Mormon Land

Episodes

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  How the ‘Oaks doctrine’ on politics jibes with Jesus’ teachings | Episode 462 21.10.2026 41m

  Are Latter-day Saints Christians? It’s not an uncommon question. Members respond with an emphatic “yes” and point to the signs outside their chapels and temples: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. “You see,” they say, “It’s right there in the church’s name.” Jesus is indeed present and central in the faith’s sermons and teachings. But is he present and central when the faithful speak and teach? Sometimes, it turns out, he may not be. Authors Patrick and Melissa Mason argue that needs to change. In their new book, “Rooted: Centering Christ in Everything,” they show how Jesus can and should be at the heart of every Sunday school lesson and sacrament meeting talk — whether the subject is Mother’s Day or Joseph Smith, pioneers or patriotism. Patrick Mason, chair of Mormon history and culture at Utah State University, and Melissa Mason, a licensed social worker and therapist, talk about a range of topics that arise for Latter-day Saints and how to root all of them in Jesus Christ.
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  This LDS OB-GYN was ‘100% yes’ on Prop 1 — until her church weighed in | Episode 461 14.10.2026 34m

  The U.S. Central Area Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued an official statement last month opposing the Idaho Reproductive Freedom and Privacy Act, better known as Proposition 1. The memo was brief. Its signers, all men, did not get into the debates swirling around the ballot measure widely seen as having a decent shot at passing this November. Instead, it read: “Our long-held stance on abortion remains clear and unchanged.” A few weeks later, the church cut a check for $1 million to the group opposing the measure. Official church policy opposes “elective abortion for personal or social convenience.” However, it has long noted that there are circumstances in which abortion is not a sin. Those include a pregnancy resulting from rape or incest, if the “life or health” of the mother is in “serious jeopardy,” and instances when a fetus is found to have “severe defects that will not allow the baby to survive beyond birth.” Current Idaho law is more restrictive, barring abortion at all stages of pregnancy with an exception for the life of the mother. Survivors of rape and incest who have reported the crime to law enforcement can also seek an abortion during the first trimester. In contrast, Prop 1 goes, arguably, further in its allowances than church policy, establishing “a right to make private reproductive healthcare decisions, including abortion up to fetal viability and in medical emergencies.” The result is a Latter-day Saint community split on the measure, along with heated arguments online and off over what these laws and proposed laws mean for maternal and newborn health. This week, Heather Pugmire, a Latter-day Saint and OB-GYN, describes her own experience practicing in Idaho and her wrestle with the question of how to vote come Election Day.
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  Why gambling violates LDS principles and economics | Episode 460 07.10.2026 30m

  The explosion in gambling — especially through the emergence of online sports betting and so-called prediction markets — has been debated in the courts, Congress and now Latter-day Saint living rooms. The latter comes after President D. Todd Christofferson’s blistering broadside against all types of wagering in this past weekend’s General Conference. While the church’s anti-gambling stance is hardly a revelation, the environment, energy and extent to which it was delivered made headlines and even caught some members by surprise. Gambling, Christofferson said, is “morally wrong” and incompatible with Christ’s gospel. Joining us remotely to discuss his message, its theological roots and potential culture impact — along with other conference moments — is Latter-day Saint scholar Matthew Bowman, chair of Mormon studies at Claremont Graduate University and co-author “Game Changers: AJ Dybantsa, BYU, and the Struggle for the Soul of Basketball.”
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  LDS women and the rise of conservative Christian gender ideals | Episode 459 30.09.2026 34m

  Six years ago, the book “Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation” hit shelves. A 75-year history of evangelical masculinity, The New York Times bestseller laid out the forces that, according to author Kristin Kobes Du Mez, turned President Donald Trump into a hero of the religious right. Now the professor of history at Calvin University is out with a new book, “Live Laugh Love: The Secret History of White Christian Women and the World They Made.” Precious Moments figurines. Purity culture. “Little House on the Prairie” and free enterprise. They’re all connected in Du Mez’s telling of a system that promised women everything — and often demanded the same. Although primarily focused on white evangelicals, the names of women of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are woven throughout the often biting history that has joined its predecessor on The New York Times’ bestseller list. Despite their theological differences, the women from both traditions came together through the years to, she writes, “define conservative femininity for generations to come.” This week, Du Mez traces the contributions of Latter-day Saint women past and present to this ideal.
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  Former judge Thomas Griffith on LDS President Dallin Oaks' D.C. speech | Episode 458 23.09.2026 41m

  President Dallin H. Oaks, leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, gave a landmark address recently in a soaring cathedral at the nation’s capital to a packed audience of Washington politicos and insiders. The former lawyer, law professor and Utah Supreme Court justice schooled his audience on how the U.S. Constitution offers a clear-cut manual for how to deal with profound differences — including political and religious ones — in a pluralistic society. It is a message he has offered in several diverse venues, including to scholars in Virginia, Catholics in Rome and Latter-day Saints in their General Conferences. He has brought his powerful mind to the topic, obviously believing it is an urgent issue at a chaotic and polarized time. Retired federal Judge Thomas Griffith, a Latter-day Saint, was in the audience at the Washington National Cathedral when Oaks spoke. On this week’s show, Griffith reviews the speech, Oaks’ counsel, and why it may be crucial for this time.
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  McKay Coppins on sports betting for Latter-day Saints | Episode 457 16.09.2026 30m

  “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is opposed to gambling. … [It] is motivated by a desire to get something for nothing. This desire is spiritually destructive. It leads participants away from the Savior’s teachings.” With those words, the faith’s position is clear. No gambling — of any type. So when The Atlantic staked staff writer McKay Coppins, a practicing Latter-day Saint, $10,000 to place bets while investigating the booming business of sports betting, he felt the need to consult with his bishop. Since the money wouldn’t be his own and the assignment was for research, the wary church leader gave Coppins the go sign but added a caution: “Be careful.” During the ensuing months, Coppins learned the wisdom behind that warning as he came to understand the addictive nature of gambling and the odds against winning at it. “I started with $10,000,” he said. “I ended with less than $200. I lost, basically, all of it.” On this week’s show, he discusses his article, titled “Sucker: My year as a degenerate gambler,” along with what he discovered about the industry, himself and the implications of sports betting for Latter-day Saints.
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  LDS service missionaries confront a whole new challenge: immigration | Episode 456 09.09.2026 42m

  Scott Howell is a well-known figure among Utah Democrats. He served for a decade in the state Senate and was twice the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate. During the past dozen years, though, Howell donned a different mantle: service missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He and his wife, Linda, spent their days teaching workshops on self-reliance, addressing the problems of homelessness, helping those living on the margins get the care they need, even helping a toothless member get dentures. On this week’s show, the Howells discuss the church’s program, its challenges and rewards, and what they learned along the way.
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  Sex for older single, divorced and widowed Latter-day Saints | Episode 455 02.09.2026 31m

  Sexual standards set by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints seem clear — no sex before marriage, total fidelity during marriage. Guidelines for sexual activity are set out for young Latter-day Saints in publications like “For the Strength of Youth.” But what about older singles who have never wed or those whose marriages end in divorce or death? How do they then navigate the possibility of intimacy? Jennifer Finlayson-Fife, a well-known Latter-day Saint sex therapist and author of “That We Might Have Joy: Desire, Divinity & Intimate Love,” addresses older singles as they encounter complex realities that don’t fit neatly into a pamphlet. She talks about these realities and how to understand the difference between the letter of the law and the spirit of the law.
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  Shorter lessons. Less foyer time. Will new Sunday schedule lead to a ‘drive-thru’ church? | Episode 454 26.08.2026 40m

  Starting in September, the Sabbath experience will change for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints around the world. Services each Sunday will feature all of the faith’s traditional classes for adults and youths, rather than every other week. That means an hourlong sacrament meeting, the faith’s main worship gathering, followed by 25 minutes of Sunday school for adults and teens, and then 25 minutes for all-male priesthood classes, along with women’s Relief Society and Young Women classes. Children’s Primary will remain 55 minutes long. Essentially, church leaders are cramming classes and meetings that used to take three hours into the two-hour block the faith adopted in 2019. Latter-day Saints see allowing men, women and teens to gather each week in their groups as a plus. But members worry about the 25-minute classes. Is that enough lesson time for meaningful discussion and deep gospel and scripture study? On this week’s show, Cynthia Winward, co-host of the Latter-day Saint podcast “At Last She Said It,” and Michael David Huston, a contributor for the Latter-day Saint blog By Common Consent, discuss the Sunday shift.
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  The LDS Church’s retention rate may fall even further | Episode 453 19.08.2026 28m

  The on-again, off-again debate about retention in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is, most definitely, on — again. And in a big way. The latest round began with a report by BYU Studies, which found a number of positive signs of high religiosity among members. But it also noted that retention among U.S. Latter-day Saints has plunged from 82% in the heady 1980s to about 50% today. Stories appeared in The Salt Lake Tribune and the church-owned Deseret News, followed by a post from statistician Ryan Burge under the headline “The LDS Church Has a Retention Problem,” pointing to a 54% rate. Religion News Service columnist Jana Riess weighed in on the issue, and her commentary spurred a pair of responses from BYU researchers and a number of entries on Mormon blogs. Of particular concern to Riess, who is a Latter-day Saint, is the even lower retention rate among young women and the remarkable reversal that shows women (especially younger ones) are now more likely to leave the faith than men. On this week’s show, Riess, author of the forthcoming book “Leaving Mormonism: Who Is Exiting The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—and Why,” discusses this data debate, what it means for the overall church, and why more Latter-day Saint women appear to be struggling with staying in the fold.
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  Exploring the church's case against John Dehlin's "Mormon Stories" | Episode 452 12.08.2026 49m

  After a failed attempt at a mediation, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sued the influential podcast “Mormon Stories,” known for its criticism of the faith and its leaders. In their complaint, church attorneys alleged trademark infringement. They argued that the show’s use of the term “Mormon,” combined with church-trademarked visuals as well as copyright images, could lead some listeners to believe the podcast is affiliated with the global faith of 17.8 million members. Host and founder John Dehlin, excommunicated in 2015, changed his branding visuals to draw a starker contrast from those of the church but drew the line at scrapping the “Mormon” moniker, which he has used for more than 20 years. His answer to the lawsuit maintained that the term “belongs to the public — including the members of the over 400 different Mormon sects currently existing nationwide that trace their heritage back to the founder of Mormonism, Joseph Smith.” On this week’s show, Cara Gagliano, senior attorney with the Electronic Frontier Foundation focused on trademark, copyright and free speech issues, and Latter-day Saint historian and writer Kristine Haglund discuss case, along with the legal, cultural and historical relevance of the term “Mormon.” (Gagliano’s Electronic Frontier Foundation has filed an amicus brief supporting Dehlin’s “Mormon Stories” and asking that the lawsuit be dismissed.)
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  'Mormons in Media' crossover: Watching 'The Altar' so you don't have to 09.08.2026 55m

  On this crossover episode between ‘Mormon Land’ and ‘Mormons in Media, ’ Rebbie and Nicole are joined by Meg Walter, host of the ‘Hive Mind’ podcast. There is a new season of a Provo "dating show" that the three of them watch and discuss. This is truly an act of public service, so you can cringe with us about not only the new generation of dating, but the new generation of dating in Provo without having to watch it yourself. 
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  ‘My mom cried and my dad went silent,’ says gay son of famed LDS composer | Episode 451 05.08.2026 1h 1m

  Jeff McLean grew up as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Heber City. As the son of renowned Latter-day Saint composer and playwright Michael McLean, faith and music were large parts of Jeff’s life. From his earliest memories, Jeff recalls his father’s stardom and the expectations of being his son. But he never anticipated the struggle of trying to reconcile his faith and his sexuality. After serving a church mission, entering a brief marriage to another man, and battling a drug addiction, Jeff finally gathered the courage to come home and confront the people he thought he had lost long ago: his parents. His new book — co-written with his father, Michael, and therapist Brad Reedy, and titled “Stay in the Room: How a Gay Son and a Mormon Father Found Themselves and Each Other” — shares the insightful story of how this family found healing and common ground. Told through three voices, the memoir shows the challenging facets of family life, fatherhood and faith. Jeff shares how he found a place in life where he could express himself fully, all while feeling the love of God. Michael recounts how the Spirit led him to hold on to his son during his moments of pain. And Reedy offers insights for families navigating the tensions in faith, family and identity. On this week’s show, Jeff and Michael McLean discuss the dynamic changes in their familial relationships, the impact of growing up Latter-day Saint as an LGBTQ+ individual, how parents can respond when their children’s identity challenges their beliefs, and what reconciliation really looks like.
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  'After Happiness': Surviving today’s challenging economic and polarizing climate | Episode 450 29.07.2026 40m

  In her new book, “After Happiness: Living with Faith in a Time of Crisis,” Natalie Brown, a Salt Lake Tribune guest columnist, calls on readers to develop a deeper, richer, more resilient faith amid life’s trials and uncertainties. 
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  His scribe’s diaries provide further evidence of Joseph Smith’s secret polygamy | Episode 449 22.07.2026 41m

  William Clayton is likely known to most members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as the author of the beloved pioneer hymn, “Come, Come, Ye Saints.” To historians, though, Clayton was a key figure in Mormonism’s beginnings, especially during the years in Nauvoo, Illinois. He served as secretary and scribe for church founder Joseph Smith, keeping a detailed diary of all the happenings — and controversies — during that pivotal period. He recorded Smith dictating passages in the faith’s Doctrine and Covenants, including the section about polygamy, or “plural marriage,” as it was known. For more than a century, the church kept a tight lid on Clayton’s journals, allowing only select scholars access to them. But next year the Utah-based faith is publishing the full record, with careful annotations, through Yale University Press. Even before the publication, however, Clayton’s account has been questioned by those who do not believe Smith practiced polygamy. On this week’s show, Matthew Grow, managing director of the Church History Department, and Matthew McBride, director of publications for the department, discuss Clayton, his journals, what they say — and don’t say — about polygamy, and day-to-day life in Nauvoo.
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  About Brazil's Latter-day Saints | Episode 448 15.07.2026 52m

  Brazilian Helvécio Martins was the first Black general authority in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was named a dozen years after the Utah-based faith ended its 126-year priesthood/temple ban in 1978. His son Marcus Martins had just turned 19 and thus, by most accounts, became the church’s first Black missionary after the change. The younger Martins went on to earn a master’s degree in organizational behavior and a doctorate in sociology of religion, race and ethnic relations. Eventually, he became chair of religious education at Brigham Young University-Hawaii. He has served as a mission president, twice as bishop, and as a full-time senior missionary with his wife, Mirian. All this time, Marcus Martins has remained keenly interested in the politics and sociology of Mormonism. He has addressed how geopolitical, sociocultural and technological trends have affected missionary and temple work. As he prepares to embark on his third church mission in Brazil — which recently surpassed Mexico as having more Latter-day Saints than any other nation outside the U.S. — Martins discusses why Brazilians have embraced this American-born faith and how they view U.S. culture, traditions and politics?
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  The search for what Joseph Smith looked like and why it matters | Episode 447 08.07.2026 40m

  “As a Latter-day Saint artist, Joseph Brickey had painted church founder Joseph Smith dozens of times. So he was naturally skeptical in 2022, when he first saw headlines about a recently discovered daguerreotype that was reported to be the only known photo of Smith. He had studied extensively the human form, including facial structures. He had seen other photos making similar claims that were easily dismissed as frauds. So he cautiously delved into more research about the new find and now, after four years of careful study comparing it to Smith’s death mask and reading primary documents describing Mormonism’s most famous leader, he is convinced it is the real Joseph. And he has crafted a new sculpture and painted a new portrait based not on the old images but on the daguerreotype. On this week’s show, Brickey, co-author of the forthcoming book and documentary “Brother Joseph Again: Restoring the Visual Image of Joseph Smith Jr.,” talks about his research of the daguerreotype, his latest artwork of Smith, and how it better reflects his view of the Mormon prophet. He is joined by art historian Jenny Champoux, who explains the human fascination with faces and why it matters to believers what Smith looked like.
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  Why this past LDS anti-communist zealot is relevant today | Episode 446 01.07.2026 37m

  There was a time in the 1960s when W. Cleon Skousen, who died in 2006 at 92, was a widely known and controversial conservative figure in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Skousen was a popular speaker, teacher and writer, whose books about scriptures reflected a literal, nonmodernist approach to the Bible. He was a zealous anti-communist who freely mixed his Mormonism with his political views. He worked for a time as a special agent for the FBI and later as Salt Lake City’s police chief. His books — including “The First 2,000 Years” and “The Naked Communist” — became ubiquitous in Latter-day Saint homes as members grappled with the Cold War and predictions of an imminent apocalypse. On this week’s show, Latter-day Saint historian Benjamin Park, who is working on a biography of Skousen, discusses the man’s early beginnings and why his works are finding an unexpected audience among President Donald Trump’s supporters today.
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  How LDS of all backgrounds can integrate African American spirituals into worship | Episode 445 24.06.2026 57m

  Earlier this month, general authority Seventy historian Kyle McKay apologized for remarks he made at a regional worship service in Oklahoma. In his controversial comments, McKay, the official historian for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, briefly reenacted a racist rendition of the African American spiritual “This Little Light of Mine,” which he described as “a song where white people try to sing like Black people.” In his apology, he said, “My words have caused offense and injury, and put a blight on an otherwise wonderful weekend.” This episode raises larger questions about how Latter-day Saint congregations can or should respectfully incorporate not only this song but also other African American songs recently added to the church’s official hymnbook. These week’s show features two Black Latter-day Saint musicians: Kimberly Applewhite Teitter, a clinical psychologist and the assistant director for the Debra Bonner Unity Gospel Choir, and Krispin Banks, a musician, songwriter and podcaster who believes music can unite believers across cultures and bring people closer to Jesus Christ.
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  The beliefs and battles of Marion D. Hanks | Episode 444 17.06.2026 39m

  There was a time in the 1960s and ’70s, when Marion Duff Hanks was better known than almost any other Latter-day Saint leader. The boyish, handsome, charismatic and deeply literate Hanks was tapped in 1953 at age 31 as a general authority in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was not released from full-time service in the faith until 1992. “Duff” (as his friends called him) was beloved for his winning ways as a speaker and teacher, his rapport with teens, and his ability to discuss Shakespeare, popular television shows, the scriptures, newspaper stories, ancient history and contemporary issues. Members also smiled at the light-colored suits he sometimes donned for General Conferences amid a sea of black. He was the mission president to two future apostles (Jeffrey R. Holland and Quentin L. Cook) and a groundbreaking historian (D. Michael Quinn) — and loved all his charges. At the same time, Hanks, who died in 2011, was a “progressive” before many Latter-day Saints even knew what the word meant. He spoke of Christ and social justice, for example, and reached out to those on the margins of the church — which made him a hero and mentor to writers like Carol Lynn Pearson and activists like Warner Woodworth. Yet few modern members know of Hanks’ extraordinary life. Last year, Hanks’ son, Richard Hanks, wrote a biography of his father, “To Be a Friend of Christ: The Life of Marion D. Hanks,” drawing on otherwise unavailable primary sources — journals, correspondence, notebooks and recordings. And the Utah-based faith recently made a ton of Hanks’ papers publicly available. On this week’s show, Richard Hanks discusses his father’s life, and what his work meant for the church and future generations.