For more than 45 years, Sunstone has been exploring Mormonism in all its expressions through our publications and symposiums. The Sunstone Podcast gathers the best of these explorations, including compelling sessions from our worldwide symposiums as well as interviews, book reviews, and deep dives into all things Mormon. Hosted by Stephen Carter.
Listen to the Sunstone Podcast on iTunes or Spotify, or view and stream any of the episodes from this podcast on the Sunstone website.
E23: Striking a Balance: Finding the Podcast’s Voice
As the Sunstone Podcast hits its six-month mark, Lindsay Hansen Park and John Larsen discuss the podcast’s successes and difficulties and their vision for going forward.
Read MoreE22: You’re Not Alone: A Conversation with the Mama Dragons
When a child comes as as LGBTQIA+ what is a Mormon mother to do? John Larsen talks with some of the founding members of the Mama Dragons, a growing group …
Read MoreE21: The Art of a Skillful Faith Transition: A Conversation with Stephen Carter
More than 20 years ago, Stephen Carter met Eugene England, starting a relationship that altered the course of his spiritual life. Now, Stephen is an award-winning author and editor in …
Read MoreE20: The Case for Therapy: A Discussion with Jenny Marrow
For a long time, going into therapy has had a stigma attached to it in the LDS Church. In this episode, John Larsen and Jenny Marrow argue that that should …
Read MoreE18: Making Connections Between Mormon Communities
John Larsen and Lindsay Hansen Park take the stand at the 2019 Sunstone Short Creek conference to talk about how various Mormon communities can better converse with one another. …
Read MoreE17: Mormons Building Bridges
Mormons Building Bridges made national news headlines when they brought together 300 Mormons to march in the 2012 Salt Lake City Pride Parade. How did they get started and how …
Read MoreE16: From Outrage to Silence: A Conversation with Gina Colvin
Gina Colvin and John Larsen are going on their faith journeys on different sides of the planet and in different cultures. What are the similarities? What are the differences? How …
Read MoreE15: Building Community after Mormonism
John Larsen and John Dehlin spent years publicly deconstructing the LDS Church. But now they’re wondering, what can they build “from the ashes?” What is their role in the post-Mormon …
Read MoreE14: The Unknown McKay: An Interview with Harvard Heath
In his new book “Confidence Amid Change: The Presidential Diaries of David O. Mckay, 1951-1970,” Harvard Heath presents an intimate portrait of one of the LDS Church’s most charismatic presidents. …
Read MoreE13: Marriage on a Tightrope
Navigating a mixed-faith marriage is never easy, but that’s what Kattie and Allan Mount do on their podcast “Marriage on a Tightrope.” What’s it like to work through such sensitive …
Read MoreAbout the Host
Stephen Carter stumbled into the Mormon Studies community in 1998 when he became Eugene England's administrative assistant at Utah Valley University, helping him establish the world's first Mormon Studies program. After earning an MFA in creative writing and a Ph.D. in narrative studies, Stephen joined Sunstone as its director of publications in 2008. Since then, he has had a front-row seat to everything from Proposition 8 to the Ordain Women movement to Mitt Romney's presidential campaign to the effects of COVID-19 on the the LDS Church. From all this, Stephen has found that Mormonism is most interesting where its tensions are greatest.
Stephen's tension-marked life in Mormonism can be encapsulated in two experiences. The first was when he was fired from being an early-morning seminary teacher for "raising more questions than he answered," but on his last day, receiving a letter from a student saying that her time in his classes had reactivated her interest in the Church. The second was the year he spent attending a Unitarian Universalist congregation on Sunday mornings before rushing back to his ward to fulfill his calling as Sunday school president. (He still attends both congregations.)