We’re so excited to share a conversation that our friend and Executive Director, Zach Davis, had with Teresa Morgan, Professor at Yale Divinity School and a leading scholar of early Christian history.

Teresa invites us to reconsider one of the most central words in Christianity: faith. She explains that for the first generations of Christians, “faith” didn’t mean signing on to a list of beliefs. It meant something more like trust—faithfulness, trustworthiness, the act of entrusting your life to God. Faith was less about what you thought and more about the kind of relationship you were living: a daily, embodied trust in a faithful God.

But over time, as outside pressures mounted, Christian leaders drew clearer boundaries around belief. Creeds became markers of belonging, and faith—once rooted primarily in trust and lived allegiance—was increasingly defined by agreement with specific doctrines. That shift has shaped the Christian imagination ever since.

In this conversation, Zach and Teresa explore how that evolution happened, what may have been lost, and what it might look like to recover a richer, more relational vision of faith today. 

We also want to mention that this interview is featured in the upcoming Issue 7 of Wayfare, and that this is a special edition centering women’s voices on the theme of trust—trust in God, in ourselves, and in our communities. It’s a beautiful and thoughtful collection that we are really proud of. You can read this interview, and see the beautiful artwork that accompanies it, at WayfareMagazine.org.

If you’d like to receive your own copy of Wayfare in the mail, you can become a Friend of Faith Matters or a paid Wayfare subscriber by March 31. Your support is what makes conversations like this possible, and we’re so grateful.

Join us March 6 in SLC for Interfaith REPAIR: a peacemaking workshop from Waymakers!

Today we’re so excited to share our conversation with Bruce Tift, author, psychotherapist and longtime practitioner of Vajrayana Buddhism. This summer, our friends at Uplift Kids introduced us to Bruce’s fascinating book Already Free, and we’ve been thinking about it ever since.

In this conversation, Bruce dives into some of the ideas in the book. He explores how to make peace with being human. He looks at two seemingly opposing paths—both Western and Eastern wisdom—and shows how each offers a vital piece of the puzzle. Where psychotherapy may teach us to bring our early wounds and disowned emotions into awareness, Buddhist practices help us recognize the deeper freedom that’s available when we stop identifying with the fixed self.

We loved that Bruce talked us through the ways we organize around our core fears, why so many of our childhood survival strategies still run the show in adulthood, and why real freedom often begins with simply allowing ourselves to feel uncomfortable without trying to fix or escape.

Bruce’s insights feel so useful for navigating seasons of growth—emotional, spiritual, and relational.

This conversation really helped us see that personal growth isn’t about achieving some ideal version of ourselves—it’s about meeting our actual experience with curiosity, compassion, and presence. We found Bruce’s wisdom to be gentle, honest, and deeply liberating, and we’re so grateful he joined us.

You can find Already Free on Bookshop.org, Amazon, or wherever you buy your books, and you can find even more from Faith Matters on this topic in this week's newsletter on our website, faithmatters.org.

Join us March 6 in SLC for Interfaith REPAIR: a peacemaking workshop from Waymakers!

As we explore the Old Testament this year, we’ve found ourselves returning to a past conversation with our friend Terryl Givens. It felt grounding and expansive and we're really excited to share it with you again.

The Old Testament can be incredibly rich—full of beauty, poetry, and profound spiritual insights. But it can also sometimes feel bewildering or even faith-shaking. We get glimpses of a loving, nurturing God—and turn the page to encounter a God that seems angry, even violent. It's a text that raises big questions and invites us into deep wrestles. And maybe that’s part of its sacredness—that it pushes us into such honest, meaningful conversation.

In this episode, Terryl helps us navigate those tensions. Together, we ask: What is the Bible, really, and where did it come from? What do different translations of this text have to offer, and how can we engage with this scripture in a posture of reverence and discernment that allows for mystery, and honors the sacredness of the whole landscape.

We loved Terryl’s insights in this conversation, and we’re so grateful to revisit them now. Thanks so much for listening—we hope you enjoy this episode as much as we did.

For more on this topic, and for weekly resources to accompany your Come Follow Me study, be sure to check out the Faith Matters newsletter at faithmatters.org.

Join us March 6 in SLC for Interfaith REPAIR: a peacemaking workshop from Waymakers!

Hey everyone, this is Aubrey Chaves from Faith Matters. Today I’m excited to share my conversation with Katie Ludlow Rich and Heather Sundahl about 50 Years of Exponent II, their new book tracing the history of a space where Latter-day Saint women have engaged the most urgent questions of their time—while also honoring the dailiness of life.

The roots of this effort go back to 1872, when women began publishing the Woman’s Exponent to speak for themselves and stay connected across distance. A century later, Exponent II carried that work forward—not to create consensus, but to make room for complexity, difference, and the kind of deep listening that makes real community possible.

And that’s what this conversation is about—what it takes to stay in relationship, even when ground we used to share—whether in belief, perspective, or experience—starts to shift. We’re probably all navigating this now in some spaces, in families, wards, or friendships. And so today, Katie and Heather explore the difference between discomfort and danger, how we can sit with the tension of disagreement without walking away, and what it means to listen not to persuade, but to witness—to be present with someone else’s experience, even when it’s different from our own.

Katie is a writer and independent scholar of women’s history. Heather is a marriage and family therapist in Orem, Utah. 

This was a deeply personal conversation, and we’re so grateful to Katie and Heather for showing up with such honesty and care. Their own lived experiences have led them down different paths, and it was a gift to sit with them in dialogue—watching the ways they do this together and make space for others to do the same. That kind of wisdom is hard won, and we’re honored to share it with you now.

You can find their book, 50 Years of Exponent II, on Amazon, Bookshop.org, or wherever books are sold.

Join us March 6 in SLC for Interfaith REPAIR: a peacemaking workshop from Waymakers!

We’ve all heard it called a sifting—the language that sometimes surfaces when someone is struggling or steps away from the Church. Wheat from tares, sheep from goats, a sorting in the last days that reveals truly elect.

But today, our good friend and contributor Jeff Strong is back to invite us into a deeper reflection on that idea—and what he sees as the more essential question: Who is the Church for?

Jeff shares how the way we answer that question has real implications—shaping how we respond to difference, and how we create (or close off) spaces for spiritual growth, belonging, and trust.

In this conversation, he also brings new and fascinating findings from his large-scale survey of Latter-day Saints. Jeff introduces a framework of spiritual segments that emerged from the data—types like Seekers, Protectors, Cultivators, and more. It’s illuminating to see yourself in one of these groups—but maybe even more powerful to recognize how others might experience the same Church culture in radically different ways.

He reflects on the tension people feel when their deepest values don’t seem to match what’s emphasized in their church experience. And he offers a way through that tension: wherever you fit, we each face the challenge to let go of fear—because fear, more than anything else, is what drives us apart.

Ultimately, this conversation isn’t about disaffiliation or activity—it’s about relationships. It’s about how we respond to differences, how we hold tension as a community, and whether we’re building a church culture that reflects the expansive, welcoming love of Christ.

And just a heads up: the story Jeff tells toward the end might sound familiar––in fact, Sister Dennis used it in conference this year, though we recorded this episode before conference, so we didn’t tie it in at the time.

Also, there are some really interesting graphs and charts that Jeff mentions that are in the YouTube version of this conversation if you’d like to watch this one instead, or you can search the episode on faithmatters.org and see them there.

Join us March 6 in SLC for Interfaith REPAIR: a peacemaking workshop from Waymakers!

Today we’re joined by our friend Patrick Mason and filmmaker Robert Reynolds. Rob is the director and producer of the new docu-series An Inconvenient Faith—a project that’s already opening hearts and starting some long-overdue conversations.

This series is raw and honest. It takes on some of the most difficult and tender topics in our faith tradition—things like women and authority, LGBTQ belonging, race and the priesthood, and lots more. And it brings together voices from across the spectrum of faith—people who’ve stayed who are still engaging these issues, and people who have decided to step away. But all of them have one thing in common: they’ve wrestled with these big questions with their whole hearts.

For many of us, this hits close to home. These aren’t abstract issues—this is about our families, our friends, our wards. And so it can be hard to hear a perspective that challenges your own. But Rob explains that his intention here is to help us love better. To help us listen longer and more generously. He hopes it’s a glimpse into the inner wrestles of people you may know and love, to remind us that behind every decision is a real human being, and behind these questions is a heart that wants to do what’s right.

This episode is for anyone who loves someone who’s landed in a different place in their faith. If you’re looking for peace, for trust, for more compassion in the middle of complexity—we think you’ll find something meaningful here.

We’re so grateful to Rob and Patrick for showing us what that can look like.

Join us March 6 in SLC for Interfaith REPAIR: a peacemaking workshop from Waymakers!

Today, we want to introduce you to another podcast in the Faith Matters Podcast Network called Sanctuary: Discovering the Temple, hosted by Larkin Swain. Larkin brings a candid, curious, and thoughtful approach to conversations about the temple, and this episode felt especially fascinating and timely as we begin a new year studying the Old Testament.

In this episode, Larkin speaks with historical linguist Jared Lambert, whose work focuses on language development, temple theology, and how translation and symbolism have reshaped biblical traditions.

Jared brings a linguistic lens to the Genesis creation story, uncovering rich meanings that have evolved over time and even been lost in translation. His perspectives are both mind-expanding and spiritually moving.

He reexamines the portrayal of God in Genesis, unpacks the symbolism of the temple endowment, and offers what feels like a powerful missing piece in our traditional telling of Adam and Eve’s story.

We hope this conversation sparks fresh insight and deep reflection as you revisit these foundational stories. 

Be sure to follow Sanctuary on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Substack, or YouTube for curious, open, and honest conversations about the temple!

Join us March 6 in SLC for Interfaith REPAIR: a peacemaking workshop from Waymakers!

Today we’re sharing a conversation with writers and filmmakers Sarah and Josh Sabey about their new project, The Bible Storybook, a two volume collection of 50 stories from the Old Testament.

You might remember their Book of Mormon Storybook. Like those earlier volumes, this new project is guided by a simple and beautiful idea: “These are stories about a real God who loves real people”—people who are complicated, wounded, and doing their best to understand how God is working in their lives.

For many of us, the Old Testament can feel troubling—full of contradictions, harsh laws, and stories that might not always align with the God we’ve come to know through Jesus. So if the thought of spending a whole year studying this text feels daunting, this episode is especially for you.

Sarah and Josh offer a powerful way back into these familiar stories through a fresh and deeply thoughtful lens. While staying fully anchored in the text, they invite us to see the people and events in new and meaningful ways.

Their storytelling will invite you to consider what the Exodus story teaches us about revenge and healing. What if Cain was actually the first perfectionist, undone by his own impossible expectations? What can Jonah reveal about our own gifts and heartbreak?

Their retellings don’t avoid what’s difficult—they honor the tension. Again and again, they show how the complexity and even the discomfort of the Old Testament can become fertile ground for a deeper, more expansive faith.

We hope this episode leaves you feeling so excited to dive into this text again—to rediscover the Old Testament as a living well of wisdom, beauty, with a God who still meets us in the mess.

We’ve also partnered with Josh and Sarah to make half of the audiobook stories available to everyone as a podcast called Scripture Stories for Little Saints you can listen to with your kids, in the car, as part of your Old Testament study, and share with friends. The full audiobook is available as a private podcast for Friends of Faith Matters—thank you for your generosity making this collaboration possible. You can send us an email at [email protected] or check the instructions on our website if you need help downloading it.

Join us March 6 in SLC for Interfaith REPAIR: a peacemaking workshop from Waymakers!

Today we’re bringing you a conversation with Carl Richards, and we think this one might just change the way you think—and feel—about money.

You might know Carl as The Sketch Guy from his decade-long New York Times column, where he offered disarmingly relatable insights about money using just cardstock and a Sharpie.

For Carl, money isn’t about spreadsheets and savings accounts—it’s a mirror, reflecting to us what we value most deeply. And for this reason, he believes money sits at the center of our spiritual lives.

In this conversation, Carl invites us to become what he calls “world-class spenders”—not by spending more, but by spending more intentionally, in ways that align with our deepest values.

Carl is a Certified Financial Planner, the bestselling author of The Behavior Gap and Your Money, and hosts the 50 Fires podcast where he has frank, funny, and sometimes difficult conversations about money with guests from all walks of life.

Carl believes that money is the last taboo—the topic we often still avoid even with those closest to us. But he has such a gift for helping us recognize the stories and wounds that are shaping our efforts to be good stewards now.

So whether you’re thinking about end-of-year giving or hoping for a fresh start in the new year, we hope this conversation helps you feel more grounded in your values and more empowered to live—and give—from that place.

If you want more of Carl’s insights, definitely check out his podcast 50 Fires—it’s full of honest, thought-provoking conversations about money with really fascinating guests, and his new book, Your Money: Reimagining Wealth in 101 Simple Sketches. It’s smart, accessible, and genuinely so fun to read—you can get it on Amazon or wherever books are sold.

Join us March 6 in SLC for Interfaith REPAIR: a peacemaking workshop from Waymakers!

As we move into Christmas week, we wanted to offer something a little different. 

Today’s episode is a reading of “In the Bleak Midwinter,” written and read by Peter Conti‑Brown, and originally published in the Faith Matters magazine, Wayfare.

It tells the true story of a Christmas that unfolded in unexpected ways—marked by absence, uncertainty, and pain. And yet, it’s also a story about how grace finds its way to us—through presence, through each other, and through the quiet mystery of ordinary, imperfect people becoming God’s healing hands in the moments when we need it most.

We hope this opens up space for you to feel whatever this season is bringing, and to notice the quiet ways love might be showing up.

From all of us at Faith Matters and Wayfare, we’re wishing you a Christmas filled with the peace of this season, and moments of deep connection and joy.

We’d also love to invite you to subscribe to Wayfare Magazine. Wayfare shares thoughtful, beautifully written essays each week through its email newsletter, and publishes stunning print editions twice a year—featuring original artwork and design that make each issue a work of art in itself. A Wayfare subscription also makes a meaningful gift for the thoughtful, curious reader in your life.

To learn more or to subscribe, just head to wayfaremagazine.org/subscribe.

Join us March 6 in SLC for Interfaith REPAIR: a peacemaking workshop from Waymakers!