Sunstone Podcast

Latest Episodes:

E153: Jesus Christ (Almost) Visits the Mormons. Aug 16, 2023

Show notes

Would Jesus pass muster to visit an LDS ward? Ryan Shoemaker doesn’t think so. But for reasons that have more to do with Whole Foods than the whole gospel. Episode includes bonus scripture from Jake Christensen.

https://sunstone.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/153.mp3

E152: Saving the Good Ship Zion by Leaving It. Jul 10, 2023

Show notes

The story goes that anyone who leaves the Good Ship Zion comes back all wet and half drowned. But in this episode, Stephen Carter argues that this is short-sighted, and that a journey away from the ship may actually be the best way to save both yourself and the ship.

https://sunstone.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/SLP-152.mp3

E151: Jesus, John Wayne, and Captain Moroni: How Mormonism Became Evangelical. Jul 03, 2023

Show notes

Mormonism used to pride itself on how different it was from other Christian sects. But it has since become part and parcel of the Evangelical movement. How did this happen? In this episode, Stephen Carter looks at recent LDS history through Kristen Du Mez’s book “Jesus and John Wayne: How Evangelicalism Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation.”

https://sunstone.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/SLP-151.mp3

E150: A Pride Month Sermon. Jun 26, 2023

Show notes

Walking into the forest means walking into the unknown. Reverend Patty Willis has done so many times in her life, and is about to do it again.

https://sunstone.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/150.mp3

E149: How the Proclamation on the Family Could Include Transgender People. Jun 15, 2023

Show notes

When the Proclamation on the Family says “gender,” what does it mean? Ted Lee makes a case that using the academic, rather than colloquial, definition of gender opens the way to fitting transgender people into the Plan of Salvation.

https://sunstone.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/149.mp3

E148: What Would Socrates Think of LGBTQ Issues if He Were Mormon? Jun 09, 2023

Show notes

In these two hilarious and compelling dialogues by Theric Jepson, Mormon Socrates explores the theology behind transgender people and reproductive rights.

https://sunstone.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/148.mp3

E147: Should Mormons Become a Part of Cancel Culture? May 22, 2023

Show notes

It’s hard to know how to respond when a favorite artist breaks one of you most cherished values. Starting with Erich Hatala Matthes’ book “Drawing the Line: What to Do with the Work of Immoral Artists from Museums to the Movies,” Stephen Carter explores some approaches to cancel culture and their surprising connections with Mormonism.

https://sunstone.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/SLP-147.mp3

E146: The Curious Case of James Madison Monroe. May 09, 2023

Show notes

The line between polygamy and adultery in early Mormonism was blurry, and people were killed over the interpretation of that line. This article by Edward Hogan explores how often the killers got off scot free—or even with a pat on the back.

https://sunstone.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/146.mp3

E145: Are Mormon Rituals Weird Enough? Apr 28, 2023

Show notes

Ritual is the basic building block of civilization. But what makes a strong ritual? And does Mormonism have enough of it to survive? Stephen Carter explores the Mormon implications of Dimitris Xygalatas’s book “Ritual: How Seemingly Senseless Acts Make Life Worth Living.” Listen to its companion episode at

https://sunstone.org/e118-the-lds-proselytizing-mission-as-hazing/

https://sunstone.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/SLP-145.mp3

E144: Telling Your Life Story After Religion. Apr 17, 2023

Show notes

When you lose your religion, you lose your life story. You have to reconstruct what life means. Stephen Carter presents an approach to telling your life story after the pre- and post-mortal lives have been removed from your worldview.

https://sunstone.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/SLP-144.mp3

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