I started Gospel Tangents almost 9 years ago and Jan 1, 2025 marks 1000 episodes! In celebration of the New Year and my 1000th episode, we'll look back at 2024. What were the most viewed videos? What were my favorite books published in 2024? We'll also look at the Top 10 Most Viewed Videos over 1000 episodes, and 15 of my favorite videos that didn't crack the top 10 most viewed. Come celebrate with me! Check out viewer comments and my presentation!

Sorry for the abrupt ending. My laptop battery died.

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Happy New Year 2025! As Gospel Tangents kicks off another year, we're thrilled to celebrate a massive milestone: our 1000 episodes! It's been an incredible nine years of bringing you what we aim to be the best source for History, Science, and Theology. To mark this special occasion, we're taking a look back at the interviews that resonated most with you, our amazing listeners, throughout 2024, and highlighting some all-time favorites.

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Top 10 Interviews of 2024 (YouTube Views)

Our 2024 lineup featured some truly captivating discussions. Here are the top 10 most-viewed interviews on YouTube from 2024, according to your engagement:

1. Matt Harris (Combined): This top spot actually combines two powerhouse segments. The first, discussing Elder Hugh Brown being dropped from the First Presidency, not only dominated 2024 but also became our most popular episode ever. The second segment, "Inside the room for the 1978 Revelation," was the second most popular this year. Matt's book, Second Class Saints, which sold out in its first month, was also highly acclaimed and awarded. Matt Harris "really feels like a brother" to me.

2. My Trip to Bountiful, Missouri: featuring pictures and video from the Fundamentalist Temple dedication week, surprisingly landed at number two. I had been wanting to visit the temple for a long time & was glad to attend.

3. Dave Butler – "Temple Theology in the Book of Mormon": A very fun interview with Dave Butler, whom the host describes as "a hoot an absolute hoot.” The host clarified that this is not the seminary teacher David Butler, but rather a "surprise Theologian.”

4. Mark Scherer – "Emma Smith's second marriage to Lewis Bidamon": This interview from 2023, covering Emma Smith's marriage after Joseph's death, unexpectedly surged in popularity in 2024, proving old content can find new audiences on YouTube. I adore Mark and find him "amazing" and "very fun" to talk to.

5. Matt Harris – "How President Kimball persuaded the apostles to agree to a lift the ban": Another interview with Matt Harris, this one from 2018, saw a surprising resurgence in views this year, remaining a "fantastic interview.” I can "talk to Matt for days and weeks."

6. David Boice – "52 Churches in 52 Weeks": David shared his journey into different faiths and his personal faith crisis. Although released in December 2023, it garnered significant attention in 2024. I consider David a "wonderful friend.”

7. Ryan Cragun – "Why are Nones are Utah's second largest religion": Released in January 2024, this interview serendipitously aligned with news that Utah was no longer majority Mormon. I can also "talk for hours" with Ryan.

8. Rob Lauer – "Converted to LDS by Fawn Brodie and Sandra Tanner": This video featured Rob Lauer, a member of Reformed Mormonism, sharing his "very interesting conversion story.” It was a "delightfully fun surprise" that listeners engaged so much with this interview.

9. My Presentation on the Sale of the Kirtland Temple: Host Rick B's presentation detailing his experiences and the history of the Kirtland Temple's sale also made the top 10, to his surprise. I was "lucky enough to go to the Kirtland Temple" and other church history sites.

10. Paul Reeve and Christopher Rich – Was Brigham wrong? (from This Abominable Slavery): This episode delved into the priesthood ban, coinciding with the release of their "amazing book.” This book was also recognized as an "amazing book" in my Best Book Awards.

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1000 episodes: Top 10 All-Time Most Viewed Videos

Since it's our 1,000th episode, we also wanted to revisit the all-time most-viewed videos on Gospel Tangents. These are the interviews that have captivated audiences over the years, often benefiting from more time to accumulate views:

1. Matt Harris – "Fired from the First Pres": As mentioned, this episode discussing Elder Hugh Brown's removal from the First Presidency shot to the top, becoming the most viewed Gospel Tangents video ever. While not "fired" technically, it was "unusual not to be retained.”

2. John Hamer – "Comparing LDS and RLDS temple worship": For a long time, this January 2018 interview held the top spot, offering a fascinating comparison of temple practices. I hope to have John on again soon. He is a "good friend.”

3. Jonathan Neville – "Lehi's Atlantic Crossing": This episode explores the less common theory that Lehi traveled across the Atlantic, possibly ending up in Florida or the Gulf of Mexico, rather than the commonly believed Pacific/Indian Ocean route, which Jonathan believes is "too long of a route.”

4. Shannon Flynn – "Mark Hofmann's unusual prison visitors": From 2017, this interview gained significant traction after the "Murder Among the Mormons" documentary. Notably, it features Shannon's voice before a surgery that affected his vocal cords, making him sound like the "real Shannon Flynn" before he sadly passed away from lung cancer.

5. Matt Harris – "What happened in the room of the 1978 Revelation": This powerful interview with Matt Harris provides an intimate look at the moment the 1978 Revelation was announced to the Seventies, drawing on the experiences of Marion Hanks, who was a 70. This interview is "amazing, amazing, amazing.”

6. Mark Scherer – "Emma Smith's second marriage to Louis Bidamon": This 2023 interview's popularity in 2024 also pushed it onto the all-time list . Mark Scherer is a Community of Christ historian, and the host said he "could talk to Mark for hours.”

7. Brian Hales – "Did Emma deny Joseph practiced polygamy": A consistently popular video that tackles the complex question of Emma Smith's stance on Joseph's polygamy.

8. Shannon Flynn – "Mark Hofmann's best fake fooling the line detector test": Another intriguing segment with the late Shannon Flynn, discussing Mark Hofmann's methods, which was "super interesting.”

9. Matt Harris – "How President Kimball persuaded the apostles to agree to lifting the ban": This 2018 interview again features on the all-time list due to its enduring appeal.

10. Shannon Flynn – "Hofmann's last bomb blew the lid off Mormon history": Completing the top 10, this segment with Shannon Flynn discusses the significant impact of Hofmann's last act, another "fun interview.”

These lists are a testament to the incredible scholars and fascinating topics we've been privileged to cover. Thank you for being a part of the Gospel Tangents journey! Here's to many more insightful conversations in the years to come!

Under Appreciated Interviews in 1000 Episodes

I created a category specifically for "underappreciated" interviews, which primarily includes his personal favorites that did not make it into the top 10 most-viewed lists. Here is a list of those interviews:

Paul Reeve – "Paul Reeve's role in the race essay" (Episode 9): This was my second interview ever with Paul Reeve and my first "viral" moment for the podcast. In February (the first month of the podcast), it garnered 600 downloads for that single episode, compared to 200 for the entire month, and led to 2,000 downloads the next month. The original title, "Paul Reeve wrote the race essay," unintentionally caused some "hot water" for Paul, but I changed it and Paul has since forgiven me. Paul Reeve is described as a "fun nice cool guy," and his book, This Abominable Slavery, won Best Book award this year at Mormon History Association.

Ugo Perego – "Ugo Perego talks DNA": This interview from the podcast's first year was a "personal favorite.” I was "so happy to meet Ugo" and they "hit DNA hard," discussing everything they could. Ugo is described as a "super nice guy.”

George Throckmorton – "A prosecutor's view of Heart of Mark Hofmann": The host was "blown away" by this interview. George, a retired Salt Lake Police Department officer, figured out how Mark Hofmann was aging documents to make them look old. George discovered under a microscope that artificially aging the ink created cracking. He was also involved in the Ogden High-Fi Murders and the Howard Hughes will case (which he ruled a forgery), though these topics were mostly discussed off-camera. George is described as a "delightful person.”

Thomas Wayment – (talking about the Christmas Star and Adam Clarke): The original purpose of this interview was to discuss Christmas legends, Herod, the wise men, and the star, as Thomas is a Greek scholar specializing in the New Testament. I surprisingly discovered during the interview that Thomas was the one doing research on Adam Clarke, a topic of interest to Rick B. Thomas is described as "very softspoken," "very low key," and an "amazing New Testament scholar.”

Dan Vogel – (First Vision and Book of Abraham): I flew to Ohio to interview Dan, and the interview lasted about four hours. They then continued talking for another two hours over lunch at Dan's house. Dan is described as "amazingly cool" and "so interesting," and one of the "nicest people" I have ever met.