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, …
Tag: borderlands
Braving the Borderlands: Conducting a Self-assessment
Know thyself. —Greek Aphorism To thine own self be true, and [you cannot] be false to any man. —Shakespeare At the 2010 Salt Lake Sunstone Symposium (Session 124, 5 August SL10124), John Dehlin and I hosted a spirited discussion with about a hundred attendees about their individual Borderlander experiences. We primed the discussion with …
Braving the Borderlands: Protecting and Strengthening Your Marriage
By D. Jeff Burton During the past month, I have exchanged emails with “Will” (not his real name), a professional with a young family, concerning his movement into the Borderlands and the troubles he has confronted. While reading his responses to my standard questionnaire, I saw that Will’s marriage was suffering the stresses common to …
Borderlands: A Play–Part II
Continued from Part I SCENE SEVEN (BRIAN and PHYLLIS sit in the office, waiting.) PHYLLIS: I don’t know why we’re doing this. We don’t need you. BRIAN: Whatever. PHYLLIS: I run this car lot. I decide who works here and who doesn’t. BRIAN: I was told to wait here for Dave. Is that …
Borderlands: A Play–Part 1
Introduction Borderlands marks a place of intersection, a liminal space where roads end but new paths begin, where no horizons reveal themselves but also where collisions do us harm. I’m a believing, practicing Mormon, and Mormonism is at its most essential a religion that preaches literally endless human possibilities, eternal progression, and growth. But we …
Braving the Borderlands: Bits and Pieces from the Inbox
By D. Jeff Burton D. Jeff Burton is an author and a former member of the Sunstone Board of Directors. The past few Borderlands columns have elicited some particularly worthwhile comments, some of which I want to share with you. Of course I’ve changed the writers’ names to shelter their identities.[63] Email from …
Braving the Borderlands: Strange Tales from the Borderlands
By D. Jeff Burton D. Jeff Burton is an author and a former member of the Sunstone Board of Directors. In this column, I share some unusual—and sometimes troubling—experiences and observations from four Borderlanders. I’ve changed the names of the first three. To respond, please send an email to jeff@eburton.com. I will forward your messages …