Sunstone Podcast

Latest Episodes:

E216: The Gay Mormon Play that Changed Hearts: Facing East Sep 03, 2026

Show notes

In 2006, Carol Lynn Pearson’s play “Facing East” premiered in Salt Lake City. Then it had runs off Broadway and in San Francisco. Focusing on the Mormon parents of a gay man who committed suicide, it helped religious families better understand their gay loved ones. The play will be revived in October and November 2026 in Salt Lake City. Join director Jerry Rapier, and actors Christy Summerhays and Jay Perry as they talk about the play and why this revival is so important.

https://sunstone.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/SLP-216.mp3

E215: Young Washington vs. Odysseus: A Tale of Two Myths Aug 24, 2026

Show notes

Young Washington and Odysseus walk into a fast and testimony meeting. Only one will emerge triumphant! Both are violent. Both play fast and loose with their source material. And both are myths. In this episode, Stephen Carter compares the two movies for what they might offer to a Mormon audience.

https://sunstone.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/SLP-215.mp3

E214: The Genesis of a TikTok Bible Scholar Jul 26, 2026

Show notes

Dan McClellan has done the seemingly impossible. He has made Bible scholarship not only accessible, but cool on his TikTok channel. In this episode, he talks about how he became the internet sensation he is today.

https://sunstone.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/SLP-214.mp3

E212: Where Have All the Roadshows Gone? Jun 13, 2026

Show notes

Roadshows, Boy Scouts, MIA, basketball leagues, potlucks—the LDS Church was once buzzing with community activities. But most of that has disappeared. How did it happen? In this episode, Mithryn (a.k.a. Kenneth Lines) presents a fast-paced history of the rise and fall of community activities in the Church.

https://sunstone.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/SLP-212.mp3

E211: The Apostle Who Tried to Retire. Jun 05, 2026

Show notes

What if apostles were given emeritus status at 70 years of age? This was the question apostle Hugh B. Brown proposed to the Quorum of the Twelve as President David O. McKay descended into senility. Would the Quorum go for it? After all, Hugh would be the first to go! In this episode, Matt Harris talks about how a power vacuum caused chaos in the First Presidency.

https://sunstone.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/SLP-211.mp3

E120: What’s in the Sacred Sauce? May 25, 2026

Show notes

What do Latter-day Saints mean when they say temples are sacred? Intrepid reporter Stephen Carter braves three tours of the Lindon Temple to find out. (Hint: It’s definitely not the symbolism.)

https://sunstone.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/SLP-210.mp3

E209: From Villains to Heroes: Mormons in Italy’s “Tex” Comics Feb 23, 2026

Show notes

Polygamists, Danites, and guns! The Italian cowboy hero Tex has met with them all over the course of more than 75 years of comic book stories. But the portrayal of Mormons in the series has changed significantly, as presented by Michael Homer in this episode.

https://sunstone.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/SLP-209.mp3

E208: Religion Is Dangerous. You Should Try It! Feb 05, 2026

Show notes

New York Times columnist Ross Douthat thinks that believing in the divine and joining a religion is not only a rational thing to do, it’s the best way to interact with reality. But what happens when you come out the other side of belief? Stephen Carter analyzes Douthat’s book “Believe: Why Everyone Should be Religious,” in this episode of the Sunstone Podcast.

https://sunstone.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/SLP-208.mp3

E207: Joseph Smith: Not Boring. Dec 08, 2025

Show notes

As a non-Mormon scholar, John G. Turner spent years researching Joseph Smith’s life as he wrote a biography of Smith. He found out that nothing about Joseph Smith’s life was boring; for better or for worse. In this episode, Turner compares the young Joseph Smith as he produced the golden plates with the older Joseph Smith as he practiced polygamy.

https://sunstone.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SLP-207.mp3

E206: How Sunstone Cartoons Saved the LDS Church from Itself. Oct 14, 2025

Show notes

Is it blasphemous to publish a cartoon about Angel Moroni? How about Jesus? How about God? Sunstone has been exploring the limits of what LDS culture is willing to laugh at for decades. Using many hilarious (and possibly blasphemous) examples, Stephen Carter talks about the times when Sunstone ran afoul of sacred sensibilities, and also how its cartoonists subtly changed the Church—right up to the Church Office Building.

https://sunstone.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/SLP-206.mp3

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