In honor of Gene England’s 88th birthday on the 22nd of this month, this session will honor Gene’s life and teachings with interviews between his widow, Charlotte England, and several of her close friends and longtime peers of Gene’s. One conversation will discuss an evening Jim McConkie spent with Charlotte when he apologized for his …
Speaker: Jay Griffith
Finding Consensus in Mormon Controversy
Skeptics insist that the evidence makes it impossible for Mormons to confront thorny historical and doctrinal questions with their faith intact. But just as there’s more than one way to Mormon, there’s also more than one way to ex-Mormon. Jim Bennett explores the multiplicity of legitimate ways to evaluate the truth claims of the Church …
Essence of The Classic Yoga Scriptures: The Yoga Sutras
Yoga, not to be confused with the modern yoga movement of physical postures, is one of the major schools of Hindu philosophy, referring to an awakened state of Oneness with and in God and the path that leads to that realization. Why do so few Christians and Mormons experience inner transformation and rebirth? What are …
Navigating through Church Trauma
The future of the Mormon faith is going to find many people grappling with just that—their faith. As the Church continues to increase in its organizational behavior and knuckle down on policies, church trauma is going to see an increase. How does one navigate through that? What even is church trauma? What are the root …
Radiant Mormonism: Conversations about the Influence of Mormonism in Today’s World
In his essay “Radiant Mormonism,” Richard Bushman argues that Latter-day Saints have a disproportionate influence for good in the world. He cites examples in scholarship, education, philanthropy, politics, humanitarian service, and the arts, but feels the influence is much broader. This session begins a series of annual interviews with Latter-day Saints who are part of …
Mountain Running, Mormonism, and a Pathway to Spirituality
Ultrarunning, especially in the mountains, often takes on spiritual and religious dimensions: sacrificing the body and pushing beyond one’s natural limits to experience transcendence. In this session, two ultra runners—one in his thirties and one in his late fifties—will share their experience of conversing with God through this sport, placing it in the context of …
The Ghost of Eternal Polygamy One Year Later: A Report
Author Carol Lynn Pearson and several women and men whose lives have been impacted by her book The Ghost of Eternal Polygamy take a look at the first year in the life of a book that, in the words of Greg Prince, could “cause a shift in the way the institutional church views itself.” Carol …
Can We Talk? How to Facilitate Challenging Conversations with Those You Love (and Those You Don’t)
Family dinners, church, Facebook, work—all are rife with opportunities to have conversations about sometimes painful and divisive topics. And yet we usually avoid these subjects because we don’t know how to feel safe sharing what we really think. In this workshop, Jacob and Jay will teach proven methods to help bridge these troublesome waters while …