This special episode of the foyer is a live recording in front of a live audience. Join Patrick Mason, Leonard J. Arrington Chair of Mormon History and Culture, and Dallas Jenkins, Creator and Director of The Chosen, as they discuss the behind the scenes of creating the largest crowd-funded media project of all time.  ..read more

No other issue is as publicly prominent or as vexing for contemporary Mormonism as the relationship between the LDS Church and the LGBTQ community. We will discuss the history of LDS teachings about homosexuality, the recent emergence of “queer Mormon theology,” and how LGBTQ Latter-day Saints navigate the complex tensions of their religion and sexuality. Patrick will be joined by authors of two recent and important books on these subjects. Blaire Ostler, a philosopher who works at the intersection of queer, Mormon, and transhumanist thought. She is the author of Queer Mormon Theology: An Int ..read more

American society is deeply divided. Our political culture is as fractured and dysfunctional as at any time since the Civil War. Latter-day Saints have not been immune to this polarization, but there have also been voices calling for a return to the “better angels of our nature.” Joining us will be two of those voices speaking out in favor of a distinctively Mormon way of engaging politics. Judge Thomas Griffith is a former federal judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Before becoming a judge on the nation’s second-highest court, he was Senate Legal Counsel an ..read more

There are some books you read that change the way you see the world. That was my experience reading the amazing recent memoirs by these two scholars and authors, who happen to be uncle and niece. Join us for a conversation about Mormonism, Zen Buddhism, raking, and cancer. Charles Shirō Inouye is Professor of Japanese Literature and Visual Culture at Tufts University and the author of the new memoir Zion Earth Zen Sky (Maxwell Institute, 2021). Melissa Inouye is a historian in the LDS Church History Department and the author of Crossings: A Bald Asian American Latter-day Saint Woman Scholar’s ..read more

May 25, 2021, marked the one-year anniversary since the murder of George Floyd, which set off a nationwide wave of protests over policing and continuing racial inequalities in America. In addition to the broader American context, the LDS Church is in the midst of an ongoing reckoning with its own past of racial exclusion. In this episode guests LaShawn Williams, Mauli Bonner, and Paul Reeve will talk about the past, present, and future of race in America and Mormonism, focusing especially on the African American experience ..read more

Since its release in February 2021, Murder among the Mormons has been one of the most popular titles on Netflix. The true crime documentary recounts the story of Mark Hofmann, one of the most infamous forgers in modern history, whose web of lies eventually led to the murders of two innocent people. On this episode of “The Foyer,” host Patrick Mason will be joined by filmmaker Jared Hess, co-director of Murder among the Mormons, and historian Rick Turley, author of Victims: The LDS Church and the Mark Hofmann Case, to talk about the Hofmann forgeries, the documentary, and what it all means for ..read more

One of Mormonism’s distinctive teachings is that of a Heavenly Mother, a female divinity who is God the Father’s wife and the mother of all humanity.  Long shrouded in mystery and considered by many a taboo topic, there has been a resurgence in interest in Heavenly Mother in contemporary Mormonism.  Is this just a fad, or are we witnessing the reshaping of Mormon doctrine and culture with a greater emphasis on the inherent divinity and spiritual power of women?  Guests include Fiona Givens, co-author of All Things New and Research Fellow at the Maxwell Institute at Brigham Young ..read more

Yes, Mormon women were pioneers and polygamist wives.  But how have women shaped the history of Mormonism since polygamy?  Our guest will be Dr. Colleen McDannell, who is the Sterling M. McMurrin Professor of Religious Studies and Professor of History at the University of Utah.  She is the author of several books on American religious history, including the recent book Sister Saints: Mormon Women Since the End of Polygamy ..read more

Join us for this exclusive conversation with Brandon Flowers, who is not only lead singer of The Killers, one of the most popular rock bands of the 21st century, but also a practicing member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  We'll be talking about what it's like to be a world-famous rock star and a Mormon, as well as the religious themes in his lyrics ..read more

Dr. Laurie Maffly-Kipp,and Patrick Mason discuss the strides as well of the challenges of mormonism as it changes into a global religion ..read more