A Thoughtful Faith - Mormon / LDS

Latest Episodes:

056: Terryl Givens Part 2 Sep 12, 2013

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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.

055: Terryl Givens Part 1 Sep 12, 2013

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054: Boyd Jay Petersen Jul 08, 2013

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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).

053: Richard Bushman Part 5 - Final Thoughts (Mormon Stories Re-Release) Jul 08, 2013

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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.

052: Richard Bushman Part 4 - Book of Mormon Historicity and the 3 and 8 Witnesses (Mormon Stories Re-Release) Jul 08, 2013

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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.

051: Richard Bushman Part 3 - Joseph Smith and the Translation of the Book of Mormon (Mormon Stories Re-Release) Jul 08, 2013

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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.

050: Richard Bushman Part 2 - The Art of History, Joseph Smith’s First Vision, Folk Magic and Treasure Digging (Mormon Stories Re-Release) Jun 06, 2013

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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.

049: Richard Bushman Part 1 - Experiences as a Mormon Historian (Mormon Stories Re-Release) Jun 06, 2013

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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.

048: Amy and Jeff - Are You a Member of the Mormon Club? - Part 2 May 16, 2013

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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.

047: Amy and Jeff - Are You a Member of the Mormon Club? - Part 1 May 16, 2013

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