new interpretations of the texts they wrote. One of the leading scholars advancing our knowledge of early Christianity is Laura Nasrallah, a professor at Yale who specializes in New Testament texts and archaeology. In this conversation, Zach Davis and Terryl Givens visited Laura in her New Haven office to discuss topics li...

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Remembering Kate Holbrook

The Faith Matters family lost a dear friend this week. Kate Holbrook passed away after a long battle with cancer. Kate was a graceful light in our lives. Her strength, her courage, her wisdom, her intelligence and her gentle manner will be with us forever. Our thoughts, prayers and determined support go out to our good friend Sam Brown, Kates forever companion, and to their three daughters. In Kates memory and honor, were sharing this conversation that she had with Terryl Givens in 2018. T...

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128. Relentless Hope: The Chiou Family Story Sam Chiou, Mindy Chiou, and Julia Chiou Knutson

Today, were bringing you a really amazing story that we cant wait for you to hear. Its the story of Sam Chiou a remarkable young man who is nonspeaking and autistic, and who was totally unable to communicate for the first fifteen years of his life. His family was unaware that despite being nonspeaking, he was hearing and understanding everything they were saying and had so much that he wanted to share. We dont want to tell the whole story here, but after this long period of struggle...

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127. Mind, Matter, and Spirit A Conversation with Michael Ferguson

For decades, our understanding of how the brain works has advanced dramatically. Using new theories, methods and tools, like fMRI technology, scientists are beginning to reveal the mysteries of this truly remarkable and complex organ. One scientist on the cutting edge of this research is Michael Ferguson, a BYU grad who is now researching and teaching at Harvard. For Michael, the most exciting result of all this new knowledge of the brain is how it might transform our spiritual lives an...

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126. Lift and Love A Conversation with Allison Dayton

In this episode, we spoke with Allison Dayton from Lift and Love, an organization that focuses on strengthening Latter-day Saint LGBTQ families. We met Allison not long ago and were so impressed by the spirit and love she brings to every interaction. She tells her story in the episode itself, but shes been deeply involved with the LGBTQ community for many years, first through her older brother Preston, and later through her son. In those interactions shes lived through the deepest of traged...

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125. Proving Polarities A Conversation with Jared Halverson

For todays episode, were really excited to bring on Jared Halverson. Jared shares with us a really important concept he calls proving contraries, something weve talked a little bit about on the podcast before using the term polarities. He spoke with us about how recognizing these polarities can help us understand our own strengths and weaknesses, how attributes that are positive, taken too far, almost always become problematic, and how wrestling with contraries is essential in a life...

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124. Getting Real About Missionary Work A Conversation with Jeff Strong

For this episode, we spoke with Jeff Strong about the experience of missionaries in todays mission field, including the unique challenges and opportunities they face. This conversation was based largely on a document Jeff wrote, called What One Mission President Would Tell His Own Grandchildren About Serving a Mission. Jeff wrote this document after his experience as the mission president of the Bentonville, Arkansas Mission. We found Jeffs reflections on missionary work to be refreshingl...

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123. Behind the Scenes at Faith Matters Bill Turnbull, Aubrey Chaves, Tim Chaves, and Zach Davis

With all the exciting things happening at Faith Matters, we thought it would be a good time to step back, take stock of what weve done, and share more about where were going. So in this episode, Tim and Aubrey were joined by one of Faith Matters founders, Bill Turnbull, as well as Faith Matters new Executive Director, Zach Davis, to discuss how our organization began, answer common questions we get from listeners, and share more about our purpose and approach. This episode was...

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122. Under the Banner A Conversation with McKay Coppins and Patrick Mason

Under the Banner of Heaven is a recent 7-part dramatized series aired on Hulu by about the horrific 1984 murders of Brenda and Erica Lafferty by brothers Ron and Dan Lafferty. Like the book its based on, the series paints a very grim portrait of Latter-day Saint faith and culture, and has been both praised and panned by critics. In this episode, McKay Coppins and Patrick Mason join Bill Turnbull to explore why the series has had such widely divergent receptions and discuss the validity...

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121. Hope and Healing in a Time of Crisis: A Conversation with Anne Snyder

The twin challenges of the pandemic and political polarization have caused widespread anxiety and even despair. And yet, as Christian disciples, we are called to plant seeds of hope in even the most seemingly barren soil. For this episode, Zach Davis invited Anne Snyder to discuss her experiences planting such seeds of hope in her capacity as a prominent Christian editor and writer. Their conversation touches on how to cultivate hope in times of fear and anxiety; how to reknit relation...

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120. The Law of Love A Conversation with Steve Young

In so many domains of our lives, we are encouraged to think and act in a transactional, cost-benefit way. But Latter-day Saints are called to transcend this logic and follow the law of love, which Steve Young defines in his new book as loving as God loves, seeking anothers healing, and expecting nothing in return. Living the law of love can help us focus less on acquiring religious merit badges and more on becoming extensions of Christs healing hands to bind up the brokenhearted. Steve Yo...

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119. Is God Alive in Cambridge? A Conversation with Noah Feldman

Noah Feldman is one of the most fascinating and engaging public intellectuals in the world. Hes also had a long and rich relationship with the Latter-day Saint tradition. Terryl Givens and Zachary Davis recently stopped by Noahs office in Cambridge for a wide-ranging conversation on faith and religion. Some of the topics discussed include: how young people are experiencing religion and spirituality today; why living a life of faith helps make sense and meaning of life; and Noahs thou...

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118. The End of Roe v. Wade? With Sherif Gergis, Jenet Erickson, and Justin Collings

As many of you know, at the beginning of May, the United States Supreme Court experienced an unprecedented leak of a draft opinion on the Dobbs v. Jackson case currently being adjudicated by the Supreme Court. The opinion was written by Justice Samuel Alito Jr., and, if it ends up reflecting the Courts decision due this month, would overturn nearly 50 years of abortion law under the landmark Roe v. Wade case, which ruled that many then-current restrictions on abortion were unconstituti...

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117. Faith in Action Fiona Givens and Britta Ellwanger

Joseph Smith taught that faith is a principle of action. Although the world is full of crises and challenges, as Latter-day Saints, we are called to care for those in need with love and courage. In this weeks episode, Fiona Givens and Britta Ellwanger share stories from their recent efforts to put their faith into action. When Russia launched its attack on Ukraine, Fiona felt an inspired pull on her heart to help this situation however she could. That led her to catalyzing prayer and...

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116. Turning Our Hearts A Conversation with Richard and Linda Eyre

Memorial Day reminds us to turn our attention and our hearts back to those who have gone before us and who have made our lives possible. Its a time to contemplate Malachis prophecy of turning the hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of the children to their fathers. How might this turning of hearts actually look in our personal lives. We invited two incredibly insightful and wise people, Linda and Richard Eyre, to our guide an exploration of this timely topic. As usual, Lind...

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115. The Science of Spirituality A Conversation with Dr. Lisa Miller

Are we at the leading edge of a resurgent interest in religion and spirituality in the academy? Quite possibly. And not just as a curiosity. This week, Faith Matters begins a series of conversations with prominent scholars from outside our faith. What are we learning about the nature of spiritual experience and the value of a religious life? In coming weeks, well be traveling to some of Americas top universitiesstarting with Harvard, Yale and Princetonto sit down with thinkers...

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114. Are We Listening, Learning, and Loving? A Conversation with Richard Ostler

For this episode, Faith Matters is honored to bring on our good friend, Richard Ostler. Richard is a former YSA Bishop whose ministry has focused on all types of Latter-day Saint journeys, and especially on those of people who have felt marginalized in any way. In addition to his podcast, hes now written two books, both under the title Listen, Learn, and Love: the first is subtitled Embracing LGBTQ Latter-day Saints, and the second Improving Latter-day Saint Culture. Both are available...

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Celebrating Our Divine Mother A Conversation with McArthur Krishna and Bethany Brady Spalding

For todays conversation, and on this Mothers Day weekend, were releasing a classic episode that was done with McArthur Krishna and Bethany Brady Spalding. Theyre the authors of several incredible books, including The Girls Guide to Heavenly Mother, The Boys Guide to Heavenly Mother, and the Girls Who Choose God series. In this conversation, Bethany and McArthur addressed specifically where the longstanding myth comes from that we shouldnt talk about Heavenly Mother, as well as pointing...

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113. A New Approach to Church History A Conversation with Dr. Lisa Olsen Tait

The third volume of Saints: The Story of the Church of Jesus Christ in the Latter Days, was published this week by the Church. The Saints project has gained widespread popularity because of its accessibilityits written in a narrative formatas well as its assiduous adherence to documented history. It is an enormous endeavor led by a very able group of scholars. We invited one of the leaders of this project, Dr. Lisa Olsen Tait, to come on our podcast to tell us whats in this volume a...

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112. The Mother Tree A Conversation with Kathryn Knight Sonntag

*** Links to buy "The Mother Tree" *** Softcover version: https://faithmatters.org/themothertree Audible and Kindle version: https://www.amazon.com/Mother-Tree-Discovering-Wisdom-Divine/dp/B09YCDHTDZ/ Today, were excited to announce the latest offering from Faith Matters Publishing, following our previous books All Things New by Terryl and Fiona Givens, Restoration by Patrick Mason, and Better Than Happy by Jody Moore. This book is called The Mother Tree: Discovering the Love and Wisdom&nbsp...

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111. An Early Resurrection A Conversation with Adam Miller

As Christians, we look forward to resurrection after death into a state of wholeness and joy. But understanding resurrection as occurring only in the next life can prevent us from experiencing the fullness of life that Christ offers us here and now. What if we looked at resurrection as a process that can begin now as we allow Christ to live in and through us? This week, we invited our friend Adam Miller to talk about his book An Early Resurrection: Life in Christ Before You Die. I...

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110. The Silent Sufferers of OCD A Conversation with Paul Peterson

There is almost certainly someone in your life who is struggling with OCD, and it could be much more severe than you might imagine. OCD is a serious mental illness, and its very common for OCD sufferers to experience severe depression and even suicidal thoughts. In a religious setting, it is quite common for OCD to manifest in extreme and very unhealthy scrupulosity. In a previous Faith Matters podcast episode, podcast host Tim Chaves shared some of his own very painful struggles with...

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109. 10 Signs of a Healthy Self A Conversation with Dr. Julie Hanks

We talk a lot about the self in our culture, and in our faith. We use terms like selfish, selfless, true self, false self, self care, authentic self, etc. Many social commentators observe that the modern era (and maybe particularly the post-modern era) has produced a pervasive secular cult of the self. The advent of social media in the past decade has only fanned the flames of a preoccupation with self, complete with the selfie. So we decided to host a conversation on what a healthy sen...

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108. Embracing and Challenging Scripture A Conversation with Brian McLaren

The perennial struggle to read and understand the Hebrew Bible--that strange and wonderful collection of books we call the Old Testament--has captured our collective attention this year as we dive back into its pages. The text presents profound challenges and questions to Christians and to people with modern sensibilities generally. Among those challenges are stories and accounts of what seem to be divinely sanctioned violence. To get some perspective on these challenges, and on how broader C...

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107. Ukraine: Bearing Burdens, Bearing Witness

Fundraiser details here: https://www.facebook.com/donate/281102717479491/ Weve been working hard to gather voices that could help us process the ongoing atrocities that the Russian government has inflicted upon the people of Ukraine. Like you, weve wondered what the reality is like on the ground in Ukraine right now, how we can help, and if our faith might have something to offer in terms of how we approach whats going on, both in our hearts and with our hands. We were able to asse...

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106. Cultivating a Child's Inner Compass A Conversation with Jon Ogden

As parents, how can we help our children find and cultivate their inner compass? We often do a pretty good job of giving our kids an idea of what God and others expect from them. But nurturing an enduring love of things like truth, beauty and goodness and helping them engage their world from a deep sense of their true identity is the great challenge of parenting. How can we help our children become a beautiful expression of their spiritual natures? This week, we invited to our podcast s...

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105. The Many Doors of Faith A Conversation with Terryl Givens

Like you, weve been watching in horror as Ukraine has been faced with a brutal and unprovoked invasion. Were in awe of the courage of the people of Ukraine and stand firmly with them as we pray that freedom and peace will prevail. We are working on bringing together some voices to help us think through these events in the very near future. In the meantime, we thought we would share a recent conversation we had with our good friend Terryl Givens about his new book, The Doors of Faith,...

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104. Green Flake, Brad Wilcox, and a Path to Zion A Conversation with Mauli Bonner

Many people were disturbed by the remarks of Brad Wilcox, a member of the Young Men General Presidency, given at a recent tri-stake fireside in Alpine, Utah. In addition to denigrating other religions, whom he characterized as playing church, his remarks on the history of denying the priesthood to Black members shocked many listeners. Brigham Young University quickly condemned his comments and Wilcox issued a public apology. While it is admirable to see church institutions and officials tak...

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103. Where Faith Meets Mental Health — A Conversation with Dr. Alan Hansen

In a perfect world, our faith and our church activity would lead quite naturally to better mental health. But we do not live in a perfect world, and the truth is our religious experience can sometimes create or exacerbate mental health problems. This week, we invited Dr. Alan Hansen to our podcast studio to talk with us about something that’s increasingly on many minds — the intersection of our faith and our mental health. Dr. Hansen is perhaps uniquely qualified to speak on this subject, as he is not only a professional therapist but has served twice as a Bishop and is currently the Stake President of a Young Single Adult stake in Utah county. He has a Masters Degree in Counseling and Guidance and a PhD in Counseling Psychology, both from BYU. We feel like the paradigm that informs both his professional and church-related counseling is incredibly relevant and foundational. We hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did.

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102. So Who Wrote the Bible? A Conversation with Terryl Givens

As we have collectively turned our attention to the study of the Hebrew Bible, what is known to most Christians as the Old Testament, we at Faith Matters turn our attention to a perennial question: Who actually wrote these books? We plan to have at least a few conversations in the coming year on how to engage the Hebrew Bible. To kick it off, we invited Terryl Givens to our studio to help us frame some of the big-picture issues, for example: Who wrote the Bible? How should we r...

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101. Does Book of Mormon Historicity Matter? Terryl Givens with Joseph Spencer

In this episode, were diving into one of the questions from our Big Questions series: Terryl Givens invited Joseph Spencer, a philosopher and professor of ancient scripture at Brigham Young University, to talk about the question of Book of Mormon historicity. The claim that the Book of Mormon is a translation from ancient plates written by Hebrew people who immigrated to the American continent has been challenged from its first publication, and conclusive confirming evidence has been e...

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100. Mormons in the Metaverse A Conversation with Carl Youngblood

For this week's episode, we brought on Carl Youngblood for a truly enlightening conversation weve been wanting to have for a long time. Carl has spent most of his life helping to build and operate technology companies and has done a lot of deep thinking and writing about how technology is shaping our reality and our futureincluding how it will affect what it means to be human. Digital technology companies, including behemoths like Facebook, are staking their futures on pushing the bou...

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99. Eve and Adam - A Conversation with Melinda Wheelwright Brown

This week, we were lucky enough to spend some time with Melinda Wheelwright Brown, to talk about her book Eve and Adam: Discovering the Beautiful Balance, which was published by Deseret Book. We thought it would be great to start the year diving right into the first pages of the Old Testament the chapters that we usually refer to as the story of Adam and Eve. Of course, as youve probably already noticed, Mindys book re-titles that story, and youll hear why she did that right near the b...

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Can Creation Heal Us? Terryl Givens with George Handley

For this weeks episode, were releasing a classic conversation between George Handley and Terryl Givens one that was released very early in the life of this podcast, and that many of you may not have yet heard. The first chapter of Genesis says: In the beginning, God said let there be light, and there was light. God created this extraordinary world, the scriptures tell us, through the power of his Word. It makes all the more sense, then, that a Professor of comparative arts and letters,...

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98. The Happiness Paradox A Conversation with Richard Eyre

For this conversation, we were lucky enough to bring back Richard Eyre for a second episode, this one focusing on his book, The Happiness Paradox. We loved the book and thought this discussion would be really timely for the new year, since many of us are hoping to find new paradigms that might help us live in a healthier, happier way. We believe that Richards book does just that. For those unfamiliar with Richard from our last episode with him, hes had an extraordinary career as an au...

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97. Gospel Meets Dharma A Conversation with Thomas McConkie

Many of you are familiar with Thomas Wirthlin McConkie. For those of you who are not, heres a very cursory thumbnail sketch of his story: Coming from a very prominent Latter-day Saint family (with apostles on both sides of the family), Thomas left the Latter-day Saint faith as a teenager, eventually moved to China and for two decades deeply immersed himself in Buddhism. Eventually, he found his way back to the his native Latter-day Saint faith, and today finds himself integrating ideas and p...

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The Real Story of the Priesthood-Temple Ban

As we approach the portion of the Come Follow Me curriculum that addresses Official Declaration 2, we thought wed re-release a classic episode of the podcast that many of our newer listeners may not have heard a conversation between Terryl Givens and Paul Reeve that explores the history of the Churchs priesthood-temple ban that concluded in 1978. In this episode, Paul and Terryl go both wide and deep on the priesthood-temple ban. Among other historical details, they discuss how the churc...

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96. Healing a Divided Country A Conversation with Dan Vallone

This week, Faith Matters was delighted to welcome Dan Vallone, the US Director for More in Common, a nonprofit foundation whose mission is to build a more united and inclusive America that is resilient to the profound threats posed by our countrys polarization. Dan has a super impressive background, including serving six years active duty as a US Army infantry officer, with one tour in Afghanistan. He is a graduate of West Point and earned a Masters degree from Nanyang Technological Univers...

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95. Proclaim Peace A Conversation with Patrick Mason and J. David Pulsipher

For this episode, we spoke with Patrick Mason and David Pulsipher about their new book, "Proclaim Peace: The Restorations Answer to an Age of Conflict". The book was recently published by BYUs Maxwell Institute. "Proclaim Peace" begins with the premise that even though we live in a world that is plagued by violence, that peace really is possible. For Patrick and David, the Gospel of Jesus Christ lays out a unique theology which can help us become peacemakers in our communities and society...

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94. Be In the World A Conversation with Richard Eyre

For this episode, we got to speak with Richard Eyre, a man whose career has spanned a number of roles, including that of an author, consultant, entrepreneur, and speaker. We got to speak with him about a variety of topics, focusing on how we can contribute to society as a faith with a lot to offer even while our members are relatively few in number. We also discussed how we can make difficult decisions which seem to have an outsized impact on our lives, as well as whether theres room...

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93. Jody Moore Part 2 - Live Coaching Session

For this episode, were doing a follow-up to our interview with Jody Moore about her new book published by Faith Matters, Better Than Happy. If you havent heard that episode yet, wed recommend going back and listening first to that episode, which was released as #92. This episode is not in our standard interview style instead, its a live coaching experience, where Jody works with Lindsay Broadbent and Andrea Weaver through real-life issues. We thought it was hugely helpful, because...

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93. Jody Moore Part 2: Live Coaching Session

For this episode, we’re doing a follow-up to our interview with Jody Moore about her new book published by Faith Matters, Better Than Happy. If you haven’t heard that episode yet, we’d recommend going back and listening first to that episode, which was released as #92. This episode is not in our standard interview style — rather, it’s a live coaching experience, where Jody works with Lindsay Broadbent and Andrea Weaver through real-life issues. We thought it was hugely helpful, because we’re able to hear Jody put the principles of the book directly into action. We want to give Lindsay and Andrea a huge thanks for coming on and being so open. And to remind you a little bit about Jody, she has a BA in Communications and an MA in Adult Education, along with 15 years of experience as a Corporate Trainer and Leadership Coach, and is a Certified Life Coach. She’s also the host of the incredibly popular podcast Better Than Happy with Jody Moore.

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92. Better Than Happy A Conversation with Jody Moore

For todays episode, were announcing the next book published by Faith Matters Publishing called Better Than Happy by Jody Moore. Jody has become something of a phenomenon in recent yearsespecially among Latter-day Saint womendue to her fantastic insights about how we can better deal with difficult relationships, create and meet goals, and live more fulfilling and happy lives. She has a BA in Communications and an MA in Adult Education, along with 15 years of experience as a Corporate...

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91. A Short Stay in Hell A Conversation with Steven Peck and Terryl Givens

To give a little background on todays episode, we recently read the book A Short Stay in Hell by Steven Peck, who is a professor of biology and bioethics at BYU and an award-winning fiction author. The book is a remarkable and frankly terrifying exploration of a concept of hell that calls into question the very natures of eternity, meaning, and relationship. As we talked with each other about this book, we realized that exploring the Latter-day Saint concept of hell in relationship...

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90. 7 Ways to Lead Out Against Racism

This week, Tim and Aubrey Chaves of Faith Matters welcomed back Charles Inouye. When they first spoke with Charles a couple months ago, he mentioned that he had prepared some thoughts on living a life free of racism. Given President Nelsons recent call for members of the Church to lead out in abandoning attitudes and actions of prejudice, we wanted to get him back on as soon as we could so he could share his impressive insights. We knew that Charles would have a unique perspective to share...

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89. Divine Trade-Offs and the Sacred Yes: A Conversation with Greg McKeown

For this conversation, we spoke with Greg McKeown, the New York Times-bestselling author of the books Essentialism and Effortless, the latter of which was just released earlier this year. When we read both Essentialism and Effortless, we knew we wanted to have Greg on the podcast. Everything he wrote in these books seemed immediately applicable; not just in our lives or careers, but even towards our membership in the Church. Greg is also a Latter-day Saint, and he was able to talk with us abo...

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88. Considering the Cross A Conversation with John Hilton III

For this episode, we were excited to talk with John Hilton III. John is the author of the new book Considering the Cross, which was published by Deseret Book earlier this year. We loved this book and Johns really thoughtful approach to this topic, which helped us see how bringing Christs crucifixion, and even the symbol of the cross, more prominently into our discourse and culture could really enhance and broaden our faith. To give you a little bit more on Johns background, hes an associa...

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87. Evolutionary Love and Other Big Ideas John Durham Peters with Terryl Givens

It can be delicious sometimes to just sit and listen to two great minds musing on some of the great questions of life. Even when their conversations feel a bit beyond our grasp, they point to deeper realms and invite us to journey with them into a richer intellectual life. Thats exactly what we have for you today. Two of the great intellectuals in the Latter-day Saint world, Terryl Givens and John Durham Peters, invite us to drop in on a conversation between good friendsa conversation that...

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86. God's Many Voices (Pt. 2) A Conversation with Michael Wilcox

This is part 2 of our discussion with Michael Wilcox that were calling Gods Many Voices. If you havent heard part 1 yet, wed encourage you to go back and listen to that episode, which was released last week as episode #85. In it, Brother Wilcox shared with us why hes spent so much time with the ideas and in the holy books of other religions. In this part, we actually got to dive into a few of these books, and he shared several of his favorite passages with us. Some of the books we got to...

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85. God's Many Voices A Conversation with Michael Wilcox

This week, we were honored to bring back Michael Wilcox for one of the most interesting discussions weve ever had. Weve discovered, as weve gotten to know him, just how well-versed he is in all world religions, not just in Latter-day Saint theology. Were breaking this episode into two parts in this first part, Brother Wilcox explains why it is that hes spent so much time with the ideas and in the holy books of other religions. To give you a little preview, in his words: God has been s...

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Announcement - Single Saints Virtual Conference

Faith Matters has teamed up with Leading Saints to produce a new "virtual summit" focused on the experience of single adult members of the Church. Though we would love for any single adult to attend, this isn't what you might think of as a "single adult conference" the intended audience is anyone who loves someone in their life who is a single adult! Kurt Francom joins us briefly to explain what this summit is, and why you'll want to tune in. Register here: https://leadingsaints.o...

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84. Elusive Unity at BYU A Conversation with Tom Christofferson and Patrick Mason

Todays episode was a tough one, to be honest. In the aftermath of a speech that Elder Jeffrey R. Holland gave recently to faculty and administration at BYU, we try to explore and understand why the message created such a firestorm. Among other things, the speech raised anew the Church's longstanding challenge in speaking to LGBTQ issues. If you arent familiar with the speech that were talking about, dont worry we give a little more context once the discussion starts. The full tran...

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83. Zion Earth Zen Sky A Conversation with Charles Inouye

For todays episode, we speak with Charles Inouye. Charles is a truly remarkable personthe son of Japanese parents who were held in the Heart Mountain, Wyoming camp during World War II. He grew up in the small town of Sigurd, Utah. He spent much of his youth working on his familys farm in Sigurd, but eventually served a mission in Japan. He then went on to earn degrees from some of the worlds most prestigious universities, including a BA from Stanford and a PhD from Harvard. He...

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82. The Future of Women at Church: A Conversation with Neylan McBaine

Neylan McBaines book "Women at Church" started a lot of conversations and challenged many of our assumptions around how women can participate and lead in their wards and stakes. Seven years later, we thought it might be interesting to explore with Neylan how far we have come and where that future might lead. Neylan founded Better Days 2020, and has become a leader in speaking and writing about women's leadership and the U.S. suffrage movement, with a specific focus on Utah and the West's ea...

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81. Are You a Steward or an Owner? A Conversation with Ganel-Lyn Condie

In this episode, we spoke with Ganel-Lyn Condie, a popular motivational speaker, author and podcast host. Shes written several books and currently hosts two podcasts: Real Talk - Come Follow Me and The Middle. We spoke with her about a couple of topics that shes spoken and written about recently first is her concept of stewardship vs. ownership, which is a really great insight into facing challenges without letting them become an identity. Secondly, we discussed the concept o...

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80. Challenging Terryl Givens A Conversation About "All Things New"

Terryl and Fiona Givens most recent book, All Things New: Rethinking Sin, Salvation and Everything in Between has received a remarkable amount of positive attention since it was published by Faith Matters a few months ago. Weve been delighted to see that its resonated with so many people. Because of its bold scope, it has also sparked some wonderful debate. In this weeks podcast episode, we collected some challenging questions from readers and posed them to Terryl. What followed was...

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79. Imaginative Discipleship A Conversation with Robert Rees

For this episode, we talked to Dr. Robert Rees. Bob has fit enough into his life to fill several lifetimes, so we cant talk about everything hes done, but well give you some highlights here. Bob has taught in humanities and Mormon Studies at UCLA, UC Berkeley, and several other institutions. Hes also been the editor of Dialogue, former Chair of the Sunstone Foundation, and has published a wide variety of scholarly articles, personal essays, editorials, and poetry. Bob is the e...

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78. Loving Without an Agenda A Conversation with Ben Schilaty and Charlie Bird

For todays episode as June and Pride month come to a close, we brought on two really special guests, Ben Schilaty and Charlie Bird. Charlie and Ben are both gay Latter-day Saints as well as authors published by Deseret Book. They host a podcast together called Questions from the Closet. In this conversation, Ben and Charlie share a little bit about their backgrounds and faith, what pride really represents and why its important to them, their thoughts on the process of coming out to...

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77. A Divided Church (Pt 2): Our Better Angels Councilwoman Julie Spilsbury and Jeremy Spilsbury

In this second episode about political tribalism and its effect on Latter-day Saint congregations, we invited Mesa, Arizona Councilwoman Julie Spilsbury and her husband Jeremy Spilsbury to talk specifically about their own challenging experiences in their local ward and community. Jeremy was serving as their wards bishop until his term expired a few weeks ago. Their story is fascinating and illustrates both the challenges and the opportunities we face in creating Zion. In this conversation,...

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76. Why Weepest Thou? A Conversation with S. Michael Wilcox

We recently read a wonderful book by S. Michael Wilcox called What Seek Ye? How the Questions of Jesus Lead Us to Him. In each chapter of the book, Brother Wilcox explores a question Jesus asked in the scriptures. One in particular stood out to us; it was the question Why weepest thou? and in the corresponding chapter, Brother Wilcox explores the role that trials play in our lives. He sat down with us to talk about that chapter, and shared what hes learned as hes gone through his own adve...

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37. Stories and Sin - Adam Miller

In this episode, we speak with Adam Miller on the subject of sin. Adam has a really unique perspective on this to quote his book, he says Gods work in your life is bigger than the story youd like that life to tell. His life is bigger than your plans, goals, or fears. To save your life, youll have to lay down your stories and, minute by minute, day by day, give your life back to him. Preferring your stories to his life is sin. We dive deep on those ideas with Adam, one of our fav...

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50. Navigating the Church in an Interracial Marriage - Kimberly and Matt Teitter

In this episode, we speak with two amazing guests, Kimberly and Matt Teitter. Matt and Kimberly have been married for ten years. Kimberly is a clinical psychologist at the Utah Center for Evidence Based Treatment, and Matt is an assistant principal, and Bishop of their ward in Salt Lake City. In this episode, they discuss their experience as an interracial couple in the Church, their experience of privilege in the different roles they have, what its been like navigating local leaders...

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52. The New Normal, Part 2 - Melissa Inouye

This episode is part 2 of our mini-series were calling The New Normal. We spoke in Part 1 with Ashley Mae Hoiland a few weeks back. For this episode, we spoke with Melissa Inouye. Melissas been on our podcast before, and is one of our very favorite guests and people. After receiving her Ph.D. from Harvard in 2011, Melissa became a Senior Lecturer in Asian Studies at the University of Auckland in New Zealand. Shes now working for the Church History Department, and last year published a ne...

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38. Connection Through Prayer - Thomas McConkie

In this episode, we speak with Thomas McConkie on the subject of prayer. Thomas brings a unique perspective, one that fuses a traditional idea of prayer with a more contemplative practice. He shares his insights on finding real connection to God through prayer, on the intersection of acceptance and seeking for specific outcomes, and perhaps most importantly, on how contemplative connection with God can help us rid ourselves of the "wrong ideas" that cause us pain. We hope you en...

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51. The Real Story of the Priesthood-Temple Ban - Terryl Givens with Paul Reeve

In this episode, Terryl Givens and Paul Reeve explore the history of the Churchs priesthood-temple ban that concluded in 1978. Paul is the Simmons Professor of Mormon Studies at the University of Utah. His award-winning book, Religion of a Different Color: Race and the Mormon Struggle for Whiteness, is considered by many the best book written to date on the subject. Dr. Reeve has also written a fantastic essay that addresses how to make sense of our history of denying priesthood and...

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39. Remembering Clayton Christensen

Harvard Business School Professor Clayton M. Christensen died on January 23, 2020, and he left a remarkable legacy. He was a monumental figure in both the business and academic worlds, as well as in the Latter-day Saint community. He was the father of five children and author of at least eleven books. But to those who knew him, Clay wasnt just a thought leader or a world-renowned professor or an influential Church member he was a mentor, confidant, and friend unlike any other. In this epi...

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40. Living a life of action and contemplation - Jana Spangler

In this episode, we speak with Jana Spangler about how to live a contemplative life that's also full of compassionate action. As we've brought more contemplative practices into our own lives, we've found many benefits -- but have wanted to make sure we don't lose any of that drive for compassionate service that our faith has done such a good job teaching us. 07:26 The contemplative tradition of Joseph Smith 12:46 What is the ego? 18:35 Working with those who question 23:21 Moving beyond body...

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45. In what way is our church the true church?

This episode is part of our Big Questions project, and in it, we discuss our Big Question #12 - In what way is our church the true church? For this conversation, we asked Patrick Mason to come back on Patrick is the Leonard Arrington Chair of Mormon History and Culture at Utah State University. Bill Turnbull, one of the founders of Faith Matters, also joined us for the conversation. We know that this is a really big question for many Latter-day Saints, ourselves included and if youd...

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46. Belonging: On the Edge of Inside - with Jeralee Renshaw

In this episode, we have a conversation with our friend Jeralee Renshaw about what it means to be on the edge of inside. In Richard Rohrs wonderful essay on the topic, he says that one who lives on the edge of inside is not an outsider throwing rocks, not a comfortable insider who defends the status quo, but one who lives precariously with two perspectives held tightly together. In referencing Martin Luther King, Jr., Dietrich Bonnhoeffer, Dorothy Day, and others, Rohr says: the...

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49. Joanna Brooks - Understanding the Past to Create a Better Future

In this episode, we speak with Joanna Brooks, author of a new book exploring the Church's problematic history on the issue of race. Joanna holds a Ph.D. in English from UCLA. Shes the Associate Vice President for Faculty Advancement at San Diego State University, and has written or edited ten books on race, religion, gender, social movements, and American culture. As we all continue to grapple with issues of race not just in America but in our own faith, we thought it was important to under...

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53. Depression and the Plan of Happiness - Jane Clayson Johnson

In this episode, we spoke with Jane Clayson Johnson about a really tough and important topic. Jane is an award-winning journalist widely known for her work at CBS News, ABC News, and on the nationally syndicated NPR program, On Point. At CBS News, Jane was co-anchor of The Early Show, a regular correspondent for 48 Hours, and an investigative reporter for Eye on America segments for the CBS Evening News. We spoke with Jane about her 2018 book Silent Souls Weeping, an incredibly important bo...

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44. The Power of Stillness - Ty Mansfield

Deseret Book recently published a remarkable book titled The Power of Stillness: Mindful Living for Latter-day Saints. Mindfulness practices like meditation have become central to an emerging spirituality in the broader world. Latter-day Saints are busy people; we're doers. Our lives and our faith seem to keep us constantly in motion. But our souls yearn for stillness. This book explores how to infuse our daily lives and our spiritual and religious practices with a quality of mindfulness....

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55. Transformations of Faith - Thomas McConkie

*** Find out more at transformationsoffaith.org *** In this episode, we spoke with Thomas McConkie about something really exciting that hes been working on over the past year in partnership with Faith Matters. Thomas has created an online course called Transformations of Faith. Many of our listeners are familiar with Thomass unique story. Hes a mindfulness teacher and practitioner of over 20 years, a committed and thoughtful Latter-day Saint, and a researcher and teacher in the field of a...

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48. Lord, Is It I? LaShawn Williams and Yahosh Bonner

In this episode, we speak with two amazing guests, LaShawn Williams and Yahosh Bonner. In addition to the work they do in their communities, LaShawn is an Assistant Professor of Social Work at Utah Valley University and Yahosh is the Athletic Director at American Heritage School and host of BYUtvs Family Rules. LaShawn and Yahosh discussed with us what its like to be a Black person in America and in the Church today, how we can healthily engage in introspection to find our own biases and...

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56. The Most American Religion - McKay Coppins with Terryl Givens

In this latest installment of Conversations with Terryl Givens, Terryl is joined by McKay Coppins, a highly respected young political commentator and writer, widely known for his back-and-forths with Donald Trump over the past several years. Coppins recently published a truly remarkable piece in The Atlantic titled The Most American Religion which is both a retrospective on the place of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in American consciousness and a look forward to th...

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43. Consecrating a Crisis - Thomas McConkie

We know its been an eventful, and uncertain, and even scary couple of weeks for everybody. Weve been grappling with our new normal, just like everyone else, and have been feeling the anxiety, uncertainty, and isolation that we know a lot of people are. We asked Thomas McConkie to come on the podcast and share the way hes thinking about whats been happening; Thomas always seems to have an ability to find the calm in the middle of a storm, and we think everyone that takes a moment...

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47. The New Normal, Part 1 - Ashley Mae Hoiland

The global Covid-19 pandemic has caused a huge amount of suffering and death. Its disproportionately afflicted vulnerable and minority populations, and its second-order effects have destroyed livelihoods and wreaked economic havoc on society. All of that remains true, and truly awful. But there has been an unexpected silver lining for many of us in which weve discovered new things about ourselves and our lives that only surfaced due to such an intense disruption. In this episode, and a shor...

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41. The King's Good Servant, but God's First - Terryl Givens with Thomas Griffith

In this episode, Terryl sits down with his good friend, Judge Thomas Griffith. Thomas has had a fascinating career in the highest levels of power in Washington, D.C., but politics takes a back seat as Terryl and Tom explore what really matters most. Their conversation covers a lot of interesting ground, and we hope you enjoy it. 01:01 - Tom Griffiths Career and Conversion 11:34 - How History is Invaded By God 22:43 - How Toms Religious Background Informs His Faith 26:03 - What Deficiencies...

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42. Memory and the First Vision: Steven C. Harper

Steven C. Harper is a Professor of Church History and Doctrine at Brigham Young University, and author of the new book, First Vision: Memory and Mormon Origins. Steve has also served as the Managing Historian and General Editor of Saints, and as a Volume Editor of The Joseph Smith Papers. President Nelson declared 2020 a bicentennial year to commemorate Joseph Smith's first vision, and invited us to study the first vision in advance of General Conference. There's no one better to talk with ab...

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4. A Disciples Plea for Openness and Inclusion - Terryl Givens with Elder Marlin K. Jensen

During his 24 years as a beloved LDS General Authority and Official Church Historian, Elder Marlin K. Jensen presided over an historic shift toward greater openness in the LDS churchs approach to its history. In this Conversation with Terryl Givens, we get an intimate glimpse into Elder Jensens personal life and thoughts, including: How loving and serving his older brother instilled a determination to include those who are differentThe spiritual experiences that led him to consecrate his...

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3. The Christ Who Heals - Part 2

Christ the Healer: Judgment as Prelude to Eternal Progress Order That We Might Have Joy anywhere books are sold! Available as a paperback, ebook, or audiobook.

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1. Faith, Family, and Discipleship as a Gay Mormon - Terryl Givens with Tom Christofferson

Tom Christoffersons journey through life has been anything but ordinary. On the surface, it began as a typical Mormon story. He grew up in a close gospel-centered LDS family and went on to serve a faithful mission. But during these years, he was also trying to deal with an inconvenient truth: He was gay. Although his life and family had been firmly rooted in the church (his older brother Todd was eventually called as an LDS apostle), Tom came to a point at which he could no longer envision a...

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54. Finding Mother God - Carol Lynn Pearson

In this episode, we got to speak with Carol Lynn Pearson about her new book, "Finding Mother God: Poems to Heal the World." Carol Lynn has been a powerful and well-known voice in the Latter-day Saint community for many years. Shes perhaps most well known for her memoir "Goodbye, I Love You," about her marriage to and care for her husband Gerald, a gay man who died of AIDS in 1984. Her full catalog of works is too impressive to list here, but one other highlight is that she wrote one of our...

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5. The Genesis of Change - Terryl Givens with Darius Gray

Darius Gray is an author and historian who has had a wide and varied career in television broadcasting, publishing, business management and church leadership. Raised in a devout Christian home, Gray converted to the LDS faith during the time of the Priesthood ban for black members. His commitment to a church that for years denied him full participation is a story of testimony, hope, courage and perseverance. Working with other pioneering black Mormons and with LDS Apostles, Gray h...

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8. The God Who Marvels - Terryl Givens with Steve Peck

The God Who Marvels | Steve Peck - Audio Order That We Might Have Joy anywhere books are sold! Available as a paperback, ebook, or audiobook.

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34. A Faith Journey - Tim and Aubrey Chaves

Faith Matters has exciting plans for its podcast in 2020. In addition to more excellent Conversations with Terryl Givens, we'll be expanding our reach with episodes hosted by Faith Matters executive team members Tim and Aubrey Chaves, exploring our faith with some of its most compelling thinkers. We think you might enjoy getting to know our new hosts: in this episode, we share a podcast originally aired by Richard Ostler's excellent podcast, "Listen, Learn and Love." In it, Richard inte...

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11. Swimming in Deep Waters Terryl Givens with Margaret Blair Young

Margaret Blair Young is an American author and filmmaker. She also taught for thirty years at Brigham Young University. Shes written with Darius Grey about early black Latter-day Saints and her latest project is a film about more recent black converts in Africa. The film is called Heart of Africa. Young is also a swimmer. And swimming has become a powerful metaphor for her life. Fresh off the plane after her most recent stay in DR Congo, Blair sits down with Terryl Givens to talk about the C...

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14. Can I Trust and Sustain Fallible Leaders? A Conversation with Patrick Mason

"Catholics teach that the Pope is infallible, but nobody believes it. Mormons teach that their prophet is fallible, but nobody believes it." In this conversation for the Faith Matters Big Questions series, we speak with Patrick Mason (Dean of the School of Arts & Humanities and Professor of Religion at Claremont Graduate University) about the role of prophets and church leaders as divinely called yet imperfect men and women. We cover topics like the priesthood-temple ban, Prop 8, the role...

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9. Risk-taking Discipleship - Terryl Givens with Thomas Rogers

Risk-taking Discipleship | Thomas Rogers - Audio Order That We Might Have Joy anywhere books are sold! Available as a paperback, ebook, or audiobook.

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7. Can Creation Heal Us? Terryl Givens with George Handley

For George Handley, both our physical and spiritual natures are inseparably connected with the natural world. An important aspect of the Restoration, according to Handley, is restoring our awareness of this connection, treasuring that connection in our hearts and minds and allowing it to heal us. In his memoir Home Waters, Dr. Handley writes of his passion for creation this way: Earth is an odd place to find myself, and this oddness is precisely what makes it so intoxicating. Thi...

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10. Surprising Angels - Terryl Givens with Brian Kershisnik

In this episode, Terryl Givens sits down with LDS artist Brian Kershisnik. Order That We Might Have Joy anywhere books are sold! Available as a paperback, ebook, or audiobook.

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30. Can our faith embrace evolution? Terryl Givens with Dr. Heath Ogden | Part 2

In Part 2 of their conversation on evolution and the gospel, Terryl Givens and Dr. Heath Ogden delve further into the question of why it matters. Whats really at stake in whether a person of faith accepts the science of evolution? How might it affect our views of God and how he acts in the world? How might it affect how we view ourselves, the world around us, and the universe? Order That We Might Have Joy anywhere books are sold! Available as a paperback, ebook, or audiobook.

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27. Is patriarchy a problem for the modern church? Rosalynde Welch with Linda and Richard Eyre

In this fascinating conversation, Rosalynde Welch speaks with Linda and Richard Eyre about the issue of patriarchy in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and in the lives of its members. They cover the history and culture of patriarchy in the Church, the swinging pendulum of feminist progress, and one of the Church's most visible and controversial documents -- The Family: A Proclamation to the World. Rosalynde Welch holds a PhD in early modern English literature from the Universit...

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20. Waking Up, Growing Up: A Conversation with Thomas McConkie Part 6

Thomas and Bill explore the question Is Mormonism a good place to grow? How well does our faith community nurture individual growth across the whole spectrum of development? They discuss the value of staying grounded in concrete practices as we grow spiritually. Their conversation explores a developmentally-informed understanding of things like restoration, testimony and commandments. Order That We Might Have Joy anywhere books are sold! Available as a paperback, ebook, or audio...

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35. The Priesthood Power of Women - Barbara Morgan Gardner

Barbara Morgan Gardner, associate professor of church history and doctrine at BYU, has written a powerful and insightful book called The Priesthood Power of Women, published by Deseret Book. We highly recommend it as a stocking stuffer for the women (and men) in your life. In the book, Dr. Gardner points out how our lack of understanding of Priesthood has limited its power in our lives. She carefully lays out the difference between what she calls the eternal familial priesthood&...

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36. Women in the Church - Valerie Hudson

This week, we are sharing a conversation with Valerie Hudson Cassler. Valerie is a distinguished professor of International Affairs at Texas A&M. She formerly taught at BYU, and has been an influential thinker and writer on Latter-day Saint issues. Valerie was in Provo not long ago and sat down for a very intriguing conversation Aubrey Chaves, Cami Frost and Lindsay Broadbent of Faith Matters. We should note that since this conversation was recorded before the October 2019 G...

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18. Waking Up, Growing Up: A Conversation with Thomas McConkie Part 4

In this episode, Thomas shares more about his life story, describing his experience as an outlier to his devout Mormon family. Sharing intimate encounters with his grandfather (and Apostle) Thomas B. Wirthlin, he illustrates how important it is to trust in each others goodness and give space for our own unique paths. Bill and Thomas explore how stagEs of development are reflected in the evolution of a religious community, particularly the LDS church and culture. Order That We Might Have Joy...

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12. A New Translation of The New Testament - Terryl Givens with Thom Wayment

Few scholars have the expertise, let alone the confidence, to embark on a new translation of the New Testament for Latter-day Saints. Fortunately, Thomas Wayment has enough of both. When Wayment sat down for this conversation with Terryl Givens, he was a professor of ancient scripture at Brigham Young University, but has recently moved to teaching classical studies at the university. His new translation was published by Deseret Book and the BYU Religious Studies Centerjust in time for the ch...

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25. Why do people leave the Church? Jana Riess with Melissa Inouye

In this episode, Melissa Inouye and Jana Riess discuss what research and experience have taught them about why young Latter-day Saints become disaffected from the church, either temporarily or permanently, and how we might best respond to and support them during this process. Jana Riess is an independent researcher and author her latest book, The Next Mormons, explores this big question. Melissa Inouye is a professor of Asian Studies at Auckland University in New Zealand. Melissa Wei-Tsing...

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23. Tom Christofferson and Patrick Mason on the reversal of the Church's policy on gay families

In this conversation, Bill Turnbull from Faith Matters sits down with Tom Christofferson and Patrick Mason to discuss the Churchs reversal of its controversial November 2015 policy regarding LGBTQ couples and their children. They discuss what we know about the origins of the policy and its reversal, as well as the implications of those actions for both gay and straight Latter-day Saints, and for our understanding of how revelation occurs on important Church matters. Tom Christofferson is a d...

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13. A New Story of Creation - A Conversation with Scholars George Handley and Jani Radebaugh

In this Faith Matters Big Questions conversation, Faith Matters team members Kate Hargadon and Bill Turnbull speak with BYU humanities professor George Handley and planetary scientist and BYU professor Jani Radebaugh. They discuss, among other things, the integration of faith and science as pertaining to the earth and its creation, as well as our relationship to the earth and the responsibilities that we have to it as its stewards and as Gods children. We hope you enjoy this conversation! Or...

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28. Confessions of an "Odd Intellectual" - Terryl Givens with Samuel Brown

This episode is a front row seat to a conversation between two of the great intellectual figures in the Latter-day Saint community, Samuel Brown and Terryl Givens. Enjoy the feast and prepare to be challenged in all kinds of good ways. Often, the conversation takes unanticipated turns toward the realm of experience beyond thought. Brown and Givens touch on the conversion experience that compelled Brown to leave the atheism of his youth behind, on the nature of beauty and its place in...

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32. Gems of the Restoration - Fiona Givens

In this episode, we talk with Fiona Givens about the beauty inside the restored gospel tradition. Fiona is a convert to our faith, and in this conversation, she talks about what drew her to the Church, what has kept her here, and why she feels hopeful about the future. Fiona is the co-author of the Crucible of Doubt, the God Who Weeps, and The Christ Who Heals. Thanks for listening to the Faith Matters podcast if you enjoyed this episode, wed love for you to help out by subscribing o...

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15. Waking Up, Growing Up: A Conversation with Thomas McConkie Part 1

Thomas shares significant experiences from adolescence which caused a fracture with his family and native faith and began his exploration beyond his familys devout Mormon heritage. He gives an overview of his 18-year spiritual pilgrimage and his ultimate return to the faith of his youth, bearing gifts from his journey. Weaving what he had learned about eastern philosophy, mindfulness and adult developmental psychology into his LDS faith, Thomas explores ways to inhabit new perspe...

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26. Anxiously Engaged in a Good Cause - Terryl Givens with Neylan McBaine

helping LDS women recognize and bring their gifts to the community. Neylan has founded or helped create the Mormon Womens Project, Better Days 2020, and even the Im a Mormon campaign. She has been instrumental in shaping todays conversation about women in the church -- past, present and future. Order That We Might Have Joy anywhere books are sold! Available as a paperback, ebook, or audiobook.

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29. Can our faith embrace evolution? Terryl Givens with Dr. Heath Ogden | Part 1

Is there a conflict between the science of evolution and the gospel? Can accepting and understanding evolution actually enhance our faith and our understanding of how God works in the world? In this two-part conversation, Terryl Givens sits down with Dr. Heath Ogden, professor of evolutionary biology at Utah Valley University, to explore this Big Question together. Order That We Might Have Joy anywhere books are sold! Available as a paperback, ebook, or audiobook.

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24. What role do members have to play when loved ones leave? David Ostler with Melissa Inouye

In this episode, Melissa Inouye talks with David Ostler about why people leave the Church, and the role members have to play when loved ones leave. David Ostler has lived and served on four continents as a bishop, stake president, mission president, and as a director of a Church historical site and visitors center. He has served three full-time and two church service missions, most recently in his home stake working with ward and stake leadership to understand why people no longer believe or...

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31. Life on the Road to Emmaus - Terryl Givens with Rosalynde Welch

Why would one be religious but not spiritual? What are some obstacles that stand in the way of faith? Terryl Givens and Rosalynde Welch have written and spoken on these questions, and each of them bring interesting perspectives to the discussion. Conversations with Terryl Givens are special podcast and videocast episodes of the Faith Matters Podcast, hosted by Terryl Givens and created in collaboration with the Maxwell Institute of Religious Studies. Rosalynde Frandsen Welch is an independent...

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16. Waking Up, Growing Up: A Conversation with Thomas McConkie Part 2

Bill and Thomas dive into the field of adult development, explaining the potential perspectives one might experience as a growing Latter-day Saint. Through the lens and insight of "adult developmental psychology," the restored gospel of Jesus Christ can take on new meaning and depth, supporting healthy progress while steering away from shame or division. To quote Thomas, "The world we will create will be informed by the perspectives were able to take, and the possibilities that come from tha...

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65. OCD Isn't What You Think It Is A Conversation with Bonnie Young

In this episode, we talked about OCD and scrupulosity. OCD is a difficult subject because the term is often thrown around as an adjective to describe perfectionistic tendencies. But true obsessive compulsive disorder is so different than the stereotypes may lead people to believe, and it can be a really serious mental health issue one that is undoubtedly affecting someone you know and love. It can also be especially hard on missionaries. So many people who have OCDespecially religiou...

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17. Waking Up, Growing Up: A Conversation with Thomas McConkie Part 3

Thomas and Bill share a deeper discussion around mindfulness and meditation, and how this practice can help us connect with our true nature. This is a discussion about waking up. They explore how we can experience gospel principles such as obedience, service and charity in a mindful, integrated way. When we can move from achievement to embodiment; from checklists, to presence, we have the opportunity to bring our full selves. To this episode, Thomas lets us experience medita...

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62. An Urgent Invitation to Women - Claudia Bushman with Terryl Givens

In this episode, Terryl Givens speaks with Claudia Bushman. Claudia is truly an original. Shes fearlessly straightforward and has an incredible passion for discovering and passing on the stories of Latter-day Saint women. Shes been the animating force behind several landmark publications and projects in womens history. In their conversation, Claudia urges women in the church to be similarly bold and creative in asserting their place and bringing their gifts to the faith. This is a d...

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19. Waking Up, Growing Up: A Conversation with Thomas McConkie Part 5

This conversation centers around the cultivation of creativity and imagination, and how this cultivation improves our ability to transcend and include as we grow. Thomas and Bill talk about our instinctive movement towards higher meaning as human beings, and what roadblocks might halt this instinct. Thomas shares his return to Jesus after distancing himself from Christianity for many years. Through his story, he teaches how practices within the LDS tradition can move from concrete to symb...

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73. Belonging and Boundaries A Conversation with Jennifer Finlayson-Fife

Earlier this month, we reached out to our followers on social media to get their thoughts and questions about returning to a full church meeting-schedule after a year of home-centered worship and gospel study. We werent entirely surprised that there is a high level of interest in the subject. Many of the questions seemed to hinge on the tension between belonging and boundaries. It inspired us to reach out to Dr. Jennifer Finlayson-Fife. What ensued was an incredibly insightful and refr...

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22. The Spiritual Journey - Terryl Givens with Thomas McConkie

Thomas Wirthlin McConkie was born into a prominent American Latter-day Saint family, but the faith didn't resonate with him as a teenager. He disconnected from the Church and began exploring the wider world's faith traditions. He followed a thread through eastern religion and philosophy, and was surprised when that thread guided him all the way back to the faith of his youth. As a specialist in meditation and adult psychological development, Thomas Wirthlin McConkie appreciates how connecting...

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33. (More) Gems of the Restoration - Patrick Mason

In this second episode of our mini-series were calling Gems of the Restoration, we talk with Patrick Mason, Chair of Mormon History and Culture at Utah State University. We got to talk with Patrick about his background, his testimony and conversion, the things that get him excited about where our faith and church are headed, and things we could still do better. We hope you enjoy this conversation! Order That We Might Have Joy anywhere books are sold! Available as a paperback, ebook, or aud...

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21. Waking Up, Growing Up: A Conversation with Thomas McConkie Part 7

In Part 7, Bills final interview gives voice to how his native religion has become new for Thomas, and how it might become new for all of us. Thomas gives detailed examples of how his study in Buddhism and travels around the world offer a connection to greater wholeness, and magnifies simple practices in Mormon tradition. He shares his observation of specific gifts the Mormon tradition offers from an outsiders perspective, and how each one of us can reconnect to something we may have los...

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67. Faiths Dance With Doubt A Conversation with Brian McLaren

In this conversation, we spoke with Brian McLaren about his new book, Faith After Doubt. Brian is a former evangelical pastor, bestselling author, speaker, and podcast host, whose ideas we found to be extraordinarily resonant for our own faith tradition. In this most recent book and in the interview, Brian shares his own experience passing through periods of deep doubt and shares how those experiences have been key for him to unlocking a greater sense of simplicity, integration and harmony in...

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66. Atonement: From Penal Substitution to Radical Healing An Excerpt from "All Things New" by Terryl and Fiona Givens

For this Easter holiday, we wanted to do something a little different so today, were sharing a chapter from the audiobook version of Fiona and Terryl Givens new book, All Things New, which was published by Faith Matters. The chapter is titled Atonement: From Penal Substitution to Radical Healing. It may be the most important chapter in the book. They walk us through the history of poorly translated texts and a medieval worldview that really emphasized a jealous, angry, and retributive G...

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61. Repentance as Transformation Thomas McConkie and Adam Miller

Today were doing something a little different, and sharing a really fascinating conversation between Thomas McConkie and Adam Miller, a popular author and professor of philosophy. Its taken from Thomass online course, Transformations of Faith. As a part of the course, Thomas and Adam recorded a series of conversations that take a deeper dive on several of the ideas and principles Thomas teaches in the course, and each of the conversations is really enlightening in its own way. In...

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70. A Better Heart A Conversation with Tom Christofferson

Those fortunate to have come into the orbit of Tom Christofferson have found a wise, genuine and compassionate friend. His first book That We May Be One: A Gay Mormons Perspective on Faith and Family was instrumental in healing many hearts and building many bridges. In his new book A Better Heart, Tom dives deeper into his journey toward the kind of Christ-like love to which we aspire as disciples. Tom sat down with Aubrey and Tim Chaves this week to talk about the spiritua...

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60. Discipleship vs Partisanship Former Congressman Ben McAdams with Terryl Givens

Ben McAdams has had an unusual life in public service. Running as a moderate Democrat in a very conservative Republican state, he managed to be elected as a State Senator, then as Salt Lake County Mayor, and then as a Utah Congressman. Concern for the disadvantaged among us has been a driving force in his public life. Tasked as Mayor with helping to solve problems with Salt Lake Citys homeless population, he decided to spend a few days and nights living incognito with on them on the st...

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64. Women Creating Sacred Spaces Carol Lynn Pearson, Jana Spangler, and Becky Edwards

This is an episode were really excited about. When we heard Terryls conversation with Claudia Bushman a few weeks ago, it sparked some ideas that we thought really needed to be explored further, particularly around what Latter-day Saint women can do here and now to vitalize the feminine divine in their own lives and in the lives of their daughters. Aubrey took that idea and really ran with it. So for this episode, she brought on Carol Lynn Pearson, Jana Spangler, and Becky Edwards. They ex...

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63. Beliefs, Biomes, and CRISPR - Dr. Laura Bridgewater with Terryl Givens

In this episode, Terryl Givens speaks with Dr. Laura Bridgewater, a molecular biologist at Brigham Young University. In their conversation, they explore the cutting edge of genetic science, and how it can both challenge and transform our beliefs. One of the most interesting parts of their conversation centered on how an understanding of evolutionary biology might challenge our beliefs around agency well let Laura explain in the episode, but rather than being threatened by the scientific r...

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71. Celebrating Our Divine Mother: A Conversation with Bethany Brady Spalding and McArthur Krishna

***UPDATE: McArthur and Bethany's books are now available at Deseret Book: https://deseretbook.com/t/author/mcarthur-krishna?ref=product-producer-list*** This week, were excited to celebrate Mothers Day in a way thats a bit unique to our tradition by talking a bit more about our Heavenly Mother. We are grateful to McArthur Krishna and Bethany Brady Spalding for joining us in this timely conversation. Bethany and McArthur have written several books that we are sure you'll love as much as...

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72. Is the Church as True as the Gospel? A Conversation with Terryl Givens

The disrupted church schedules weve experienced over the past year have taught us all a lot about our worship practices, our church relationships, and ourselves. Now that many of us are starting to get back to a more standardized, full-meeting schedule, there are as many different feelings as there are people: some are excited and cant wait to go back, and others are more reluctant. We asked our community on social media what their thoughts, questions, or concerns about this are, and were f...

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68. Is the Constitution Hanging by a Thread? A Conversation with Thomas B. Griffith

President Dallin H. Oaks delivered a landmark address at our churchs most recent General Conference. He spoke passionately about the U.S. Constitution, and ended with an urgent admonition to end political tribalism and division, insisting that we address this in our wards and stakes. In this episode, Faith Matters co-founder Bill Turnbull reached out to his good friend, Thomas Griffith, an expert in constitutional law, to explore not just Pres. Oaks address, but what lies behind itthe rapid...

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74. Restoring the People of God: An Excerpt of "Restoration" by Patrick Mason

Today, were doing something a little different were going to be sharing a chapter from Patrick Masons new book, Restoration. The chapter were sharing lays out Patricks thesis for what the word restoration meant in its original sense and how that meaning is incredibly relevant for the many members of the Church who are longing to engage with the world and lift up its most marginalized and vulnerable. Well get right to it and turn it over to Patrick, but we wanted...

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57. All Things New - Fiona and Terryl Givens

In this episode, we spoke with Fiona and Terryl Givens about their new book, "All Things New: Rethinking Sin, Salvation, and Everything in Between." This book has the potential to really change lives. In it, Fiona and Terryl trace the roots of our religious vocabulary and show how many of these words have been unmoored from their original foundation and how so many traditions that have been carried forward from hundreds, or thousands of years ago are still damaging us today. They then dive...

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59. Restoration: God's Call to the 21st-Century World - Patrick Mason

*** "Restoration" is available in every format, including Audiobook, from Amazon, Apple Books, and Deseret Book: https://deseretbook.com/p/restoration-gods-call-to-the-21st-century-world?ref=Grid%20%7C%20Search-10&variant_id=190930-paperback https://www.amazon.com/Restoration-Gods-Call-Century-World-ebook/dp/B08PKKCVJ3/ref=sr_1_1?crid=15402VNGHO8W3&dchild=1&keywords=restoration+patrick+mason&qid=1612652298&sprefix=restoration+%2Caps%2C211&sr=8-1 *** In this episode...

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75. A Divided Church: What's Going on in Arizona? Mesa Mayor John Giles and Councilwoman Julie Spilsbury

The political climate in Arizona has been unseasonably warm recently, frequently making national news. And it seems political tribalism has even caused division in some Latter-day Saint wards and stakes. It raises the question that many of us have started asking could political identity begin to eclipse religious identity in some parts of the church? In part one of a two-part series on the church in Arizona, Bill from Faith Matters sat down with Mesa Arizona Mayor John Gil...

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58. Congressman John Curtis with Terryl GivensHealing our Nation's Wounds

One of John Curtiss first votes after winning reelection as a U.S. Congressman in 2020 was one of the toughest decisions of his lifewhether or not to impeach Donald Trump for instigating a mob attack on the US Senate during its vote to ratify Joe Bidens election as the next U.S. President. In this conversation with his longtime friend, Terryl Givens, Curtis talks about that vote, the current political climate in America and how we might heal the divisions in our country. They also talk abo...

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69. Constitution by a Thread (Part 2) With Thomas B. Griffith, Kurt Francom, and Bill Turnbull

This is part 2 of our last episode on President Dallin Oaks recent conference address, in which spoke passionately about the U.S. Constitution, and ended with an urgent admonition to end political tribalism and division. We collaborate in this episode with Kurt Francom of Leading Saints, which is a really remarkable organization that helps Latter-day Saints be better prepared to lead. In this episode, Thomas Griffith, Kurt Francom and Bill Turnbull explore how we can have a conve...

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6. Extraordinary Women in Mormon History - Terryl Givens with Kate Holbrook

Kate Holbrook is known to friends, neighbors and family first as a wonderful cook and gentle friend. In the intellectual world, she is know as an accomplished historian and author. She earned her masters degree in world religions from Harvard Divinity School, and a PhD in religion and society from Boston University. She was voted Harvard Colleges Teaching Fellow of the Year for a course she designed on global values. She now serves as managing historian for Womens History for the LDS churc...

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222. Freedom from the Burden of Judging - A Conversation with Michael Wilcox (Part 1)

This week, we're thrilled to welcome back Dr. Michael Wilcox to the podcast. Michael is an esteemed author and longtime Institute teacher, and his previous episodes, which we released in two parts as "God's Many Voices" in episodes 85 and 86, have been some of the most listened to in Faith Matters' history. It's been three years since we last had him on, and we're excited to dive into another meaningful conversation. In this episode, Michael shares his profound insights on the topic of the ma...

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223. Freedom from the Burden of Judging - A Conversation with Michael Wilcox (Part 2)

This is part two of our conversation with Michael Wilcox, and if you havent heard part one yet, it helps set up some important context for this episode. This is really not an interview so much as a story Michael tells: the story of his father, who navigated life in the mid-20th century as a gay man and a Latter-day Saint. This story delves into the messy and painful predicaments his family faced, when reality failed to fit the predictable ideal. It also offers a glimpse into the experience o...

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224. Not Fearing Others' Faith Journeys - A Conversation with Valerie Hamaker

Today, were thrilled to welcome therapist and podcaster Valerie Hamaker. In his book Falling Upward, Franciscan priest Richard Rohr uses the metaphor of a container to elaborate on what he calls the two halves of life. The first half of life, he says, is for building the structure of the container; the second is for filling it and sharing from it. This concept has been foundational for us in our faith journey over the last 10 years, and today with Valerie, we delved into how everyones fai...

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225. The Call to be in the World - A Conversation with Astrid Tuminez

Today, we're resharing an interview we loved with Astrid Tuminez, who we're excited to be hosting as a speaker at Restore this year. Astrid is the President of Utah Valley University and an absolute delight to talk with and listen to. Shes full of stories, humor, and deep insights that made our time with her pass way too quickly. This interview actually came about because Astrid wrote an essay in Melissa Inouye and Kate Holbrooks new book Every Needful Thing. We loved Astrids essay and kne...

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Life after Doom - A Conversation with Brian McLaren

This week, we're bringing you a special episode with Brian Mclaren on his new book, Life after Doom: Wisdom and Courage for a World Falling Apart. Though we recorded this conversation weeks ago, it feels especially timely now in light of the horrific violence we witnessed this last weekend in the attempt on former President Trump's life, the deadly heat waves and hurricanes happening across the world, and so much else. This book is an empowering call to action and an invitation to do t...

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227. The Counter-culture of Commitment - A Conversation with Pete Davis

This week, we are re-releasing a conversation with Pete Davis. In 2018, Pete Davis was graduating from Harvard Law School and was chosen to give a commencement address that ended up going unexpectedly viral, having now been viewed over 30 million times. The thesis of Petes speech was that our culture has entered what he calls infinite browsing modewith so many options to choose from, and devices that present those options to us literally endlesslywe can become paralyzed by choice and in...

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Fully Alive - A Conversation with Elizabeth Oldfield

Today, were sharing a beautiful conversation between writer and thinker Elizabeth Oldfield and Zachary Davis. Elizabeth is the author of Fully Alive: Tending to the Soul in Turbulent Times and host of the podcast, Sacred. Elizabeth grew up in a faintly Christian home that rarely if ever spoke of God; But as a young teen she had a powerful and unmistakable answer to prayer that made her a believer. She then turned to the Bible to learn more about her newfound christian faith and was b...

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228. Duty vs. Desire in Marriage - A Conversation with Jennifer Finlayson-Fife

This week, we're thrilled to welcome back Dr. Jennifer Finlayson-Fife, a renowned therapist specializing in relationship and sexuality counseling within the Latter-day Saint community. Were super excited that Jennifer has a new book coming out this year that Faith Matters is publishing, and shell also be joining us in person soon for Restore. In our conversation, we explore some of the early themes from Jennifers book, including the shift many couples experience from passion to duty in ma...

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229. The Soloists - A Conversation with Mallory Everton & Diana Brown

Today, were thrilled to welcome Mallory Evertona comedian, actor, and writerand Diana Brownthe new Associate Director for Faith Matters, to the podcast. Were diving into a conversation thats often overlooked but so importantbeing single in the church. Diana and Mallory are launching a new podcast on the Faith Matters Podcast Network called The Soloists, where theyll be talking about singleness and relationships, and what it's like trying to form families in todays cultural and techno...

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230. Infinite Ways to God - A Conversation with David Butler

This week, were thrilled to be joined by our friend, David Butler. You may know David from his incredible podcast, Dont Miss This, where he and Grace Freeman dive deeply into the scriptures with an infectious joy and thoughtful insights. Were so excited to have David here in the studio, and even more excited that hell be joining us at Restore in just a few weeks. In this conversation, David helps us explore one of the biggest faith questions: what is the nature of God? So many of us have...

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231. - The God of Friday - A Conversation with Patrick Mason

This week, were sitting down with our good friend Patrick Mason for a conversation that is as deeply challenging. Patrick recently returned from a transformative trip to Rwanda, where he was confronted with the enduring impact of the 1994 genocide. In our discussion, Patrick shares his reflections on witnessing both the unimaginable horrors of the past and the remarkable steps toward reconciliation and peace that are happening today. We also dive into the hard questions: Where is God in the...

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232. Why Restore? - A Conversation with Zach Davis, Peggy Fletcher Stack, and David Noyce

Today is the start of this years Restore! We look forward to seeing those of you who are attending! This week were departing from our normal format and sharing a recent conversation of the MormonLand podcast, between the Salt Lake Tribunes Peggy Fletcher Stack and David Noyce and our executive director, Zach Davis. The conversation focused on the origin and vision of Faith Matters, the questions we are wrestling with, and what to expect at this years Restore. We think youre really going...

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233. The Honest Truth about Messy Families - A Conversation with Joseph Grenny

This week, were going to share what we think was an instant classic from last weeks Restore Gathering; a deeply personal and thought-provoking message about family, faith, and the complexity of life from Joseph Grenny, author of Crucial Conversations and co-founder of many organizations, including The Other Side Academy, Drawing from his own experience with his own messy family, Joseph speaks openly about moments of despair, including the heartache of watching loved ones, includi...

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234. Women at Church - 10 Years Later

We have decided to share with you 2-3 sessions from our recent Restore gathering to give you a taste of what took place during this amazing weekend. Last week we shared Joseph Grennys incredible message. It was an instant classic.. Today, were honored to bring you another really special moment from Restore. In a powerful, unflinching, and faithful presentation, our friend and community leader Neylan McBaine addressed an elephant in the room that so often goes unnamed: our experienc...

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235. Partners in a Prophetic Mission - Eboo Patel

For todays episode, were bringing you another powerful moment from our Restore gathering. Eboo Patel joined us to explore a compelling and deeply hopeful vision for what it means to build a loving, spiritually rich community where different faiths come together to form the foundation of a stronger, more united whole. Eboo challenges us to live our faiths in ways that not only elevate ourselves but lift others, creating bonds that bridge divides and bring healing to our world. Eboo, an Ismai...

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How to Love your Enemies - A Conversation with Andrew Hanauer

This week, were sharing a beautiful and timely conversation between Faith Matters executive director Zach Davis and Andrew Hanauer, the founder and CEO of the One America Movement, an organization that helps faith leaders fight toxic polarization. In this conversation, Andrew and Zach discuss the causes behind the rise in polarization, the way political tribalism can become a false idol, and the imperative of truly following Jesus call to love your enemies, bless them that curse yo...

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How to Say I'm Sorry - A Conversation with Dr. Jennifer Thomas

In todays episode, were talking with Dr. Jennifer Thomas, co-authored with Gary Chapman of The 5 Apology Languages: The Secret to Healthy Relationships. Dr. Thomas's work builds on the framework of the 5 Love Languages and offers a profound new lens for how we give and receive apologies. If youve ever felt like youve said Im sorry but it didnt quite land, or if youve been on the receiving end of an apology that didnt feel satisfying, this conversation is going to hit home. In this d...

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The Art & Science of Getting Happier - A Conversation with Arthur Brooks

This week, were honored to welcome Arthur Brooks to the podcast. Arthur is a renowned social scientist, Harvard professor, and bestselling author, and were excited to talk with him about his latest book, Build the Life You Want, which he co-authored with Oprah Winfrey. In our conversation, Arthur offers some profound insights on happiness, emphasizing that though genetics and circumstances influence our baseline, we have significant agency over our happiness. It's a skill we can practice a...

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How Personal Peace Fuels Global Change - A Conversation with Thomas McConkie

Were excited to share something special with you. Today we're featuring an episode from the Proclaim Peace Podcast because we were so touched by this powerful conversation that feels especially meaningful right nowwith an election right around the corner. In this episode, Patrick Mason, Jennifer Thomas, and their guest Thomas McConkie, explore how meaningful action doesn't come from this energy of frantic box-checking or a striving for perfection, but from a heart transformed by grace. In...

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When Church is Hard - A Conversation with Tyler Johnson

Tyler Johnson is intimately familiar with suffering. Hes an oncologist who has sat with countless people in some of the most difficult moments of their lives, and in the final moments before their deaths. Hes been there as people have received life-changing news, and as theyve grappled with their deepest questions: What has my life meant? What should I prioritize if my time is limited? Have I given enough attention to what truly matters? Its that perspective that Tyler brings to the pr...

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Loving God & Neighbor - Jared Halverson

Today, we're bringing you a special episode recorded live from the Restore gathering, where we were joined by Jared Halverson. Jared, whos become a familiar voice to many of us here, spoke on what he calls contraries or paradoxes that are inherent in a life of faith. His message felt like a breath of fresh air and especially timely. He offers the powerful image of the cross as a symbol of wholeness in our discipleship. One axis, reaching vertically, represents our connection to God, while...

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Our Beautiful, Messy, Unfolding Story - A Conversation with Lisa Olsen Tait and Scott Hales

This week, were thrilled to share a conversation with Lisa Olsen Tait and Scott Hales, two of the historians and general editors behind Saints, the Churchs official history series. With the release of Volume 4 which covers the years of 1955 to 2020, this monumental task of recounting the Churchs story from its founding to the present day is now complete. And in this candid discussion, Lisa and Scott reflect on the Churchs evolving approach to its own history through the years. They both...

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Gracing - A Conversation with Hannah Crowther

This week, were thrilled to share a conversation with Hannah Packard Crowther about her new book, Gracing, the latest release from Faith Matters Publishing. We love Hannah's profound wisdom, lyrical writing, and her invitation to reflect on grace in entirely new ways, the book also features stunning, original, artwork by J. Kirk Richards. Hannah askswhat if grace is not a gift we passively receive, but a dynamic process we actively engage in and co-create with God? Drawing from life...

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The Power of Serving Together - A Conversation with Rebecca Glazier

Today, were excited to share our conversation with Dr. Rebecca Glazier, a Professor at the School of Public Affairs at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and author of the new book, Faith and Community: How Engagement Strengthens Members, Places of Worship, and Society. For over a decade, Rebecca has been researching how religious communities engage in their broader communities, and the findings are incredibly compelling. Rebeccas work offers a powerful perspective on how congregatio...

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How to Have the Conversations You're Avoiding - A Conversation with Joseph Grenny

This week, we are so thrilled to bring you a conversation with Joseph Grenny. If youve ever read Crucial Conversations, Influencer, or Change Anything, then you already know the immense impact of Josephs work. His books have sold millions of copies and become essential texts for building trust, improving relationships, and transforming the way we communicate in every area of lifefrom families to Fortune 500 companies. Joseph is more than an author. Hes a social scientist, a business leade...

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Taking a Seat at the Table - A Conversation with Janette Ok

This week, were so excited to share our conversation with Dr. Janette H. Ok. Shes an Associate Professor of New Testament at Fuller Seminary and an ordained pastor at Ekko Church in Anaheim, CA. She earned her MDiv and PhD from Princeton Theological Seminary and is passionate about empowering womenas leaders and preachers in their religious communities. This conversation is a rich exploration about why womens voices are essential in religious settings and how we can step into those opport...

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A Carol of Joy: a Reading by Lori Forsyth

In the spirit of this Christmas season, were so excited to share a beautiful reflection with you, written and read by Lori Forsyth, Managing Editor of the Faith Matters magazine, Wayfare. This piece is part of Wayfares Advent series. If you've missed any parts of this series, you can still find them at wayfaremagazine.org. You can also subscribe to the digital or print versions of Wayfare for access to the incredible essays, interviews, poetry, art and more. Advent is a time of reflec...

Most Recent Episode

A Carol of Joy: a Reading by Lori Forsyth

In the spirit of this Christmas season, were so excited to share a beautiful reflection with you, written and read by Lori Forsyth, Managing Editor of the Faith Matters magazine, Wayfare. This piece is part of Wayfares Advent series. If you've missed any parts of this series, you can still find them at wayfaremagazine.org. You can also subscribe to the digital or print versions of Wayfare for access to the incredible essays, interviews, poetry, art and more. Advent is a time of reflec...

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