Conversations about the religious and spiritual life on the other side of fundamentalism
 
Category: <span>Church History</span>

368: The Illegitimacy of Jesus: Mark Crego

Mark Crego and I met around eight years ago, fellow sojourners in the quest to understand our shared faith in the LDS church.  We had a similar curiosity about the spiritual life and consequently we …

Why the RLDS Reformed but the LDS Didn’t: Prof. David Howlett

Some people say that Community of Christ is just LDS lite. This simply isn’t true. Despite their common roots, you would be unlikely to find two more differently wired faith traditions than the Community of …

361: American Excommunication: Spencer Wells & Isaac Barnes May

Religious history scholars, Spencer Wells and Isaac Barnes May, seek to put the recent ex-communication/name removal of Natasha Helfer from the LDS Church into the broader context of church boundary maintenance in America.

357: An Ordinary Unordinary Life as a Polygamist’s Daughter: Mary Jayne Blackmore

One of 150 siblings, Mary Jayne Blackmore is the daughter of Mormon leader Winston Blackmore.  Mary Jayne Blackmore grew up within the closed-off polygamist community of Bountiful, BC. Her family’s staunch Fundamentalist Mormon faith imposed …

348: Unravelling the Mystery of Utah Politics: Dr Roger Hendrix

For those who grew up in the ‘Mission Field’, Utah is often referred to as Zion. But, in the 2020 US Presidential elections, Utah seemed anything but Zion. Utah voted for the least Mormon person …

347: The Surprise of Section 132: Michael Mathews II

Blogger Michael Mathews II  shares his exegesis of Doctrine & Covenants Section 132.  While Mormons socially read Section 132 as pointing to the endurance of familial ties after death, Mathews argues, that there is no …

341: A Community of Christ View of the Book of Mormon: Elray Henriksen

In the basic beliefs of Community of Christ The Book of Mormon is understood as follows:  We affirm the Bible as the foundational scripture for the church. In addition, Community of Christ uses the Book …

340: Out from Under the Sacred Canopy: Prof. Rick Phillips

Professor Rick Phillips hails from Utah and has an impressive Mormon pedigree.  He was raised under the sacred canopy of LDS belief and faith.  And it was a good life, one that Rick remains nostalgic …

337: Mourning America’s Brokenness: The Rev. Dr Fatimah Salleh

Liberation theologian James Cone has said: “It is ironic that America, with its history of injustice to the poor, especially the black man and the Indian, prides itself on being a Christian nation.” So, what …

335: Mormonism and White Supremacy: Joanna Brooks

In this much-needed volume that follows the evolution of LDS Church thought about race from its earliest beginnings to its contemporary constructions, Professor Brooks seeks to account for a religious tradition that has never made …