In Part II of the interview, John reads 3 letters he wrote at key moments in gay Mormon history: Nov 5, the date of the exclusion policy, when Russell M. Nelson declared the policy a revelation, and when David Bednar declared “there are no homosexuals in the church.” These letters are soul-stirring and a must-listen for every Mormon, my friend John is a beacon of hope. For part I, listen here.

021:  John Bonner’s Three Letters

Helping Mormons through difficult transitions.

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In these episodes of Mormon Stories, we interview Jon Ogden—author of When Mormons Doubt.  Jon describes how his faith crisis blossomed during his LDS mission and time at BYU and ultimately became the impetus to writing the book, which strives to explore how the pursuit of truth, beauty, and goodness can save relationships even when we disagree with those we love. We cover:  How his faith crisis developed on his LDS mission, but he finished his mission anyway Dating while at BYU and how it distracted him from his faith crisis How when a family member left the LDS Church, it forced him to confront his own doubts and begin an academic study of the truth claims of the Church When he realized that the same problems with Mormon historicity were also at play with Christianity in general He and his spouse’s current belief state, and their desire to have a sense of community and solid religious framework for their children to hold onto The main topics of his book, When Mormons Doubt, including a deep dive into sections on “Truth,” “Goodness,” and “Beauty.” 

038: Jon Ogden - Author of  "When Mormons Doubt" Pt. 2

037: Jon Ogden - Author of "When Mormons Doubt" Pt. 1

In this episode of Mormon Stories, we interview Dr. Julie DeAzevedo Hanks about her article in LDSLiving Magazine titled "30 Questions Nobody Asks My Husband at Church."  John and Margi discuss the powerful cultural messages that are sent in the questions we ask.

036: 30 Questions Nobody Asks My Husband at Church - Julie DeAzevedo Hanks

In these episodes of Mormon Stories, John and Margi interview Carol Lynn Pearson, Jana Riess, and Jana Johnson Spangler to explore their experiences as they navigate progressive Mormonism. We cover important topics such as: *Each panelist’s experience when their faith became more complex and whether they would self-describe as a Mormon *What made them choose to remain engaged in the Church *What the most valuable aspects of the faith are to each of them, and how they inform and impact their life *Their social experience in their wards and whether they feel alone or among many others who are navigating a middle-way *How they approach Sundays and whether they have supplemented their Sunday experience with anything that would be helpful to share with our audience *Whether they observe a decline in the health and vitality of the Church

021: John Bonner’s Three Letters

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