Sunstone Podcast
79 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 3 years ago - ★★★★ - 112 ratingsTurn a spotlight on all the newest thought and scholarship in Mormon studies. Hosted by John Larsen.
Homepage Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Episodes
E78: October 2020 Conference Analysis
October 13, 2020 16:48 - 51 minutes - 47.2 MBForget the pandemic, the truly earth-shattering thing about 2020 is that people from Sunstone, Dialogue, and Exponent actually liked Dallin Oaks’ October conference talk! And was this the official anti-DezNat general conference? There are plenty of surprises in this analysis with Heather Harris-Bergevin, Jim Bennett, Emily Jensen, and Stephen Carter.
E77: Faith Journeys in Britain.
October 01, 2020 18:26 - 57 minutes - 53.1 MBThis panel discussion from Sunstone Birmingham features current and ex-Mormons telling the story of their faith journeys. Moderated by Mark Johnson, the panel includes Deborah Squires-Coleman, Debra Edwards, Mark Lake, and Lauren Richardson Alcock.
E76: Jesus as a Liberal
September 22, 2020 16:42 - 55 minutes - 50.6 MBKristine Haglund, Karin Peter, and Stephen Carter scoured the 2020 Democratic National Convention transcripts for signs of Jesus’ teachings. What they found (and didn’t find) gave them new insight into what Jesus’ politics might have been.
Episode 75: Jesus as a Conservative
September 15, 2020 18:17 - 1 hour - 56.7 MBPhil McLemore and Stephen Carter scoured the 2020 Republican National Convention’s transcripts for signs of Jesus’ teachings. What they found led to surprising insights about constructive ways conservatives and liberals can talk with each other.
Episode 74: The American Indian/Lamanite Disconnect.
September 08, 2020 17:32 - 1 hour - 26.7 MBThe Lamanites in the Book of Mormon were presented as the ancestors of the American Indians by early LDS Church leaders. But how plausible is that connection? In this episode, John Larsen and Christopher Smith dig into the difficulties. Listen to this episode here.
Episode 73: Bathing with God: An Interview with Glenn Ostlund.
August 24, 2020 19:02 - 1 hour - 19.9 MBWhat if a voice started talking to you while you were all alone, soaking in a nice, warm bath? What if that voice told you that everything is a fiction — and that fictions are the single most important innovation in the history of humanity? What if you debated and argued with this voice until …
Episode 72: Mormonism and White Supremacy in Education.
August 12, 2020 17:23 - 1 hour - 62.3 MBThe LDS Church is more enmeshed in white supremacy that most Latter-day Saints realize. Education professor Roni Jo Draper talks with co-host Blaire Ostler about how systemic racism shows up in Mormon conversations about education and how we can start to dismantle it. Listen to this episode here.
Episode 71: John’s Book of Mormon Project: An Introduction.
August 05, 2020 18:04 - 35 minutes - 32.5 MBThe Book of Mormon is simultaneously the most central and the most problematic part of the Restoration movement. In this episode, John Larsen introduces a new series in the Sunstone Podcast where he will be exploring various approaches to the Book of Mormon, revealing both its problems and its power. Listen to this episode here.
Episode 70: What Happens When White People Talk With White People About Race?
July 07, 2020 19:44 - 1 hour - 60.4 MBAs Ijeoma Oluo wrote, “White people, talk about race with other white people. … Take some of the burden of racism off of people of color. Bring it into your life so that you can dismantle racism in the white spaces of your life.” But how do white people talk constructively about race amongst themselves? …
Episode 69: A Technological Resurrection.
July 01, 2020 18:59 - 1 hour - 24.2 MBChristian and LDS doctrine both teach about the resurrection of the dead. But how will that resurrection occur? Lincoln Cannon, Jordan Roberts, and Blaire Ostler have a theory that it will be accomplished through technological means. How does new technology and old scripture support their assertion? And what complexities does their theory pose? Listen to …
Episode 68: Black and Queer in the LDS Church: A Conversation with LeiLoni Lee.
June 22, 2020 21:36 - 1 hour - 60.5 MBLeiLoni Lee grew up as a Black person in a small, largely White Utah town. She loved her experience in the LDS Church until the day a “trusted adult” told her that her dark skin was the sign of a curse. Then, at age 12, she began to realize that she was Queer. Blaire Ostler …
Episode 67: Will Church Ever Be Church Again?
June 16, 2020 19:11 - 1 hour - 58 MBWith the advent of COVID-19, physically going to church has taken on the aura of a life-and-death proposition. Jana Riess and Stephen Carter discuss how we may have reached a historic period where the way we worship changes forever. Listen to this episode here.
Episode 66: Mormonism and White Supremacy
June 08, 2020 20:01 - 1 hour - 23.7 MBIn her new book, “Mormonism and White Supremacy: American Religion and the Problem and Racial Innocence,” Joanna Brooks reveals uncomfortable truths about how White supremacist attitudes were built into the LDS Church—and how they still function today. Joanna Brooks and Mica McGriggs talk with Stephen Carter about how racism became part of the Church’s structure …
Episode 65: Sexuality and Gender in Modern Mormonism: A Conversation with Taylor Petrey.
June 03, 2020 19:51 - 58 minutes - 53.7 MBTaylor Petrey, author of the new book “Tabernacles of Clay: Sexuality and Gender in Modern Mormonism” talks with Ben Park and Lindsay Hansen Park about the many ways LDS teachings on gender and sexuality have shifted since World War II. Listen to this episode here.
Episode 64: Writing Mormon History: Historians and Their Books.
May 19, 2020 17:49 - 1 hour - 22 MBEvery great book has a great backstory,” says the blurb on the back of “Writing Mormon History: Historians and Their Books” Editor Joseph Geisner and contributor Daniel Stone talk with Lindsay Hansen Park and Josh Allred about their journeys of writing books that have influenced our understanding of the Mormon past. Listen to this episode …
Episode 63: How Mormons Shoot Themselves in the Foot on the Internet
May 11, 2020 17:27 - 1 hour - 63.8 MBLDS Churches have been closed for two months now, which means we can only talk about religion online. And often our attempts at discussion blow up in our virtual faces. This panel explores how to discuss religion constructively online. Panelists include Gina Colvin, Michael Austin, Blaire Ostler, and Stephen Carter. Listen to this episode here.
Episode 62: What Would a Prophetic People Do During a Pandemic?
April 27, 2020 19:29 - 1 hour - 24.6 MBWe live in unprecedented times, with unprecedented problems, that demand unprecedented solutions—solutions that only a prophetic people can provide. But what does being prophetic even mean? And when is a person being prophetic? What stops Mormons from being prophetic, and what can help them? This panel discussion includes Mica McGriggs, Daniel Carter, Lindsay Hansen Park, …
Episode 61: Mormonism after COVID-19.
April 20, 2020 18:55 - 1 hour - 61.6 MBThe COVID-19 pandemic has upended normal life the world over. And things will likely be very different after the pandemic subsides. This panel discussion explores the kinds of changes the LDS Church might go through, including in its temple worship, and what theological possibilities the pandemic could spawn. Panelists include Blaire Ostler, Carl Youngblood, Michaelann …
Episode 60: April 2020 General Conference Analysis.
April 08, 2020 22:10 - 1 hour - 22.6 MBIn this episode, Sunstone assembles a panel from across the belief spectrum to help us dig in to not only what happened at this most recent conference, but also what happens at General Conference … generally. Panelists include Lindsay Hansen Park, John Larsen, Blaire Ostler, Jaxon Washburn, and Stephen Carter. Join us for a vigorous …
Episode 59: Turning Tragedy into Triumph: And Other Terrible Ideas.
April 03, 2020 17:22 - 26 minutes - 24.5 MBFrom Zion’s Camp to the Willie and Martin handcart companies, the LDS Church is great at retelling tragedies as triumphs. In this episode, Stephen Carter talks about how every group does the same thing, and how it can actually create even more tragedy. Listen to his episode here.
Episode 58: Trapped in Babel: Healing the Religious and Political Divide
March 26, 2020 17:02 - 27 minutes - 25 MBWhen it comes to religion and politics, it seems like everyone is talking in a different language. What if that’s a good thing? Stephen Carter reinterprets the story of the Tower of Babel to show how the “Babel Cycle” has spun out of control, and how harnessing it again could help heal the political and …
Episode 57: The Weird But Obvious Reasons Why the LDS Church Doesn’t Want You to Stream Sacrament Meeting.
March 18, 2020 23:42 - 23 minutes - 21.4 MBAs LDS wards look for ways to “have church” during social distancing, the question comes up: “Why in the world have we never ever streamed sacrament meetings?” In this episode, Stephen Carter answers that question with his own personal conspiracy theory, supported with dozens of rolls of toilet paper. Listen to this episode here.
Episode 56: Legalizing Polygamy: An Article by George R. Compton
March 10, 2020 20:39 - 21 minutes - 19.7 MBGeorge R. Compton believes that the eventual legalization of polygamy is inevitable, and the Utah legislature recently took a giant step in that direction by voting to stop prosecuting polygamy as a felony. In what ways would the legalization of polygamy be useful to current American culture? This episode presents Compton’s fascinating article as narrated …
Episode 55: A Tale of Two Republicans: How Mitt Romney and Mike Lee Are Two Sides of the LDS Coin
March 02, 2020 05:49 - 54 minutes - 50.2 MBFor more than a century, Mormonism has been married to the Republican Party, conservative political values being preached unapologetically from both the general and ward pulpit. But a rift seems to be occurring between the two, as evidenced by LDS senators Mitt Romney and Mike Lee voting on opposite sides of the recent impeachment. In …
Episode 54: Mormon Philosophy Simplified: A Conversation with Brittney Hartley
February 24, 2020 22:19 - 47 minutes - 43.9 MBBrittney Hartley sees a huge gap between the colorful world of Mormon academia and the average church member. In this episode, Jaxon Washburn talks with her about the book she published to fill that gap and how it can steer LDS Church members away from fundamentalist thinking. Listen to this episode here.
Episode 53: Tight Like Unto a Dish?: A Conversation with MormonLeaks
February 17, 2020 22:04 - 1 hour - 15 MBRyan McKnight and Ethan Dodge believe that the LDS Church would be a better place if it were transparent about its finances and policies. Toward that end, they have established MormonLeaks which releases internal documents and recordings from the LDS Church. John Larsen interviews McKnight and Dodge about some of the surprising results of their …
Episode 52: The Ex-Mormon Overcorrection
February 10, 2020 21:51 - 54 minutes - 49.7 MBDuring his years of watching the ex-Mormon community, John Larsen has seen an interesting pattern. As they leave the LDS Church, ex-Mormons often accidentally deprive themselves of emotional and psychological benefits to which Mormonism doesn’t have exclusive claim. What are these benefits, and how can ex-Mormons reclaim them? Listen to this episode here.
Episode 51: Returning to Church Without Returning to Church
February 03, 2020 21:08 - 25 minutes - 23.3 MBCould returning to church actually be a sign of significant spiritual growth for post-Mormons? Or would they just be sucked back into the cultural ailments they were trying to escape in the first place? Stephen Carter argues that eventually returning to church is essential—but for reasons that would surprise both orthodox Mormons and post-Mormons. Listen …
Episode 50: Religion Is a Technology, and Jesus Was a Saboteur
January 27, 2020 22:27 - 36 minutes - 33.8 MBAre LDS borderlanders the only ones who can slow down, or even stop, the Pride Cycle as described in the Book of Mormon? Stephen Carter thinks so, because they’re the only ones who have been both inside and outside the “technology” of the LDS Church. With a few tips from Jesus, Stephen thinks borderlanders can …
Episode 49: What Was In the Lost 116 Pages?: An Interview with Don Bradley
January 20, 2020 21:29 - 1 hour - 30.4 MBImagine if the Book of Mormon were 116 pages longer. That’s what Don Bradley has been doing for the past 15 years as he has reconstructed what might have been in first 116 pages of the Book of Mormon manuscript that Martin Harris lost. Jaxon Washburn interviews Bradley about his methods and findings. Listen to …
Episode 48: LGBTQ Equality Would Break LDS Doctrine: A Call for Responses
January 13, 2020 21:07 - 1 hour - 28.7 MBAlthough an advocate for LGBTQ equality, John Larsen doesn’t believe the LDS Church can bring that community into full fellowship without dismantling its doctrine. In this episode, he lays out his argument and then calls for responses to it, hoping that there is indeed room for LGBTQ equality in the LDS Church. Listen to this …
Episode 47: What Really Happened to the Lost 116 Pages?: An Interview with Don Bradley
January 06, 2020 04:40 - 1 hour - 20.8 MBThe loss of the original 116 pages of the Book of Mormon manuscript is often laid at the feet of Lucy Harris. But it’s possible—even likely—that she was innocent. Jaxon Washburn talks with Don Bradley about this traumatic incident in early Mormon history. Listen to this episode here.
Episode 46: John’s Top-Ten List
December 30, 2019 19:51 - 39 minutes - 35.9 MBWhat’s up with John Larsen, anyway? On some episodes, he’s very critical of the LDS Church; on others, he’s very supportive. In this episode, John presents the top ten most important things to know about his approach to Mormonism. Listen to this episode here.
Episode 45: What Would Jesus Do with $100 Billion?
December 23, 2019 20:28 - 26 minutes - 24.6 MBA whistleblower recently alleged to the IRS that the LDS Church has kept $100 billion of funds meant for charitable purposes. The Church maintains that it keeps funds in store for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. In this episode, John Larsen analyzes what that statement could mean about the LDS version of the Second …
Episode 44: A Christmas Carol Conspiracy Theory
December 16, 2019 21:35 - 27 minutes - 25.1 MBWhy has Charles Dickens’ story “A Christmas Carol” been one of the most popular stories in the English language for almost 150 years? Stephen Carter thinks he found the answer—one that will completely change how you view the story—one that made Stephen into a reluctant “Christmas Carol’ convert. Listen to this episode here.
Episode 43: The Sunstone Santa Special
December 12, 2019 05:58 - 34 minutes - 31.5 MBSunstone presents two perspectives on Santa. The neighbors won’t let their kids play with his kids in December. He’s not allowed to speak in church before Christmas. Why? Because L. Kay Gillespie (1) doesn’t believe in Santa, (2) isn’t quiet about it, and (3) thinks Santa should get the heck out of Christmas and get …
Episode 42: Ministering to Those Who Question: A Conversation with David B. Ostler
November 26, 2019 06:32 - 1 hour - 59.3 MBWhat is the most important thing to do when someone starts talking with you about a religious concern? According to David B. Ostler, simply to listen. In his debut episode, new Sunstone Podcast co-host Jaxon Washburn talks with Ostler about his book “Bridges: Ministering to Those Who Question.” Listen to this episode here.
Episode 41: Your Faith Crisis Isn’t Actually Yours
November 19, 2019 20:59 - 32 minutes - 29.4 MBWe like to think that our faith crisis came about because we followed the truth. But what if a faith crisis is actually produced by cultural cycles that have been grinding on for millennia? Stephen Carter discusses how anthropology and the sociology of knowledge turns the concept of a faith crisis on its head. Listen …
Episode 40: Mormon Iconoclast Part 4: Eric Samuelsen’s “Borderlands.”
November 11, 2019 07:05 - 37 minutes - 34.3 MBHis play “Borderlands” exacted a great cost from Eric Samuelsen, both personally and professionally. But it is also likely his greatest work. Stephen Carter and director Jerry Rapier discuss how the play came together and its potent effect on the LDS community. Listen to this episode here.
Episode 39: Mormon Iconoclast Part 3: Eric Samuelsen’s ‘Peculiarities.’
November 04, 2019 07:59 - 40 minutes - 37.2 MBTwo BYU students go to Nevada to get civilly married for a weekend so they can see what sex is like. A bishop tries to fend off needy ward members long enough to have a romantic evening with his wife. An LDS mom starts work in a brothel to support her family. In what is …
Episode 38: How ‘Saw’ Is the Ultimate Mormon Horror Film
October 28, 2019 19:53 - 30 minutes - 28 MBLDS culture is so relentlessly optimistic and family-friendly that we almost always overlook the profound horror at its theological roots. Fortunately, the horror movie “Saw” opens our eyes. After this episode, you’ll be calling it “the Plan of Saw-vation.” Listen to this episode here.
Episode 37: Mormon Iconoclast Part 2: Eric Samuelsen’s “The Plan.”
October 21, 2019 21:40 - 47 minutes - 43.4 MBBehind every great man stands a great woman … who stood up to him! The Bible often gives its female characters short shrift. But playwright Eric Samuelsen brings them vividly to life in his play “The Plan.” Stephen Carter and Melissa Leilani Larson discuss this astonishingly feminist piece of LDS theater. Listen to this episode …
Episode 36: Mormon Iconoclast: An Introduction to Eric Samuelsen.
October 15, 2019 02:34 - 31 minutes - 28.7 MBMormonism suffered a great loss September when Eric Samuelsen passed away. But few people have actually heard of him, which is a shame, because he revolutionized LDS culture one iconoclastic play at a time. Stephen Carter and J. Scott Bronson discuss two of his award-winning plays. Listen to this episode here.
Episode 35: Wayne Booth: “The Rhetorician Who Can Change Everything.”
October 07, 2019 05:57 - 1 hour - 23.2 MBWhat’s more important? Having the truth, or understanding your opponent? In this first installment of the Forgotten Mormons series, Stephen Carter, Greg Clark, and Jon Ogden introduce Wayne C. Booth, the LDS rhetorician who would like to blow everything you know about constructive dialogue out of the water. Its implications—from political discourse to Sunday school …
Episode 34: Expanding the Soul … and the Podcast: A Conversation with Jaxon Washburn
September 30, 2019 04:43 - 56 minutes - 52.2 MBHow do you grow spiritually? Do you move from being wrong to being right? Or from being right to being righter? Jaxon Washburn sees soul growth as expansion rather than as movement toward correctness. Jaxon will be a co-host for future episodes of the Sunstone Podcast. Come get a taste of his thinking, and learn …
Episode 33: A History of the Faith Crisis: A Conversation with Jeff Burton
September 16, 2019 06:49 - 54 minutes - 49.7 MBThe concept of a faith crisis is a relatively new one, especially in LDS discourse. But Jeff Burton has been documenting cases of faith crises since the early 1980s. What has changed about the patterns of faith crises from then until now? Are there more people going through them, or are they just more willing …
Episode 32: Too Interesting to Leave: A Conversation with Rick Bennett
September 02, 2019 18:53 - 1 hour - 29.5 MBRick Bennett has earned his place among LDS podcasters by hosting guests from across the belief spectrum, from Utah Lighthouse Ministry founder Sandra Tanner to official LDS Church historian Steven Snow. John Larsen talks with Rick about how in the world he does it. Listen to this episode here.
Episode 31: Early Mormonism and the Masonic Worldview
August 26, 2019 08:00 - 1 hour - 29.7 MBIt’s not just the temple endowment ceremony that has deep roots in Freemasonry, you can find its lore in the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price, too. John Larsen and Clair Von Barrus take a deep dive into the parallels in this episode. Listen to this episode here.
Episode 30: An Introduction to Mormon Transhumanism: A Conversation with Blaire Ostler.
August 19, 2019 05:36 - 1 hour - 55.2 MBWill all the promises of Christianity—immortality, god-like powers, etc.—actually be provided by science? Mormon theology has plenty of room for that idea! John Larsen talks with Blaire Ostler about the Mormon Transhumanist worldview. Listen to this episode here.
Episode 29: Revising Your Sexual Story: A Conversation with Natasha Helfer Parker
August 12, 2019 16:58 - 1 hour - 63.8 MBBreaking news! Mormons and ex-Mormons could be having better sex! And they don’t even need Cosmopolitan’s hot tips! John Larsen and Natasha Helfer Parker dive into the Hows of enjoying sex, both in and out of the faith. Listen to this episode here.