Are Mormons Christians?

I've seen this tweet blow up in my feed the past couple of days: https://twitter.com/warriorwoman91/status/1138580226496126976 You have the typical replies. "We're not Mormons! We're members of TCoJCoLDS!" https://twitter.com/7AwesomeAustins/status/1138606129720676352 And of course the old, "Jesus is in the name of the church" canard. https://twitter.com/melaya_huffaker/status/1138865258691534848 And my favorite, the "we didn't want to be Christians anyway" response.... Continue Reading →

June 14, 2019 0

When, How, and Why to Baptize Mormons

This piece was originally published in the Fall 2018 issue of Lutheran Forum, an independent Lutheran journal. See the piece on their website or download a PDF. Also included is the baptismal sermon by my friend and professor at Luther Seminary, Kathryn Schifferdecker, who baptized me. It describes my discernment process and the theological considerations that... Continue Reading →

January 12, 2019 1

The Veil

NOTE: This post contains explicit discussion of Mormon temple ceremonies before their recent change on January 2, 2019. If discussion of the temple, including a description of its rituals, troubles you, I suggest skipping this one. I wrote this as part of a lengthy exploration of Christology I undertook for an independent study course in... Continue Reading →

January 2, 2019 5

A Letter to My Child’s Bishop and Stake President about Worthiness Interviews

My family (spouse, children) are still active in the Mormon church while I am preparing for ordained ministry in the Lutheran church. It's not always easy, but we leave space for one another's faith journeys and affirm the good in each other's traditions. On the question of worthiness interviews, both my husband and I are... Continue Reading →

September 16, 2018 0

What Is the Church of Jesus Christ?

The internet is abuzz with the announcement that the Mormon church has once again requested that people stop calling it the Mormon church. Instead, the new style guide on the now-ironically-named Mormon Newsroom suggests that if one seeks to shorten the name of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (because let's be real,... Continue Reading →

August 18, 2018 2

This Must Stop: Speech at the March to Protect the Children, 3/30/18

On March 30, 2018, I spoke at the March to Protect the Children in downtown Salt Lake City. The march, which was organized in opposition to the Mormon church's practice of sexually explicit "worthiness interviews" with minors, attracted around 1000 protestors. We started at the courthouse and marched several blocks to the church office building,... Continue Reading →

March 30, 2018 2

Rescued by Grace

This piece about my conversion to Christianity was initially published in Lutheran Forum, an independent Lutheran journal, in Fall 2017. I was born in Logan, Utah, in 1981, the oldest of five in a devout Mormon family. My childhood took place during a turbulent time in a Mormon history. Progressives were being silenced and excommunicated.... Continue Reading →

October 31, 2017 0

Growing Up in a Church without the Cross

This post was originally published at the Salt Collective, after I read it at House of Mercy's Easter service in 2015. The picture of the resurrected Lord that I remember from childhood isn’t a picture of an empty tomb, but of Christ returning triumphantly to the Earth for his Second Coming. Angels surround him, playing... Continue Reading →

April 6, 2015 0