Faith Matters

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.

This week, we're so grateful to share a conversation with Justin Dyer, a professor of religion at BYU and a researcher who has spent years exploring the intersection of faith and mental health. Justin's most recent work focuses on perfectionism, especially within the church. He recently edited a special issue of BYU Studies Quarterly dedicated entirely to this subject, and you can find a link to it in our show notes.In this conversation, Justin shares some compelling research, including the striking finding that high levels of toxic perfectionism can triple the likelihood of leaving one's religion. He offers some profound insights into why this is the case and he talks about gospel principles that could help us replace unhealthy perfectionistic beliefs.One of Justin's most powerful insights is that our perceptions become a physiological reality. Stress responses not only shape how we think but also affect our ability to connect with others and feel the Spirit. This underscores the vital importance of creating church communities that are unconditionally loving, judgment-free spaces where people feel truly accepted. Justin highlights the critical difference between guilt and shame: guilt can guide us toward growth and change, while shame erodes our sense of worth and connection to God.Most importantly, Justin offers practical, hopeful steps for healing from perfectionism, embracing a view of self-worth firmly rooted in God's infinite love. He also shares a vision for how we can help our wards to become a place of healing and welcoming where everyone can feel like they belong.Justin's thoughtful research is a gift for anyone navigating these challenges or striving to build stronger, healthier relationships in faith communities. We're so excited to share this meaningful and hopeful conversation with you. And with that, let's dive in with Justin Dyer.Link to BYU Studies issue on perfectionism: https://byustudies.byu.edu/issue/63-4

This week, we're joined by Jana Spangler for a powerful and practical conversation about emotions—especially the ones we'll do just about anything to avoid feeling.Jana explains that emotions aren't our enemies; they're signals—messages from deep within us, rooted in ancient systems designed to guide and protect us. While emotions can feel overwhelming or even painful, learning to pay attention to them—rather than suppress or ignore them—helps us understand what's really going on and respond with greater clarity, wisdom, and connection.She breaks down what emotions actually are, how they begin in our bodies, and why listening to them is key to living a healthier, more wholehearted life. Jana shares practical tools for processing even the most uncomfortable emotions and teaches us how to build emotional resilience by sitting with discomfort instead of running from it. This practice, she explains, not only strengthens our ability to face life's challenges but also nourishes our relationships, our physical and mental well-being, and our communities, creating space for greater connection and healing.This episode is full of tools to help you navigate the hardest days and we hope it inspires you like it did us. With that, here's our conversation with Jana Spangler.

As we wrap up the year, we've got something a little different  in store for you today. We've invited Zach Davis, Bill Turnbull, and McKay Coppins on for a conversation about two Hollywood Films that are making waves. Zach is the executive director of Faith Matters, Bill is one of the founders, and you may remember Mckay from his previous episodes. He's a New York Times bestselling author and staff writer at the Atlantic. They're joining us today for a deep dive into two films-- Heretic, the dark thriller about two sister missionaries lured into a man's home by his feigned interest in their faith and become trapped in his sinister and malevolent plot -- and Conclave, which takes us into the heart of the Vatican during the election of a new pope. It's a gripping drama filled with politics, power, and ultimately, divine mystery.Both films explore profound questions about belief, choice, and the human longing for transcendence. In an era often skeptical of organized religion, these movies take faith seriously and, in their own ways, seem to reaffirm the relevance—and beauty—of spiritual truth.This was a rich and thought-provoking conversation, so whether you've seen these movies or not, the questions explored in this episode and the insights are going to spark deep, and valuable reflection.With that, let's jump into the discussion!

Today, as Christmas Eve settles around us, we invite you into a quiet meditation written by Tyler Johnson and published as the culmination of the advent series in the FM magazine, Wayfare, with music from the King's College Choir singing O Magnum Mysterium. This reflection draws us into the sacred reality of the Nativity—the laboring Mary, exhausted and tearful, the beauty born through pain. It reminds us that the Christ child did not come to erase suffering but to teach us how to live and love within it. So, in this moment of stillness before tomorrow's joy, we invite you to pause, breathe, and reflect on this Christmas truth: love enters our world through labor and struggle, bringing with it a deeper peace and lasting meaning.I also want to mention that you can go to the FM YouTube channel to see this meditation with beautiful nativity art by Brandon GonzalesFrom all of us at Faith Matters and Wayfare Magazine, we wish you a peaceful Christmas Eve. 

In the spirit of this Christmas season, we're so excited to share a beautiful reflection with you, written and read by Lori Forsyth, Managing Editor of the Faith Matters magazine, Wayfare. This piece is part of Wayfare's Advent series. If you've missed any parts of this series, you can still find them at  wayfaremagazine.org. You can also subscribe to the digital or print versions of Wayfare for access to the incredible essays, interviews, poetry, art and more.Advent is a time of reflection and anticipation, and Lori's words offer a powerful reminder that joy isn't about avoiding the hard things—it's about embracing the light that shines through them.We hope this brings you a moment of peace and stillness during this busy season, and we'd love to invite you back here on Christmas Eve for the culmination of the Advent series—a short and powerful meditation with music to close this sacred time.And now, here's Lori Forsyth reading Shining in Darkness.

This week, we're so excited to share our conversation with Dr. Janette H. Ok. She's an Associate Professor of New Testament at Fuller Seminary and an ordained pastor at Ekko Church in Anaheim, CA. She earned her MDiv and PhD from Princeton Theological Seminary and is passionate about empowering women—as leaders and preachers in their religious communities.This conversation is a rich exploration about why women's voices are essential in religious settings and how we can step into those opportunities with intention and authenticity. Janette shares her conviction that when women preach, they bring perspectives, depth, and strengths that can mature an entire congregation. And she explains that this work requires discernment. Stepping into leadership—whether you hold an official title or not—means listening for your unique calling, assessing the power you do have, and showing up faithfully, even, and maybe especially, when it feels uncomfortable.Our favorite part of this interview is that Janette offers some really practical steps for developing your voice and pulling up a seat to the table. This conversation lit us up—not just for the way it can help individuals find their voices but for the powerful reminder that communities grow when men and women lead together. We hope Janette's insights challenge, encourage, and empower you as much as they did for us. With that, here's our conversation with Dr. Janette Ok.

This week, we are so thrilled to bring you a conversation with Joseph Grenny. If you've ever read Crucial Conversations, Influencer, or Change Anything, then you already know the immense impact of Joseph's work. His books have sold millions of copies and become essential texts for building trust, improving relationships, and transforming the way we communicate in every area of life—from families to Fortune 500 companies.Joseph is more than an author. He's a social scientist, a business leader, and a force for good. He's co-founded organizations like VitalSmarts and The Other Side Academy, the latter of which has redefined what it means to help people rebuild lives after addiction and incarceration. Joseph's work is deeply practical and profoundly humane—it's about understanding the moments that shape us, the conversations that define us, and the courage it takes to truly connect with each other.In this episode, we explore how to navigate the most emotionally charged and high-stakes conversations—what Joseph calls "moments of disproportionate influence." He shares insights on why avoiding hard conversations only compounds harm, how to speak honestly without losing relationships, and the unexpected ways crucial conversations can lead to healing and deeper connection.Joseph even offers tools for the moments we dread most: when values clash, when trust has eroded, or when we're afraid our words will only make things worse. This conversation is full of wisdom, heart, and, yes, practical strategies you can use right away. Whether you're looking to strengthen a marriage, or navigate a family faith transition, or just get better at work relationships, this one's for you.We are so grateful Joseph joined us to share his hard-won insights, and we can't wait for you to hear this. And with that, here's our conversation with Joseph Grenny.

Today, we're excited to share our conversation with Dr. Rebecca Glazier, a Professor at the School of Public Affairs at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and author of the new book, Faith and Community: How Engagement Strengthens Members, Places of Worship, and Society. For over a decade, Rebecca has been researching how religious communities engage in their broader communities, and the findings are incredibly compelling.Rebecca's work offers a powerful perspective on how congregations can heal divisions—not just within their walls but across society. Her research shows that when faith communities serve together and engage in meaningful outreach, they create what she calls “congregational warmth,” fostering deeper connections, stronger faith, and even healthier, more united communities generally.In this conversation, we discuss why service with our congregations, outside of the four walls of our church can be transformative, why young people today are more eager than ever to engage in meaningful service, and how worship spaces can be vital places for bridging political divides. Rebecca also shared insights on how interfaith partnerships and sustained community engagement can do the deep work of depolarization and create lasting impact.Her insights feel particularly relevant and important right now, and they're also deeply hopeful. They show that small, consistent acts of service—especially when done together—can strengthen both our faith and our communities in profound ways.We absolutely loved this conversation and hope you come away from it as energized and inspired as we did. And with that, here's our conversation with Rebecca Glazier.https://tupress.temple.edu/study-guides/faith-and-community. 

This week, we're thrilled to share a conversation with Hannah Packard Crowther about her new book, Gracing, the latest release from Faith Matters Publishing. We love Hannah's profound wisdom, lyrical writing, and her invitation to reflect on grace in entirely new ways, the book also features stunning, original, artwork by J. Kirk Richards. Hannah asks—what if grace is not a gift we passively receive, but a dynamic process we actively engage in and co-create with God? Drawing from life's ordinary moments and its most difficult experiences, she demonstrates how grace can infuse our actions, relationships, and even our struggles with meaning and beauty. The title, Gracing, reflects this vibrant view of grace as a verb—alive, present, and always moving through our lives.In this conversation, Hannah shares profound insights into creativity, community, and resilience, especially through the lens of her experience living with chronic illness and a body that sometimes resists her plans. She opens up about how those experiences have deepened her understanding of grace and shaped a more compassionate way of being. We also explore her heartfelt call to rethink how we care for those on the margins of our faith communities, including gender and sexual minorities, and to discover creative, courageous ways to embody grace in all our relationships.This conversation is warm, vulnerable, and full of wisdom and we hope you enjoy it!

This week, we're thrilled to share a conversation with Lisa Olsen Tait and Scott Hales, two of the historians and general editors behind Saints, the Church's official history series. With the release of Volume 4 which covers the years of 1955 to 2020, this monumental task of recounting the Church's story from its founding to the present day is now complete.And in this candid discussion, Lisa and Scott reflect on the Church's evolving approach to its own history through the years. They both share a deep commitment to transparency and accuracy and discuss how this volume takes deliberate steps to address challenging topics—including the priesthood and temple ban, the Church's rapid global growth and subsequent correlation efforts of the 1960s, and how those changes shaped women's roles and autonomy within the community.They share powerful stories of ordinary members navigating these pivotal moments. From Black Latter-day Saints who held onto hope during the painful years before 1978 to those who quietly and actively worked for change, these stories offer a vision of discipleship that embraced courage, resilience, creativity, and deep faith—a model that feels especially relevant today.This conversation was a beautiful reminder that each of us is part of a rich, unfolding history—a history that connects us to generations of Saints who faced their own challenges and whose courage and faithfulness have blessed us today. We hope it inspires you to see your own place in this story. And with that, here's our conversation with Lisa and Scott.

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

Tyler Johnson is intimately familiar with suffering. He's an oncologist who has sat with countless people in some of the most difficult moments of their lives, and in the final moments before their deaths. He's been there as people have received life-changing news, and as they've grappled with their deepest questions: “What has my life meant? What should I prioritize if my time is limited? Have I given enough attention to what truly matters?”It's that perspective that Tyler brings to the project we brought him on to talk about: a new book, published by Deseret Book, called When Church is Hard. In addition to his work as an oncologist, Tyler has been a bishop who has worked with many who have found their experience at church, for any of a number of reasons, deeply hard. And in a way that we feel like he is uniquely qualified to do, Tyler has approached both of these situations with the type of response they both call for: listening, validation, empathy, and humbly-offered insight.In our conversation with him, we explored how doubt and uncertainty, rather than being a flaw or something to "fix," can be a natural part of faith that leads to deeper growth and integrity. We also explored the parallels between the existential questions his patients face and those that arise during faith crises —and how both might invite us to re-evaluate priorities in a way we couldn't otherwise. And finally, we looked at what belonging looks like, on both sides, when someone is sitting in pain and perplexity.For anyone who is feeling like this part of their faith journey is just hard, or has a loved one feeling this way, we really think this conversation is for you. Tyler's a deeply thoughtful and empathetic person, and we loved talking with him. 

We're excited to share something special with you. Today we're featuring an episode from the Proclaim Peace Podcast because we were so touched by this powerful conversation that feels especially meaningful right now—with an election right around the corner. In this episode, Patrick Mason, Jennifer Thomas, and their guest Thomas McConkie, explore how meaningful action doesn't come from this energy of frantic box-checking or a striving for perfection, but from a heart transformed by grace. Instead of trying to engineer a life of perfection to earn grace, grace comes first- it changes us from the inside—and the goodness that follows, flows naturally. As Thomas puts it, “It's a sequencing problem.” Reflecting on the story of Alma, they explore how prioritizing this spiritual inner work can help us align with love and find deep peace that can become both the fuel and the foundation of the meaningful work we do in the world. This conversation is full of insight and encouragement, and we're so excited for you to hear it. And with that, here's Proclaimed Peace with Jennifer Thomas, Patrick Mason, and Thomas McConkie.

This week, we're honored to welcome Arthur Brooks to the podcast. Arthur is a renowned social scientist, Harvard professor, and bestselling author, and we're excited to talk with him about his latest book, Build the Life You Want, which he co-authored with Oprah Winfrey.In our conversation, Arthur offers some profound insights on happiness, emphasizing that though genetics and circumstances influence our baseline, we have significant agency over our happiness. It's a skill we can practice and improve. He says that happiness isn't about avoiding suffering and he shares how negative emotions can actually serve as signals that help us grow.This episode is full of advice for creating a life of enjoyment, satisfaction, and meaning. and lots of practical tips for exactly what to do when you are feeling overwhelmed by negative feelings. We're so grateful to Arthur for joining us. We think you'll find his insights on happiness and purpose inspiring and practical. So with that, let's jump into our conversation with Arthur Brooks.

In today's episode, we're talking with Dr. Jennifer Thomas, co-authored with Gary Chapman of The 5 Apology Languages: The Secret to Healthy Relationships. Dr. Thomas's work builds on the framework of the 5 Love Languages and offers a profound new lens for how we give and receive apologies. If you've ever felt like you've said “I'm sorry” but it didn't quite land, or if you've been on the receiving end of an apology that didn't feel satisfying, this conversation is going to hit home.In this discussion Dr. Thomas talks about how often an apology can go unheard or feel insincere—not because you don't mean it, but because you're not speaking the other person's “apology language.”Just like love, apologies aren't one-size-fits-all. Her work work explores the psychology behind why some apologies fail to resonate, even when they seem heartfelt. Through extensive research, she and her co-author, Dr. Gary Chapman, identified five distinct “apology languages,” Each reflecting different emotional and cognitive needs that may need to be addressed for an apology to be effective. This episode is full of practical advice on how to express a heartfelt apology that truly communicates "I'm sorry" in a way that others can receive and feel. It will help you recognize what you need. These tools and insights will provide a powerful path restoring connection and healing relationships.We're so excited to share this conversation with you, and we hope it sparks some of the same deep insights it did for us. And with that, let's jump into our conversation with Dr. Jennifer Thomas.

This week, we're sharing a beautiful and timely conversation between Faith Matters' executive director Zach Davis and Andrew Hanauer, the founder and CEO of the One America Movement, an organization that helps faith leaders fight toxic polarization. In this conversation, Andrew and Zach discuss the causes behind the rise in polarization, the way political tribalism can become a false idol, and the imperative of truly following Jesus' call to “love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.” Andrew encourages us to see that our calling as disciples of Jesus is to follow his example and transform conflict through love.We hope you enjoy this episode and with that, we'll hand it over to Zach. 

For today's episode, we're bringing you another powerful moment from our Restore gathering. Eboo Patel joined us to explore a compelling and deeply hopeful vision for what it means to build a loving, spiritually rich community where different faiths come together to form the foundation of a stronger, more united whole. Eboo challenges us to live our faiths in ways that not only elevate ourselves but lift others, creating bonds that bridge divides and bring healing to our world.Eboo, an Ismaili Muslim, is the founder and president of Interfaith America, an organization dedicated to fostering cooperation across religious traditions.Drawing on decades of experience and inspired by President Russell M. Nelson's call for peacemaking, Eboo invites us to see how our diverse spiritual practices can serve as bridges, connecting us in powerful and meaningful ways. He shares that peacemaking is both a choice and a skill, requiring us to engage deeply and intentionally with one another.Using the beautiful metaphor of a potluck dinner, he reminds us: "Do not hide your light. Do not stop bringing your distinctive dish to the table. A potluck is a place where everyone's contributions matter." This episode is about how we can actively build relationships, cooperate across differences, and create something richer together than any of us could alone. Faith Matters intends to be more and more at the center of these kinds of interfaith collaborations. We hope this conversation inspires you to reflect on your own role in creating a compassionate, connected community. And with that, we'll pass it over to Eboo Patel at Restore.

We have decided to share with you  2-3 sessions from our recent Restore gathering to give you a taste of what took place during this amazing weekend. Last week we shared Joseph Grenny's incredible message. It was an instant classic. . Today, we're honored to bring you another really special moment from Restore. In a powerful, unflinching, and faithful presentation, our friend and community leader Neylan McBaine addressed an “elephant in the room” that so often goes unnamed: our experience with patriarchy in our faith communities. We think it's important to note that many members don't necessarily experience patriarchy as a big problem, but many do, so our hope is that what Neylan shares here can offer new understanding and illustrate the frustration and pain that many women, perhaps especially younger women, experience in our patriarchal church organization. In 2014, Neylan published her book Women at Church. In this address, she looks back at the decade since the book's release and explores the tension between the way many women experience Church and a deep commitment to our faith and community. It's an invitation to wrestle with complexity, to hold space for discomfort, and explore how we can do better in bringing womens gifts more fully into the body of Christ.We also want to mention that there is a part 2 of this conversation where Neylan is joined by therapist and podcaster Valerie Hamaker. Valerie offered insights into the empowering inner work of differentiation—how women can hold on to our spiritual authority while also staying engaged in the community we love. It's the practical application part of this session. That part two will be available as part of the digital access to Restore which you still can get digital tickets to at faithmatters.org/restore. As always, we encourage you to watch these episodes on the Faith Matters Youtube channel to get the full experience. Make sure to go to youtube and subscribe. We truly hope you find as much wisdom and inspiration in this conversation as we did. And with that, we'll hand it over to Neylan McBaine at Restore.

This week, we're going to share what we think was an “instant classic” from last week'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 many organizations, including The Other Side Academy, Drawing from his own experience with his own “messy” family, Joseph speaks openly about moments of despair, including the heartache of watching loved ones, 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 this conversation 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. We loved seeing many of you at Restore and wanted to give a little taste of it to those that weren't able to attend. So with that, we'll pass it over to Joseph Grenny.

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

This week, we're sitting down with our good friend Patrick Mason for a conversation that is as deeply challenging. Patrick recently returned from a transformative trip to Rwanda, where he was confronted with the enduring impact of the 1994 genocide. In our discussion, Patrick shares his reflections on witnessing both the unimaginable horrors of the past and the remarkable steps toward reconciliation and peace that are happening today.We also dive into the hard questions: Where is God in the midst of such suffering? How can communities possibly recover from such deep wounds? And how do we respond to scripture that seems to contradict our understanding of a loving God? Patrick draws on his experience as a peacebuilder, scholar, and a person of faith to address these issues, and we explore how the lessons from Rwanda resonate with us here and now in conflicts within our own communities.This conversation is a compelling reminder that each of us has the power to create real change in our own communities, and it urges us to confront the urgent need for peacebuilding in a world increasingly divided. Lastly, we're thrilled to share that Patrick will be speaking at the upcoming Restore conference along with his co-host for the Proclaim Peace Podcast, Jennifer Walker Thomas. You can get your tickets at faithmatters.org/restore to join us on September 5-7th. And with that, we'll jump right in. I also wanted to mention that Patrick wrote about his experience in Rwanda for the Faith Matters magazine, Wayfare. You can go to wayfaremagazine.org to subscribe. And with that we'll jump right in.

This week, we're thrilled to be joined by our friend, David Butler. You may know David from his incredible podcast, Don't Miss This, where he and Grace Freeman dive deeply into the scriptures with an infectious joy and thoughtful insights. We're so excited to have David here in the studio, and even more excited that he'll be joining us at Restore in just a few weeks.In this conversation, David helps us explore one of the biggest faith questions: what is the nature of God? So many of us have experienced moments of discomfort or confusion when encountering challenging or unsettling stories in scripture. David introduces us to what he calls "cross vision"—a way of reading scripture that filters everything through the lens of Jesus on the cross, which David sees as the ultimate expression of God's love and character. He uses this as a guiding principle, his "measuring stick," to interpret difficult or troubling passages. When a story seems to contradict the image of a loving, self-sacrificing God, David explains, with heartfelt vulnerability, how and why he feels empowered to question and wrestle with those narratives.He also opens up about the experiences that have shaped his faith and the ways that engaging with other religious traditions has opened his eyes to new dimensions of God's love and presence in the world. (By the way, David has a super fascinating course available on don'tmissthisstudy.com called Holy Envy that I highly recommend if this topic interests you!)Whether you're wrestling with tough questions about faith or looking for new ways to see God in our holy books, we think this episode will give you some powerful insights. If you want to see David Butler live this year at Restore, go to faithmatters.org/Restore for tickets. And with that, we'll jump right in. 

Today, we're thrilled to welcome Mallory Everton–a comedian, actor, and writer–and Diana Brown–the new Associate Director for Faith Matters, to the podcast. We're diving into a conversation that's often overlooked but so important—being single in the church. Diana and Mallory are launching a new podcast on the Faith Matters Podcast Network called The Soloists, where they'll be talking about singleness and relationships, and what it's like trying to form families in today's cultural and technological environment and we couldn't be more excited to celebrate it with them.In this episode, we explore why they've dedicated so much energy to this project. As they discuss, being single can be an isolating experience, especially in a culture that often views marriage as the ultimate milestone. Diana and Mallory share deeply personal stories about what it's like to navigate a church community where singleness sometimes feels like a problem to be solved rather than a valid and whole way of being, and season or situation of life that all of us, no matter our marital status, can authentically relate to in some way.They also challenge us to rethink our assumptions about singleness. They point out that being single isn't just a transitory state—it's a real and meaningful part of life for so many people; more than half of the adult members of the church, in fact, according to Elder Gong in '21. We discuss how important it is to move beyond the idea that marriage is the only path to fulfillment and how embracing singleness can lead to profound spiritual growth.Diana and Mallory bring a wealth of wisdom to this conversation, and their insights will resonate with anyone who's felt the pressure to fit into a specific life narrative. This episode is a powerful reminder that each of us is on a unique journey, and that there's deep value in every stage of life, whether single, married, or somewhere in between.Also, we are excited to be hosting Mallory and Diana at Restore this year! They'll be speaking about the unique spiritual gifts that singles bring to the body of Christ. Restore will be held September 5-7 at the Mt. America Expo Center in Sandy, Utah and this year for the first time, we'll also be offering a streaming option if you won't be able to attend in person and would like to purchase a ticket to attend virtually. You can buy your tickets at faithmatters.org/restore. We hope this conversation encourages you to see singleness—and all life paths—with fresh eyes. And with that, we'll jump right into our discussion with Diana and Mallory.

This week, we're thrilled to welcome back Dr. Jennifer Finlayson-Fife, a renowned therapist specializing in relationship and sexuality counseling within the Latter-day Saint community. We're super excited that Jennifer has a new book coming out this year that Faith Matters is publishing, and she'll also be joining us in person soon for Restore.In our conversation, we explore some of the early themes from Jennifer's book, including the shift many couples experience from passion to duty in marriage. Jennifer shares some powerful stories and experiences based on what she's seen in her work with couples, including how common cultural narratives among religious people can diminish what Jennifer calls the "magnetic energy of Eros" in relationships.We dive into the concept of Eros as a divine longing for deeper connection, not just sexual, but spiritual and personal. This Eros energy, for Jennifer is the the energy of adventure, attraction, agency, and feeling fully alive. To rekindle that Eros energy in lives and relationships, Jennifer emphasizes the importance of honest communication, vulnerability, and personal integrity. She offers profound insights on how to face our fears and embrace the uncertainties of life and love.This conversation is packed with practical advice and fresh perspectives that can help anyone deepen their relationships and personal growth. We're incredibly grateful for Jennifer's wisdom and are really looking forward to her book's release. Now, let's jump into our conversation with Dr. Jennifer Finlayson-Fife.

This week, we are re-releasing a conversation with Pete Davis. In 2018, Pete Davis was graduating from Harvard Law School and was chosen to give a commencement address that ended up going unexpectedly viral, having now been viewed over 30 million times.The thesis of Pete's speech was that our culture has entered what he calls “infinite browsing mode”—with so many options to choose from, and devices that present those options to us literally endlessly—we can become paralyzed by choice and inadvertently live out our lives without ever dedicating ourselves to something. And this lack of choosing and committing over the long haul has real consequences, Pete argues — it prevents us from finding the meaning and impact that we're longing for.Pete's ideas eventually crystallized into a really incredible book—Dedicated—which explores these ideas in depth. We loved this book and found it to be so relevant to conversations we seem to always be having. In this conversation, we were able to talk with Pete about many of the reasons we might fear committing to something, including the fear of missing out, the fear of regret, and the fear of association with something with which our values aren't totally aligned. But, Pete argues, commitment in the face of those fears is what leads us to long-term purpose and impact, real community, and connection with something truly transcendent.We can't emphasize enough how important and relevant we found this book, and how infectious we found Pete's enthusiasm for these deeply resonant ideas. We hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as we did. And, we have exciting news to share– Pete Davis will be coming to Utah as one of our featured speakers at Restore! So go to faithmatters/org/restore for tickets and we'll see you on September 5-7 at Mountain America Expo in Sandy, Utah. 

Today, we're sharing a beautiful conversation between writer and thinker Elizabeth Oldfield and Zachary Davis. Elizabeth is the author of Fully Alive: Tending to the Soul in Turbulent Times and host of the podcast, “Sacred”. Elizabeth grew up in a faintly Christian home that rarely if ever spoke of God; But as a young teen she had a powerful and unmistakable answer to prayer that made her a believer. She then turned to the Bible to learn more about her newfound christian faith and was blindsided by ideas in the text that she found troubling. So in this conversation, Elizabeth talks about her complex faith-  how she learned to lean into the messy paradoxes of life since then. She explores the concept of sin and the 7 deadly sins. She asks, what can envy teach us about having a stable sense of self especially in this age of social media? And isn't acedia or sloth, the 8th deadly sin, really about attention? How can we continually recall our attention to the things we hope will shape our souls?She points out that at the end of the day, the 7 deadly sins aren't a legalistic list of ways to be in debt to go, but a loving guide for how to be in right relationship with the people around us, and should always be inseparably connected to ideas like compassion, forgiveness, and restoration.We hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as we did. And, we have exciting news to share– Elizabeth Oldfied will be coming to Utah as one of our featured speakers at Restore! So go to faithmatters/org/restore for tickets and we'll see you on September 5-7 at Mountain America Expo in Sandy, Utah. And with that, we'll jump right in. 

This week, we're bringing you a special episode with Brian Mclaren on his new book, Life after Doom: Wisdom and Courage for a World Falling Apart. Though we recorded this conversation weeks ago, it feels especially timely now in light of the horrific violence we witnessed this last weekend in the attempt on former President Trump's life, the deadly heat waves and hurricanes happening across the world, and so much else.  This book is an empowering call to action and an invitation to do the kind of inner work that makes us brave in the face of real fear and uncertainty. Brian asks, "What if it doesn't turn out? How will we face the future if things get worse instead of better?" He offers gentle encouragement to reach deeper into ourselves and find a stronger, more resilient type of hope: the kind that, as Václav Havel said, “is not the certainty that things will turn out as we wish, [but] is the conviction that some things are worth doing, no matter how they turn out.”Brian's insights challenged us to rethink our understanding of end-times, to explore what is worth doing no matter what, and to see the concept of chosenness not as a privilege for a select few, but as a call to loving service for all. For those of you who have heard Brian before, you already know you're in for a treat. For those who haven't, Brian is a former pastor turned author and public theologian. He's a truly special teacher and someone who's affected the way we live in lasting ways. He seems to see the world and everything in it through the eyes of a "mystic"—in its real interconnectedness and deep spiritual beauty. We're incredibly grateful he came back on the show, and you can find out more about Brian on his website at brianmclaren.net.We think this episode offers real wisdom and a fresh perspective on how we can navigate these challenging times with faith, hope, and love. And with that, we'll jump right into our conversation with Brian McLaren.

Today, we're resharing an interview we loved with Astrid Tuminez, who we're excited to be hosting as a speaker at Restore this year. Astrid is the President of Utah Valley University and an absolute delight to talk with and listen to. She's full of stories, humor, and deep insights that made our time with her pass way too quickly.This interview actually came about because Astrid wrote an essay in Melissa Inouye and Kate Holbrook's new book Every Needful Thing. We loved Astrid's essay and knew we wanted to get to know her better.Astrid has an absolutely fascinating and unique story. She grew up in the slums of the Philippines, but along with her siblings, was discovered to have an exceedingly bright intellect and was offered a free place at one of the most prestigious and expensive Catholic schools in the area. As a child, she was, religiously, a Catholic, but felt that she was always brimming with questions that were being hushed. When she eventually met the Latter-day Saint missionaries, it was a different experience — they gave her a new framework to think about the world, and weren't afraid to at least try to answer her questions.Astrid's pursuit of education eventually took her to the United States, where she graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor's degree in international relations and Russian literature from Brigham Young University. She later earned a master's degree from Harvard University in Soviet Studies and a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in political science. Before becoming President of UVU, Astrid spent many years in leadership in the corporate, non-profit, and academic worlds.What we maybe loved most about Astrid was that her unique perspectives make the world of faith and intellect seem expansive, exciting, and adventurous — even full of mystery. She's found spiritual insight and even practice well outside of Mormonism while simultaneously keeping that “fixed foot,” in the Restored Gospel. In a real way, she's living Joseph Smith's injunction to “receive truth, let it come from whence it may.”We want to send Astrid a huge thanks for coming on the show, and we really think you're going to love this one. And with that, we'll jump right in.

Today, we're thrilled to welcome therapist and podcaster Valerie Hamaker.In his book Falling Upward, Franciscan priest Richard Rohr uses the metaphor of a container to elaborate on what he calls “the two halves of life.” The first half of life, he says, is for building the structure of the container; the second is for filling it and sharing from it. This concept has been foundational for us in our faith journey over the last 10 years, and today with Valerie, we delved into how everyone's faith evolves over time, the necessity of structure and identity in early faith development, and the importance of embracing complexity, depth, and paradox as we grow.One of the tricky parts about faith evolution is that not everyone's faith evolves in the same way; and because so many of us have built our lives on or around our faith, it can be hard when we see loved ones' and family members' beliefs diverge significantly from our own, in any direction. This is a real area of expertise for Valerie in her own practice, and we found her insights on managing complex relationships and spiritual growth super helpful—she helped us see that genuine curiosity can be crucial in navigating complex conversations around beliefs, and explained why we can, and should, let go of any belief that engenders fear. Valerie is a licensed therapist specializing in marriage and couples work. She owns a private counseling practice in Kansas City, Missouri, and is the host of the Latter Day Struggles Podcast, where she helps Latter-Day Saints understand and navigate their spiritual growth.This conversation is packed with practical advice for anyone experiencing or supporting others through faith transitions. We hope you find Valerie's insights as enlightening and encouraging as we did. And with that, we'll jump right into this conversation with Valerie Hamaker.Note: the research Valerie refers to in this interview was done by Liz Macdonald.

This is part two of our conversation with Michael Wilcox, and if you haven't heard part one yet, it helps set up some important context for this episode. This is really not an interview so much as a story Michael tells: the story of his father, who navigated life in the mid-20th century as a gay man and a Latter-day Saint.This story delves into the messy and painful predicaments his family faced, when reality failed to fit the predictable ideal. It also offers a glimpse into the experience of an LGBTQ member of the church several decades ago, before we became accustomed to talking about it as a community. And we want to emphasize that we're not sharing this story because of its outcome, and in fact, quite the opposite: we found in this story the beautiful insight that we can release ourselves completely from judging others and love without an agenda—and it's the relationships free of judgment and agendas that become celestial in and of themselves.We want to thank Michael for being incredibly honest and vulnerable here, and for coming on to share so generously with us again.