Within the past ten days, Mormonism has been rocked by a recoding and transcript released through MormonLeaks that depicts the confessions of a former president of the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah—Joseph Bishop—about his improper sexual behavior with at least two sister missionaries, including the one who in an interview with Bishop confronted him about his attempting to rape her. This episode, featuring the wonderful panelists Jennifer Finlayson-Fife, Katie Langston, and Judy Dushku, reflects on this story and the developments that have unfolded since it broke, including the LDS Church's Newsroom responses to it—responses that many have criticized for their wrong-spiritedness and for actually causing additional harm and trauma for many members of the church community, especially those who have been victims of sexual abuse or who have had any experiences in which the difficult claims they have made have not been believed or have been ignored, leading to no action taken against perpetrators. Host Dan Wotherspoon and the panel in no way offer quarter for the tremendous evils depicted in this story and its aftermath, but they also consider issues of how this public scandal and shaming being felt by leaders who failed these sisters in this and other cases might lead to positive changes in church policies regarding one-on-one interviews behind closed doors, and in many other areas. In fact, later in the evening this episode was recorded, the church indeed did release new guidelines for bishopric and stake presidency interviews.

Finally, the four of them consider these scandals and their effects on the spiritual lives of Latter-day Saints, particularly on those who had already been struggling with aspects of the church and wondering if it is wise for them to continue to associate with it. How do the panelists deal with news like this and other disturbing revelations about church and the human failings of those in key leadership positions? Are they able to separate in their minds and souls such things from their own deeply held spiritual convictions? And if so, how?

This two-part episode is a great discussion, full of compassion, insight, and hopefulness. Please download and listen to both sections!

NOTE: As this is released, it is being rated "explicit" only as a precaution due to the subject matter being discussed, as well as two instances of swearing (not any of the "big" ones, we promise!) and an anatomical term and description that isn't one that many Mormons are used to hearing or discussing.

Within the past ten days, Mormonism has been rocked by a recoding and transcript released through MormonLeaks that depicts the confessions of a former president of the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah—Joseph Bishop—about his improper sexual behavior with at least two sister missionaries, including the one who in an interview with Bishop confronted him about his attempting to rape her. This episode, featuring the wonderful panelists Jennifer Finlayson-Fife, Katie Langston, and Judy Dushku, reflects on this story and the developments that have unfolded since it broke, including the LDS Church's Newsroom responses to it—responses that many have criticized for their wrong-spiritedness and for actually causing additional harm and trauma for many members of the church community, especially those who have been victims of sexual abuse or who have had any experiences in which the difficult claims they have made have not been believed or have been ignored, leading to no action taken against perpetrators. Host Dan Wotherspoon and the panel in no way offer quarter for the tremendous evils depicted in this story and its aftermath, but they also consider issues of how this public scandal and shaming being felt by leaders who failed these sisters in this and other cases might lead to positive changes in church policies regarding one-on-one interviews behind closed doors, and in many other areas. In fact, later in the evening this episode was recorded, the church indeed did release new guidelines for bishopric and stake presidency interviews.

Finally, the four of them consider these scandals and their effects on the spiritual lives of Latter-day Saints, particularly on those who had already been struggling with aspects of the church and wondering if it is wise for them to continue to associate with it. How do the panelists deal with news like this and other disturbing revelations about church and the human failings of those in key leadership positions? Are they able to separate in their minds and souls such things from their own deeply held spiritual convictions? And if so, how?

This two-part episode is a great discussion, full of compassion, insight, and hopefulness. Please download and listen to both sections!

NOTE: As this is released, it is being rated "explicit" only as a precaution due to the subject matter being discussed, as well as two instances of swearing (not any of the "big" ones, we promise!) and an anatomical term and description that isn't one that many Mormons are used to hearing or discussing.

This very short episode features several announcements about an upcoming Mormon Matters one-day workshop that Dan Wotherspoon and Jana Spangler will be leading, as well as gives dates and information about the two MM retreats planned for this year. It also contains a reminder about the Parenting workshop in two weeks in Salt Lake City that will be led by Terri O'Fallon and Kim Barta. Before getting into all of that, however, Dan highlights and offers reminders of Mormon Matters resources related to Holy Week, Easter, and Mormonism's upcoming April General Conference.

Understanding human development—its tremendous scope, typical progressions, and reasons for its slowdowns or ways various forms of harm can hinder our growth—­­has many benefits. Because we focus so much on faith development here on Mormon Matters, one area that we don’t often discuss is how insights from developmental research and hands-on work with families can assist us in parenting our children. And, as one of the guests in this episode notes, it can even help us be able to “re-parent” ourselves and heal wounds from our own growing years.

In this episode, we are very blessed to have two prominent developmental theorists and teachers—Terri O’Fallon and Kim Barta— give generously of their time and insights in a discussion of development in general, as well as the ways it can serve us well in parenting. How can it unlock puzzles in better understanding our children and their needs, as well as our own places of brokenness? Do we understand that we all have our own preferred style of parenting? Is it always the best style for a given moment, child, or issue? How might two parents with different approaches come to agree upon in raising a child? And much more!

Please join us for this wonderful episode! Terri and Kim will also be in Salt Lake City to teach a three-day workshop on April 12th–14th. Learn more about that event and if it, or other courses they teach, might be just what you really need at this moment! 

Many long-time Mormon Matters listeners will recognize the name Charles Randall Paul (or, as host Dan Wotherspoon calls him 90 percent of the time, “Randy" Paul). He has been a wonderful and engaged panelist on various episodes that have explored topics in which he is fluent, but most often references to him and his thinking are more personal than that, as Randy is the friend who first became a mentor and lively discussion partner of Dan's when he was in his first year or so of deep questioning about Mormon teachings, scripture, and claims, and, most intently, if he could ever find a true "home" in Mormonism again now that he had begun to see its narratives and theological tenets in much more complicated ways. Randy was that pivotal person who came into Dan's life at this time and offered him a glimpse at the kind of animated and questing spiritual life of someone who was also enjoying his associations in his ward and other Mormon circles. Their friendship and collaborations on various projects have now been going on for 29 years. Hence, Dan has decided it’s time he took the opportunity to really offer Mormon Matters listeners a fuller dose of Charles Randall Paul and a chance for them to sense for themselves why he served Dan so well by modeling for him a kind of spirituality that might one day, if he kept leaning into the complexity, might unfold within him, too.

At a time in many Mormon "faith undergoing challenges" discussions when much of the focus is on the problems Mormonism has with certain claims (if taken literally) and the ways it has told its story, and when many conversations are caught up in endless loops that involve listing troubling issues and how Mormon apologetics fails to offer satisfying responses, or when they focus on how certain LDS voices that are gaining traction don't seem to be concerned that the "versions" of Mormonism or the Gospel of Jesus Christ that they share are not actually what is instantiated in Mormon wards and manuals (nor very often put forth in General Conference addresses), this Mormon Matters episode reverses the trend by featuring a conversation between two old friends who, in many ways, live and engage in a kind of "post-apologetic" Mormonism. It explores what it is in Mormonism that offers them the "roominess" they enjoy? What gives them hope for the future? What does it feel like to have found a genuine peace even in the midst of difficult dynamics and tensions at work in the LDS church and their local communities?  Perhaps the biggest gift that Randy gives in this conversation is sharing with us how he came to be who he is (in the world and in relation to Mormonism), how he came to hold the views he does and why he is willing to keep following certain hunches about God and humans and the experiment of mortality to see what additional treasures might be there.

Part 1 focuses on Randy's upbringing, temperament, and certain experiences that marked new insights or offered him greater confidence. In these tellings, it also discusses many Mormon ideas, practices, and pressures.

Part 2 is a more focused examination of what it truly means to be "at peace" in oneself and with things that are external to you. (Hint: It absolutely doesn't mean one is living a tensionless existence!) It also explores some of the social and psychological dynamics of "intra-religious" conflict, and why disagreements within religious communities can be so difficult to navigate. He offers great insights that are relevant at the larger, group level, but which can also transfer into our more personal relationships with those whom we find ourselves at odds with (at least for now!)

Many long-time Mormon Matters listeners will recognize the name Charles Randall Paul (or, as host Dan Wotherspoon calls him 90 percent of the time, “Randy" Paul). He has been a wonderful and engaged panelist on various episodes that have explored topics in which he is fluent, but most often references to him and his thinking are more personal than that, as Randy is the friend who first became a mentor and lively discussion partner of Dan's when he was in his first year or so of deep questioning about Mormon teachings, scripture, and claims, and, most intently, if he could ever find a true "home" in Mormonism again now that he had begun to see its narratives and theological tenets in much more complicated ways. Randy was that pivotal person who came into Dan's life at this time and offered him a glimpse at the kind of animated and questing spiritual life of someone who was also enjoying his associations in his ward and other Mormon circles. Their friendship and collaborations on various projects have now been going on for 29 years. Hence, Dan has decided it’s time he took the opportunity to really offer Mormon Matters listeners a fuller dose of Charles Randall Paul and a chance for them to sense for themselves why he served Dan so well by modeling for him a kind of spirituality that might one day, if he kept leaning into the complexity, might unfold within him, too.

At a time in many Mormon "faith undergoing challenges" discussions when much of the focus is on the problems Mormonism has with certain claims (if taken literally) and the ways it has told its story, and when many conversations are caught up in endless loops that involve listing troubling issues and how Mormon apologetics fails to offer satisfying responses, or when they focus on how certain LDS voices that are gaining traction don't seem to be concerned that the "versions" of Mormonism or the Gospel of Jesus Christ that they share are not actually what is instantiated in Mormon wards and manuals (nor very often put forth in General Conference addresses), this Mormon Matters episode reverses the trend by featuring a conversation between two old friends who, in many ways, live and engage in a kind of "post-apologetic" Mormonism. It explores what it is in Mormonism that offers them the "roominess" they enjoy? What gives them hope for the future? What does it feel like to have found a genuine peace even in the midst of difficult dynamics and tensions at work in the LDS church and their local communities?  Perhaps the biggest gift that Randy gives in this conversation is sharing with us how he came to be who he is (in the world and in relation to Mormonism), how he came to hold the views he does and why he is willing to keep following certain hunches about God and humans and the experiment of mortality to see what additional treasures might be there.

Part 1 focuses on Randy's upbringing, temperament, and certain experiences that marked new insights or offered him greater confidence. In these tellings, it also discusses many Mormon ideas, practices, and pressures.

Part 2 is a more focused examination of what it truly means to be "at peace" in oneself and with things that are external to you. (Hint: It absolutely doesn't mean one is living a tensionless existence!) It also explores some of the social and psychological dynamics of "intra-religious" conflict, and why discussions and disagreements within religious communities can be so difficult to navigate. He offers great insights that are relevant at the larger, group level, but which can also transfer into our more personal relationships with those whom we find ourselves at odds with (at least for now!)

Very few of us give deep consideration to the nature of scripture and how it should be read and understood. We grow up (or come to it during a conversion process) primarily with the idea that these are sacred texts that are inspired in a different way than any other writings, that God has gotten involved in their production to a special degree so that there is a high degree of reliability in what they they say. We have favorite ones, or others that we like because they sing to our hearts more than the rest. We enter into a religion and culture that already has a long history of interpretive readings of many scriptural passages and stories, and unless something really jars or fails to sit well with us, we hardly ever dive into interpretations that other traditions favor, and even less often do we look into the original languages in which the scriptures were written to see if the English (or whatever language we speak and read) misses certain things present to those native to that language. In short, while we may not be lazy in following the urging of leaders and teachers to read our scriptures, we are generally pretty lazy when it comes to thinking about scripture in general, and certain (sometimes troubling) passages in particular.

In this episode, the first of several we hope to record and release in a series, we examine to some degree scripture as a whole, but then do deep dives into certain verses and passages that are often misread and misunderstood (or under-understood: they are far richer than we imagined!). With Mark Crego and Margaret Toscano as guides, along with Mormon Matters host Dan Wotherspoon, the discussions here focus on several scriptures familiar to Latter-day Saints (and some to other Christians, as well), and examine them from many different angles, each of them leading to richer, deeper understandings of the passages themselves, but also the ideas underlying them. The panel was surprised to discover how all of the ones they had chosen to talk about in this first episode ultimately converged into a wonderful theme: understanding better the nature of the love of God.

Hear for yourself how they get to that topic every time, even as they are discussing scriptures that don’t on the surface or at least in LDS interpretive schemas usually center on the love of God. The scriptures talked about directly in this discussion are:

John 5:39, “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.”

D&C 82:10, “I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise.”

Matthew 5:48, “Be ye therefore perfect even as your Father, which is in heaven is perfect.”

Timothy 3:16, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness."

Plus tie-ins to many other scriptural passages.

Very few of us give deep consideration to the nature of scripture and how it should be read and understood. We grow up (or come to it during a conversion process) primarily with the idea that these are sacred texts that are inspired in a different way than any other writings, that God has gotten involved in their production to a special degree so that there is a high degree of reliability in what they they say. We have favorite ones, or others that we like because they sing to our hearts more than the rest. We enter into a religion and culture that already has a long history of interpretive readings of many scriptural passages and stories, and unless something really jars or fails to sit well with us, we hardly ever dive into interpretations that other traditions favor, and even less often do we look into the original languages in which the scriptures were written to see if the English (or whatever language we speak and read) misses certain things present to those native to that language. In short, while we may not be lazy in following the urging of leaders and teachers to read our scriptures, we are generally pretty lazy when it comes to thinking about scripture in general, and certain (sometimes troubling) passages in particular.

In this episode, the first of several we hope to record and release in a series, we examine to some degree scripture as a whole, but then do deep dives into certain verses and passages that are often misread and misunderstood (or under-understood: they are far richer than we imagined!). With Mark Crego and Margaret Toscano as guides, along with Mormon Matters host Dan Wotherspoon, the discussions here focus on several scriptures familiar to Latter-day Saints (and some to other Christians, as well), and examine them from many different angles, each of them leading to richer, deeper understandings of the passages themselves, but also the ideas underlying them. The panel was surprised to discover how all of the ones they had chosen to talk about in this first episode ultimately converged into a wonderful theme: understanding better the nature of the love of God.

Hear for yourself how they get to that topic every time, even as they are discussing scriptures that don’t on the surface or at least in LDS interpretive schemas usually center on the love of God. The scriptures talked about directly in this discussion are:

John 5:39, “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.”

D&C 82:10, “I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise.”

Matthew 5:48, “Be ye therefore perfect even as your Father, which is in heaven is perfect.”

Timothy 3:16, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness."

Plus tie-ins to many other scriptural passages.