A Thoughtful Faith - Mormon / LDS
085:  Dialoguing as Women of Colour:  Bryndis Roberts & Jennifer Gonzalez Part Two

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

Direct download: AThoughtfulFaith-085-RobertsGonzalezPt2.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:49pm NZDT

085:  Dialoguing as Women of Colour:  Bryndis Roberts & 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.

 

Direct download: AThoughtfulFaith-085-RobertsGonzalezPt1.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:31pm NZDT

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.

Direct download: a._AThoughtfulFaith-084-GaneshCherianPt2.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:51pm NZDT

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.

Direct download: AThoughtfulFaith-083-CherianPt1.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:47pm NZDT

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. 

Direct download: AThoughtfulFaith-082-CurtisHendersonPt1.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:53pm NZDT

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.

Direct download: AThoughtfulFaith-Renshaw_Patterson_Grimes.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:02am NZDT

 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.

Direct download: a._AThoughtfulFaith-078-HastingsWilcox.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:01am NZDT

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.

Direct download: AThoughtfulFaith-079-KirkCaudlePt2.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 6:31pm NZDT

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.

Direct download: AThoughtfulFaith-078-KirkCaudlePt1.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:18pm NZDT

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. 

Direct download: AThoughtfulFaith-077-StevenPeck-Pt3.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:47pm NZDT

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.  

Direct download: AThoughtfulFaith-076-StevenPeckPt2.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:23pm NZDT

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. 

Direct download: AThoughtfulFaith-075-StevenPeckPt1.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:53pm NZDT

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.

Direct download: AThoughtfulFaith-074-Ord.Pt1.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:44am NZDT

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

Direct download: AThoughtfulFaith-073-McDonaldWarwickPt2.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:36am NZDT

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.  

Direct download: AThoughtfulFaith-072-McDonaldWarwickPt01.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:27am NZDT

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"
Direct download: AThoughtfulFaith-071-PatrickMasonPt2.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:02pm NZDT

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:

Direct download: AThoughtfulFaith-070-PatrickMasonPt1.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:57pm NZDT

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

Direct download: AThoughtfulFaith-James_PattersonPt69.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:25am NZDT

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.

Direct download: AThoughtfulFaith-68-EmmaRoyHannPt2.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:56am NZDT

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.

Direct download: AThoughtfulFaith-67-EmmaRoyHannPt1.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:53am NZDT

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.
Direct download: AThoughtfulFaith-066.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 10:48am NZDT

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.
Direct download: AThoughtfulFaith-065.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 12:21pm NZDT

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.
Direct download: AThoughtfulFaith-064.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 12:23am NZDT

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.
Direct download: AThoughtfulFaith-063.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 11:07pm NZDT

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.
Direct download: AThoughtfulFaith-062.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 8:08am NZDT

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