
Gospel Tangents Podcast
A 360-degree view of Mormonism. We interview the best Mormon scholars, scientists, and clergy from all restoration branches, including LDS, Community of Christ, Strangites, Bickertonites, Temple Lot, Remnant, etc.
Latest episodes

Apr 5, 2025 • 0sec
Exodus Story a Myth? (George Potter 3 of 3)
Some people think the Exodus story is more myth than real. How does George Potter explain it? Check out our conversation...
https://youtu.be/ysWSrWN0WTQ
Don’t miss our other conversations with George: https://gospeltangents.com/people/george-potter/
transcript to follow
Copyright © 2024
Gospel Tangents
All Rights Reserved
Except for book reviews, no content may be reproduced without written permission
transcript to follow
Copyright © 2024
Gospel Tangents
All Rights Reserved

Apr 4, 2025 • 47sec
*Early Morning Seminary/Enduring Dementia (Richard Hanks 5 of 5)
Marion D Hanks helped start early Morning Seminary for the LDS Church! His son Richard details Marion's calling of stake presidents, what Rich loved about his father, and the tough end of Marion's life as he dealt with dementia. Check out our conversation...
https://youtu.be/Nl3KMlYwk_8
Don’t miss our other conversations with Richard: https://gospeltangents.com/people/richard-hanks/
transcript to follow
Copyright © 2025
Gospel Tangents
All Rights Reserved
Except for book reviews, no content may be reproduced without written permission
transcript to follow
Copyright © 2025
Gospel Tangents
All Rights Reserved
Except for book reviews, no content may be reproduced without written permission

Apr 2, 2025 • 22min
“Speak Your Mind!” Marion Hanks Did! (Richard Hanks 4 of 5)
Pres David O. McKay blessed Marion Hanks to "speak your mind," even when opposed by other Church leaders. His son Richard details some of these events as Marion tangled with Bruce McConkie, Mark Peterson, Boyd Packer, & others. Check out our conversation...
https://youtu.be/iFnC5JJLJds
Don’t miss our other conversations with Richard: https://gospeltangents.com/people/richard-hanks/
transcript to follow
Copyright © 2025
Gospel Tangents
All Rights Reserved
Except for book reviews, no content may be reproduced without written permission
transcript to follow
Copyright © 2025
Gospel Tangents
All Rights Reserved
Except for book reviews, no content may be reproduced without written permission

Mar 30, 2025 • 24min
Hanks on 1978 Revelation (Rich Hanks 3 of 5)
Following the 1978 revelation, the LDS Church rescinded the ban preventing blacks from receiving priesthood & temple ordinances. Marion D Hanks was against the ban. Dr Matt Harris utilized Hanks' journals to document how general authorities reacted to the new 1978 revelation. Rich Hanks details more about his father's resistance to the ban and his elation at overturning the ban. Check out our conversation...
https://youtu.be/h6Wwz4e94WM
Don’t miss our other conversations with Richard: https://gospeltangents.com/people/richard-hanks/
transcript to follow
Copyright © 2025
Gospel Tangents
All Rights Reserved
Except for book reviews, no content may be reproduced without written permission
transcript to follow
Copyright © 2025
Gospel Tangents
All Rights Reserved
Except for book reviews, no content may be reproduced without written permission

Mar 27, 2025 • 30min
Breakdown British Baseball Baptisms (Rich Hanks 2 of 5)
In the 1950s & 60s, LDS missionaries in England were baptizing children after baseball games without their parents consent,known as baseball baptisms. Marion D Hanks was called by Pres David O McKay to stop the practice. Rich Hanks is the son of Marion and details Marion's approach to the situation. We'll discuss how Marion always put Christ first in decision making, and how he helped start service missions. Check out our conversation...
https://youtu.be/tsJoc-tkSck
Don’t miss our other conversations with Richard: https://gospeltangents.com/people/richard-hanks/
transcript to follow
Copyright © 2025
Gospel Tangents
All Rights Reserved
Except for book reviews, no content may be reproduced without written permission
transcript to follow
Copyright © 2025
Gospel Tangents
All Rights Reserved
Except for book reviews, no content may be reproduced without written permission

Mar 24, 2025 • 34min
Youngest Modern-day GA! (Richard Hanks 1 of 5)
Marion Hanks was one of the youngest modern-day GA (general authorities.) At just age 31, he was called to be one of the 7 presidents in the First Council of 70! His son Richard Hanks has written a biography called "To Be a Friend of Christ." We will learn more about Marion's life without a father growing up. Check out our conversation...
https://youtu.be/SWCBWl0zS-w
Don’t miss our other conversations with Richard: https://gospeltangents.com/people/richard-hanks/
transcript to follow
Copyright © 2025
Gospel Tangents
All Rights Reserved
Except for book reviews, no content may be reproduced without written permission
transcript to follow
Copyright © 2025
Gospel Tangents
All Rights Reserved
Except for book reviews, no content may be reproduced without written permission

Mar 20, 2025 • 1h 54min
Joseph Smith’s Polygamy (Brian Hales 2017 interview)
This is a throwback episode with Brian Hales from 2017. Brian is the author of Joseph Smith's Polygamy, Volumes 1-3, and it's just in time for the Journal of Mormon Polygamy Conference this weekend at the University of Utah. Check out our conversation....
https://youtu.be/WVs0ypGKq5o
Copyright © 2025
Gospel Tangents
All Rights Reserved
Except for book reviews, no content may be reproduced without written permission
Canadian Polygamy – Should it be Legal?
The Interview
GT: Well I’d like to welcome everybody out here to Gospel Tangents Podcast. I’m really excited to talk to Dr. Brian Hales. He’s the expert on polygamy, or one of the experts I guess. I’m grateful to have you here and thank you for letting me take some of your time today.
Brian: Rick it’s really a privilege for me to be here.
GT: Well thanks. One of the things I’d like to do is to introduce you to my audience a little bit. Typically I try to talk to a lot of historians who are doctors but you are the first physician, although I have talked to a physician’s assistant as well. Could you tell us a little bit about your background, even in medicine? I think you’re a Utah man. Is that right?
Brian: I am actually. I went to Utah State, grew up in Logan and got a medical degree from University of Utah, so I have a little bit of the Ute blood in me as well.
GT: Aggie and Utah, ok.
Brian: Aggies primarily. Then I had a member of my family who was involved with Mormon fundamentalism and that kind of steered me over into thinking about polygamy. This is back in 1989 so it’s been quite some time ago. At that point I was in a residency for anesthesia and I do tell people that my books are part of my full anesthesia services. You’ve probably heard me say that joke, but I got interested then in Mormon fundamentalism and published a book, co-authored a book in 1991 dealing with that topic but then later a couple of other books.
People were asking me about Joseph Smith’s polygamy, and I didn’t have answers and really I would argue none of the books did. Todd Compton’s book has some things that were very helpful but he had written biographies and it wasn’t focused specifically on Joseph, so there was still a lot of room for research and to also try to figure out some of the historical aspects that really were just big question marks I think in a lot of people’s minds.
So in 2006-2007 I hired Don Bradley who is a dear friend but also a remarkable researcher and he went out and did a lot of research for me, gathered documents, and I told him to get everything: anti-Mormon or supportive, whatever he could find. We wanted to get every known document, and it was interesting because after we had been going about six months, it became obvious that if we kept going, eventually we would be able to put either a transcript or at least a reference to every known document on polygamy within the volumes that we were putting together. So we got kind of excited about that but that was mostly Don Bradley’s work. But his help, I put together three volumes (vol 1, vol 2, vol 3) on polygamy. There’s been a few new things come out. This was in 2013 that they were published, but not a lot has come out but a few very important things that we can talk about.
GT: Yeah we’ll definitely want to talk about that. Well great! I’m glad you talked about how you got interested in fundamentalist Mormonism, I guess. There are different branches. Could you just kind of briefly give a sketch of the main ones? I guess we’ve got the FLDS, AUB. Are there any others? Could you give a background on Mormon fundamentalism?
Brian: Well do you mind if I just talk about what’s going on in Canada right now?
GT: Sure, that would be great.
Brian: I just got back last week, it was a week ago today from Cranbrook, [British Columbia,] Canada. That is where they are holding a trial right now for two leading polygamists: Winston Blackmore and J...

Mar 17, 2025 • 25min
1st Visit with Kingston Group (Tangent Travels)
The Kingston Group, also known as the Davis County Cooperative Society, is one of the most reclusive Mormon Fundamentalist groups around. I was able to attend a funeral, which was open to the public. Here's what I learned!
https://youtu.be/RoX9ldV4NU0
Don't miss our other conversations on Mormon fundamentalism: https://gospeltangents.com/
transcript to follow
Copyright © 2025
Gospel Tangents
All Rights Reserved
Except for book reviews, no content may be reproduced without written permission
transcript to follow
Copyright © 2025
Gospel Tangents
All Rights Reserved
Except for book reviews, no content may be reproduced without written permission

Mar 15, 2025 • 42min
Book of Mormon Census/Red-Letter Edition! (Robert Messick 3 of 3)
Robert Messick will discuss the Book of Mormon census he is doing to find out how many and the location of every 1st Edition copy of the Book of Mormon. We're also diving into the Bickertonite Book of Mormon, Red-Letter Edition! What famous people besides Elvis have a Book of Mormon? Why did Apollo astronaut Buzz Aldrin autograph his Book of Mormon? Check out our conversation...
https://youtu.be/rArRcqbqc1Q
Don't miss our other conversations with Robert: https://gospeltangents.com/people/robert-messick/
transcript to follow
Copyright © 2025
Gospel Tangents
All Rights Reserved
Except for book reviews, no content may be reproduced without written permission
transcript to follow
Copyright © 2025
Gospel Tangents
All Rights Reserved
Except for book reviews, no content may be reproduced without written permission

Mar 13, 2025 • 41min
Blue & Gold Book of Mormon (Robert Messick 2 of 3)
We know the RLDS Church has its own version of the Book of Mormon, but what other churches have their own? What about the first Gold Book of Mormon and LDS Paperback edition with the golden angel Moroni on the cover, a Reformed Egyptian gold cover, and many other editions? Check out our conversation...
https://youtu.be/CTFvsUPBdPo
Don't miss our other conversations with Robert: https://gospeltangents.com/people/robert-messick/
transcript to follow
Copyright © 2025
Gospel Tangents
All Rights Reserved
Except for book reviews, no content may be reproduced without written permission
transcript to follow
Copyright © 2025
Gospel Tangents
All Rights Reserved
Except for book reviews, no content may be reproduced without written permission