By D. Jeff Burton This column collects some emails I exchanged with “Bishop Thomas,” who is responsible for a large ward outside Utah. (Names and some details have been changed to protect identities.) I’ve communicated with “Borderland” bishops in the past but this is the first time one has agreed to share his story. …
Tag: borderlands
Braving the Borderlands: Are the Borders Shifting?
By D. Jeff Burton IN THE EGG-LIKE image we use to illustrate the three types of Church membership, a Borderland member is one who, for various reasons, does not fit comfortably within the borders of Group 1 but has not yet migrated into Group 3.1 From the beginning I have said that, in addition to …
Braving the Borderlands: Mysterious Ways
By D. Jeff Burton In this column I share the story of Jennifer and her husband as they struggle to adapt to Borderland life during some rather large changes. In addition to editing and shortening our many emails, I have changed names and details to protect identities. Jennifer: My husband, John, a school principal …
Braving the Borderlands: A Borderlander Comes Out: Part II
By D. Jeff Burton THIS COLUMN1 CONTINUES the saga of Brett (a Borderlander who is in the process of coming out to his family and others) and his wife, Mandy. I have condensed and edited emails we exchanged over several months. I’ve also changed names and some details to protect identities. BRETT: Mandy and …
Braving the Borderlands: A Borderlander Comes Out–Part I
By D. Jeff Burton In this column and the next,1 “Brett” shares his long-term experiences in the Borderlands and how he recently “came out” to his wife and others. I have condensed and edited email messages we exchanged over several months. I have also changed names and details to protect identities. BRETT: I came …
Braving the Borderlands: Borderlanders Share their Coping Mechanisms
By D. Jeff Burton This column presents several readers’ answers to the frequently asked question, “How can I cope as a member of the Borderlands?” I have edited their comments for clarity and brevity; I have also changed their names.1 From Denny: What helps me to cope is to be a “verifier;” never a …
Borderlands: Miscellaneous News and Interesting Items
By D. Jeff Burton SLC SUMMER SYMPOSIUM ON 27 JULY 2012, at session 253 of the Salt Lake Sunstone Symposium, “Family Values: Coping with a Borderland1 Family Member,” I was joined by John Dehlin, Lilly Shults, Adam Fisher, and Suzann Werner in a panel responding to questions and comments from the audience. We received …
Braving the Borderlands . . . : Mormonism for Borderlanders: A User’s Guide
By D. Jeff Burton On 23 May 2012, Alain de Botton joined Doug Frabrizio on KUER’s RadioWest program for an exploration of de Botton’s new book, Religion for Atheists: A Non-believer’s Guide to the Uses of Religion.[i] Despite the title’s reference to atheists, this book can be useful to any person trying to incorporate religion …
Identifying and Working with Adolescent Borderlanders
By D. Jeff Burton Adolescents have occasionally been discussed in this column, usually as innocent bystanders as their parents enter the Borderlands. I’ve sometimes provided suggestions about how to protect them, shield them, guide them, and so forth. However, we haven’t discussed children or teens who become closet doubters or Borderlanders themselves.1 I have …
Braving the Borderlands: Traits of the “Successful” Borderlander
By D. Jeff Burton It has become generally known that a large percentage of baptized Mormons worldwide eventually slip into inactivity, leave the Church, or are excommunicated. Many sojourn in the Borderlands of the Church for a time and then move on. But a few decide to stay in the Borderlands for various reasons: family, …