A Thoughtful Faith - Mormon / LDS

Latest Episodes:

017: John Kesler - On Incorporating Meditation to Expand and Enrich Spiritual Experience Jan 15, 2013

Show notes

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.

016: Micah and Sarah on Our Vision for ATF Jan 08, 2013

Show notes

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!

015: All Enlisted's Kristina Monson on Wearing Pants to Church Dec 15, 2012

Show notes

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!

014: RationalFaiths.com's Michael Barker on Faith Crisis and Inoculation - Part 2 Dec 09, 2012

Show notes

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.

013: RationalFaiths.com's Michael Barker on Faith Crisis and Inoculation - Part 1 Dec 09, 2012

Show notes

012: Neylan McBaine - The Mormon Women Project and Creating Gendered Participation - Part 2 Dec 02, 2012

Show notes

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.

011: Neylan McBaine - The Mormon Women Project and Creating Gendered Participation - Part 1 Dec 02, 2012

Show notes

010: Terryl & Fiona Givens - Faith, Doubt, and The God Who Weeps Nov 09, 2012

Show notes

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.

009: Chase and Rebecca's Story Oct 31, 2012

Show notes

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.

008: The Wisdom and Faith of Thomas Alexander Oct 30, 2012

Show notes

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.

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