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What if early Christianity was far more mystical, diverse, and spiritually empowering than we've been taught?In this profound conversation, Megan Farner sits down with historian, theologian, and mystic Maxine Hanks to explore the hidden streams of early Christianity, Gnosticism, Sophia wisdom traditions, Mary Magdalene, the divine feminine, and the teachings of the resurrected Christ. Together they discuss the Nag Hammadi texts, the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Mary, Valentinian Christianity, and the idea of gnosis as direct experiential knowledge of God.00:00 – Community updates & retreat 02:20 – Introducing Maxine Hanks 05:52 – Maxine's spiritual journey 10:09 – Mysticism vs. institutional religion 12:04 – What is Gnosticism? 14:09 – Early Christianity after Jesus 16:10 – The teachings of the resurrected Christ 19:27 – The Gospel of Thomas 23:02 – Jesus, women & the disciples 26:13 – Different early Christian movements 27:40 – The Council of Nicaea 29:44 – The Nag Hammadi discovery 33:00 – Mary Magdalene's role 36:25 – Core Gnostic beliefs 40:29 – Megan's rediscovery of Gnosticism 44:00 – Reading scripture mystically 48:51 – The Pleroma & divine fullness 50:15 – The inner church vs. outer church 53:00 – Recommended books & texts 55:21 – The Hymn of the Pearl 58:43 – Reconciling Christian traditions 01:00:18 – Why Gnostic teachings were suppressed 01:02:43 – Direct connection to God 01:05:37 – Ritual, sacraments & transformation 01:09:11 – Archons, archetypes & discernment 01:13:26 – Sophia & divine wisdom 01:18:24 – The Gnostic resurrection 01:20:39 – Symbols, rituals & spiritual maturityMaxine Hanks is a historian and theologian specializing in gender in religion, Mormon studies, Christian liturgy, mysticism, and feminist theology. She is the editor of Women and Authority: Re-emerging Mormon Feminism and has spent decades studying early Christianity, Gnostic traditions, sacramental theology, and the divine feminine.Books, texts, and Scholars Referenced:Women and Authority: Re-emerging Mormon Feminism — Maxine Hanks The Wisdom Jesus — Cynthia Bourgeault The Meaning of Mary Magdalene — Cynthia Bourgeault The Jesus Dynasty — James Tabor Gospels of Thomas, Philip, Mary, Judas, the Savior Pistis Sophia Apocryphons of James and John Acts of Thomas The Hymn of the Pearl Thunder Perfect Mind Karen King Elaine Pagels Carl Jung Philo of Alexandria Valentinus If you're ready to move from understanding into lived experience, join me for Parting the Veil Women's Retreat this June near Paragonah. Hidden Wisdom initiates truth-seekers into the Mysteries, guiding listeners toward a lived experience of the Divine that awakens and transforms faith—without dismantling family or community. Pursue your Journey: ✨ Hidden Wisdom App – Join for FREE and enjoy pathway programs, community, expansive library, and more!
Celene Anderson joins Greg to talk about recent, salacious posts made by the Mormon Feminist Group, Exponent II. She draws the large distinction between the 19th century Mormon Women's paper, Exponent, and the current posts and publishing of today's radical feminist organization. Why 19th-century LDS women sounded nothing like today's activist script. The uncomfortable history modern Mormon feminism doesn't want to touch. Why the nation didn't know what to do with Mormon women who could vote. Celen's YouTube Channel - • The Controversial Mormon Polygamy Scriptur... Cwic Media Website: http://www.cwicmedia.com
"I'm a feminist theologian who was excommunicated and I'd been a Gnostic Christian for 15 years. I didn't know where to start. We let Christ, the living bridge be the bridge between us. We didn't presume to come from our own perspectives. You know, I was saying things like. "Well, you know, I was excommunicated. Do we need to go back and revisit all of that?" And they said, "No, no. All we care about is your relationship with Christ. Tell us about your faith and your relationship with Christ and with God." And so I did and we just turned it over to God and prayed and then it was beautiful. This is what's hard for a lot of my friends and a lot of feminists to understand. Like, was I recapitulating? Was I surrendering? Was I giving up my feminism? No. They never asked me to recant or give up anything. We were exploring a new relationship between feminists and church leaders. I saw them as my brothers. They were like pillars. They were so loving and so kind, and it was just utterly healing." 00:00 Excommunicated over Women's Studies04:39 Maxine's Historical and Theological Journey15:00 Excommunication and Its Impact20:26 Exploring Other Faiths and Gnostic Christianity32:10 Divine Feminine in LDS Doctrine35:03 Returning to the Church38:09 Feminism and Healing46:58 Experiencing the Body of ChristLatter day MatchMaker Serve Clothing code COMEBACK for 15% offhttps://serveclothing.com/memor jewelry - 10% Discount code: COMEBACKhttps://memorjewelry.com/Serve Clothing code COMEBACK for 15% offhttps://serveclothing.com/If you have a story to share please contact ashly.comebackpodcast@gmail.comFor inquiries contact info.comebackpodcast@gmail.comCome Back Team:Director, Founder, & Host: Ashly StoneEditor: Cara ReedOutreach Manager: Jenna CarlsonAssistant Editor: Michelle BergerAssistant Editor: Britt SmallzeArt Director: Jeremy GarciaProduction Director: Trent Wardwell
In Her Image: Finding Heavenly Mother in Scripture, Scholarship, the Arts, & Everyday Life
In this episode of In Her Image, we are honored to host Maxine Hanks, a renowned historian and theologian whose work focuses on women, gender, and the sacred feminine in Mormon and Christian traditions. Maxine shares her fascinating journey, including her excommunication as one of the September Six in 1993, her 15 years of ministry and interfaith chaplaincy, and her return to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 2012. We discuss the impact of her groundbreaking book, Women and Authority: Re-emerging Mormon Feminism, first published in 1992. Maxine reflects on her mission to recover the feminist history and theology of the Latter-day Saint tradition, creating a vital resource for those seeking to explore women's roles in the Restoration. She also announces the upcoming reprint of the book in 2025, providing greater access to this transformative work. Maxine's insight into the importance of formal, informal, and personal authority offers a roadmap for integrating women's history and theology more fully into the church today. Maxine shares her perspective on collective vs. personal revelation, and what to do when personal revelation differs from general revelation. She emphasizes maintaining personal convictions while building bridges in love and compassion.
This video explores the rich history and ongoing journey of Mormon feminism through the lens of Exponent II. Katie Ludlow Rich and Heather Sundahl share their personal stories, including feminist awakenings, experiences with the Church, and their work preserving women's voices in Mormon history. Topics include women's roles in the Church, the suppression of women's spiritual practices, mixed-faith marriages, and the impact of feminist movements like Ordain Women. Dive into the influence of Exponent II, the challenges faced by Mormon feminists, and the resilience of women seeking to redefine their roles in faith and community. Show Notes YouTube Mormon Stories Thanks Our Generous Donors! Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today: One-time or recurring donation through Donorbox Support us on Patreon PayPal Venmo Our Platforms: YouTube Patreon Spotify Apple Podcasts Contact us:MormonStories@gmail.comPO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117 Social Media: Insta: @mormstories TikTok: @mormonstoriespodcast Join the Discord
Amy is joined by Heather Sundahl & Katie Ludlow Rich of the Exponent II to discuss their book 50 Years of Exponent II, explore the history of this essential publication, and celebrate the history and future of Mormon feminism.Heather Sundahl believes in the power of stories. In the pursuit of this, she has volunteered with Exponent II for twenty-eight years. As a writer and editor, Heather works to amplify the voices of marginalized folks and has collected the oral histories of Batswana, South African, Native American, and queer Mormon women. She received an MA in English from BYU in 1994 and an MA in Marriage & Family Therapy from UVU in 2023. Heather currently works at a residential treatment center where she helps her teenage clients find narratives that promote growth and healing. She lives in Orem, Utah.Katie Ludlow Rich is a writer and independent scholar of Mormon women's history. Her work focuses on centering women's voices and their agentive decisions even when functioning within a patriarchal tradition. She has a bachelor's in history and a master's in English, both from Brigham Young University. Her writing has appeared in Exponent II, Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, The Journal of Mormon History, and The Salt Lake Tribune. She lives in Saratoga Springs, Utah.
Amy is joined by author Celeste Davis to discuss the long history of Mormon feminism, how women's stories have been erased and hidden, and what hope remains for an egalitarian future in the LDS Church.Celeste Davis is the writer behind the popular Substack 'non-spiritual non-direction'. She is a certified spiritual director through the Chaplaincy Institute, specializing in LDS faith transitions. She lives in Spokane, Washington with her husband and four kids.
**Unladies' Room Patreon preview**With Real Housewives of Salt Lake City having a pop cultural moment, it's the perfect time for a reality check on women, gender and Mormonism. Listen to Cristen's uncut 2018 interview with Kate Kelly, who sent shockwaves through the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) when she dared to ask why women aren't allowed into the Mormon priesthood. Originally featured in Unladylike episode 8: How to Be a Mormon Feminist.To hear the full, ad-free episode, join the Patreon - and THANK YOU!! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
**Unladies' Room Patreon preview** With Real Housewives of Salt Lake City having a pop cultural moment, it's the perfect time for a reality check on women, gender and Mormonism. Listen to Cristen's uncut 2018 interview with Kate Kelly, who sent shockwaves through the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) when she dared to ask why women aren't allowed into the Mormon priesthood. Originally featured in Unladylike episode 8: How to Be a Mormon Feminist. To hear the full, ad-free episode, join the Patreon - and THANK YOU!! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In Her Image: Finding Heavenly Mother in Scripture, Scholarship, the Arts, & Everyday Life
Amber is a facilitator, writer, and performance artist who uses story to design conversations and experiences for women seeking refuge and healing from wounding created inside patriarchal religion. We discuss her calling (as I see it) as a leader in the current wave of Mormon Feminism, seeking Heavenly Mother and expanding the feminine path inside and outside of Mormonism. Kate comes back as a guest-host to interview and discuss the archetypal story of Vasalisa the Wise and what we can learn from her path and apprenticeship under Baba Yaga in this Russian folk tale. These and other stories can be found in the book Women Who Run with the Wolves by Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes I think you'll enjoy it! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/inherimage/support
"I had been serving in a private chapel for 13 years and when I came back into the ward and sat there and felt the Spirit of the body of Christ in that ward I just started sobbing, I couldn't stop crying. It felt like I was immersed in an ocean of love and light because the body of Christ is so alive in Mormonism and in sacrament meeting."
Amy: Welcome to Breaking Down Patriarchy! I'm Amy McPhie Allebest. If you are a listener who loved our episode on The Gospel of Mary Magdalene or Mary, Mother of God, then you will love the texts we are discussing today: WomanSpirit Rising: A Feminist Reader in Religion, and Weaving the Visions:New Patterns in Feminist Spirituality, both edited by Carol P. Christ and Judith Plaskow. These books contain essays that were written in the 70's 80's and early 90's, and they reflect a movement within feminism that was grappling with the patriarchal aspects of religion, and rather than rejecting religion altogether as so many feminists were doing at the time, these authors were working to retain the spiritual, the mystical, and the ritual parts of religion while still confronting and challenging patriarchy. As an introduction I'm going to read just a couple of sentences from the 1992 version of WomanSpirit Rising. It says that some feminists... “are convinced that religion is profoundly important. For them, the discovery that religions teach the inferiority of women is experienced as a betrayal of deeply felt spiritual and ritual experience. They believe the history of sexism in religions shows how deeply sexism has permeated the human psyche but does not invalidate human need for ritual, symbol and myth. While differing on many issues, the contributors to this volume agree that religion is deeply meaningful in human life and that the traditional religions of the West have betrayed women. They are convinced that religion must be reformed or reconstructed to support the full human dignity of women.” And no one better to discuss this issue with than the magnificent Maxine Hanks! Welcome back, Maxine. [Hi Amy -- thanks for inviting me to read this book with you, it holds a lot of meaning for me personally. This project has already been so enriched by your wisdom and experience! You're an expert on many Women's Studies texts, but my understanding is that in the tradition of the Gospel of Mary Magdalene and the Letters on the Equality of the Sexes by Sarah Grimke, you are a person of faith and most at home in feminist theology. Is that right? Maxine: Yes, I'm a feminist theologian and historian, focused on women's studies and women's history in religious culture, mainly in LDS/Mormon culture and in Christianty. My spiritual path, personal faith journey and my scholarly path, scholarly work are very intertwined. My work on recovering feminism in Mormon history and culture overlapped with my own personal work to find feminist voice in Mormon culture, and my own path through feminist theology, clergy formation and ministry overlapped with my scholarly work on feminist theology in Christian tradtion and LDS tradition. So as I found my way in life and work as a feminist, I found my way as scholar in feminist work, the two were interdependant. I'm a deeply spiritual person, I rely on my relationship with god for decisions about both my life and professional path. I'm a minister, chaplain, and theologian, historian, and I see spirituality as one lens, one approach, one hermeneutic method among others, so my work brings spirituality and scholarship together. I think it requires multiple approaches, interdisciplinary work to adequately assess the situation of women in religion -- gender studies training, historical method, and theological/religious studies, so I trained, took degrees in all three to use in my work. Amy: If you're comfortable, I'd be grateful if you could talk about your own journey as a feminist theologian, including your book, Women and Authority: Re-emerging Mormon Feminism, and the ensuing events after the publication of that book. Maxine: Sure, the main thing to mention about my work, my book and WSR, is that they parallel each other, taking a very similar approach, and with similar results, but ten years apart. WSR came in...
Amy McPhie Allebest is a lifelong member of the Church, a returned missionary, a temple-married wife and mother of four, and a graduate student at Stanford University. Last month, her article "Dear Mormon Man..." went viral and caught Mormon Stories' attention as a unique voice in Mormon Feminism. In this episode, we discuss Amy's trajectory from her unquestioningly trusting childhood through her tumultuous, prolonged faith transition, brought on by the problematic language of the temple and a deep dive into Church History, to her current commitment to remain active in the Church despite her rejection of Patriarchy. Check out more of Amy's writing in this month's Exponent II, and on http://mormondom.com, a publication on Medium.com.
Amy McPhie Allebest is a lifelong member of the Church, a returned missionary, a temple-married wife and mother of four, and a graduate student at Stanford University. Last month, her article "Dear Mormon Man..." went viral and caught Mormon Stories' attention as a unique voice in Mormon Feminism. In this episode, we discuss Amy's trajectory from her unquestioningly trusting childhood through her tumultuous, prolonged faith transition, brought on by the problematic language of the temple and a deep dive into Church History, to her current commitment to remain active in the Church despite her rejection of Patriarchy. Check out more of Amy's writing in this month's Exponent II, and on http://mormondom.com, a publication on Medium.com.
Guest host Suzette Smith sits down today to interview Rachel Hunt Steenblik about Heavenly Mother, The LDS Gospel Topics Essay on Mother in Heaven, and Mormon Feminism in general. This is a great discussion that embraces that Mormonism has so much potential to expand in various directions including conversation of the feminine divine. https://www.lds.org/topics/mother-in-heaven?lang=eng http://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Mother_in_Heaven […] The post 216: Heavenly Mother appeared first on Mormon Discussion by Bill Reel.
Stephanie Lauritzen, Lisa Butterworth, Hannah Wheelwright, Lindsay Park, Emily Curtis, Derek Staffanson, Melissa Mayhew, Alice Roberts and Nikki Matthews talk about Pants Day on August 2, 2013. [powerpress]
Stephanie Lauritzen, Lisa Butterworth, Hannah Wheelwright, Lindsay Park, Emily Curtis, Derek Staffanson, Melissa Mayhew, Alice Roberts and Nikki Matthews talk about Pants Day on August 2, 2013. [powerpress]
I recently had the privilege of hearing one of the most concise, respectful, and thoughtful explanations and approaches to Mormon Feminism through this brilliant podcast by our friends at the Feminist Mormon Housewives Podcast. If you are new to the concept of feminism, and particularly how feminism fits into an LDS perspective, please enjoy this wonderful discussion between Lindsay Hansen Park, Danielle, Meredith, and Amanda. And please make sure you visit the podcast website and subscribe to enjoy their growing library of content.
In this four-part interview we speak with BYU professor and critic of Mormon liberalism Dr. Ralph Hancock.
Mormon Feminism, Women, and Claudia Bushman Part 2
Mormon Feminism, Women, and Claudia Bushman Part 1
Margaret Merrill Toscano is one of the most prominent and controversial feminists in the LDS church. In this episode Margaret discusses her journey into both Mormon Studies and Mormon Feminism.
Margaret Merrill Toscano is one of the most prominent and controversial feminists in the LDS church. In this episode Margaret discusses her journey into both Mormon Studies and Mormon Feminism.
Margaret Merrill Toscano is one of the most prominent and controversial feminists in the LDS church. In this episode Margaret discusses her journey into both Mormon Studies and Mormon Feminism.
Mormon Feminism, Women, and Claudia Bushman Part 1
Mormon Feminism, Women, and Claudia Bushman Part 2