When Latter-day Saints think about conversion, they often think of individuals joining The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints through baptism. But every member is a convert in his or her own right by developing a personal testimony. And sadly, there are times when individuals choose to leave the gospel path. This episode of the Church News podcast features information about those who come back, who reengage in the gospel and build stronger foundations than before. These “reconversions” happen more often than one might think. Eric d’Evegnée and Sarah Hafen d’Evegnée are BYU-Idaho English professors. Together they are creating and analyzing a database of reconversion stories to learn lessons that might help those with questions of faith. These efforts began decades ago as Sarah d’Evegnée’s father, Elder Bruce C. Hafen, an emeritus general authority of the Church of Jesus Christ, spoke on faith and ambiguity at Ricks College. Their campaign grew with the publication of a book, “Faith Is Not Blind,” by Elder Hafen and his wife, Sister Marie Hafen. Now they all continue the conversation with the Faith Is Not Blind Project.

The Church News Podcast is a weekly podcast that invites listeners to make a journey of connection with members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints across the globe. Host Sarah Jane Weaver, reporter and editor for The Church News for a quarter-century, shares a unique view of the stories, events, and most important people who form this international faith. With each episode, listeners are asked to embark on a journey to learn from one another and ponder, “What do I know now?” because of the experience. Produced by KellieAnn Halvorsen.

BYU-Idaho professors Eric and Sarah d’Evegnée on faith, testimony and reconversion