Faith Matters

We're really excited to share this week's episode with you—a conversation with scholar and historian, Matt Bowman. Matt is the Howard W. Hunter Chair of Mormon Studies and an associate professor of religion and history at Claremont Graduate University. In this conversation, he draws on ancient scripture to explore two archetypes that show up again and again: the prophet and the priest.The prophet, Matt says, is often a voice from the outside—someone who has had a powerful, personal encounter with the divine and is sent to deliver a message that calls the community to repent. They challenge, critique, and call us back to our spiritual roots.The priest, by contrast, usually nurtures from within—building and sustaining community, preserving memory, and ministering through sacred ritual. The priest creates belonging, continuity, and connection.And while these approaches may seem to contrast, they work in harmony to support and strengthen the spiritual life of a community.Matt notes that beginning around the 1950s, we began consistently referring to the president of the church as the prophet. And he wonders if, in doing so, we may have come to sometimes undervalue the essential priestly work the President of the Church also does.This conversation helped us see something familiar—and deeply cherished in our tradition—in a fresh and powerful way and we came away feeling more grateful for a structure that makes room for both priestly care and prophetic vision.We're so thankful to Matt for this conversation, and we hope you love it as much as we did.Matt's piece that inspired this conversation, The Prophet and the Priest, will be published in Issue 6 of Wayfare alongside poetry, stories, essays and more exploring the roles of prophets and of prophecy in our tradition. We're putting this issue in the mail to all Wayfare paid subscribers and Friends of Faith Matters on December 1, so subscribe now if you haven't already to be sure you get your copy! ​What does Joseph Smith's legacy mean today? Join Terryl Givens and Jenny Reeder at The Compass in downtown Provo on November 20 for a lively discussion on the Prophet's enduring influence—his vision, his challenges, and the spiritual movement he helped create. You can RSVP here. Friends of Faith Matters will receive the livestream link for free as a thank you for your continued support.

Today we're bringing you a special live episode recorded at the Compass Gallery in Provo with filmmaker Matt Whitaker.Matt is the director and one of the writers and producers of the new film Truth & Treason, which tells the astonishing true story of Helmuth Hübener—a 16-year-old Latter-day Saint in Nazi Germany. After secretly tuning into forbidden BBC broadcasts on his brother's radio, Helmuth encountered a world of information that challenged everything he'd been told. He then set off on a course of bold and dangerous resistance, writing and distributing anti-Nazi leaflets across his city with two friends—risking everything to speak the truth. It's a story of conviction, moral courage, and the high cost of standing up. Matt spent over 20 years bringing this story to the screen, and in this conversation he shares the incredible behind-the-scenes journey, including his experience tracking down the last surviving member of Helmuth's resistance group, and other miracles that made the film possible. He explores the moral weight of the story, the complexity of faith during dark times, and why he believes this film matters right now more than ever.Truth & Treason is currently in theaters, and there's still time to see it. It's a timely and compelling film—and supporting this remarkable project and the filmmakers behind it will help ensure that more stories like this can be told.Become a paid subscriber to Wayfare Magazine before December 1 to receive Issue 6, the prophecy issue, in the mail! This is a beautifully bound print magazine with full color art and work by writers like Adam Miller, Hannah Packard Crowther, James Goldberg, Camilla Stark, Matt Bowman, Jenny Richards, Terryl Givens, and more. Visit wayfaremagazine.org/subscribe to learn more.

Today we're wrapping up our week of Unpacking Polygamy with a very honest, illuminating and challenging conversation among three faithful friends: Bethany Brady Spaulding, Patrick Mason and Bill Turnbull. Together, they tackle the profound theological problems that polygamy presents, particularly as it is laid out in what is perhaps the most challenging scripture in our canon—Section 132 of the Doctrine and Covenants. They compare and contrast Section 132 with what God has revealed elsewhere in scripture and with what the church actually teaches today. And they consider the question of whether it is possible for the church to actually move on from polygamy if section 132 continues to be taught as inspired scripture. Along the way, they celebrate the restored gospel's teaching of a higher and holier order of celestial union—couples sealed together for eternity as intimate, equal partners.This conversation was originally inspired by an essay written by Bill and Susan Turnbull, two of Faith Matters founders, titled “One Couple's Wrestle with Polygamy.” It's a fascinating and compelling piece and we encourage you to check it out. You can also find Bill's essay on the Abrahamic Test on our website, faithmatters.org.Faithfulness in any relationship, including our relationship with God and with the Church, requires not just generosity but also a willingness to acknowledge and honestly address problems. This is a conversation full of both generosity and honesty. We hope you are challenged and inspired by it.This episode is part of a five-part series on polygamy. We invite you to listen to all five episodes for a range of perspectives and voices on this important topic. You can find even more resources on our website, faithmatters.org. Become a paid subscriber to Wayfare Magazine before December 1 to receive Issue 6, the prophecy issue, in the mail! This is a beautifully bound print magazine with full color art and work by writers like Adam Miller, Hannah Packard Crowther, James Goldberg, Camilla Stark, Matt Bowman, Jenny Richards, Terryl Givens, and more. Visit wayfaremagazine.org/subscribe to learn more.

Today we're joined by Carol Lynn Pearson—poet, playwright, and author of The Ghost of Eternal Polygamy.With extraordinary honesty, clarity, and compassion, Carol Lynn shares her deeply personal perspective on this chapter of our history and why she believes polygamy was a great mistake—one that continues to “haunt the hearts and heaven” of many Latter-day Saints today.In this episode, we learn how she holds this belief alongside a deep devotion to her faith. She shares how it's shaped her understanding of prophetic authority, and why she feels we can honor our past without being bound by it.Carol Lynn believes it's time we stop letting polygamy burden our spirits, our relationships, or our view of God. With both tenderness and conviction, she calls us to help the human family “cross the plains of patriarchy into the land of partnership.”Her faith, strength, and spiritual integrity continue to inspire us, and we're so grateful for the wisdom she brings to this conversation.Quick note—during the conversation, we mention some Come, Follow Me curriculum for children originally included in this week's lesson. Since recording, the Church has made important revisions to that material, which we would've highlighted had they been available at the time.You can find Carol Lynn's book The Ghost of Eternal Polygamy on Bookshop.org or on Amazon. This episode is part of a five-part series on polygamy. We invite you to listen to all five episodes for a range of perspectives and voices on this important topic. You can find even more resources on our website, faithmatters.org. Become a paid subscriber to Wayfare Magazine before December 1 to receive Issue 6, the prophecy issue, in the mail! This is a beautifully bound print magazine with full color art and work by writers like Adam Miller, Hannah Packard Crowther, James Goldberg, Camilla Stark, Matt Bowman, Jenny Richards, Terryl Givens, and more. Visit wayfaremagazine.org/subscribe to learn more.

Today we're welcoming back Patrick Mason for a conversation with author and historian Brittany Chapman Nash.In this episode, Patrick and Brittany explore what plural marriage looked like in the early Utah period—how it was lived, how it was taught, and why so many Latter-day Saints practiced it with such deep conviction. Brittany shares stories from women whose voices often go unheard, and helps us understand not just the spiritual and theological motivations behind polygamy, but the complexity, nuance, and sometimes heartbreak that came with it.She offers a window into the hopes, sacrifices, and faith of those who lived this principle—and reflects on what that legacy means for us today.You can learn more in Brittany's book Let's Talk about Polygamy, which was published by Deseret Book. This episode is part of a five-part series on polygamy. We invite you to listen to all five episodes for a range of perspectives and voices on this important topic. You can find even more resources on our website, faithmatters.org. Become a paid subscriber to Wayfare Magazine before December 1 to receive Issue 6, the prophecy issue, in the mail! This is a beautifully bound print magazine with full color art and work by writers like Adam Miller, Hannah Packard Crowther, James Goldberg, Camilla Stark, Matt Bowman, Jenny Richards, Terryl Givens, and more. Visit wayfaremagazine.org/subscribe to learn more.

Today, we're honored to welcome Nate Oman—law professor, scholar, and co-founder of the pioneering Latter-day Saint blog, Times and Seasons.Our conversation begins with a bold idea: that experiencing a stupor of thought, or being troubled, is very often a prelude to revelation. For Nate, facing discomfort head-on—naming it and wrestling with it—has become a sacred part of his discipleship and a path to deeper faith.And so in that spirit, today we're taking a hard and honest look at the doctrine of sealing—where it came from, the ways it's evolved, and how it became intertwined with plural marriage. Nate helps us trace its roots and earliest iterations in Latter-Day Saint theology, and he wrestles openly with what it all means for us now.While this episode doesn't offer easy answers, it reveals how our efforts to connect the human family throughout our history have been both human and divine. And that if we're willing to look closely—even at the messiness—we might find ourselves stretched toward greater light, deeper understanding, and a more generous, expansive faith.You can find Nate's books Law and the Restoration: Law and Latter-day Saint History and Law and the Restoration: Law and Latter-day Saint Thought and Scripture on Bookshop.org or on Amazon.This episode is part of a five-part series on polygamy. We invite you to listen to all five episodes for a range of perspectives and voices on this important topic. You can find even more resources on our website, faithmatters.org. Become a paid subscriber to Wayfare Magazine before December 1 to receive Issue 6, the prophecy issue, in the mail! This is a beautifully bound print magazine with full color art and work by writers like Adam Miller, Hannah Packard Crowther, James Goldberg, Camilla Stark, Matt Bowman, Jenny Richards, Terryl Givens, and more. Visit wayfaremagazine.org/subscribe to learn more.

Today's episode kicks off our five-part series Unpacking Polygamy—a deep dive into one of the most complex and sensitive topics in our church's history. We hope you'll listen to the full series, where you'll hear from a variety of voices and perspectives that help illuminate this part of our shared story.To start us off, we're honored to bring together two remarkable thinkers. Patrick Mason is a historian, author, and Leonard J. Arrington Chair of Mormon History and Culture at Utah State University and co-host of Proclaim Peace, another Faith Matters network podcast. Laurel Thatcher Ulrich is a Pulitzer Prize–winning historian, and professor emerita at Harvard University.In this episode, Patrick and Laurel explore what we actually know—and how we know what we know—about Joseph Smith's involvement in plural marriage, how the practice evolved in early Utah, and the theological, social, and gender dynamics that shaped it. Laurel also shares reflections from teaching a comparative polygamy course at Harvard, and considers how the echoes of plural marriage still reverberate today in our doctrine, culture, and hearts.We're so grateful to both Patrick and Laurel for their honesty, curiosity, and compassion.You can find even more resources on this important topic on our website, faithmatters.org.Find Laurel's groundbreaking book A House Full of Females on Bookshop.org or Amazon.Become a paid subscriber to Wayfare Magazine before December 1 to receive Issue 6, the prophecy issue, in the mail! This is a beautifully bound print magazine with full color art and work by writers like Adam Miller, Hannah Packard Crowther, James Goldberg, Camilla Stark, Matt Bowman, Jenny Richards, Terryl Givens, and more. Visit wayfaremagazine.org/subscribe to learn more.

Today, we're sharing a conversation that feels especially urgent. In fact, we'd planned to release this episode later in the month—but 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.We're joined by Sharon Eubank, author of the new book Doing Small Things with Great Love: How Everyday Humanitarians Are Changing the World.Sharon has spent decades in humanitarian work around the globe, and now works as the director of Latter-day Saint Charities. In this conversation, she shares what her experience has taught her about ethical, lasting, and impactful relief. We were struck by this term, “the second disaster." Sharon explains how, all too often, well-meaning aid can actually become a second disaster—doing more harm, complicating and even obstructing urgent relief efforts. But she offers some surprisingly simple and practical ways to ensure that what we give and how we serve is genuinely helpful. As our hearts turn to the Caribbean, this feels especially important—but the principles Sharon shares are just as vital at home. She explains why she believes we're most effective where we live, how relationships and trusted networks form the foundation of lasting change, and why honoring agency and dignity is essential to any effort—whether local or global.Sharon shared so many incredible insights—things that energized us to be helpers, and that empowered us to get started. We hope that in this time of deep need, fear, and urgency, that this episode will help you to recognize where you feel called, and help you know what to do first. Resources to use to find reputable organizations to support: https://www.charitynavigator.orghttps://www.charitywatch.org/our-charity-rating-processhttps://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/charity-commissionOrder That We Might Have Joy anywhere books are sold! Available as a paperback, ebook, or audiobook.

Today, we're bringing you what we think is one of the most important conversations we could be having right now. We're talking with our friend and scholar Medlir Mema about artificial intelligence—and what it means for people of faith.Now whether you're 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 it's urgent for people of faith to be asking how we can create an AI future that reflects the best of humanity.Medlir is the Head of the AI Governance Programme at the Global Governance Institute in Brussels, a Professor of International Relations at Brigham Young University Idaho, and is leading Organized Intelligence, a new initiative supported by the Future of Life Institute and Faith Matters. In this episode, he explains why he sees AI as an era-defining shift—less like the next tech milestone and more like the discovery of fire. It's a moment, he believes, that could fundamentally reshape how we live. We talk today about the ways AI is already changing jobs, relationships, trust, and even our sense of identity. And while Medlir is clear-eyed about the risks, this conversation is about clarity and opportunity. He believes that we have a real chance right now, to join the conversation with our deep values and even perhaps our theological frameworks, to ensure that AI actually helps us re-center on what truly matters and stay grounded in what it means to be human.We hope this episode is a call to pull up a seat to the table, and help shape what comes next.Learn more and follow Organized Intelligence at organizedintelligence.ai We're so excited to tell you about a new Faith Matters initiative called Organized Intelligence, supported by the Future of Life Institute. Our first gathering will take place November 4-5 in Salt Lake City, where you'll hear from scholars, creatives, technologists, and religious leaders. This gathering is for curious minds, and we would love to see you there! Go to organizedintelligence.ai to RSVP.

We sometimes reduce “faith-promoting” stories to those tidy endings—where 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 paths. For Cynthia, the Church just worked. She thrived—until her life took a turn at 40 and her certainty unraveled. For Susan, the discomfort was quieter. She says the Church always fit like an “itchy sweater”—a subtle, persistent misfit that kept her silent. But over time, what had become a “crisis of silence” became a call to speak up.For the past six years, Susan and Cynthia have been inviting women into conversations that began as honest exchanges between friends about big ideas and the real tensions of belonging to a church they both love and feel challenged by. What they've learned is that talking about hard things can be its own kind of faith practice—a way to bring your whole heart to your faith and your community, a way of being known. In this episode, they share practical wisdom for navigating Sundays when belief feels messy, offer a compass for making decisions when clarity is out of reach, and explore how using our voice can help transform hard things into a source connection with each other and a more intimate relationship with a God who loves us without conditions.We hope this conversation expands your imagination for what spiritual strength can look like—and invites you into a faith that's honest, evolving, and a true seedbed for growth.We're so excited to tell you about a new Faith Matters initiative called Organized Intelligence, supported by the Future of Life Institute. Our first gathering will take place November 4-5 in Salt Lake City, where you'll hear from scholars, creatives, technologists, and religious leaders. This gathering is for curious minds, and we would love to see you there! Go to organizedintelligence.ai to RSVP.We're so excited to tell you about a new Faith Matters initiative called Organized Intelligence, supported by the Future of Life Institute. Our first gathering will take place November 4-5 in Salt Lake City, where you'll hear from scholars, creatives, technologists, and religious leaders. This gathering is for curious minds, and we would love to see you there! Go to organizedintelligence.ai to RSVP.

Today, we're sharing a conversation with Jeff Burningham—entrepreneur, 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 Ganges—a 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 it all.Jeff describes what he calls “the old game”—a life built around achievement, hustle, and doing more to be more. And then he shares what happened when that game stopped working for him, and how it led him to something new: a life of deeper being, awareness, and love.We also talked about AI—not just as a technological shift, but as what he calls a “cosmic mirror.” Jeff believes that AI is here not to replace us, but to reveal us—to help us see what's essential and ask who we want to become. The path forward, he says, will require us to do something radical: give up ego, lean into love, and return to the wisdom of the body, nature, and family.In the face of rapid change and uncertainty, Jeff invites us to return to what's most human. We're so grateful to Jeff for this book and this conversation.You can order the book from Bookshop here or from Amazon here!Get the Restore recordingsLearn more and register for REPAIR

Today we're sharing Arthur Brooks' keynote from Restore this last weekend. This message was so powerful—it will stop you in your tracks, and feels so essential for this exact moment. We believe it needs to be heard everywhere—in our homes, our communities, and across the country—so we're 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 violence, the campus itself carried a real weight of grief and uncertainty. Arthur walked straight into that heaviness with so much clarity and conviction—and called us toward a powerful vision of moral courage and discipleship.His message was bold. He confronted unflinchingly what's really breaking us apart—not political division, but the deeper poison of contempt. And then he challenged us with this: Moral courage isn't standing up to the people you disagree with—moral courage is standing up to your own side on behalf of those you disagree with.Arthur says tolerance and civility are too low a bar. The real standard is much higher. It's the Sermon on the Mount. It's loving our enemies—not as a feeling, but as radical, concrete, countercultural action.Arthur wove together science, story, faith, and humor into something deeply personal and urgently needed. His challenge was clear: if we want a different kind of country, we have to become a different kind of people.This felt like a spark. Now the work of discipleship begins. We also want to mention that you can watch this presentation on our youtube channel. Arthur is a super engaging presenter and we strongly recommend that you watch this one. If you bought a ticket for Restore this year, we will email you the recordings as soon we they're edited! If you didn't get a ticket this year, you can order the Restore 2025 recordings at faithmatters.org/restore.Get the Restore recordingsLearn more and register for REPAIR

This week, we're 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.We're also excited to announce the first-ever Waymakers conference, REPAIR, is taking place October 23–25 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 hopeless about a conflict in your life, bring it to REPAIR. This year we're featuring a keynote from Jim Ferrell as well as a series of intimate workshops from The One America Movement, Jennifer Finlayson-Fife, Patrick Mason, Melisson Mason, Thomas McConkie, LaShawn Williams, and many more.And if you missed Restore this year, we've got you covered. You can purchase the full general session recordings to hear your favorite speakers anytime at faithmatters.org/restore. If you purchased a ticket to Restore (of any kind) the recordings are included—we'll send them to you as soon as they're edited and ready. 

This week, we're 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.We're also excited to announce the first-ever Waymakers conference, REPAIR, is taking place October 23–25 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 hopeless about a conflict in your life, bring it to REPAIR. This year we're featuring a keynote from Jim Ferrell as well as a series of intimate workshops from The One America Movement, Jennifer Finlayson-Fife, Patrick Mason, Melisson Mason, Thomas McConkie, LaShawn Williams, and many more.And if you missed Restore this year, we've got you covered. You can purchase the full general session recordings to hear your favorite speakers anytime at faithmatters.org/restore. If you purchased a ticket to Restore (of any kind) the recordings are included—we'll send them to you as soon as they're edited and ready. 

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 connection to God, while the horizontal beam represents the love and care we extend outward to embrace those around us. True discipleship, Jared explained, is this centerpoint. It requires both beams—it's a deep grounding in God that inspires us to reach out in love to others. Jared's session feels like an invitation to love our neighbor. He boldly reminds us that the means matter, that "being right with God, does not justify being wrong with other people." So rather than allowing our differences to create distance, he challenges us to see the ways that truth is found in the tension of the paradox. This “both-and” approach allows us to see each other more fully and generously, creating connection that transcends our differences and reflects god's love.We're so grateful for Jared's wisdom in this session, and we hope his message helps you feel connected and inspired this week and we hope you'll join us at Restore this year where you'll hear Jared live. Learn more about Restore at faithmatters.org/restore

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.It's in that spirit that we wanted to share this week's episode — a conversation about belonging from the Faith Matters podcast Article 13.At their best, faith and faith communities bring us together across differences and remind us of something essential: that we are inherently and irrevocably connected. When we call each other “brother” and “sister,” we're naming something deeply true. And choosing to stay in community — even when it's hard — might be exactly what the world needs right now. This episode explores what it means to belong—it invites us to think about belonging not just as something to find, but something we can offer and build in our spiritual communities.We appreciated the insight we saw shared by Senator Chris Murphy this week: that when other forms of identity become weaker, something—like political identity—will step in to fill the void. This episode asks the question: what might society look like if we strive to intentionally create identity not just as members of religious communities, but as inherently dignified, divine beings who are all connected—in other words: as children of God? If there's any truth that might help us find some hope for the future, it seems like we'll find it in that direction.As always, we really appreciate you listening, and for helping us find our own belonging, especially in hard moments.*Find more peacemaking resources on our website: faithmatters.orgLearn more about Restore: faithmatters.org/restore

This week, we're re-sharing what we thought was an “instant classic” from last year's 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 ones—including his own children—struggle with addiction, estrangement, and other crises.But at the heart of his message is a radical idea: that the phrase "All is well" can be true even in the face of chaos and imperfection. He challenges the traditional "brochure" image of family success, reminding us that not even the families in our sacred texts had it all together. Through powerful stories of redemption, both from his own family and the lives transformed at The Other Side Academy, Joseph encourages us to rethink what it means to succeed as families, and to embrace waiting as part of God's divine work.We think Joseph's words will resonate deeply with anyone who has felt the pain of seeing a loved one struggle, and we hope it offers both comfort and inspiration. I also want to mention that Joseph's full presentation is available on our YouTube channel. We highly recommend watching it there—his visuals are fantastic, and it's a completely different experience seeing him bring it all to life in person.Joseph will be speaking at Restore again this year, along with a fantastic line up of speakers, musicians, and performers. We would love to have you join us! Visit faithmatters.org/restore to see the agenda and get your tickets.

You've probably heard the old joke—we caught it again recently on Ezra Klein's show. A conspiracy theorist dies and goes to heaven. At the pearly gates, God tells him he can ask one question—anything 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. That's part of what we're exploring today with our guest, Sharon McMahon. Sharon is a former high school government teacher turned trusted national educator, bestselling author, and host of the Sharon Says So podcast, known for bringing truth, clarity, and calm to some of the most divisive issues in American public life.Today, Sharon helps us unpack why conspiracy theories can be so compelling, how they spread, and the very human needs behind them—like safety, belonging, and making sense of uncertainty. She also shares deeply practical and compassionate guidance for staying in relationship with someone who's caught in that mindset, while still honoring your own values and boundaries.In 2020, the Church offered timely guidance in its General Handbook, warning against misinformation that promotes anger, contention, and fear—and encouraging members to be skeptical of conspiracy theories. So we talked with Sharon about the role faith communities can play in building resilience against misinformation—not by controlling ideas, but by fostering connection, curiosity, and critical thinking.Sharon's clarity, courage, and humor made this one of our favorite conversations and we're also so excited she'll be speaking at Restore this year—we hope you'll join us to see her live.Learn more about Restore at faithmatters.org/restoreGet Sharon's book from Bookshop.orgGet Sharon's book from AmazonCome to our event at The Compass on 9/13

We're excited today to talk about the temple. It's a topic we love—one that sits at the heart of our faith—but 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 the temple's earliest origins and the ways Joseph Smith drew on the book of Revelation and biblical archetypes to transform ordinary people into priests and priestesses through covenant, community, and ritual. Jonathan also documents the generational shifts in temple practice over time and the sacred work the temple has been doing in the lives of Latter-day Saints from the beginning to today.We're especially grateful that Jonathan was willing to engage some of the harder questions—things that don't always fit neatly in a Sunday School setting, but that many of us carry quietly. He speaks candidly about temple recommends, garments, and evolving expectations around worthiness. We got to ask him about the temple's connection to Masonic rituals (how similar are they, really?) and about how we sit with the very real pain that can come with conditional temple participation—especially when its means leaving family members behind for temple sealings.Jonathan brings both deep scholarship and lived faith to this conversation. He helps us see the temple as a living, evolving expression of our faith—one that reflects a divine invitation to connection, transformation, and covenant belonging, and that draws us into Joseph's bold, sacred project: to bring heaven to earth.Preorder the book from Bookshop.orgPreorder the book from AmazonJoin us for an event discussing the relationship between ancient and modern temples at The Compass Gallery on Sept 21.Read what we've published about temples in our magazine, Wayfare. 

We're so happy to welcome back Dr. Jennifer Finlayson-Fife—someone whose voice and work have shaped our thinking in really lasting ways.Today we're 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 relationship—and how, for those willing to confront that truth, it can serve as the starting point for deep joy, spiritual transcendence, and communion with another soul.It reframes sexual intimacy not as something separate from our faith, but as an integral part of it—a way of knowing ourselves and another person, and of developing fully into our divine potential.In this conversation we explore what intimacy requires, and how it's not about just saying the right things, playing the right role, or “becoming selfless”—it's about showing up fully, even when it's uncomfortable. Jennifer makes the powerful case that true intimacy can't be faked, and that our bodies and our partners always know when we're hiding.We talk about the traps so many couples fall into—cycles of accommodation, avoidance, pressure, or silence—and how our hunger for validation often gets in the way of real connection. And, maybe most importantly, Jennifer helps us see that the tension in our relationships isn't a sign that something's broken.We loved this conversation and are excited to share it with you. Jennifer's book will be released September 30, but you'll be able to purchase advanced copies of the book at Restore in just a few weeks.Preorder the paperbackPreorder the ebookJoin us at Restore

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 don'ts—one 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, we're 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 bodies—some deeply harmful, others profoundly nourishing—and we now understand far more about health, nutrition, and the body itself. Are there principles in section 89 that transcend the context in which it was given? What did we miss when we transformed it from a principle with promise to a set list of prohibitions that defined worthiness? Is our current approach a stumbling block as we take the gospel to people in other cultures? And what about that curious issue of hot drinks? That's the conversation we're having today with Bill Turnbull, one of the founders of Faith Matters, and Ali Essig, a nutritionist and founder of PlantWhys. Ali's journey with the Word of Wisdom began after her husband suffered a stroke at age 37—a moment that launched her into a deep study of Section 89 and a reimagining of what it really means to nourish the body. We'll also be studying this section in Come Follow Me in just a couple of weeks, and so we hope this conversation adds some depth and energy into your personal study and that you see not a list of rules, but a radical invitation into a path of wisdom and wholeness. In an era in which technology and media seem determined to disconnect us from embodied experience and presence, maybe it's time to take a fresh look at a 200 year old revelation that challenges us to do exactly the opposite.*The Word of Wisdom in Its First DecadeThe Word of Wisdom: From Principle to RequirementAssociation Between Dietary Fiber and Lower Risk of All-Cause Mortality: A Meta-Analysis of Cohort StudiesHigher-fiber diet linked to lower risk of death

Today, we're so excited to share a powerful session from last year's Restore gathering, given by Astrid Tuminez, president of Utah Valley University.Astrid's 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 university—and throughout, she's wrestled with what it means to belong and to find joy.Drawing from the Book of Mormon, Buddhist meditation, and the lives of the people who have shaped her, Astrid invites us into the practices that help her live with joy, even in the midst of complexity and change.We also want to acknowledge that this session was recorded just a few months before Astrid's beloved husband of 37 years, Jeff Tolk, passed away unexpectedly. Jeff was someone we admired deeply. He had a brilliant mind and a tender heart and we're holding Astrid and her family in our hearts during this season of unimaginable grief.Listening to this message now, with the weight of that loss, we have even more reverence and gratitude for the wisdom and light Astrid shared with all of us on the Restore stage. We think it's one you'll want to revisit again and again.Restore 2025 will be September 25-27 at UVU in Orem, Utah -- you can get tickets to join us at faithmatters.org/restore 

Today we're 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.It's a compelling story on its own, but it also opens up space for deeper questions—about what happens when we try to leave everything behind, only to discover we've brought all our baggage with us. So in this conversation, we got to explore some of those ideas with Brian. We talked about conflict in close relationships, and what it looks like to stay connected even when worldviews differ in really important ways. He shared why curiosity can be such a powerful act of love in these situations especially when we're tempted to protect ourselves through certainty.We also talked about the dark night of the soul, and the way it can become a womb for something new—a space where real transformation begins, both personally and even within our faith communities.Brian speaks candidly about the role of religion—not as a static institution, but as something alive, always holding the tension between honoring the past and nourishing our future. This conversation felt like a companion for the messy middle—a reminder that even when the path isn't clear, growth is still possible, and it's holy work.We're so grateful to Brian for this time, and we're really excited to share it with you. 

Today we're sharing another fun session from last year's Restore gathering—one of the most unforgettable moments from the whole weekend—featuring 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 quiet spiritual prompting and ends with an act of radical trust that left the entire room stunned. He offers a moving look at what it really means to live a faith-filled life—one that's non-transactional, that doesn't guarantee we'll see the fruit of our actions, but that still says yes to being God's hands.We hope this session helps you catch a glimpse of the kind of spirit and depth you'll experience at Restore this year, happening September 25–27 in Orem, Utah. Learn more and get your tickets at faithmatters.org! 

Today, we're really grateful to share a conversation with historian John Turner about the brand new biography he's 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 John draws in his book may differ from our own, but we found this new biography on Joseph to be meticulously researched and engagingly written.In this book, John doesn't aim to settle all debates between Joseph Smith's supporters and his detractors, but with more primary sources available than ever before, he hoped to provide a fuller picture of a figure who continues to shape who we are today. John says that while the question of “Whether God actually spoke to [Joseph] Smith is a matter of faith… there is no question about his prophetic self-conception.”We assume most listeners are familiar with the general contours of Joseph's life, so in this conversation we talked with John about some topics we felt needed more exploration: his family's early hardships and how they might have shaped his resilience as a spiritual leader; what the historical record tells us about the gold plates and Joseph's visions; and whether Joseph truly instigated and lived plural marriage.What struck us most was John's portrayal of Joseph's constant evolution—his willingness to revise, to explore, and to ask better questions. It made us wonder if Joseph's boldness and openness to change could serve as inspiration to us in today's church.We know that talking openly about Joseph—his humanity, his complexity, even his mistakes—can be challenging. But we hope this episode helps create more space for recognizing the humanity of our leaders, both past and present.

Today, we're excited to bring you a special episode—a replay of one of our favorite sessions from last year's Restore Gathering, featuring Dave Butler.We're also thrilled to let you know that Restore 2025 is happening this September 25–27 in Orem, Utah, and this episode is a great preview of the kind of experience you can expect—thoughtful, joyful, expansive, and rooted in a deep desire to love and understand more fully.In this session, Dave explores the idea of Holy Envy—a concept that invites us to not just tolerate other faiths, but to find deep beauty and truth in them. He shares beautiful personal stories and wrestles with how to honor the uniqueness of our own tradition while also recognizing the divine fingerprints in others. He ultimately offers a powerful vision of restoration—not as something narrow or exclusive, but as a healing and gathering work that makes room for the whole human family. This session made us laugh, think, and feel more committed to becoming people who love well, across all kinds of differences. We hope it does the same for you—and that it gives you a taste of what's coming at Restore this year. You can find all the details and registration info at faithmatters.org.

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 Young's teenage daughters in the Lion House, through decades of change that continually adapted to meet the evolving spiritual and cultural needs of young women of the churchOver the years, sixteen general presidents—along with their counselors, boards, and local leaders—used their gifts to create programs that nourished the young women in their care. These programs taught not just spiritual values, but also public speaking, leadership, drama, music, recreation, and practical life skills. For many, the organization became a gateway to confidence, connection, and a sense of divine purpose.Lisa and James also address some of the more difficult parts of our past, including the ways young women have often carried the weight of the community's fears—especially around modesty and worthiness and the way this sometimes played out in the Young Women Organization. They reflect on the effects of the Correlation movement and the changes that came as the organization was placed more directly under a priesthood line of authority. But through it all, they highlight how young women and their Young Women leaders have responded with courage, creativity, and spiritual initiative.We hope this conversation serves as an invitation to reflect on what we might want to reclaim or reimagine for this global and spiritually hungry generation today—and to ask, with real intention, how each of us, in the spirit of the legacy of this organization's, use our own gifts, to carry on what matters most. We're so grateful to James and Lisa for offering their insight, scholarship, and heart to this important story.

Today, we're sharing a really special session from last year's 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 film—we'd highly recommend heading to our YouTube channel if you'd like to watch it. You'll hear John Gustav-Wrathall share his journey as a gay Latter-day Saint—a path shaped by deep spiritual seeking, a loving and enduring partnership with his husband Goran, and an eventual return to his ward family. John speaks with honesty and courage about learning to trust the quiet, steady voice of the Spirit in the midst of complexity. His story holds both deep pain and profound peace.After John's story, Allison Dayton joins him on stage for a powerful conversation. As a mother of a gay son, she brings deep empathy to this space. She is the founder of Lift+Love and helped create Gather—a Christ-centered conference for LGBTQ individuals and those who love them. You can find more details at liftandlove.org, along with John's full story.This session was a beautiful reminder of what it can look like to wrestle with faith and walk the path of love. We'd love to invite you to join us for conversations like this in person at Restore, this year, which will be September 25–27 at UVU in Orem, Utah. It's going to be an unforgettable weekend with incredible speakers including Sharon McMahon and Arthur Brooks, along with outstanding music, art, and community, all centered on restoring faith, belonging, and wholeness. Early bird pricing ends soon—now's a great time to register. You can go to faithmatters.org for tickets. --Use GATHERFAITH coupon code for 20% off Gather tickets: https://www.liftandlove.org/

Today we're excited to share our conversation with Anna Lott, and we're especially thinking of those who are walking—or have walked—the path of divorce.Anna is the host of the Solo Saints podcast and retreats, and she's become a thoughtful and compassionate voice in our community—especially for those who often feel like their experiences don't 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.Today's episode is for everyone though—whether you've experienced divorce yourself or love someone who has, we talk with Anna about what it feels like to show up at church when your life no longer fits the picture of how you thought things were “supposed” to look. She speaks candidly about the stigma and shame that so many experience around divorce in a family-centered church, —and about how we, as a community, can do better to create a softer place to land.Anna also invites us to rethink and let go of some of the painful narratives many of us have inherited around marriage—that it should be preserved at all costs, or that staying married is always the most right choice. She shares the both-ands of her own story—the grief and the growth, the costs and the clarity—and how reclaiming and recentering her identity as a daughter of God has led to deeper joy, belonging, and renewed faith.We're so grateful to the many of you who shared your stories and questions ahead of this episode. Your voices shaped this conversation in meaningful ways. We're grateful for your honesty and vulnerability and we hope you feel heard here.And with that, here's our conversation with Anna Lott.

This week—June 9th—marks the 47th anniversary of the 1978 revelation that ended the Church's 126-year ban on Black members receiving the priesthood and entering the temple. It's a moment we often point to with reverence and gratitude—but the story we've inherited about how it happened is, in many ways, incomplete.To help us understand more fully what led to that pivotal moment, we're joined by Dr. Matthew Harris, whose new book Second-Class Saints draws on previously unavailable documents—including the complete, unredacted journals from Pres. Spencer W. Kimball and private papers from several other apostles and prophets who were part of this story. What emerges is a story of complex revelation—one that didn't arrive all at once, but unfolded slowly through conversation, persuasion, and deep personal growth.We sometimes talk about the 1978 revelation as if it came out of nowhere—a sudden command from heaven. But Matt helps us see the reality that this was a process shaped by years of thoughtful wrestling and dialogue, by courageous individuals who quietly worked to open hearts and minds, and by the unwavering faith of Black members who carried impossible burdens with grace and conviction.In our conversation today, we explored what it means to be part of a living church—one that's capable of change because it's built on continuing revelation. We talked about how “doctrine” has been defined and redefined across the Church's history, the vital role each of us plays in the process of institutional revelation, because this isn't just about the past—it's about how we show up today: how we answer President Nelson's call to root out racism and build a more inclusive future within the body of Christ.We're deeply grateful to Matt for his careful, bold work. And with that, we'll jump right into our conversation with Matt Harris.Buy the book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/45a7IjlBuy from Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/108982/9780197695715 

Today, we're so excited to share something brand new with you—the very first episode of a new podcast we're launching here at Faith Matters. It's 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 13—hosted by Zachary Davis—offers a hopeful and constructive alternative. Through deep dives into vital social issues, extraordinary guests, and beautiful sound design, the show models the kind of thoughtful, intelligent discourse our country needs—and offers practical ways each of us can make a difference, starting right where we are.Today, we're honored to share Episode 1 of Article 13 with you—it's titled What We Owe Each Other.In this episode, Zach is joined by voices like Cornel West, Shaylyn Romney Garrett, and Robert Putnam to explore what rebuilding trust really looks like—and why it matters now. They propose that real renewal begins from the inside out, as we recommit to the people we serve in the institutions we're already part of—our families, schools, churches, and communities. When we view these roles as shared responsibilities, not personal platforms, we can begin to restore the trust and connection that hold us together.It's a thoughtful, timely conversation—and we're so excited to share it with you. You can find Article 13 wherever you listen to podcasts.

This week, we got to sit down with someone we've long admired and are so thrilled to finally have on the podcast—Steven Sharp Nelson, known to millions around the world as “The Cello Guy” from The Piano Guys. He's a creative force and a pioneer in "cello-percussion"—where rhythm, melody, and movement come together in such creative and beautiful ways.If you've ever seen Steve perform, you know the energy he brings to music is unlike anything else—it's vibrant, joyful, and instantly captivating. And we felt all of that in this conversation.But this episode isn't just about music. Today we got to talk with Steve about ADHD—his diagnosis as a child, and the way he's come to understand it not as a disorder, but a spiritual gift that has shaped his creativity, deepened his connection to God, and is helping him live into his divine purpose. Though ADHD began as a source of confusion and shame, he's come to see it as one of the greatest blessings of his life.In this conversation, Steve shares what that transformation has looked like—what it means to live with “attention abundance,” how this overflow of energy, sensitivity, and ideas have become the place where God meets him—again and again. And how, when we offer our weaknesses to God, the burdens begin to lift and the blessings blossom. Steve reminds us that God works with our particular brains, capacities, and quirks, speaking to each of us in the language we understand best. And that sometimes, what we once thought was a weakness might actually be the key to our calling.This episode is full of honesty, humor, and deep spiritual wisdom. We're so excited to share this one with you—here's our conversation with Steven Sharp Nelson.

This week, we're 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 others—each exploring what it means to live a spiritually and intellectually honest life within the Latter-day Saint tradition.As Phil points out, challenges to faith are not new. Thoughtful people were wrestling with difficult questions decades ago in ways that still have power today. But, as he says, “the world has turned some” since then. The 2025 edition brings in a new generation of scholars and voices—Thomas McConkie, Melissa Inouye, Fiona Givens, Ben Schilaty, among others—who speak to today's distinctive challenges while honoring the wisdom and foundation of those who came before.At the heart of both volumes is an urgent and beautiful question: How can we hold together the integrities of our minds and our hearts and our spirits? That question—its weight, complexity, and quiet hope—sits at the center of this conversation today.Phil brings so much humility and clarity, and in this episode we get to hear a little about what's changed in his own faith, about the wisdom of surrendering the need to know, and why he still finds the Latter-day Saint tradition compelling, human, and a spiritual home he continues to choose with both heart and mind.We're so grateful to Phil for this conversation, and we hope you love it as much as we did. With that, here's Phil Barlow.Links for the show notes:Purchase the book through Bookshop.org (https://bookshop.org/a/108982/9781953677242) Amazon (https://amzn.to/4mgJsCf) or anywhere you get your books. Get a free look inside the book on our website: https://www.faithmatters.org/s/a-thoughtful-faith-vol-2

This week, we're 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, he's 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 development, and ask whether we can reclaim faith as something relational, built on loyalty, trust, and love —  rather than a list of things we intellectually agree to.One of the most powerful ideas that emerges is that faith and doubt aren't opposites — in fact, they may need to coexist. It's often in the tension between the two that deeper discipleship takes root. Terryl and Jared also explore how the Restoration, at its core, invites us into a life of ongoing seeking and expanding, not one of perfect certainty.So if you've ever felt some fear, guilt, or shame around your questions — or worried that doubt means you're falling behind, out of reach, or off the path, this conversation is for you. We hope it offers a hopeful reframe: that the wrestle is sacred, that you're in good company, and that sometimes, this is exactly what spiritual growth looks like.And with that, here's Terryl Givens and Jared Halverson.

With Mother's Day coming up, we're 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 teachings—but for many, it's 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 church's Gospel Topics essay, the book explores each point through art, rich personal reflections, and theological insights with contributions from many people whose names you may recognize- Patrick and Melissa Mason, Tom Christofferson, and Bethany Brady Spalding to name a few. What emerges is a beautiful tapestry of reverence, curiosity, and lived faith.In this conversation, we explore how the simple truth that we are “beloved spirit children of Heavenly Parents” carries profound implications for how we understand the nature of God. It suggests that divinity isn't solitary or hierarchical—it's relational, that we're not subjects of a distant king but members of a divine family. And that shift transforms the way we see God, one another, and ourselves.McArthur highlights how essential it is for women to have a divine role model and that becoming like Her means learning to use our agency with wisdom and courage. It means aligning with God, trusting the revelation we receive, and standing by it—even when it's hard. As McArthur puts it, “sovereignty is how we begin to practice godhood.”We hope that as you celebrate Mother's Day this year, this conversation invites you to remember and honor our Heavenly Mother and embrace the truth that we are Her daughters and sons too, born with the divine potential to become like Her.We're so grateful to McArthur for her courage, vision, and voice. And with that, here's our conversation with McArthur Krishna.https://bookshop.org/a/108982/9781734228724https://amzn.to/3RG0USG 

This week, we're 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. He's spent decades working in some of the most entrenched conflict zones in the world—from the Middle East to South Africa to Northern Ireland. He's also the author of a new book called Seventy Times Seven: Jesus's Path to Conflict Transformation, published by Deseret Book. The book explores a question that feels more urgent than ever: how do we follow Jesus as peacemakers in a world so often shaped by fear, division, and violence?Our conversation with Chad moved from the personal to the global—from tensions in families and faith communities to the devastating conflicts we see on the world stage. And through all of it, Chad points back to Jesus as a radical model for how to live, engage, and help transform the world around us.Chad reminds us that Jesus's path is anything but passive. It doesn't mean disengaging or avoiding hard conversations. It means choosing to engage with both courage and compassion. It means refusing to meet harm with more harm, and instead walking a path that invites healing, reconciliation, and transformation.That kind of peace doesn't come quickly—or easily—but it's the kind of peace that can change lives and communities. Chad offers a vision of Christianity rooted in Jesus' ministry of reconciliation—not in dominance or defensiveness, but in the slow, often difficult work of restoring wholeness.He helped us see that the peace Jesus offers isn't always the peace we want—but it's the peace we need. And when the way forward feels impossible, he reminds us that part of discipleship is learning to make a way out of no way.And with that, here's our conversation with ChadSeventy Time Seven

With Easter just a few days away, we're 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 Easter through the lens of what Brian McLaren calls the “harmony” stage of faith—a perspective they also bring to their work with Uplift Kids. They paint a picture of Easter made more meaningful—not less—by welcoming it all: the story of Jesus' resurrection, the chocolate bunnies, the deep questions, and the simple joy.It's an approach that honors the unique developmental stage of each child and the evolving faith of each adult, making room for everyone to show up just as they are. And for many families gathering this time of year, that kind of spaciousness matters—especially when there are likely a variety of beliefs around the table and a wide range of needs, from toddlers to teens to adults.Rather than avoiding depth or walking on eggshells around belief, Amanda and Jon invite us to embrace the richness that comes from letting all the layers belong. That richness can become an opening—for deeper connection, for real growth, and for the kind of transformation that Easter is all about.At its heart, this conversation invites us to let go of pressure and agendas, to lean into love and presence, and to trust that what's needed will rise naturally in its own time. Easter, after all, is a story of life, death and rebirth—and that same pattern is quietly at work in our lives and families too.We hope this conversation fills you with the peace this Easter season brings and with that, here's our conversation with Amanda Suarez and Jon Ogden.https://upliftkids.org/When Mormons DoubtBookshop affiliate link: https://bookshop.org/a/108982/9781535350372 

This week, we're 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 Covenants—moments 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 God's face and hear god's voice and that so often, revelation comes by paying attention to what is closest to us—the relationships and experiences that challenge us, stretch us, and ultimately transform us. Adam and Rosalynde suggest that rather than treating scripture as something fixed and unchanging, we can approach it as an active, unfolding conversation. As Rosalynde put it, “The meaning of scripture is not fixed inside the covers of the book, but it unfolds in the space between the reader and the text.” We love their insights about passages of scripture that feel unsettling. Could our discomfort itself be a catalyst for revelation? And could the very questions we feel most compelled to ask be what expands our capacity to recognize Christ as He truly is—and to see the world more as He sees it?This was such a rich and expansive conversation, and we hope it gives you a new lens for engaging with scripture and revelation. And with that, here's our conversation with Adam Miller and Rosalynde Welch.Affiliate link: https://amzn.to/44mK4Qa 

This week, we're really excited to share a conversation about a brand-new Children's 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 helped shape the church in meaningful and lasting ways. Accessible to children, beautiful to look at and meaningful for readers of all ages.Today, we're joined by McArthur and Anne to explore some of these incredible stories. Both women are remarkable in their own right—McArthur is the author of several books, including A Girl's Guide to Heavenly Mother and the Girls Who Choose God series. Anne is a founder of Meetinghouse Mosaic, an organization working to diversify Christian art and amplify voices that sometimes go unheard in our faith community.In this conversation, we explore what it means to be a changemaker in a church that values both institutional authority and ongoing revelation. We talked about the tension many women are feeling right now—and how pain can become a catalyst for meaningful, needed transformation, and what true partnership between men and women might look like in that process.McArthur and Anne remind us again and again that revelation doesn't always start at the top—so often, it often rises from the margins, born of questions, connection, and listening with love.We hope this conversation inspires you to trust your gifts, to share your voice, and to believe, deeply, that your contributions matter.And with that, here's our conversation with McArthur Krishna and Anne Pimentel.

Today we're bringing you a special conversation hosted by Jared Halverson, who's joined by three women—Bethany Brady Spalding, Kathryn Knight Sonntag, and me—who've been part of a larger, ongoing conversation sparked by one of Jared's recent videos on social media.If you haven't seen the video, here's 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 depends on them. His message, meant to be supportive and hopeful, was heard by many as hurtful and dismissive—particularly by women who feel their voices and gifts are too often sidelined or unseen. The response was overwhelming. Thousands of women responded with honesty, vulnerability, and a shared sense of grief for the ways they've been asked to carry the Church while too often being denied a real seat at the table.To his credit, Jared didn't get defensive. Just a few days later, he posted a real, heartfelt apology, then did something even more rare and brave: he asked if he could sit down, ask questions, and just listen.That's what this episode is.What unfolds is a conversation about pain, power, partnership, and the potential for something more whole. We talk about what “spiritual collaboration” might really look like—not just in our doctrine, which includes the radical and often untapped vision of Heavenly Parents—but in our lived experience. We ask what it means for women to be invited not just to support the work, but to shape it. And we explore what changes when women are actually believed—when their longing to be seen, to lead, and to offer their full selves to the body of Christ is not framed as rebellion, but as righteousness.Jared holds this space with humility and openness, and Bethany, Kathryn, and I tried to speak from our own experiences—not as representatives of all women, but as people who love this tradition and believe it can do even more to reach its highest, holiest potential. We believe, as one commenter put it, that this isn't a crisis of belief—it's an opportunity for renewal.This episode is tender, and we also think it's hopeful. We hope it models the kind of listening and learning that we need more of—at home, in our wards, and across the Church.And with that, we'll jump right into the conversation.Amy McPhie Allebest articleSexual Violence in UtahBest Practices for Collaborative Partnership

We have a really fun episode for you today—We're 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 Chelm—a 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 conversation, we explore what might be called a theology of humor. James reflects on how laughter opens us. It softens the edges of our seriousness and rigidity, and draws us closer in shared connection. He reminded us that not everything about “church culture” needs to be critiqued or stripped away—sometimes it can be embraced with lightness and joy, as part of what brings us together and helps us live in community. The idea that stayed with us most was this: maybe what makes a ward great isn't how aligned everyone is theologically or politically, or how smoothly things run, or how polished people are in their callings. Maybe it's just about creating a group of people who are all rooting for each other—through the everyday moments, the imperfect efforts, and the callings that stretch us. It's about showing up with love, having each other's backs, and learning to see one another the way God does—with patience, grace, and deep affection.We hope this episode might just help you love your ward a little more—with all its quirks and imperfections. We hope it helps you see the people around you with a little more grace, a little more humor, and a little more tenderness.And with that, here's our conversation with James Goldberg.https://www.wayfaremagazine.org/p/tales-of-the-chelm-first-ward-introductionAffiliate link for Chelm: https://bookshop.org/a/108982/9781961471030 

This week, we're 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 CAC's Living School, a core educational offering from the CAC that last year offered a course called Essentials of Engaged Contemplation that Tim and I participated in. Mike is one of the primary hosts in the conversations that make up much of the program, often conversing with people like Richard Rohr and our friend Brian McLaren. Frankly, we found the work that Mike and the rest of the CAC team did on this course to be truly life-changing, and engaging it has been one of the most uplifting and transformative spiritual experiences we've had in our lives. In addition to his work at the CAC, Mike holds degrees (including a PhD) in psychology, mythology, and religious studies.This conversation is a sample of just how deeply insightful Mike is. He invited us to see curiosity as something “implanted in our hearts by God”—not as a threat to faith, but as an invitation to let the divine meet us in unexpected ways. He challenged the idea that “community is formed around uniformity of belief” and instead argued that real connection happens when we learn to be with each other, even in our differences  — that everyone belongs even, or perhaps especially, when they fall somehow outside the norm. And he brought so much depth to the idea of the wounded healer —“if you deeply commit to your own healing,” Mike told us, “at a certain point you realize it's not just for you.”In one of the most powerful moments of this conversation, Mike describes a moment of profound loss—sitting at his mother's bedside as she passed away—and then, just hours later, holding his newborn niece for the first time. These moments of symmetry revealed a truth that is at the heart of this entire conversation: that loss, and grief, and pain carve out a space in our hearts that can eventually be filled with love, joy and connection.We hope this conversation offers the same sense of healing, hope, and clarity that it did for us. And with that, let's jump into this beautiful conversation with Mike Petrow.Thanks so much for listening, and we want to send a huge thanks to Mike for coming on. For those of you who might have been wondering more about the Living School, the Essentials of Engaged Contemplation that Aubrey and I participated in, the course is not currently open for enrollment, but if you're interested in learning more or getting updates, you can head to cac.org.And if Faith Matters content is resonating with you and you get a chance, we'd love for you to leave us a rating or review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. We love reading reviews and they definitely help get the word about about Faith Matters.Thanks again for listening, and as always, you can check out more at faithmatters.org.

This week, we're 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 culture to one centered on care and compassion for our neighbors—and that instead of seeking political control or domination, Christians should embrace equality for Americans of any or no religion. David also addresses the rise in misinformation and distrust in institutions, highlighting the importance of truth-seeking and constructive political engagement. He concludes with a prayer that Christians will reject the politics of fear and help renew the world by living a counter-culture of love. Wherever you find yourself across the political spectrum, we hope this conversation offers an empowering way forward—one grounded compassion. And with that, let's jump into our conversation with David French.

This week, we're 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! We're excited to share them with you today. What emerged was a picture of a significant and often unheard cross-section of the Church—a community of people who are deeply devoted but also wrestling, holding both conviction and complexity, faith and struggle, all at once.In this conversation, Jeff walks us through some of the most powerful insights from the survey, with a special focus on culture and aspects of our faith experience that are shaping our sense of belonging, meaning, and connection. He explores what people love most about being part of this tradition, where they encounter real challenges.One of the clearest themes in the survey is the tension between tradition and change—a familiar story in faith traditions across the world. Jeff explores what it means to hold that complexity well, in our families, community, and our own hearts. He addresses the power of finding others who are walking a similar path, and why recognizing we're not alone in this wrestle can be so meaningful.I want to mention that there are a few visuals in this conversation that Jeff does a great job describing but you can see the slides he talks about in the YouTube version of this episode. To everyone who participated in the survey, thank you. It has been such a gift to see that none of us is alone here. We're so grateful to be in it with you—asking hard questions, holding onto what we love, and finding our way forward together. And with that, here's our conversation with Jeff Strong.

For today's episode, we're 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, you'll know exactly why this conversation matters so much to us—Marion 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 Church and the lives of so many.President David O. McKay once gave him a blessing with a simple but powerful charge: “Let your voice be heard, even if it is in opposition to the stated norms.” And he did. For forty years, he consistently pushed for change—advocating for humanitarian work long before it became a priority, fighting against the priesthood and temple ban, and insisting that sustaining leaders meant honest engagement, not silent agreement.Rich shared incredible stories about his father—the ways he stood up to cultural and institutional pressures, his deep reverence for the individual, and his unwavering belief that true discipleship is rooted in love, not conformity. He also spoke movingly about his father's final years, as dementia slowly took hold, and the lessons of grace and devotion that emerged even in that difficult season. More than anything, we were struck by how Marion D. Hanks' entire life was centered on lifting, healing, and serving—just as Christ did.We are so grateful to Rich for sharing these stories. We think this conversation will be inspiring to anyone who has ever wrestled with how to live their faith with integrity, courage, and compassion. And with that, we'll jump right into our conversation with Rich Hanks.

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 been exploring with Thomas the  possibility of creating a podcast to help us all hit the pause button in our busy daily lives and give time to a rich meditation and prayer practice. As Thomas is coming to the end of his program at Harvard, the time seemed right to launch this series. And so we are excited to share with you today the first episode of this new podcast, named One Heart, One Mind. Thomas is a teacher and researcher who is fascinated by consciousness, growth and  transformation. He is especially interested in Christian contemplation and what it means to re-embody Christ's teachings in new and unique ways for these challenging times–ways that will lead to deeper connection to God and to those around us. In One Heart One Mind, we will join Thomas in searching Christianity and the world's Wisdom traditions for gems and insights into awakening, transformation, and the soul's journey Home. The episodes are designed to be relatively brief, 15 to 30 minutes or so, and will generally include a teaching followed by a guided meditation.So, if you've been intending to cultivate a more regular spiritual practice of meditation and prayer, this might be the perfect place to start. You can subscribe to One Heart, One Mind on whatever podcast platform you use. We think you're going to love this journey with Thomas McConkie.

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 experience—some 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 protective factor for some and a source of distress for others? How do individual personality, family dynamics, and church culture shape the way we engage with faith? And most importantly, how can we cultivate a relationship with God and our faith that supports our mental and emotional well-being?One of the most interesting ideas we explored was the concept of attachment styles—how the way we relate to God often mirrors the way we've experienced relationships with authority figures in our lives. Janeen also introduced us to three different religious orientations—extrinsic, intrinsic, and quest—and how our approach to faith can evolve over time. We talked about how religious communities can create spaces for both conviction and curiosity, how parents can help their kids develop a healthy and secure faith, and how we can each pay attention to the signs that our relationship with God is either building us up or weighing us down.This conversation was rich with insight and practical tools for anyone wanting to engage with their faith in a way that is both deeply meaningful and emotionally healthy. We hope you find it as valuable as we did. And with that, we'll jump right into our conversation with Janeen Martin.

This week, we are thrilled to welcome back Terryl Givens—one of our all-time favorite guests and collaborators and someone we always have a running list of topics for. This time, we're finally diving deep into the topic of agency and free will: it's something that has come up in many of our past conversations but never had its own dedicated discussion. Terryl's new book, Agency, is part of the Maxwell Institute's Doctrine & Covenants theological series, and it explores some of the most profound and challenging questions about what it truly means to have agency. For centuries, theologians and philosophers have debated whether free will truly exists or if what we call agency is merely an illusion— our choices predetermined by the unfolding of the universe, or so shaped by our biology and past that we don't have real choice. Terryl's work in this book finds that Mormonism has some compelling and unique insights on that central question, and explores some others: what role does community and authority play in expanding—or limiting—our agency? And how do we navigate the tension between obedience and authentic personal choice?In this conversation, we explore the dangers of turning scripture or prophets into idols, how our perception of God can sometimes become so skewed that it's actually a “false God,” and why Terryl doesn't believe that we'll ever be judged based on our beliefs alone. We also get into some fascinating intersections between agency, neuropsychology, philosophy, and even Darwinian evolution.This discussion left us with so much to think about, and we hope it does the same for you. So with that, let's dive in!

This week, we're 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 idea—it's 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 just around the corner. Whether or not that's the case, the exponential progress of AI is undeniable, and it's sparking some of the biggest questions of our time. If God can speak through the written word, could God speak through AI? How do we discern when it's a tool for growth versus a shortcut that stunts it? And if AI frees us from certain types of work, could it deepen our relationships and spirituality—or will it leave us searching for new sources of meaning? It's worth noting that many of the people most deeply concerned about AI's effects on humanity and society are those who were involved in creating it. In this episode, we'll talk about some of those concerns, but we'll mostly explore ways we can use it constructively. Carl brings a sharp and thought-provoking perspective to these questions. He challenges us to approach AI with both curiosity and caution—seeing how it can deepen connection or drive isolation, spark creativity or dull our own discernment. Rather than dismissing it as just a tool or blindly embracing it, Carl pushes us to wrestle with its real impact on our thinking, relationships, and spiritual growth.This is a conversation full of nuance, curiosity, and a lot of open-ended questions, and we hope it sparks new reflections for you. We'll have links in the show notes to tools we mention throughout the episode, so be sure to check those out. And with that, here's our conversation with Carl Youngblood.Chat GPTGoogle NotebookLMReadwiseChurch Newsroom: Guiding Principles for Use of AIElder Bednar on AI

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 worlds—explaining 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 isn't just a leap into the unknown, but a rational and maybe even necessary response to the world as we actually experience it.Zach and Ross also explore some of the major barriers that keep modern, intellectually serious people from embracing faith—things like the Copernican and Darwinian revolutions, which many see as having displaced humanity from the center of the universe. But Ross challenges these assumptions, showing how science, rather than disproving faith, could actually deepen the mystery of our existence in a way that makes belief more compelling than ever. And he points out something undeniable–– that even as religious affiliation in the West declines, people across all backgrounds continue to report profound, life-altering encounters with the divine. Ross suggests that these experiences, far from being irrational, may be one of the strongest indicators that something real is at work in the universe.This conversation was a fascinating mix of theology, philosophy, and cultural analysis, and we think Ross offers an important and thought-provoking perspective—one that invites both skeptics and believers to take faith seriously.And with that, let's jump into our conversation with Ross Douthat.

This week, we're 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 wasn't 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 story—how her family fled Iran after her mother's imprisonment for political activism, their conversion to Christianity after arriving in the United States, and how those experiences have fueled a passion for justice and mercy. Shima also shares insights from her current research, which examines the profound impact faith communities are having on those often forgotten by society. Whether it's through prison ministries, sitting beside strangers during bail hearings to bear witness and offer solidarity, or ward families welcoming and supporting formerly incarcerated individuals, she highlights how these simple, Christlike acts of radical mercy are breaking down barriers, healing hearts, and bringing light to some of the darkest corners of our world.Shima reminds us that living like Jesus will often take us to the margins—to uncomfortable, messy spaces where true transformation begins. And that it's in those spaces where both hearts and lives can be changed, including our own.