What happens when religion becomes a system for proving your worth?

In this powerful conversation, Pastor Katie Langston shares her journey from growing up Mormon to discovering the freeing power of grace. With honesty and humor, she describes life in a worthiness-based system, her battle with scrupulosity, and the moment she first heard the gospel of grace through a Wheaton professor’s words: “I know enough of my deficiencies to be devastated.”

🎙️ In This Episode:

• Growing up in a loving but rule-bound Mormon home
• The weight of worthiness interviews and religious anxiety
• Battling scrupulosity and finding a name for her struggle
• Hearing the gospel for the first time—and believing it
• Why grace and Mormon theology can’t coexist

⏱️ Timestamps:

00:00 – Introducing Pastor Katie Langston

02:00 – Growing up in a faithful Mormon home

05:00 – Worthiness interviews and the burden of perfection

09:00 – Temple rituals, baptism for the dead, and Mormon theology

13:00 – Missionary life in Bulgaria and early cracks in the system

18:00 – Marriage, motherhood, and the onset of despair

21:00 – OCD, scrupulosity, and the search for help

23:00 – Hearing Jerry Root’s message on grace

24:00 – “What if Christ has made me worthy?”

26:00 – Ten years of wrestling between Mormonism and grace

Grace is not another rule to keep; it’s the end of the "worthiness" game. Katie’s story invites weary pastors and believers alike to rest in the gospel that declares: you are already enough in Christ.