Tag: borderlands

Staying in the Church and Making it Work

By D. Jeff Burton IN APRIL OF 2014, I participated in a Sunstone-sponsored conference called “Navigating the Borderlands.”1 My assigned topic was “Staying in the Church and Making it Work.” I covered ten principles and action items that I (and others) have found useful. In this column and the next, I will provide and expand upon …

Read more

Experiences of a Borderlands Bishop

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. …

Read more

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 …

Read more

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 …

Read more

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 …

Read more

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 …

Read more

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 …

Read more