053: The Trolley Square Murders -- An Interview with Witness Matt Lund

In part 1 of a 3 part series, we interview John Lynch, Chairman of the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research (FAIR), a volunteer group dedicated to Mormon Apologetics. In this episode, John Lynch discusses his conversion to the church, his journey into apologetics, and some of the basics about FAIR.

22 Okt 20051h

Over the past 2-3 years, LDS-themed blogs have literally erupted with activity. Today, there is an entire ecosystem of LDS bloggers, and literally hundreds of LDS blogs in the Internet. In this 2005 Sunstone Seattle presentation (to which I was invited to speak), I review the LDS Bloggernacle (past and present), and then discuss my vision for what might be possible in the future, including podcasts, wikis, screencasts, and multimedia content. I also discuss the importance of Sunstone and Dialogue reaching out to these communities.

19 Okt 200551min

The Mason/Mormon connection consistently ranks as a top 10 issues for those who are struggling with, or who have left the LDS Church. Greg Kearney, a lifelong, multi-generational Mormon and Master Mason, discusses the history of Masonry, how it became associated with the LDS Church, and why this association is a positive, and not a negative one.

14 Sep 20051h 27min

In this podcast, we interview Gregory Prince, author of"David O. McKay and the Rise of Modern Mormonism", as he discusses President McKay's involvement in the Blacks/Priesthood issue.

4 Sep 200558min

Today we interview a young man named Hyrum, founder of the thechurchisnottrue.com web site. In this interview, Hyrum tells his story of why he left the Mormon church.

4 Sep 20051h 22min

David O. McKay presented a dramatic contrast to his predecessors: an athletic, movie-star-handsome, clean-shaven figure who often wore a white double-breasted suit; contrasted to the dark-suited, bearded polygamists (or, in the case of George Albert Smith, son of a polygamist) who preceded him as Church President ever since Joseph Smith. In an age prior to professional image-makers, he instinctively grasped the importance of appearance, and coupled it to the substance of a professional educator to become an icon of Mormonism whose persona did much to change the negative image of the Church in much of the world.

4 Sep 200551min

I served an LDS mission in Guatemala in the late 1980s. As my mission progressed, we began to average over 700 baptisms per month, with some companionships baptizing over 40 in one month. When I tried to talk with my mission president about the issue--it got messy. Today we claim 12+ million in the Church, but truth be told, less than 1/2 of them actually consider themselves Mormon....and thus the reason why activity rates are so closely guarded.

4 Sep 200539min