Latter-day Faith

Please enjoy this Encore release of a fascinating podcast from November 2019. In the October 2019 General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as well as the year before at a BYU Women’s Conference, Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve introduced the phrase, “covenant belonging.” In doing so, he offered us a term that suggests much deeper meaning is embedded in the now-common phrase, “covenant path.” His messages about what covenant belonging might mean are absolutely beautiful and empowering. Sensing this richness, Faith Journey Foundation board member and frequent guest on Latter-day Faith (and Mormon Matters previously) Mark Crego and LDF host Dan Wotherspoon came together for the discussion that is featured in this episode. In it, Mark takes us through the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) in order to discern the nature of the Covenant that God made with Israel. Moving from Adam to Noah to Abraham and Moses, he demonstrates that although each figure’s covenant with God had different specifics, each still falls under the larger framework of Covenant (singular). This one Covenant is essentially that God will be our God, and we will always be His/Her/Their people. It’s a fundamental fact for every person on earth, and it is not a covenant of “works” but of “grace.” The Covenant undermines the typical quid pro quo understanding of most Latter-day Saints that suggests IF we keep our covenants (plural) THEN we will receive God’s blessing/approval/reward. The Covenant, instead, is not a transactional agreement. Through dynamic and excellent scriptural exegesis, Mark unpacks for us how the idea of God always considering Israel (and we are all Israel: all who wrestle with the Divine) as God’s own has been present all throughout the Biblical narrative, ultimately repeated in the teachings of, and made manifest in the flesh by, Jesus Christ. God longs for us to come closer and be more intimate with Divine life, magnifying our joys all along the way. This episode’s discussion is an example of how scriptural and pastoral theology can serve to enrich and clarify our own sense of who we are, drawing into the notion of the Covenant all persons regardless of their religion or no-religion, and shows that is it not contingent upon where a person might be along his/her/their faith path. The episode will likely be one that you will want to listen to more than once. What it unfolds is a thrilling vision, and affirms to us the inspiration that Elder Gong received (through his study and wrestles) as absolutely worth hearing and considering.

We hear people throughout the religious world use the language of “blessings” when something difficult in their lives is resolved in a wonderful and, what seems to them somewhat mysterious, way. For some who are attuned to trying to experience the heartbeat of the cosmos, we will hear about all of life as a blessing, the very large and very small, all the good and all the bad, light and dark, life and death, things unexpected, desired, dreaded, or confusing. For others who think of God in quite personal terms, as a being that somehow pays really close attention to us and all other individuals on the planet, they sense that blessings are a result of actions they have taken, thinking of them being doled out by this personal God according to some formula that they don’t fully understand but are sure is in play. A common refrain from some is that it was God, following their prayer of desperation, who helped them “find their keys,” healed their loved one, or perhaps led them safely home through a terrible storm. They will testify to this in a spirit of gratitude, certain that God was definitely the primary actor in such things. However, for many who hear their testimony of God’s particular care, such expressions that seem to move beyond “this happened” to why they were particularly gifted with this result bring up many questions: Why didn’t my loved one recover from their illness, be warned of an impending accident so they might not have been so badly injured, or worse, from what happened on the highway? Some become fraught with questions and frustration: So God cared about their keys being found just in time to make it to the important meeting—or the temple session they wanted to attend—yet doesn’t care enough to rescue others who are imprisoned in sexual slavery, who are murdered or raped or abused, who lose their livelihood from circumstances far beyond their own control? It all can make some stop believing in a God at all and, sometimes, at least for a while, imagining life is meaningless and everything that comes up in life is purely random. In this encore episode originally presented in July 2019, Susan Hinckley, along with host Dan Wotherspoon, explore the idea of blessings and the various ways people think and speak about them. In an effort to “seed” reflection, they explore notions and orientations to blessings like those things mentioned above, as well as reveal their own struggles with the evolution of their ideas about blessings in their own journeys. Are they something that are sort of “earned” by righteousness, or is there a more mysterious sort of calculus in play, such as that suggested by Elder Dale G. Renlund in a recent General Conference address when he proposed: “[Y]ou do not earn a blessing—that notion is false—but you do have to qualify for it.”? Or is a better way of approaching life’s various movements in terms of “grace,” a term for that which is given freely to all things and persons simply through the energies that create and infuse all life? Is that best approach found in the idea of “original blessing,” a concept that allows for both God and creation’s own mysterious work drawn from the story of Creation in Genesis 1 in which God creates and at each step of separation and differentiation declares it “good,” and, ultimately, after the creation of humans, pronounces the result “very good.” Please enjoy this discussion! May it stimulate wonderful reflection on this “close to home” topic!

We're excited to present Part 2 of the discussion about deconstructing and reconstructing faith between Caleb Jones and LDF host Dan Wotherspoon. The conversation in this one turns to some of the trends that are showing up in the religious world that definitely need attention if Mormonism is to have a better chance of keeping its young adults, especially, and also a wide variety of Latter-day Saints who come across difficult questions and/or are no longer moved by LDS worship styles and an "answers" approach to religious questions. Caleb then turns to a way of approaching the plan of salvation that he believes holds more promise for this generation that is exposed to so much information, including a strong dose of science. The discussion also includes Caleb's stunning framing for "revelation" that argues that people, in particular those who are marginalized in some way, ARE revelation. You do not want to miss out on this concluding section of Dan's interview with Caleb! 

Ultimately this is an episode about faith journeys, but one that focuses on opening ourselves to change--including the type of elements that lead us into deconstruction of previously held and cherished ideas. It features a discussion with Caleb Jones, whose temperament and interests led him to take a very thoughtful and thorough approach to faith reconstruction. As is teased in the beginning of this episode, Caleb identifies as both a nerd and a geek. His mind is very systematic, and in his sharing about his journey laid out so well we can notice and lift up certain universal elements of faith journeying in a way that many others, Latter-day Faith host Dan Wotherspoon included, don't usually pause to examine nearly as carefully. He's brilliant and very insightful, and I know you will love learning from him. Be sure to listen in! Episode 073 that will be released next week is Part 2 of this discussion.

I am joined this week by three wonderful guests--Kathryn Sonntag, Jim Smithson, and Dave Longhurst--in talking about the concept and potential reality of Zion. How does this idea motivate each of us? How do we understand scriptures that speak of Zion being a state in which people are of "one heart and one mind"? About what it means to "live in righteousness"? And about what it means and how do we come to live in ways that there is "no poor among us"? How do we understand the three elements in one of the temple covenants: the Church, the Kingdom of God, and Zion? What are the relationships each has with the others? And much more! This episode is packed with powerful ideas presented beautifully, with many of them being new to me. I hope you'll choose to listen in! Its seriously good!

At this time of energetic protesting of police brutality and renewed pushes toward justice, fairness, and the reform of systems and mindsets that work against black Americans, it is important those of us who are working toward these goals understand as much as we can about the black community, including the history and lives of the individuals who were subjected to slavery and its many horrors. One window into this world is the collection of and scholarship about the negro spirituals, the songs and chants, many including dance, that arose during the chattel slave experience in America. For some, including many black people, the spirituals are an embarrassment, evidence of exhausted, down-trodden people hoping for a release from this world into the reward of heaven. Those who feel this way do not understand the spirituals! In this episode, Arthur C. Jones, a black scholar, organizer, performer, and expert on the spirituals, joins Latter-day Faith host Dan Wotherspoon to introduce key elements of these songs, including the influences on their formation, the various roles they played in the lives of the slaves, including subversive messages, signals about secret gatherings and the underground railroad some contain, and much more. At various times during the conversation, Art sings lines or verses of spirituals and unpacks meanings that we would very miss if we were not ourselves enslaved during these times. What emerges from this musical tradition are messages of freedom, comfort, mourning, solidarity, faith, and empowerment--all of them elements that are essential in today’s movements toward equal rights and treatment for all. Listen in as Art shares his own professional and personal journey that led him to interest in, and his calling to teach about the spirituals. His journey, though specific to him, resonates with anyone who is on a search to discern what it is that God/Spirit/Mystery/Universe is calling them to do in service of the greater good. You don’t want to miss this episode!

The most urgent call in today’s time of pandemic and highly energized demonstrations against racial injustice is for each of us to take stock of ourselves and approach with humility and a repentant heart not only the tragedy and outrage permeating the safety of our internal worlds, but also the beautiful visions for paths to ahead that are being offered. If we are to rise to this moment, we must not stick our heads in the sand or retreat via shallow excuses into a false type of peace, but instead we must lean in. We must read, study, listen and turn to trustworthy voices and educators and allow deep into our hearts their piercing insights and critiques, especially the ones that are painful for us to face). Theirs are the voices of the prophets, not only those who write "on subway walls and tenement halls,” but who are also placed among us in every walk of life, from educators to clergy to economists to activists and community organizers, and, occasionally, politicians. Bless you John Lewis. What love animates all of you and allows you to stay the course of speaking truth to power while refusing to demonize even your harshest persecutors and detractors? This episode features a conversation between Latter-day Faith host Dan Wotherspoon and Joanna Brooks. Joanna’s recent book, Mormonism and White Supremacy: American Religion and the Problem of Racial Innocence (Oxford University Press, 2020), is at the same time scholarly, substantive, unblinking, courageous, and graceful. Full of grace. In Joanna's hands, we come to understand the history of Mormon attitudes and the choices its leaders have and continue to make that fail to recognize fully the equality of all persons, we learn as well as are given the chance to grieve these things while also learning not to demonize the people and failures of faith and courage that have brought us here, nor must we demonize ourselves for our own blindness and the refuge we white Latter-day Saints have taken within carefully constructed systems  of "white innocence."  As Joanna shares herein: just because we are guilty of so much that we have never imagined, it doesn’t mean that we aren’t still lovable, that we aren't irredeemable, nor that God isn’t actively loving and encouraging us to continue a path Godward. We cannot continue to see salvation as something solely personal. Christ took upon himself “the sins of the world.” We have too long imagined that as limited to our personal sins, those we commit in our hearts and immediate interactions. This must come to an end. We must continue Christ’s work to redeem the sins of the entire world, including its systems that harm so many—not only externally but also inwardly. We are now being drawn more and more toward greater solidarity with the unfairness of those systems that have favored white persons over black, indigenous, and other persons of color. We must look inward rather than retreating to our bubbles that keep us from having to see how harmful our systems of law, commerce, criminal justice, education, health care, and much else can be to the not only to the bodies but also the souls of others, and ourselves. We must be able to see how these systems favor the wealthy over the poor, those with good health and access to health care over those who do not, those who enjoy food security over those who struggle to provide even basic sustenance for themselves and their children are showing themselves to be. Our own processes toward redemption cannot be successful without soul-work that learns to witnesses, stand in solidarity with, and work toward relieving all forms of suffering. Listen in! Read Joanna’s new book, along with others of hers and those folks she recommends!

At one and the same time, in today's U.S. culture, as well as around the world, the majority of people are coming together in this time of pandemic and efforts to reform racial injustice, while also, when it comes to politics, most observers report a level of hostile polarization that we have rarely seen. Animosity toward those we disagree with is high. And then there's religion, which at its core is generally unifying, centered on beautiful principles that call us to see each other as fellow human beings under God or, if not theistic, in the universe of relations. If that's so, why this antagonism to those "other people" who dare to choose this or that political leader or set of policies and emphases. Are they stupid? Deceived? Evil?  LDF host Dan Wotherspoon is joined today by two Latter-day Saint friends, Jenne Alderks and Walt Wood, whose political views often differ from each other but who don't have it in their hearts to demonize and completely dismiss those who differ with them. In the episode, Dan, Jenne, and Walt wrestle with the dynamics at play today, especially in the areas of politics and religion, while also keeping an eye on our needs to self-examine continually, especially in the ways that can lead to deep, personal changes (as we determine needs) and more generosity in today's highly polarized social landscape. What is the role of social media in causing this polarization? What is it that underlies the anger that is such clear display these days? How might understanding that lead us to wider perspectives and greater compassion toward others? How can everyone along any spectrum find scriptural or other forms of authoritative support for their version of things, leaving religion without its full power to call us toward community and the interests of the group over those of us individually? What causes societal shifts? And when a society comes together over something, why do the enthusiasms die down and individualistic tendencies return to transcendence? And much more! There's much in this episode to think on and that, hopefully, can lead us all to greater self examination and the type of deepened spirituality which can lead us to call our opponents "blessed." Listen in!

Latter-day Saints who are experiencing shifts in their faith and spiritual understandings often begin to ask questions about religious practices, including ordinances that we are taught as being essential to our salvation. Here is an important group of D&C verses that seems to suggest just that: And this greater priesthood administereth the gospel and holdeth the key of the mysteries of the kingdom, even the key of the knowledge of God. Therefore, in the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness is manifest. And without the ordinances thereof, and the authority of the priesthood, the power of godliness is not manifest unto men in the flesh; For without this no man can see the face of God, even the Father, and live. (D&C 84:19–22) This passage can be read at different levels. Is it actually saying that participation in Mormon ordinances are an essential requirement for us if we want to gain the deepest kinds of spiritual insight and empowerment? The panel in this podcast seeks to broaden that idea. If we can learn to view ritual in other than purely transactional terms—“If I do this, then I will get that”—are there affirming ways we can view ritual participation and priesthood ordinances and how they can be important aids for our spiritual journeying? Can we imagine different ways we might interpret “the mysteries of the kingdom,” “the key to the knowledge of God,” and “the power of godliness?” In this episode, LDF host Dan Wotherspoon calls on his friends Mark Crego and Lindsay Pulsipher to have a discussion of these things, and more! In the early going, they discuss the nature and structure of rituals of various types and from many wider cultures, and point to what they have in common with each other. They discuss what ritual "is trying to do" and why, to use Wotherspoon's phrase, "ritual makes sense" even as it appeals to something deeper in us than what our minds can work out by themselves. In other sections the panel speaks about the transformational qualities of rituals rather than their being something that we must "do" in order to gain salvation or simply as part of "making and keeping covenants." They dial in on how ordinances and ritual, when seen correctly, expresses the key aspect about God's covenant with us, which is that God invites us into full relationship and will always welcome us no matter how far we stray. (And, like the chosen people in the Hebrew Bible, stray we will!) In the final portion, they each share ritual moments they've had and offer final reflections on what they understand as going on within them during such times. It's a terrific discussion with much to chew on! Please listen in!   

This episode and the previous one features the third and fourth discussions on the topic of Evil by a panel comprised of Latter-day Faith host Dan Wotherspoon and the wonderful and brilliant Kathryn Sonntag and Danny Kofoed. Part 3: The focus in this section is turning back to the scriptures, Jesus's time, the language he spoke, and the agrarian society he taught to open ourselves up to new definitions of good and evil. Rather than evil as sinister and fed by hurtful designs, Jesus' teaching considered it in agricultural terms of being ripe or unripe, fruitful or unfruitful--incapable or not of nourishing, expanding, reproducing, contributing. The panel also considers Paul's phrase that talks of the "wages of sin" as death. There is much more going on in that phrase than simply meaning, as Mormons generally go to first, a spiritual death that will keep us from God in the next life. Part 4: This section takes on two topics. First is a brief look at what has been termed "natural evils": hurricanes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, tornados and other things that are often termed "acts of God." Is God actually involved in such things that often bring great destruction and loss of life? Is weather that leads to these things, as well as droughts and famines, etc., as taught in scriptures, God's way of communicating God's dissatisfaction with the way we are living? What are ramifications for our spiritual lives when we live out of a worldview that treats such things this way? The bulk of Part 4 is a deep dive into structural evils: corporate, institutional, political, military, patriarchal, capital-driven, ecclesiastical, etc. How can we better become aware of these things and their effects, often leading us to compromise our values in order to "get ahead" or be held in great esteem by others? What are some of the common-denominator evils in every kind of system or institution? How might we work toward deeper truths and the values that can bless others as we become closer to the Divine and emulating the ways that God works?  Listen in! Both of these are really terrific, thoughtful discussions!