A Thoughtful Faith - Mormon / LDS

Lesley Butterfield is a registered nurse and survivor advocate who works with victims of abuse. 

She’s passionate about increasing literacy about abuse and trauma in particular for women survivors of spiritual and ecclesiastical abuse in the Church. 

Lesley has certifications and training in Trauma-Informed Care, Community Advocacy, Faith and Spiritual Development, Familial Mental Health, Domestic Abuse, and Resiliency.

We discuss the role that women play in the revictimization of female trauma victims in the Church and the lack of protection and safety for women who find themselves in abusive situations.

Direct download: Lesley_Butterfield_final.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:48pm NZDT

Community of Christ is a worldwide church, and though small in numbers maintain a consistent effort to  “proclaim Jesus Christ and promote communities of joy, hope, love, and peace.”  Their vision is a ‘table’ with everyone invited and participating and belonging regardless of gender, race, or sexuality.

One of their first progressive actions was to ordain women which they did so in 1984.  Today five of the council of twelve positions in Community of Christ are held by women.   At the 2019 world conference, Catherine Mambwe from Zambia was the first African woman to be ordained an apostle.

So, what does spiritual formation look like for a woman in Community of Christ?

Janné Grover is a member of the Council of Twelve Apostles, the lead missionary quorum of Community of Christ. She is assigned to the Central USA Mission Field. She is also director of Formation Ministries.

Her previous employment includes disciple formation ministries specialist for Community of Christ and is a musician by training and vocation.

Apostle, Janne joins me to discuss spiritual formation and what it means for a woman to be in senior ecclesiastical leadership in a progressive worldwide church.  

Direct download: Janne_Grover_final.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:53am NZDT

Church College of New Zealand, which was opened in 1958, had a short life by education standards.  For 52 years it served the mostly Māori Mormon LDS community.  But, in a swirl of confusion, it was finally closed in 2009 and demolished.

The school's motto was 'Build Now For Eternity' which motivated many Māori Mormons to contribute money, material resources and years of labour for the building of the school.  Today, despite promises to develop the land and reinvigorate the community of Temple View, few of the promised improvements which were offered to replace a much-beloved school have been realised.

Peter Witehira,  former Chair of the Temple View Heritage Committee, and Rā Puriri join me to discuss the beginning and end of Church College of New Zealand.

(Music by St Joseph's Maori Girls' College)

Direct download: CCNZ_2_Final.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:34am NZDT

In 2019 Professor Peter Lineham was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to religious history and the community.  And that honour is well deserved. 

Few, if any scholars in the field of religious history in New Zealand have the sweeping knowledge and intimate understanding of religion in Aotearoa. He’s written about Māori prophets to Catholic missionaries to LDS History over the period of his distinguished career. 

Peter's fluency and his impressive breadth of understanding of Mormon history highlight the issues arising out of an American church who are in a complex relationship with New Zealand Māori.

Direct download: Lineham_Final_2.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:41pm NZDT

In this episode, we look at child abuse from the perspective of prevention.  My guest is Gwen Knight, the executive director of Prevent Child Abuse Utah.


According to Prevent Child abuse Utah, its mission is to forge and guide a community commitment to prevent child abuse in all of its forms.

In Utah one in five children will be sexually abused before the age of 18, suggesting the issue of child abuse in the Beehive state is epidemic.

Gwen joins me for a very pragmatic discussion about what child abuse is in all of its forms and varieties,  what to notice, and how to respond when you suspect it.

Direct download: Gwen_Knight_Protect_Children_Final.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:18am NZDT

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