Latter-day Faith

Following up on the recent "Wisdom Jesus" show, this two-part episode features the wonderful yogi Phil McLemore offering extended insights in some of the things talked about in that conversation but also taking us deeper into the heart of what Jesus was really teaching and what his life actually means in relation to the notion of Atonement and our lives. In conversation with Latter-day Faith host Dan Wotherspoon, Phil teaches us about the "perennial philosophy" that underlies all spiritual traditions and shows how Jesus's life and messaging align perfectly with each of its elements. He also takes us through his own spiritual development journey and how the insights he has have come through direct experiences with the Divine. In the second of the two episodes, they move the conversation into what has often been referred to as the "dark night of the soul." What does this mean? Does everyone on a spiritual journey experience terror about losing her or his identity? Are there more helpful ways of discussing the type of surrender of our "small" selves to the eternal, glorious identities that we are, and to a love that surpasses all understanding? You won't want to miss this episode!

In this episode, highly experienced family therapist, Julie Keanaaina introduces a model known as the Stages of Change that has been found to be very helpful in not only addiction therapy but applied more widely, and then she and Latter-day Faith host Dan Wotherspoon move to compare its categories/levels with those laid out by Stages of Faith author James Fowler as adult stages of faith and worldview development. It's an instructive and fascinating conversation about mental states and physical action that is part teaching, part conversation, part personal storytelling, and all terrific and insightful.  The Stages of Change have (without calling each by the names discussed in the podcast) been adapted into a wonderful poem by Portia Nelson that is shared in the episode: Autobiography in 5 Short Chapters Chapter I I walk down the street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I fall in. I am lost ... I am helpless. It isn't my fault. It takes me forever to find a way out.   Chapter II I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I pretend I don't see it. I fall in again. I can't believe I am in the same place. But it isn't my fault. It still takes a long time to get out.   Chapter III I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I see it is there. I still fall in ... it's a habit. My eyes are open. I know where I am. It is my fault. I get out immediately. Chapter IV I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I walk around it.   Chapter V I walk down another street. Listen in! You'll find a lot that will cause you to think with more focus about our lives, issues, changes, and our faith journeys.

Rebekah Simon-Peter is a Christian teacher from a Jewish background who specializes in helping clergy (and anyone who feels "called" by God to do something "kingdom oriented") to "dream like Jesus." We are excited to have her on Latter-day Faith where she and host Dan Wotherspoon explore together what a Jesus-like dream looks like. In likely the most inspirational LDF episode to date, they draw from and discuss elements of  Rebekah's new book, Dream Like Jesus: Deepen Your Faith and Bright the Impossible to Life (Market Square Publishing, 2019), to ask us all if we are dreaming big enough, involving our communities, as well as trying to do our part, like Jesus, in bringing the kingdom of heaven to earth. Rebekah is so remarkably powerful that it is not hard to believe that we can, in partnership with God, do in this world far more than we have ever imagined!  Listen in! You'll likely be returning to this episode often!

A common refrain we hear in Christianity today is someone claiming something like this: "There are those who think of Jesus is merely a great teacher of morals or wisdom. But we know he is actually the Son of God and Savior of the world!" It is a binary, either/or proposition intended to discourage people from exploring the deeper, wisdom teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. Well, in this episode, Jana Spangler, Thomas McConkie, and LDF host Dan Wotherspoon turn their attention to those sayings and parables and types of consciousness that are, indeed, best read and understood through wisdom and contemplative lenses. Each panelist tells her or his own "Jesus story," and also talks about various scriptural passages and insights that only come truly alive when approaching Jesus in this way. It's a wonderful conversation, followed by beautiful centering exercise led by Thomas. Listen in! Be ready to re-embrace a powerful and even more compelling Jesus!

In two October 2019 General Conference talks, President Dallin H. Oaks shared thoughts about what constitutes church "doctrine," limiting it to what is taught by the entire First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve. He also shared that we too often think we know more about things, such as the afterlife, than we actually do. This episode was prompted by his talks, and it features a conversation between Charles R. Harrell (Charley), author of the wonderful book "This is My Doctrine": The Development of Mormon Theology, and Latter-day Faith host Dan Wotherspoon. The two of them speak of many things, some at the meta level, such as why so many people want there to be settled doctrines, and showing that this is a desire that never has nor can ever be fulfilled. Doctrine, like revelation/inspiration, evolves because human beings are active participants in the process of trying to discern God's truth and will, and in then teaching what they feel inspired to, all the while burdened with leadership concerns such as protecting and warning the Saints, as well as their own biases and imaginations. Finally, Harrell and Wotherspoon go particular, speaking of the development of ideas about God and Godhead, showing that even this most fundamental concern of religion has undergone many iterations (and perhaps is on the cusp or an even more profound change than what has happened in the past). Listen in! You'll learn and have cause to think a lot! 

Brittney Lowe Hartley has just published a long-awaited book, Mormon Philosophy Simplified: An Easy LDS Approach to Classic Philosophical Questions. In this episode, she joins Latter-day Faith host Dan Wotherspoon to discuss the book, its contents, and to dive into several of Mormonism's interesting, and, to many, expansive and ennobling angles on questions such as the nature of existence itself, the problem of evil, Atonement, Sin, Grace, Free Will, Gender, Ethics, and more. In addition, Brittney shares a terrific exegesis on the often-troubling story of Nephi slaying Laban, and they hint at a beautiful telling of the story of the Good Samaritan that is contained in the book's epilogue. All throughout they wax enthusiastically about the importance of philosophy and theology and how these disciplines can help all of us on our spiritual journeys, aiding in clarifying our intellectual and spiritual foundations and core values. You will love this conversation! Dig in!

In the October 2019 General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as well as the previous year at a conference at BYU, 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 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 that IF we keep our covenants (plural) THEN we will receive God's blessing/approval/reward. The Covenant, however, 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--those 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 powers and 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. Listen in!

Mental illness and other mental health issues are common among the human population, including among those who attend church and wrestle with religious questions. Sufferers may struggle to feel beloved and "seen" within their faith communities. In this episode, Susan Hinckley and I talk about our experiences growing up in homes deeply affected by mental illness. We also discuss the ongoing challenge of navigating these illnesses in our personal lives, as well as ways we each feel blessed by our unique difficulties and the wrestles into which they have led us. We explore some of the reasons mental illness is perhaps considered more taboo and something to hide within religious (including Mormon) communities. What theological hurdles does mental illness bring into play? How might it create real or assumed distance from other members of our congregations? We talk about bright spots that indicate an effort to normalize these struggles for Latter-day Saints, but also dive into the challenging effects of mental illness on personal spirituality and one's sense of connection with the Divine. This is a very personal episode but one we hope you'll connect with, and share with anyone who might benefit from an open discussion of this topic. We'd love to foster increased awareness and conversation—in our homes, church communities, and within ourselves.  

With quite a bit of help from the early twentieth century intellectual giant William James, in this episode host Dan Wotherspoon introduces two framings that assisted him greatly when his faith first began to shift. One is a model that contains four characteristics of religious/mystical/direct experience and helps differentiate such events from emotional experiences or other day-to-day moments when we feel close to God, feel God or the Spirit is "with" us, comforting us, etc. The second is the down-to-earth way that James, a skeptic by nature (but one who chooses to go where ever the evidence seems to lead rather than trying to fit what he sees and experiences into certain already-circumscribed and confining boxes), speaks about religion and its power in human lives. And he does this without feeling the need to get specific and express the dynamics of religious experiences in terms of "God's" actions in the world and in us. Wotherspoon introduces James' term, the MORE, as a much broader and yet very powerful category to elucidate that "something" that is beyond what our physical senses and intellectual faculties can touch. James speaks of an "intimacy" with this MORE that far exceeds that which we experience through other means. It's beautiful, and it's very helpful for anyone who feels uncomfortable or triggered by God-talk or typical spiritual/religious terminology. It can even help us explain to more traditionally believing family and friends what is going on within ourselves as we wrestle, and do it in ways that they might be able to understand and not be offended by. Please give this episode a listen!

This episode takes on the topic of healing, but foremost through the sharing of two healing journeys and the new world and sense of self that can open up when we find the courage to explore those messages and wounds that we pick up through life that distort our vision of reality, and especially our own sense of self worth. Too often, we choose to keep on functioning with certain stories of ourselves and others simply because they are known to us, they form the world we know that isn't great but at least it's predictable. Luckily God/Life/Love keep serving up to us invitations to go inside and figure out what is hidden in the shadows so we might heal from negative experiences and integrate in healthy ways the lessons and perspectives these have given us. Sometimes it is great love that causes us to start exploring our patterns and views, but far more often it takes great suffering and finding ourselves at the end of our own resources to deal with it that forces us to confront what we've tried so hard to hide from ourselves and others. That's not what we went to hear, but it is pretty close to universally true. In the discussion you are about to listen to, Carma Hyde and Shelly Wilkinson, two wonderful and brave women who have chosen to risk being vulnerable about their healing journeys, share sadnesses and messages and events in their past that have led them to seek and eventually find peace through going inward, facing shadows, and trusting that light and love would be with them all the way through. Both have now emerged as healers themselves, with one of them, Shelly, formally becoming a sought-out healer in the Salt Lake Valley. In addition to hearing their stories, we got to a more objective view, drawing from all our experiences to reflect on aspects of healing in general.  Please listen in! You'll be glad you did! Dan