Sunstone Magazine

We’re putting a pin in the Succession Crisis history to discuss the accuracy of Hulu’s new limited series, Under the Banner of Heaven! Join consultant for the series Lindsay Hansen Park as she discusses the portrayals in the show, along with co-host Bryan Buchanan. In this episode, Bryan interviews fundamentalist scholar Cristina Rosetti about prophet …

Lindsay Hansen Park interviews two actors who took on iconic Mormon roles for “Under the Banner of Heaven”: Tyner Rushing as Emma Hale Smith, and Scott Michael Campbell as Brigham Young. Did one of them really end up in Relief Society one Sunday?

In part one, we gave you the origin story of Sidney Rigdon. In this episode Lindsay and Bryan will discuss Rigdon’s transformation into early Mormon leader and contender for prophet, seer and revelator after Joseph Smith’s death. Show notes: Richard S. Van Wagoner’s 1996 Sunstone presentation of Sidney Rigdon and female ordination.

Stephen Carter and his ex-Mormon brother walked into the Washington DC Temple open house, and what they saw on the walls changed the way they perceive the LDS Church forever. No ex-Mormons were re-converted in the making of this episode.

In this episode, S. Richard Bellrock argues that the LDS proselytizing mission hits all the right buttons at all the right times to be a bona fide instance of hazing, with both hazing’s benefits and drawbacks.

As we continue our journey through Mormon succession contenders, Bryan and Lindsay offer up Sidney Rigdon for your consideration.

Most Mormons are suspicious of postmodernism. But Mormon apologists have actually made use of it to defend the faith. How in the world did they do it? Will it backfire? Taylor Petrey takes us on a tour of this fraught relationship in this 2019 Sunstone Summer Symposium recording.

For a time, he was THE Stake President and the biggest game in town… but not for long, especially after the death of Joseph Smith. Come learn about the rise and fall of Brother William Marks, another contender in the Mormon succession crisis.

Stephen Carter believes that a Canadian horror film holds the key to escaping any faith crisis. But will it turn you into a zombie?

As the podcast begins to gear up for the Mormon succession crisis, Bryan and Lindsay review the major players. One of the unlikely contenders to take over the church after Joseph Smith’s murder was his younger brother Sam. But Sam wouldn’t survive long himself and his cause of death remains a mystery.

In this episode, scholar Reza Aslan examines how the idea of gods arose in human evolution, was gradually personalized, endowed with human traits and emotions, and eventually transformed into a single Divine Personality. This episode was recorded at the 2019 Sunstone Summer Symposium.

Ten years ago, President Thomas S. Monson opened the City Creek Shopping Center across from Temple Square with the immortal words, “Let’s go shopping!” Where is the line between the sacred and the secular in Mormonism? Matthew Bowman explores that question in this week’s episode. Recorded at the 2019 Sunstone Summer Symposium.

The first time Mormonism encountered the Pacific Islands was in the 1840’s. Unfortunately for native Hawaiians, the Gospel wasn’t the only thing Mormons brought to the Islands. Bryan and Lindsay discuss the first mission to the Sandwich Islands, as well as the Smallpox epidemic. Show notes: John Hammond’s Sunstone speech on the Smallpox epidemic

According to Paula Baker, the LDS Church is trying to become more empathetic. But when is empathy real and when is it fake? Baker explores the differences and how they could apply to an LDS context. This episode was part of a session at the 2021 Sunstone Summer Symposium.

Come hear the diverging duet of two cousins, Joseph F. Smith and Joseph Smith III and how their paths mirrored and shaped two dominant Mormon sects.

As more people experience faith transitions, many LDS couples find themselves grieving over their suddenly mixed-faith marriages. In this episode, eight therapists and life coaches give both personal and professional insights into honoring the challenging and the beautiful aspects of differing beliefs in a marriage. This episode was recorded at the 2020 Sunstone Summer Symposium.

Joseph and Hyrum are shot dead in Carthage. Now what? Join Lindsay and Bryan as they discuss the aftermath of the events at Carthage.

A recent Pew Research poll showed that 72% of Americans believe in a literal heaven, 58% in a literal hell. Most people who hold these beliefs are Christian and assume they are the age-old teachings from the Bible. But eternal rewards and punishments are found nowhere in the Old Testament and are not what Jesus …

We are kicking off Season Three of the Sunstone Mormon History podcast. But before we do, Bryan and Lindsay discuss the state of the podcast: where it’s been and where it’s heading.

The largest massacre of Native Americans by federal troops in the history of the United States took place in Cache Valley, Idaho, and it was both invited and condoned by the Mormons settling the area. Darren Parry, author of “The Bear River Massacre: A Shoshone History,” tells the story of that day on this episode …