This episode explores how Lincoln synthesizes his Mormon Christianity and transhumanism. He talks about the body of Christ and the atonement.  He helps us understand our responsibility to become one in the body of Christ.

Lincoln Cannon serves as the President of the Mormon Transhumanist Association. In this episode he really explores the essence of transhumanism and how it has shaped his deep faith in Mormonism.  He explains how he sees Joseph Smith as a transhumanist and addresses our Mormon transhumanist doctrines.

 

Lincoln Cannon serves as the President of the Mormon Transhumanist Association, an internationl nonprofit that has become the world's largest advocacy network for the ethical use of technology and religion to improve the vitality of our world.  In this episode he speaks about his personal history, how tragedy shaped his perspectives on God and Faith, and how he came to be passionate about Mormon transhumanism. 

Church Talks from the ATF Podcast community

In Part two of this interview James Ott, the director of Red Willow Couseling & Recovery, talks about different types of addiction within the context of Mormonism. He discusses the biology of addiction and the different issues that loved ones and addicts face together.  He talks about healthy approaches to addiction and also the spiritual aspects of recovery. In this episode he also addresses the role the church plays in the addict's life and makes suggestions for improvements.

James Ott, the director of Red Willow Couseling & Recovery, explores addiction in the LDS community. This topic is often ignored but James suggests the urgent importance of this discussion. He addresses the history of the Word of Wisdom in Mormonism and how it has impacted LDS culture. He defines addiction and talks about how we can establish healthy boundries with the addicts in our lives. 

The recognition of adult singles in the LDS Church is usually a footnote buried in the dominate family rhetoric of Mormon culture, and yet it is estimated that 30% of Mormons are single.  Julie Lefgren has never married is a life-long, active Mormon and is now in her mid-40s.  Currently an adjunct professor of Chinese at BYU her life paths have wandered the globe, explored other cultures, focused on learning Mandarin and works hard on developing and maintaining deep friendships with those she meets.  In the winter , when not teaching, you will find her searching for a powder shot on the Utah ski slopes and in the off-season traveling, fishing and generally being outdoors.  But many of her life choices have revolved around assisting in the parenting of her 21 nieces and nephews.  

A lifetime of never marrying, not having children and yet staying active in the family-centric Mormon Church can be distressing. In our discussion Julie  addresses with candor the pain of that path, but also how to achieve happiness and peace too.  With Julie we look in depth at this interesting, and yet often invisible space of Mormon single adults.

The recognition of adult singles in the LDS Church is usually a footnote buried in the dominate family rhetoric of Mormon culture, and yet it is estimated that 30% of Mormons are single.  Julie Lefgren has never married is a life-long, active Mormon and is now in her mid-40s.  Currently an adjunct professor of Chinese at BYU her life paths have wandered the globe, explored other cultures, focused on learning Mandarin and works hard on developing and maintaining deep friendships with those she meets.  In the winter , when not teaching, you will find her searching for a powder shot on the UT ski slopes and in the off-season traveling, fishing and generally being outdoors.  But many of her life choices have revolved around assisting in the parenting of her 21 nieces and nephews.  

A lifetime of never marrying, not having children and yet staying active in the family-centric Mormon Church can be distressing. In our discussion Julie  addresses with candor the pain of that path, but also how to achieve happiness and peace too.  With Julie we look in depth at this interesting, and yet often invisible space space of Mormon single adults.

Kirsty Money has given up a lot in order to speak with her own authenticity.  Naturally quietly spoken and by preference, not in the lime light, Kristy reflects on the mechanisms both private and public, domestic and religious  that have sought to cause her shame and silence her.  She reflects on the spiritual and cultural tensions that cause her to simultaneously recoil from the shame of her outspokeness and embrace the spiritual transcdence that comes from living with authenticity.

A faith crisis within a marriage can be devastating and painful particularly when only one of a couple begins to question their attachment to the religion that bought them together.  Gina Colvin and her husband Nathan McCluskey discuss their experience over the last eight years.

Lindsay discusses her motivation for and her journey as a public historian into the waters of Mormon polygamy.

A chat with feminist Mormon non-Mormon LGBQT activist, Sara Burlingame.

Discussions and readings about the life of, and from the work of Eugene England.

Kirk and Lindsay van Allen discuss their repudiation of Mormon polygamy and Doctrine and Covenants Section 132.

Its not often that Mormon couples with similar progressive political dispositions get hitched.  Kristy Money and Rolf Staubhaar are one very fortunate couple.  To find each other in a faith tradition that has embraced a more conservative cultural bent is rather miraculous, but not really unexpected, in a broader social world that is asking hard questions of social institutions.  With Kristy -a  feminist activist, and Rolf -  an advocate and an academic interested in  social activism their relationship is indicative of a new wave of educated Mormon.   Less inclined to feel bound by the ideological expectations of Mormonism, and unwilling to  sit quietly in their dissidence they have determined that the Mormonism of the future can and ought to be more critically conscious andinnovative - where our community direction is owned more by the people than an invisible leadership.  They are as passionate about their faith as they are about their ideas and philosophy - and are aching to be able to bring their whole selves into their religious experience without fear or judgement.   In so many ways they are a quintessential young Mormon couple, fresh out of graduate school with young children, but full of ideas and dreams for a more expansive and inclusive vision of  the faith that has their devotion.

Gina Colvin interview Bob Rees, former Dialogue editor, poet, author, essayist and blogger.

Gina Colvin interviews Bob Rees, former editor of Dialogue, author, poet, essayist, blogger.

Gina Colvin interviews Bob Rees, former editor of Dialogue:  A Journal of Mormon thought, author, poet, essayist and blogger.  

The second part of my discussion with Mormon feminist women of colour, Bryndis Roberts and Jennifer Gonzalez.

So often the conversation in the Mormon moment is dominated by white  men and women who are both dominant numerically in the church, but have also claimed the space at the heart of contemporary LDS cultural debates.

In this episode I discuss the dilemmas facing women of colour in Mormonism with Bryndis Roberts and Jennifer Gonzalez.  Both are busy women both in the church and in their legal professions.  Bryndis is a relatively new member of the church who lives in Atlanta, Georgia and serves as a Relief Society President.  Jennifer Gonzalez works in immigration law and has served most recently in the Young Women organization.  

Both women are active participants in the 'Feminist Mormon Women of Color' - FEMWOC group.  Bryndis is on the Executive Board of Ordain Women.

 

In January of 2014, former New Zealand Bishop, Ganesh Cherian posted a heart-wrenching blog at KiwiMormon called 'A Former Bishop's Doctrinal Dilemmas'.  This was on the heals of the first of the series of LDS.org
 essays and was his response and in many ways his 'coming out' as a formerly orthodox Mormon turned 'doubter'.  In this interview we discuss the origins of his faith transition which began with his realization that US culture has a great deal to do with the current state of the LDS church, for good and bad.  We talk about his life in the LDS faith, his experience as a bishop, we discuss his concerns about the church and where he would like to see the church go and become in the future.

Ganesh and his wife Lindy are the parents of five boys and live in Wellington New Zealand where Ganesh is a business man, a social entrepreneur, and works with charities both at home and abroad.

Note that this interview was recorded before the polygamy essays were released.  Unfortunately the sound quality of Ganesh's computer was not great so my apologies for the persistent buzz!  Enjoy.

In January of 2014, former New Zealand Bishop, Ganesh Cherian posted a heart-wrenching blog at KiwiMormon called 'A Former Bishop's Doctrinal Dilemmas'.  This was on the heals of the first of the series of LDS.org
 essays and was his response and in many ways his 'coming out' as a formerly orthodox Mormon turned 'doubter'.  In this interview we discuss the origins of his faith transition which began with his realization that US culture has a great deal to do with the current state of the LDS church, for good and bad.  We talk about his life in the LDS faith, his experience as a bishop, we discuss his concerns about the church and where he would like to see the church go and become in the future.

Ganesh and his wife Lindy are the parents of five boys and live in Wellington New Zealand where Ganesh is a business man, a social entrepreneur, and works with charities both at home and abroad.

Note that this interview was recorded before the polygamy essays were released.  Unfortunately the sound quality of Ganesh's computer was not great so my apologies for the persistent buzz!  Enjoy.

In this Episode Curtis Henderson explains how he came to understand that Polygamy wasn't ordained of God.  He speaks about his views on Joseph Smith's prophetic mantle, accepting that he was a man capable of great works and great mistakes. Curtis speaks about his quest for knowledge and truth, and explains how he has held on to his faith in Mormonism despite it's troubled history. He gets to the heart of personal responsibility and inspires us to follow our consciences and the evidence when addressing such a difficult topic like this. 

Mormon polygamy arouses very strong feelings as the response to the latest LDS.org essay bears witness.  Outside of the official rhetoric which positions the practice as historical (kind of) there are a multipicity of complex emotional reactions.  In this episode we discuss our personal positions on the topic of polygamy and Joseph Smith's involvement with the practice.

 In this episode, film producers Kendall Wilcox and Jon Hastings discuss the purpose of their film project 'Far Between' which has thus far captured the stories of over 300 participants.

Kirk Caudle made headlines over the summer when he resigned from the church after working as an online religion instructor for BYU-Idaho. However he still attends church regularly and has strong ties to Mormonism, making him a fascinating guest for A Thoughtful Faith.

 

In Part 2, Kirk talks in detail about his resignation from the church, as well as his Mormon Book Review podcast and its affiliation with BYU's Maxwell Institute. He also dives into his thoughts on a variety of Mormon topics.

Kirk Caudle made headlines over the summer when he resigned from the church after working as an online religion instructor for BYU-Idaho. However he still attends church regularly and has strong ties to Mormonism, making him a fascinating guest for A Thoughtful Faith.

 

In Part 1, Kirk talks about growing up in the church and the influence that had on his pursuit of Mormon Studies. He also talks about his background in religion and history and the lead-up to his work with BYU-Idaho.

Steven Peck reviews Mormonism and Science. He speaks about truth and discovery and how God interacts with us. He discusses how a God of the Gaps will fail us. Then he speaks about his book A Short Stay in Hell. The book pesents an amazing thought experiment. Steven addresses time and space within an eternal perspective and how these ideas came together in this story. 

Steven Peck discusses the New Atheist movement and how is devotion to science increases his faith and has shaped his understanding of God’s character. He speaks about the nature of faith and his feelings about caring for the earth as a faithful steward.  

Steven Peck discusses how his faith in Mormonism interacts with his understanding of Science and evolution. He discusses the position of the Mormon Church on science and evolution. He elaborates on how he feels Mormon doctrine encourages Scientific thought. He also addresses his feelings about the scriptural accounts of the creation, on historical statements of the Brethren reguarding scripture and science and he addresses climate change. 

A conversation about the debates surrounding the use of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints Campus after it closed its doors in 2009.

A discussion about the community debate over the use of the recently closed Church College of New Zealand campus.  

This podcast looks at the community debates in New Zealand about the future of the Church College of New Zealand Campus following the school's closure in 2009.  

Patrick Mason currently holds the Howard W. Hunter Chair of Mormon Studies at Claremont Graduate University in California. He is the author of several books and a recognized expert on the intersection of religion and politics, as well as a scholar of religion as it relates to issues of war and peace.

 

In Part 2 we tackle:

• Mormonism and politics, including Mitt Romney
• Mormon concepts of war and peace (and how we can be better at promoting the latter)
• and finally, I'll talk to him about his awesome blog post that talks about embracing "cafeteria Mormonism"

Patrick Mason currently holds the Howard W. Hunter Chair of Mormon Studies at Claremont Graduate University in California. He is the author of several books and a recognized expert on the intersection of religion and politics, as well as a scholar of religion as it relates to issues of war and peace.

 

In Part 1 we talk about:

• His background in Mormon studies
• The messiness of Mormon history
• Elder Russell M. Nelson's recent conference address and how it relates to his upcoming biography on Ezra Taft Benson

James Patterson joins the ATF family as a new co-host and joins me now to discuss his evolution from devout to faithful doubter.

For the last 3 years, the Hann family has captured the attention of British media and are featured in several reality TV shows. Their family has received not an inconsiderable amount of recognition in the UK and beyond - not just as a large family, but as a large Mormon family.

In this episode, Gina Colvin talks to the Hanns about their experiences in the spotlight, as well as their experiences in the church.

For the last 3 years, the Hann family has captured the attention of British media and are featured in several reality TV shows. Their family has received not an inconsiderable amount of recognition in the UK and beyond - not just as a large family, but as a large Mormon family.

In this episode, Gina Colvin talks to the Hanns about their experiences in the spotlight, as well as their experiences in the church.

An interview on environmentalism, eco-theology, and Mormon intersections with George Handley, professor of comparative studies and interdisciplinary humanities at Brigham Young University. Conducted by Jay Griffith and Sarah Collett.

Mormonism has the potential to bring people together to have powerful and profound conversations, and both as Gina Colvin's bishop couple while Gina was newly married and later as friends, Pete and Liz Cammock have stood out as faithful members of the church who are also nuanced, thoughtful, questioning, and singularly unafraid of hard conversations. Its for this reason they have gained the immense respect of Mormons all over New Zealand. In this episode, Gina and the Cammocks riff on life as Mormons in a small city on the outskirts of the world, discuss this particular Mormon moment and the challenges that we face as a community in conflict, and talk about things of the spirit and the things of Christ as we look for ways to heal our church communities from the strain of ideological partisanship and lives that are often too busy for compassion.

Carys Bray is a British novelist who lives with her family in Southport a seaside town in Lancashire in North West England. A Song for Issy Bradley is Carys’ debut novel and was published recently by Hutchinson Books. It has been released in the UK and is soon to be released in paperback in the U.S. A Song for Issy Bradley has had a full suite of reviews from the UK dailies all of which have been overwhelmingly positive. his is remarkable not simple because Carys is a first time novelist but that her book is a novel about Mormons. To be precise she writes about a British Mormon family, bishops family no less. "A Song for Issy Bradley" explores five year old Issy Bradley’s death through the eyes of each family member. Ian Bradley the father, husband and orthodox Mormon, Claire his convert wife, through the eyes of Issy’s teenaged siblings Zipporah and Alma, and her brother seven year old Jacob. However rather than resorting to the predictable caricatures of Mormon life or romanticizing death from the doctrinal position of a faith tradition, Carys’ treatment of each of her characters is nuanced, compassionate, and profoundly kind. Only one who has been steeped in the Mormon faith is capable of such authenticity and Carys Bray is Mormon to the bone. A thoughtful faith is a supportive conversation to help those struggling in their faith transition, so it might come as surprise that Carys has disaffiliated from the church. Nonetheless her book is refreshingly generous in its treatment of Mormonism. While there is candor, one doesn’t find oneself blindsided by someone who uses literature to eviserate the church. It stands in this place between belief, and furious honesty and makes sense of these polarities through the perspective of faith. It’s this luminous and mindful quality that makes this discussion of the book "A song for Issy Bradley" a wonderful fit for A Thoughtful Faith.

Kelly, a recently excommunicated Mormon feminist, is the founder of Ordain Women. Though she has attracted significant media attention she still remains a bit of an enigma. A staunch apologist for the fundamentals of Mormon theology she holds doggedly to the doctrines of continuing revelation and open cannon. At the same time she is an unapologetic feminist, an international human rights lawyer, and remains deeply concerned about questions of justice. In this interview with Gina Colvin, Kelly talks about her feminist awakenings, the development of Ordain Women, her church discipline and her hopes for the future. An archetypal idealist Kelly’s irrepressible optimism and faith shines. For Kelly the question of equal rights and ordination for women are issues that are far from settled. Kelly’s thoughtful faith is reflected in her belief that her excommunication doesn’t mean the end for her and others’ pursuit for equity and fairness in the church. Rather, her excommunication signals that the conversation is merely at a beginning.

After nearly a year break, A Thoughtful Faith podcast is back! Mark Crego and Gina Colvin are taking over the administrative reins, as well as serving as co-hosts. We are also thrilled that longtime ATF host Sarah Collett will continue conducting interviews. This “get to know the new gang” episode is hosted by Open Stories Foundation board member Dan Wotherspoon and features Mark and Gina sharing the broad outlines (and many specifics!) about their own faith journeys within Mormonism, as well as about their plans for the podcast going forward.

As an independent historian, Russell Stevenson has been studying Mormon history for nearly two decades. His first book, Black Mormon: The Story of Elijah Ables, tells the vexing story of race in nineteenth-century Mormonism through experiences of Elijah Ables, a biracial man ordained to the priesthood during Joseph Smith’s lifetime. Drawing on documents unused in other treatments, Black Mormon is the first effort to understand Elijah Ables in all of his identities: black, male, Mormon, and priesthood holder.

As an independent historian, Russell Stevenson has been studying Mormon history for nearly two decades. His first book, Black Mormon: The Story of Elijah Ables, tells the vexing story of race in nineteenth-century Mormonism through experiences of Elijah Ables, a biracial man ordained to the priesthood during Joseph Smith’s lifetime. Drawing on documents unused in other treatments, Black Mormon is the first effort to understand Elijah Ables in all of his identities: black, male, Mormon, and priesthood holder.

Terryl Givens did graduate work at Cornell University in Intellectual History and UNC Chapel Hill where he received his PhD in Comparative Literature. He holds the James A. Bostwick chair of English, and is Professor of Literature and Religion at the University of Richmond, where he teaches courses in 19th century studies, and the Bible’s influence on western literature. As a commentator on Mormon religion and culture, he has appeared on PBS, NPR, and CNN. Author of ten books, his writing has been praised by the New York Times as “provocative reading,” and includes, most recently, When Souls had Wings, a history of the idea of premortal life in western thought, and a two volume history of Mormon theology underway for Oxford University Press.

Terryl Givens did graduate work at Cornell University in Intellectual History and UNC Chapel Hill where he received his PhD in Comparative Literature. He holds the James A. Bostwick chair of English, and is Professor of Literature and Religion at the University of Richmond, where he teaches courses in 19th century studies, and the Bible’s influence on western literature. As a commentator on Mormon religion and culture, he has appeared on PBS, NPR, and CNN. Author of ten books, his writing has been praised by the New York Times as “provocative reading,” and includes, most recently, When Souls had Wings, a history of the idea of premortal life in western thought, and a two volume history of Mormon theology underway for Oxford University Press.

Terryl Givens did graduate work at Cornell University in Intellectual History and UNC Chapel Hill where he received his PhD in Comparative Literature. He holds the James A. Bostwick chair of English, and is Professor of Literature and Religion at the University of Richmond, where he teaches courses in 19th century studies, and the Bible’s influence on western literature. As a commentator on Mormon religion and culture, he has appeared on PBS, NPR, and CNN. Author of ten books, his writing has been praised by the New York Times as “provocative reading,” and includes, most recently, When Souls had Wings, a history of the idea of premortal life in western thought, and a two volume history of Mormon theology underway for Oxford University Press.

Terryl Givens did graduate work at Cornell University in Intellectual History and UNC Chapel Hill where he received his PhD in Comparative Literature. He holds the James A. Bostwick chair of English, and is Professor of Literature and Religion at the University of Richmond, where he teaches courses in 19th century studies, and the Bible’s influence on western literature. As a commentator on Mormon religion and culture, he has appeared on PBS, NPR, and CNN. Author of ten books, his writing has been praised by the New York Times as “provocative reading,” and includes, most recently, When Souls had Wings, a history of the idea of premortal life in western thought, and a two volume history of Mormon theology underway for Oxford University Press.

Terryl Givens did graduate work at Cornell University in Intellectual History and UNC Chapel Hill where he received his PhD in Comparative Literature. He holds the James A. Bostwick chair of English, and is Professor of Literature and Religion at the University of Richmond, where he teaches courses in 19th century studies, and the Bible’s influence on western literature. As a commentator on Mormon religion and culture, he has appeared on PBS, NPR, and CNN. Author of ten books, his writing has been praised by the New York Times as “provocative reading,” and includes, most recently, When Souls had Wings, a history of the idea of premortal life in western thought, and a two volume history of Mormon theology underway for Oxford University Press.

Boyd Jay Petersen is the Mormon Studies Coordinator at both Utah Valley University, where he also teaches in the English Department, including courses on Mormon literature. He is also an adjunct instructor at Brigham Young University. In this delightful conversation hosted by Dan Wotherspoon, Boyd shares about many aspects of his spiritual journey, centering on a several-decades-long process of coming to be able to testify that the "Church is true." His framings and how he got to them reveal an active mind and open heart, a person who is deeply thoughtful and who takes the challenges of history, human foibles, the call to actively work for social justice, and spiritual and other meaningful experiences seriously. In sharing this journey, he offers a wonderful and powerful analogy about similarities in the ways he makes sense of his relationship with the Church and how he does it in his relationship with his wife. One recurring struggle in Boyd’s life is with depression, which he talks about openly in this episode. The discussion also includes anecdotes about Boyd’s experiences with Hugh Nibley, his father-in-law (Boyd is married to Zina Nibley Petersen), including some about the processes involved in his writing of the award-winning biography, Hugh Nibley: A Consecrated Life (Greg Kofford Books, 2003).

In the 5th and final part of this multi-part interview with Dr. Richard Bushman, the world’s foremost scholar on Joseph Smith and early Mormonism and author of Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling, John Dehlin offers some final thoughts on his time with Brother Bushman, and Dr. Bushman himself provides some final musings on the challenges of dealing with tough Mormon issues. He then concludes with his testimony of Joseph Smith.

In part 4 of this multi-part interview with Dr. Richard Bushman, the world’s foremost scholar on Joseph Smith and early Mormonism and author of Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling, Brother Bushman discusses the historicity of the Book of Mormon, and the credibility of the 3 and 8 witnesses to the Book of Mormon.

In part 3 of this multi-part interview with Dr. Richard Bushman, the world’s foremost scholar on Joseph Smith and early Mormonism and author of Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling, Brother Bushman discusses Joseph Smith’s bringing to light of the Book of Mormon, from angel Moroni’s visit, to the obtaining of the plates, to the actual mechanics of the translation process. He also discusses the process of receiving revelation within Mormonism, as a Patriarch in the LDS Church.

In part 2 of this multi-part interview with Dr. Richard Bushman, the world’s foremost scholar on Joseph Smith and early Mormonism and author of Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling, we tackle 4 main topics. First, brother Bushman provides a high level review of the major Joseph Smith biographies that preceded Rough Stone Rolling, including Fawn Brodie’s "No man knows my history." Next, brother Bushman discusses the art of writing history, and the challenges involved in trying to arrive at "the facts" and "the truth" for both historians, and readers of history. Finally, we discuss in depth the first 2 of our top 10 tough Joseph Smith issues: 1) The multiple and somewhat varying accounts of Joseph Smith’s first vision story, and 2) Joseph Smith’s involvement in folk magic and treasure digging. The slight audio buzz from the previous interview continues on this one, with an additional static sound that lasts for about 2 minutes at the beginning of the interview.

In part 1 of this multi-part interview, Dr. Richard Bushman, the world’s foremost scholar on Joseph Smith and early Mormonism and the author of Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling, discusses his years as a Mormon historian, including his struggle with faith as a Harvard undergraduate, his decision to get a PhD in history, and his experiences with Leonard Arrington, Dialogue and Sunstone. He also discusses the role of candid, honest history within the modern LDS Church.

Jeff and Amy have a unique perspective of what it is like to be fully active, participating members of the church even though they aren't members of the social club. Infertility and the struggles that come with it created a situation where they felt that they were always looking in from the outside. In this interview we explore their experience and the wisdom that comes with many years of knowing what it feels like to be rejected and excluded. These are two great people who share a compelling message.

Jeff and Amy have a unique perspective of what it is like to be fully active, participating members of the church even though they aren't members of the social club. Infertility and the struggles that come with it created a situation where they felt that they were always looking in from the outside. In this interview we explore their experience and the wisdom that comes with many years of knowing what it feels like to be rejected and excluded. These are two great people who share a compelling message.

Dr. Jeremy Timothy MD is a Pediatric Neurologist for Cardon Children's Medical Center in Mesa, Arizona. In this podcast Dr. Timothy shares how his Social Anxiety Disorder presented formative challenges throughout his life, and how bouts of depression and severe anxiety during his Residency almost ended his medical career. Through a combination of good medicine and therapy he emerged as a leader in his specialty, which requires him to treat to injured, mentally disabled, and handicapped children. On a daily basis he is confronted with the incredible tensions of faith and science, suffering and theodicy, and life and death. How he has learned to cope with his own weaknesses and bear the burdens of his patients and their families has shaped his faith in God and his connection to Mormonism.

Dr. Jeremy Timothy MD is a Pediatric Neurologist for Cardon Children's Medical Center in Mesa, Arizona. In this podcast Dr. Timothy shares how his Social Anxiety Disorder presented formative challenges throughout his life, and how bouts of depression and severe anxiety during his Residency almost ended his medical career. Through a combination of good medicine and therapy he emerged as a leader in his specialty, which requires him to treat to injured, mentally disabled, and handicapped children. On a daily basis he is confronted with the incredible tensions of faith and science, suffering and theodicy, and life and death. How he has learned to cope with his own weaknesses and bear the burdens of his patients and their families has shaped his faith in God and his connection to Mormonism.

Dr. Jeremy Timothy MD is a Pediatric Neurologist for Cardon Children's Medical Center in Mesa, Arizona. In this podcast Dr. Timothy shares how his Social Anxiety Disorder presented formative challenges throughout his life, and how bouts of depression and severe anxiety during his Residency almost ended his medical career. Through a combination of good medicine and therapy he emerged as a leader in his specialty, which requires him to treat to injured, mentally disabled, and handicapped children. On a daily basis he is confronted with the incredible tensions of faith and science, suffering and theodicy, and life and death. How he has learned to cope with his own weaknesses and bear the burdens of his patients and their families has shaped his faith in God and his connection to Mormonism.

"I get impatient with dogma and dictum, but somewhere way inside me and way beyond impatience or indifference there is that insistent, infernal, so help me, scared singing -- All is well, All is well. My own church, inhabited by my own people -- I would be cosmically orphaned without it."- Emma Lou Thayne

I first met Emma Lou Thayne at Benihana’s- a Japanese steakhouse. We shared a table, watching the chef stack onions & dice peppers at rapid speeds, swapping stories about our individual travels through Asia. I bumped into her a few months later at a conference, & once more at a film screening. I was deeply impressed with her handle on life & her view on Mormonism- although her stories were her own, she inspired me to create a better story for myself through her sharing. When I was presented the opportunity to interview her- I jumped at the chance. The following podcast is less of an interview than we had planned, and more of a casual conversation held one afternoon in Emma Lou’s home. We cover a range of topics- from her memories of pre-correlation Mormonism, the ERA, & Helen Keller, to her work in raising awareness for mental health.

Emma Lou Thayne is a nationally ranked Senior Women’s Singles & Doubles tennis player, she taught for many years in the University of Utah’s Department of English and Division of Continuing Education, she is an award-winning poet, a well published author, and a leader for the arts, education, and business.

The Thayne Community Service Center at Salt Lake Community College (named for her), had this to say about her: "Emma Lou Thayne is a peacemaker, she cares deeply about people. Whether writing of love or loss, triumph or suffering, Emma Lou sees the extraordinary in the ordinary, she recognizes dignity in daily experience, and she magnifies moments that many would allow to pass without recognition. Emma Lou Thayne is a poet, and her poems celebrate connections."

Her most recent book- “The Place of Knowing- A Spiritual Autobiography", can be found online & at a bookstore near you.

Dan McDonald is a husband, father, lawyer, author. His book, Gethsemamnesia: Forgotten Lessons From Gethsemane, Golgotha and Beyond, chronicles the lessons he learned while dealing with a life threatening disease. The evolution of his faith has been shaped by his understanding of a savior who doubted and who experienced real fear. In this interview we talk about his book, but also his faith and his dedication to Christ. Dan has a very refreshing view of the gospel, developed through hardship and trial. I hope that you will listen and enjoy.

Dan McDonald is a husband, father, lawyer, author. His book, Gethsemamnesia: Forgotten Lessons From Gethsemane, Golgotha and Beyond, chronicles the lessons he learned while dealing with a life threatening disease. The evolution of his faith has been shaped by his understanding of a savior who doubted and who experienced real fear. In this interview we talk about his book, but also his faith and his dedication to Christ. Dan has a very refreshing view of the gospel, developed through hardship and trial. I hope that you will listen and enjoy.

While preparing for this interview with Adam Miller, whom Richard Bushman described as "the most original and provocative Latter-day Saint theologian practicing today," I was delighted to have my paradigm yanked out from under me again and again to reveal a world much richer and more colorful than I had imagined. In covering his 'Rube Goldberg Machines,' and 'Letters to a Young Mormon,' we explore a range of topics like how to "care" for our bodies desires, the revelations of science, and the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves, all in the context of something Adam Miller calls "grace" which is not what you think it is. Adam shows us a new way of seeing and living life using scripture and philosophy in a way that is surprisingly and profoundly useful.

Thanks to Adam Miller for being willing to give us this interview.

While preparing for this interview with Adam Miller, whom Richard Bushman described as "the most original and provocative Latter-day Saint theologian practicing today," I was delighted to have my paradigm yanked out from under me again and again to reveal a world much richer and more colorful than I had imagined. In covering his 'Rube Goldberg Machines,' and 'Letters to a Young Mormon,' we explore a range of topics like how to "care" for our bodies desires, the revelations of science, and the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves, all in the context of something Adam Miller calls "grace" which is not what you think it is. Adam shows us a new way of seeing and living life using scripture and philosophy in a way that is surprisingly and profoundly useful.

Thanks to Adam Miller for being willing to give us this interview.

We at A Thoughtful Faith are really proud to announce a new ATF project. This Saturday April 6th at 11:00pm MDT, we will launch the all new A Thoughtful Faith Blog. Since the beginning we have been extremely interested in supplementing the podcast with regular blog posts that support our message of thoughtful belief and participation in Mormonism.

Thanks to the efforts of our new blog manager Shan Rees Sullivan we now have an awesome group of contributors that will share their thoughts and perspectives under the Blog tab at AThoughtfulFaith.org.

In this recording, Micah and Sarah officially announce the launching of the blog, and Shan shares a little bit of her story and what her vision is for the blog. Thanks for listening and reading, and please join us for the launching of our blog this weekend!

In 2001 Rebecca Maesato founded a non-profit organization: Foundation for Children in Need. She and her two daughters traveled to Haiti in 2002 to work in orphanages and among the neediest children in the world. This began a journey that would ultimately expand their small family of four to a family of twelve and change their world view forever. Rebecca has come to understand a larger Christian community and establish her life's work with the people of Haiti. I had the wonderful opportunity to sit and speak to her and her sister, Kathy Mitchell, about some of their experiences and lessons they learned. Rebecca's approach to life and God is inspiring and hopeful.

In 2001 Rebecca Maesato founded a non-profit organization: Foundation for Children in Need. She and her two daughters traveled to Haiti in 2002 to work in orphanages and among the neediest children in the world. This began a journey that would ultimately expand their small family of four to a family of twelve and change their world view forever. Rebecca has come to understand a larger Christian community and establish her life's work with the people of Haiti. I had the wonderful opportunity to sit and speak to her and her sister, Kathy Mitchell, about some of their experiences and lessons they learned. Rebecca's approach to life and God is inspiring and hopeful.

This is an episode of A Thoughtful Faith that has been a long time in the making. I made contact with Andrea Radke-Moss shortly after we launched the podcast, and we recorded the first part of our interview in October 2012. Due to various circumstances, including a blunder on my part (I lost my original audio), we had to postpone the release of the episode. Thankfully a couple months ago I was able to recover a low-resolution backup of our interview. However, Andrea and I realized that by this time so much had changed in the Mormon Gender Equality debate, that we needed to augment our discussion. So several weeks ago we recorded the second half of our discussion. You can find all four segments of our discussion at the links below.

Andrea Radke-Moss is a professor of Women's History at BYU Idaho. Over the years she has become regarded as an expert in Mormon Women's History, and her perspective is incredibly helpful in providing perspective on our current discussion on LDS gender equality. In the interview, Andrea provides her backstory and a brief foray in the evolution of Mormon Women's roles from the 1800's to the present. Afterwards, the rest of our discussion focuses on how in a modern LDS Church and culture we can find ways to produce greater gender equality, while still embracing the important foundational principles of Mormonism.

This is an episode of A Thoughtful Faith that has been a long time in the making. I made contact with Andrea Radke-Moss shortly after we launched the podcast, and we recorded the first part of our interview in October 2012. Due to various circumstances, including a blunder on my part (I lost my original audio), we had to postpone the release of the episode. Thankfully a couple months ago I was able to recover a low-resolution backup of our interview. However, Andrea and I realized that by this time so much had changed in the Mormon Gender Equality debate, that we needed to augment our discussion. So several weeks ago we recorded the second half of our discussion. You can find all four segments of our discussion at the links below.

Andrea Radke-Moss is a professor of Women's History at BYU Idaho. Over the years she has become regarded as an expert in Mormon Women's History, and her perspective is incredibly helpful in providing perspective on our current discussion on LDS gender equality. In the interview, Andrea provides her backstory and a brief foray in the evolution of Mormon Women's roles from the 1800's to the present. Afterwards, the rest of our discussion focuses on how in a modern LDS Church and culture we can find ways to produce greater gender equality, while still embracing the important foundational principles of Mormonism.

This is an episode of A Thoughtful Faith that has been a long time in the making. I made contact with Andrea Radke-Moss shortly after we launched the podcast, and we recorded the first part of our interview in October 2012. Due to various circumstances, including a blunder on my part (I lost my original audio), we had to postpone the release of the episode. Thankfully a couple months ago I was able to recover a low-resolution backup of our interview. However, Andrea and I realized that by this time so much had changed in the Mormon Gender Equality debate, that we needed to augment our discussion. So several weeks ago we recorded the second half of our discussion. You can find all four segments of our discussion at the links below.

Andrea Radke-Moss is a professor of Women's History at BYU Idaho. Over the years she has become regarded as an expert in Mormon Women's History, and her perspective is incredibly helpful in providing perspective on our current discussion on LDS gender equality. In the interview, Andrea provides her backstory and a brief foray in the evolution of Mormon Women's roles from the 1800's to the present. Afterwards, the rest of our discussion focuses on how in a modern LDS Church and culture we can find ways to produce greater gender equality, while still embracing the important foundational principles of Mormonism.

This is an episode of A Thoughtful Faith that has been a long time in the making. I made contact with Andrea Radke-Moss shortly after we launched the podcast, and we recorded the first part of our interview in October 2012. Due to various circumstances, including a blunder on my part (I lost my original audio), we had to postpone the release of the episode. Thankfully a couple months ago I was able to recover a low-resolution backup of our interview. However, Andrea and I realized that by this time so much had changed in the Mormon Gender Equality debate, that we needed to augment our discussion. So several weeks ago we recorded the second half of our discussion. You can find all four segments of our discussion at the links below.

Andrea Radke-Moss is a professor of Women's History at BYU Idaho. Over the years she has become regarded as an expert in Mormon Women's History, and her perspective is incredibly helpful in providing perspective on our current discussion on LDS gender equality. In the interview, Andrea provides her backstory and a brief foray in the evolution of Mormon Women's roles from the 1800's to the present. Afterwards, the rest of our discussion focuses on how in a modern LDS Church and culture we can find ways to produce greater gender equality, while still embracing the important foundational principles of Mormonism.

Jay Griffith and I had the chance to sit with James (Jim) W. McConkie and speak to him about his personal history and family. As a nephew of Bruce R. McConkie and Joseph B. Wirthlin, Jim has a unique perspective of the Church and the brethren and a valuable approach to the Gospel. Speaking about his faith, parenting, and his views on the historical Christ, Jim explains his approach to doubt and difficult questions. He has written a book, Looking at the Doctrine and Covenants Again for the Very First Time, and is currently working on a book focusing on the inclusive Christ.

Jay Griffith and I had the chance to sit with James (Jim) W. McConkie and speak to him about his personal history and family. As a nephew of Bruce R. McConkie and Joseph B. Wirthlin, Jim has a unique perspective of the Church and the brethren and a valuable approach to the Gospel. Speaking about his faith, parenting, and his views on the historical Christ, Jim explains his approach to doubt and difficult questions. He has written a book, Looking at the Doctrine and Covenants Again for the Very First Time, and is currently working on a book focusing on the inclusive Christ.

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.

The theory of Cognitive Dissonance is a well-established concept in the field of psychology that explains why we all experience discomfort and anxiety when we are exposed to new ideas and beliefs or engage in behavior that conflict with our pre-existing views, ideals, and beliefs. I've been extremely interested in producing an episode of A Thoughtful Faith that could explore the concept of Cognitive Dissonance as it relates to an LDS faith crisis / faith transition. When the opportunity came to produce a collaborative episode with the wonderful Nathasha Helfer Parker at the Mormon Mental Health Podcast, this seemed like a really good fit for both audiences. So, I couldn't be more thrilled about sharing my discussion with Natasha Helfer Parker and the amazing Jennifer Finlayson-Fife.

Both Natasha Helfer Parker and Jennifer Finlayson-Fife are active Latter-Day Saints, as well as marriage and family therapists. Natasha and Jennifer each have experience with treating Mormon individuals and couples, and have observed the function of Cognitive Dissonance as it pertains to Mormon culture and ideals. Please visit their respective websites below.

In the first part of this episode we explore the clinical definition of Cognitive Dissonance, including some of the history behind the theory, as well as common examples from day-t0-day life. Afterwards, we transition into how understanding Cognitive Dissonance can be useful in understanding and navigating faith transitions and crises. We hope you enjoy, and please share your thoughts and comments with us below. Thanks again to Natasha and Jennifer for sharing their experience and expertise with me and our audience.

I had the privilege of speaking with Brian Hales about his upcoming three-volume history of Joseph Smith's Polygamy, published by Greg Kofford Books. Brian is a practicing anesthesiologist, author and scholar of Mormon History, with emphasis on Mormon Fundamentalism and Plural Marriage. He is also an active, faithful Latter-Day Saint. In this interview, Brian discusses his research of the historical context, circumstances, and theology that gave rise to Joseph Smith's secret practice of polygamy in the Kirtland and Nauvoo periods. We talk about specific cases and incidents, including Fanny Alger, polyandry, Helen Mar Kimball, Emma Smith's struggle with the Principle, as well as Brian's perspective as a faithful Latter-Day Saint who embraces the theological necessity for the Mormon doctrine of Plural Marriage.

I had the privilege of speaking with Brian Hales about his upcoming three-volume history of Joseph Smith's Polygamy, published by Greg Kofford Books. Brian is a practicing anesthesiologist, author and scholar of Mormon History, with emphasis on Mormon Fundamentalism and Plural Marriage. He is also an active, faithful Latter-Day Saint. In this interview, Brian discusses his research of the historical context, circumstances, and theology that gave rise to Joseph Smith's secret practice of polygamy in the Kirtland and Nauvoo periods. We talk about specific cases and incidents, including Fanny Alger, polyandry, Helen Mar Kimball, Emma Smith's struggle with the Principle, as well as Brian's perspective as a faithful Latter-Day Saint who embraces the theological necessity for the Mormon doctrine of Plural Marriage.

We are incredibly excited to feature this fascinating interview by Daniel Parkinson at Gay Mormon Stories Podcast of John Gustav-Wrathall. John shares his amazing story, including his LDS upbringing, his wrestling with his sexual identity, his journey away from Mormonism, his sexual awakening, and the path that led him back to the LDS Church.

John's story of courage, love, and faith is a wonderful example of the diversity and possibilities of Mormonism's future. Thanks again to Gay Mormon Stories and John Gustav-Wrathall for sharing this interview with our audience.

We are incredibly excited to feature this fascinating interview by Daniel Parkinson at Gay Mormon Stories Podcast of John Gustav-Wrathall. John shares his amazing story, including his LDS upbringing, his wrestling with his sexual identity, his journey away from Mormonism, his sexual awakening, and the path that led him back to the LDS Church.

John's story of courage, love, and faith is a wonderful example of the diversity and possibilities of Mormonism's future. Thanks again to Gay Mormon Stories and John Gustav-Wrathall for sharing this interview with our audience.

We are incredibly excited to feature this fascinating interview by Daniel Parkinson at Gay Mormon Stories Podcast of John Gustav-Wrathall. John shares his amazing story, including his LDS upbringing, his wrestling with his sexual identity, his journey away from Mormonism, his sexual awakening, and the path that led him back to the LDS Church.

John's story of courage, love, and faith is a wonderful example of the diversity and possibilities of Mormonism's future. Thanks again to Gay Mormon Stories and John Gustav-Wrathall for sharing this interview with our audience.

We are incredibly excited to feature this fascinating interview by Daniel Parkinson at Gay Mormon Stories Podcast of John Gustav-Wrathall. John shares his amazing story, including his LDS upbringing, his wrestling with his sexual identity, his journey away from Mormonism, his sexual awakening, and the path that led him back to the LDS Church.

John's story of courage, love, and faith is a wonderful example of the diversity and possibilities of Mormonism's future. Thanks again to Gay Mormon Stories and John Gustav-Wrathall for sharing this interview with our audience.

Bob Rees and I recorded this interview a little while ago. I've been holding on to it, hoping to release it to our audience at the right moment. This past week I re-listened to our conversation and found myself moved and enlightened all over again by Bob's wisdom and insight. Though I don't know what's special about this week, for some reason the timing feels right. I hope you will enjoy Bob's perspective on Mormonism as well as his take on faith crisis and how to successfully engage with the Modern Church as an unconventional Mormon.

Bob Rees is no stranger to the Intellectual Mormon community. He was the second editor of Dialogue, and has been contributing to to progressive Mormon thought and scholarship most of his life. We hope our listeners enjoy Bob's unique approach. Please leave us your comments and feedback below.

DISCLAIMER: This audio was a low-resolution recovery of Bob's interview, and so the quality may be a little spotty. Sorry for the inconvenience.

I recently had the wonderful opportunity to interview one of my new favorite LDS bloggers Nathaniel Givens. A friend of mine introduced me to Nathaniel's series on the concept of Epistemic Humility that he wrote for Times and Seasons. Embracing epistemic humility allows us to be more open to new ideas, and better equipped to search for additional knowledge and truth. I felt Nathaniel's ideas here are especially applicable and useful in our LDS community, which is often a culture that shies away from uncertainty and doubt, and loves to frame discourse in the terms of "I know . . ."

We apologize in advance for the audio quality from this interview. We had some Internet connection difficulties, which resulted in conducting the interview via telephone.

Since recording this interview, Nathaniel has become a perma-blogger for Times and Seasons. He also maintains his own blog, Difficult Run. Please be sure to check out Nathaniel's writings and provide feedback and responses below. Many thanks to Nathaniel Givens for his contributions to A Thoughtful Faith.

I recently had the wonderful opportunity to interview one of my new favorite LDS bloggers Nathaniel Givens. A friend of mine introduced me to Nathaniel's series on the concept of Epistemic Humility that he wrote for Times and Seasons. Embracing epistemic humility allows us to be more open to new ideas, and better equipped to search for additional knowledge and truth. I felt Nathaniel's ideas here are especially applicable and useful in our LDS community, which is often a culture that shies away from uncertainty and doubt, and loves to frame discourse in the terms of "I know . . ."

We apologize in advance for the audio quality from this interview. We had some Internet connection difficulties, which resulted in conducting the interview via telephone.

Since recording this interview, Nathaniel has become a perma-blogger for Times and Seasons. He also maintains his own blog, Difficult Run. Please be sure to check out Nathaniel's writings and provide feedback and responses below. Many thanks to Nathaniel Givens for his contributions to A Thoughtful Faith.

I recently had the wonderful opportunity to interview one of my new favorite LDS bloggers Nathaniel Givens. A friend of mine introduced me to Nathaniel's series on the concept of Epistemic Humility that he wrote for Times and Seasons. Embracing epistemic humility allows us to be more open to new ideas, and better equipped to search for additional knowledge and truth. I felt Nathaniel's ideas here are especially applicable and useful in our LDS community, which is often a culture that shies away from uncertainty and doubt, and loves to frame discourse in the terms of "I know . . ."

We apologize in advance for the audio quality from this interview. We had some Internet connection difficulties, which resulted in conducting the interview via telephone.

Since recording this interview, Nathaniel has become a perma-blogger for Times and Seasons. He also maintains his own blog, Difficult Run. Please be sure to check out Nathaniel's writings and provide feedback and responses below. Many thanks to Nathaniel Givens for his contributions to A Thoughtful Faith.

I recently had the wonderful opportunity to interview one of my new favorite LDS bloggers Nathaniel Givens. A friend of mine introduced me to Nathaniel's series on the concept of Epistemic Humility that he wrote for Times and Seasons. Embracing epistemic humility allows us to be more open to new ideas, and better equipped to search for additional knowledge and truth. I felt Nathaniel's ideas here are especially applicable and useful in our LDS community, which is often a culture that shies away from uncertainty and doubt, and loves to frame discourse in the terms of "I know . . ."

We apologize in advance for the audio quality from this interview. We had some Internet connection difficulties, which resulted in conducting the interview via telephone.

Since recording this interview, Nathaniel has become a perma-blogger for Times and Seasons. He also maintains his own blog, Difficult Run. Please be sure to check out Nathaniel's writings and provide feedback and responses below. Many thanks to Nathaniel Givens for his contributions to A Thoughtful Faith.

This week I had the pleasure of sitting down with John Kesler to hear about his conversion to the church and subsequently to eastern meditative practices years later. Lately I have been inspired by so many expressions of expanding faith and feel that this expansion is often the natural outcome of questioning and reevaluating. John Kesler offers a very hopeful perspective on the possibility of continued spiritual communion with God despite doubt or lack of literal belief. After encountering Eastern meditative practices years ago he went on to be a founding teacher of the Integral Spiritual Center, consisting of a group of senior members of various Eastern and Western spiritual traditions. John then went on to develop his own meditation and awareness practice called Integral Polarity Practice. He is a active member of the LDS Church and has served as a bishop and in several bishoprics and high councils. If you are interested in receiving emails regarding his workshops please email him at j_Kesler@woodburycorp.com.

Since it's the beginning of a new year and all, we thought it would be a great opportunity to discuss how Sarah and I became involved in the A Thoughtful Faith Podcast, and what our collective has been so far, and where we see the podcast moving forward in 2013. We also want to take this opportunity to express our extreme gratitude for our listeners, who with resounding support have made us feel validated and uplifted as we have strived to provide the best experience possible for our audience. So thank you all very much, and please stay tuned for a promising new year -- more great episodes ahead!

Pantsmageddon! PantsGate! Pants-apocalypse! Whatever term you've used over the past week to describe the Mormon frenzy about All Enlisted's oddly controversial "Wear Pants to Church" event, I think most of us are intrigued about what will actually happen at church tomorrow. With the hope of providing a calm, respectful dialogue on what has become a controversial subject, my lovely wife Stefanie had an opportunity today to interview Kristina Monson, who is a spokesperson and core leader for All Enlisted, the organization sponsoring this event.

Kristina describes herself as a devout, active Mormon Feminist. In this interview she shares some of her backstory and how she has become involved in this new form of Mormon activism. Stefanie and Kristina discuss the motivation and intentions of All Enlisted, and what they hope to accomplish with "Wear Pants To Church" and future activities.

Many thanks to Kristina Monson for taking time out of her national interview circuit to speak with us! And of course, thanks to Stefanie Nickolaisen for sharing this wonderful interview!

We have been humbled and astonished at the caliber of guests we've been able to have on our podcast thus far. People like Greg Prince, Margaret Young, John Sorenson, Phil Barlow, and so many others are the true progenitors of the modern Intellectual Mormonism community. I was surprised to find out early on that many of these living legends had rarely experienced a monumental faith crisis in their lives. Since one of the objectives of this podcast is to help individuals navigate through a faith crisis with testimonies intact, I thought it would be important for us to find some regular LDS folks who have faced that "dark night of the soul" but still remained faithful.

Thanks to our wonderful A Thoughtful Faith Facebook Group and a recommendation by his brother Paul, I've had the wonderful opportunity to get to know Michael Barker and hear his amazing story. In this interview, Mike shares how a close look at polygamy and polyandry catalyzed his doubts in the mission of Joseph Smith. He shares how a combination of unapologetic Mormon Scholarship and communion with God allowed him to find a way to maintain his faith as an active, believing Latter-Day Saint. Michael also discusses how his discovery of the concepts of Natural Theology led him to start the Rational Faiths Blog, and how a burning desire to inoculate the Saints fuels his current zeal for Mormonism.

Before this interview, I had known of Michael Barker and his brother Paul through their work at RationalFaiths.com, a blog dedicated to creating a "safe, fair, and balanced space to discuss the complexities, difficulties, and beauty of their Mormon tradition." At Rational Faiths the Barker Brothers provide insights into the current LDS Sunday School Curriculum, book reviews, and various topics within Mormonism from seer stones to modesty. Be sure to check out their wonderful blog at RationalFaiths.com.

We have been humbled and astonished at the caliber of guests we've been able to have on our podcast thus far. People like Greg Prince, Margaret Young, John Sorenson, Phil Barlow, and so many others are the true progenitors of the modern Intellectual Mormonism community. I was surprised to find out early on that many of these living legends had rarely experienced a monumental faith crisis in their lives. Since one of the objectives of this podcast is to help individuals navigate through a faith crisis with testimonies intact, I thought it would be important for us to find some regular LDS folks who have faced that "dark night of the soul" but still remained faithful.

Thanks to our wonderful A Thoughtful Faith Facebook Group and a recommendation by his brother Paul, I've had the wonderful opportunity to get to know Michael Barker and hear his amazing story. In this interview, Mike shares how a close look at polygamy and polyandry catalyzed his doubts in the mission of Joseph Smith. He shares how a combination of unapologetic Mormon Scholarship and communion with God allowed him to find a way to maintain his faith as an active, believing Latter-Day Saint. Michael also discusses how his discovery of the concepts of Natural Theology led him to start the Rational Faiths Blog, and how a burning desire to inoculate the Saints fuels his current zeal for Mormonism.

Before this interview, I had known of Michael Barker and his brother Paul through their work at RationalFaiths.com, a blog dedicated to creating a "safe, fair, and balanced space to discuss the complexities, difficulties, and beauty of their Mormon tradition." At Rational Faiths the Barker Brothers provide insights into the current LDS Sunday School Curriculum, book reviews, and various topics within Mormonism from seer stones to modesty. Be sure to check out their wonderful blog at RationalFaiths.com.

In conjunction with the Winter Issue of Exponent II, which is guest edited by the Mormon Women Project, we are proud to share Sarah Collett's interview with Neylan McBaine. As an active and faithful Latter-Day Saint, Neylan shares her story of how she was led to start the Mormon Women Project, a non-profit website which features weekly interviews with LDS women from around the world. Neylan and Sarah also discuss the various modern issues and challenges that face the LDS Church and its members as it relates to gendered participation, which Neylan presented on at the 2012 FAIR Conference.

Neylan McBaine is a graduate of Yale University and is currently an Associate Creative Director at Bonneville Communications. Neylan's writings have been published in Newsweek, The Washington Post, Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, Segullah, Meridian Magazine, Patheos.com and BustedHalo.com. She is also the author of a collection of personal essays—How to Be a Twenty-First Century Pioneer Woman (2008). In addition to her career as a marketing guru, her contributions as an essayist, and her work with MWP, Neylan is also a devoted wife and mother of three daughters. We are incredibly grateful for her willingness to share her story and thoughts with us at A Thoughtful Faith.

In conjunction with the Winter Issue of Exponent II, which is guest edited by the Mormon Women Project, we are proud to share Sarah Collett's interview with Neylan McBaine. As an active and faithful Latter-Day Saint, Neylan shares her story of how she was led to start the Mormon Women Project, a non-profit website which features weekly interviews with LDS women from around the world. Neylan and Sarah also discuss the various modern issues and challenges that face the LDS Church and its members as it relates to gendered participation, which Neylan presented on at the 2012 FAIR Conference.

Neylan McBaine is a graduate of Yale University and is currently an Associate Creative Director at Bonneville Communications. Neylan's writings have been published in Newsweek, The Washington Post, Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, Segullah, Meridian Magazine, Patheos.com and BustedHalo.com. She is also the author of a collection of personal essays—How to Be a Twenty-First Century Pioneer Woman (2008). In addition to her career as a marketing guru, her contributions as an essayist, and her work with MWP, Neylan is also a devoted wife and mother of three daughters. We are incredibly grateful for her willingness to share her story and thoughts with us at A Thoughtful Faith.

We are proud to release Sarah Collett's recent interview of Terryl and Fiona Givens. In this episode we are introduced to some of the beautiful themes in the Givens' new book The God Who Weeps: How Mormonism Makes Sense of Life. Terryl and Fiona also express their concern, empathy, and encouragement for those who experience doubt as a integral part of their relationship to faith and Mormonism.

Terryl Givens (PhD Comparative Literature, UNC Chapel Hill) holds the James A. Bostwick chair of English and is professor of literature and religion at the University of Richmond. Author of several books, his writing has been praised by the New York Times as provocative reading, and includes, most recently, When Souls Had Wings, a history of the idea of premortal life in Western thought, and a biography (with Matthew Grow) of Parley Pratt (winner of the 2012 Best Book Award from the Mormon History Association). Fiona Givens (MA European History, University of Richmond) recently retired from directing the French Language program at Patrick Henry High School, in Ashland Virginia. Besides education, she has worked in translation services, as a lobbyist, and as communications director of a non-profit. A longtime collaborator in Terryls previous books, this is her first coauthorship.

We are incredibly grateful for the Givens, who graciously gave of their time and thoughts for our new podcast. Please check out The God Who Weeps, as well as Terryl's recent Letter to a Doubter referenced in the interview.

In this fascinating interview by Sarah Collett we are introduced to Chase and Rebecca and their remarkable faith journey. Shortly after Rebecca met Chase and they were married, Rebecca made an astonishing realization of the similarities between her charismatically spiritual father and the prophet Joseph Smith. But it wasn't until scandal rocked her mother and father's marriage that Rebecca realized how similar her father and Joseph truly were.

This couple's story takes us through a complex journey where a daughter's admiration and faith in her father as well as her subsequent disappointment and heartbreak mirror hers and her husband's descent into faith crisis. While Rebecca's father catalyzed hers and Chase's doubts of Joseph Smith, remarkably it was the two men's similarities that ultimately brought them back as they learned to forgive and move past both men's respective shortcomings.

In this interview with our own Sarah Collett, Dr. Thomas G. Alexander covers the broad spectrum of his many historical writings and research. From Post Manifesto Polygamy, to Mormons in American Politics, to the Word of Wisdom, and Evolution, Dr. Alexander provides an overview of many topics of interest within contemporary Mormon Scholarship.

Dr. Alexander's thoughts and research provide an interesting examination of how revelation, doctrine, culture, and human weakness connect and intermingle into the inspiring yet imperfect religious movement of Mormonism. Thomas Alexander explains how his awareness of what can be complicated and challenging issues have broadened and deepened his own connection to Mormonism. He stands as a brilliant model of thoughtful belief, and has provided our community an amazing legacy of wisdom, faith, and scholarship.

We would like to offer our sincere thanks and gratitude for Dr. Thomas G. Alexander for taking the time to share his thoughts with us and our listeners. Enjoy.

Dr. Thomas G. Alexander is an American and Mormon Historian, and professor emeritus of Brigham Young University.