Mormon Land

Stassi D. Cramm did not spend her childhood fantasizing about becoming the first female prophet-president in the Community of Christ’s 165-year history. Indeed, Cramm did not originally plan for a life of ministry in the church, which, like the much-larger Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, traces its origins to Joseph Smith. But sometimes, Cramm says, God has other plans for you. Earlier this month, Cramm was ordained to the highest office in the Community of Christ after nearly a quarter century of full-time ministry. She is ready to help the faith, formerly known as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, move forward boldly into an even more inclusive, global church. On this week’s show, Cramm discusses her background; the challenges her church faces; its position on a number of issues, including climate change; the faith’s finances and its relationship with the Utah-based religion, especially after selling the historic Kirtland Temple; and her hopes for the future.

To many liberal members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, apostle Hugh B. Brown was an ecclesiastical icon, a fierce warrior for social justice and a passionate proponent of ending the faith’s former temple/priesthood exclusion of Black members. Still, Brown was not without his critics, including some strong opponents among the church’s highest leadership ranks. As a member of the governing First Presidency from 1961 to 1970, for example, Brown wrangled with future church Presidents Harold B. Lee and Ezra Taft Benson, as well as other apostles. “For a generation of Latter-day Saints, he represented the kind of pulpit magic associated with names like Orson F. Whitney, Brigham H. Roberts and Melvin J. Ballard from an earlier day,” wrote scholar Richard D. Poll in Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought. “For thousands of individuals with questions and problems, he represented the kind of understanding and counsel associated earlier with John A. Widtsoe, James E. Talmage and Joseph F. Merrill.”To Poll “and many others who knew him personally,” the historian wrote, Brown “was a multifaceted, magnificent human being.” Yet, the outspoken Democrat eventually was dropped from the First Presidency, which left him bitter and sad. On this week’s podcast. Matthew Harris, a history professor at Colorado State University Pueblo and author of “Second-Class Saints: Black Mormons and the Struggle for Racial Equality” who is working on a Brown biography, explains some of the controversies surrounding the beloved leader.

Critics often say that there is no place in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for LGBTQ+ members. After all, they rightly point out, the faith’s policy is that having same-sex attraction is not a sin but acting on it is. That can put those who are in a same-sex marriage or advocating for it in a tough position. It also has led to self-loathing among LGBTQ+ members and serious conflicts with those who believe everyone has a right to love whomever they choose. In 2012, members of the then-newly formed Mormons Building Bridges donned their Sunday best and marched en masse to wide applause in a Utah pride parade. Their simple yet potent gesture echoed around the globe, setting an example for fellow believers who then took up the style, if not the name, in other pride parades. This year, there were no Latter-day Saint marchers under that banner. Indeed, the parade had few if any entries with a strong Latter-day Saint identity. Instead, LGBTQ+ members are finding homes in a variety of organizations including a relative newcomer, Lift + Love. On this week’s show, Allison Dayton, who founded the group, updates listeners on the current LGBTQ-LDS landscape and to discusses the Gather Conference taking place later this month.

In 2012, scholar John Turner published an award-winning biography of Brigham Young, a mountain of a man in Western Americana. But there remained a bigger fish to pursue, namely Joseph Smith, the “white whale” of Mormon history, the religious icon who gave birth to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Turner’s voyage is now complete and the resulting book, “Joseph Smith: The Rise and Fall of an American Prophet,” is available this month. Infused with the latest scholarship, the volume reveals a Brother Joseph who is sometimes playful, sometimes reckless, sometimes incensed, often inspired, but always enterprising and forever fascinating. The book appears certain to go down as the most significant and up-to-date biography of the Mormon founder since Richard Bushman’s “Rough Stone Rolling.” On this week’s show, Turner, professor of religious studies and history at George Mason University, discusses what he discovered about Joseph Smith — the husband, the father, the book publisher, the community organizer, the city builder, the religious innovator, the polygamist, the visionary, and, above all, the prophet to millions of followers.

In the second monthly bonus episode brought to you by a collaboration of “Mormon Land” and “Mormons in Media,” Latter-day Saint Rebbie Brassfield and non-Latter-day Saint Nicole Weaver recap season two of “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.” From discussing maternity garments and Gen-Z Latter-day Saints bringing back cross necklaces, the pair talks about all the things you may have been wondering. You might even learn the Young Women Theme.

Denis Mukasa, a stake president and humanitarian director in Kenya, and his wife Eunice, a devoted member, share their journey from choir mates to advocates for faith in their community. They discuss the remarkable growth of the LDS Church in Kenya, now home to over 21,000 members and its first temple. Challenges like cultural adaptation and leadership development are explored, alongside the evolving acceptance of the church. Eunice highlights the shift in public perception, showcasing how the church is increasingly viewed positively in their community.

As the world held its collective breath for white smoke at the Vatican to signal the selection of a new Catholic pope, some members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were smugly thinking how straightforward their faith‘s succession process is. No guessing. No politicking. No top candidates. The senior apostle simply moves up a seat. Some wonder, though, what’s wrong with mystery and surprise? Is an election in this context necessarily devoid of the Holy Spirit? Couldn’t God make any system righteous? Why does it matter? On this week’s show, Latter-day Saint historian Matthew Bowman and Utah Catholic archivist Gary Topping discuss how the two global religions pick their top leaders — the precedents at play, the politics involved, the pluses, the minuses, and how both can see God’s hand in the result.

Justin Dyer, a religious education professor, and Debra Theobald McClendon, a psychologist specializing in OCD, explore perfectionism within the Latter-day Saint community. They challenge the notion that church teachings inherently lead to toxic perfectionism, revealing the complex relationship between faith and self-worth. The conversation highlights the impact of church messaging on personal expectations, the importance of embracing imperfection, and offers strategies for parents to guide children in cultivating self-acceptance and resilience.

In 1981, then-apostle Ezra Taft Benson rose to the pulpit during a General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and told women: “You were elected by God to be wives and mothers in Zion. Exaltation in the Celestial Kingdom is predicated on faithfulness to that calling. Since the beginning, a woman’s first and most important role has been ushering into mortality spirit sons and daughters of our Father in Heaven.” Even when another eventual church president, apostle Gordon B. Hinckley, encouraged women in 1989 to “get all the education you can,” he paired it with a wish for his female audience that none of them would ever have to work for pay. In other words, get an education and, if you absolutely must, a job. Such messaging from the faith has since changed, but, for decades, this was the counsel faith leaders gave Latter-day Saint women, many of whom came to see their degrees, if they had them, as a backup plan. Susan Madsen is a Utah State University professor and founding director of the Utah Women & Leadership Project. Tiffany Sowby is the founder of the nonprofit Rising Violet, which gives cash gifts to single mothers. Both have witnessed — again and again — the downstream effects of the advice encouraging Latter-day Saint women to dedicate themselves to the role of stay-at-home mom. On this week’s show, they talk about their observations and what women and the church can do to prevent mothers and their children from falling into poverty if marriages end.

In the first monthly bonus episode brought to you by a collaboration of “Mormon Land” and “Mormons in Media,” Latter-day Saint Rebbie Brassfield and non-Latter-day Saint Nicole Weaver talk about season one of “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” and what they’re expecting, and hoping to see, from season two. Rebbie is surprised to learn that Nicole knows about the Celestial Kingdom and even more surprised to learn she heard about it on TV.