Mormon Land

Content warning: We touch lightly on the topic of sexual assault. Please take care while listening. On the December crossover episode between ‘Mormon Land’ and ‘Mormons in Media,' Rebbie and Nicole break down all that has happened over the last month in the realm of Utah reality television. You've got an entire new season of 'Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,' a docuseries from 'Real Housewives of Salt Lake City' star Heather Gay, 'Dancing With The Stars,' 'The Bachelorette,' and so much more. Let's get caught up and let's discuss.

Sports writer Kevin Reynolds and Tribune columnist Gordon Monson dive into the intriguing choice of BYU recruits Ryder Lyons and Brock Harris to serve one-year missions. They discuss how faith and the new NIL landscape influence this decision and the church's expectations around mission terms. The conversation touches on the physical and mental toll of missions on athletes and the potential benefits for BYU's football program. The duo also examines public reactions, perceptions of privilege, and the implications for future athletes.

If you ask members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints if they know about the “Three Nephites,” chances are most will know the allusion. The story comes from the Book of Mormon in chapters where the risen Christ visits the Americas and chooses 12 apostles. Of those, three ask to linger in mortality until Jesus comes again, ministering to the people. From the time when the book of scripture was first published until today, members have reported encounters with these shape-shifting strangers, who seem to pop up randomly angelic visitors of sorts sent to help people. For decades, Brigham Young University professor William A. “Bert” Wilson, seen as “the father of Mormon folklore,” gathered these accounts. After he died in 2016, the collection went to one of his students, Julie Swallow, a teaching and learning consultant at the church-owned Provo school. The collection now forms the nucleus of a new book, “The Three Nephites: Saints, Service, and Supernatural Legend,” from Swallow and co-authors Christopher Blythe, Eric Eliason and Jill Terry Rudy. On this week’s show, Swallow and Blythe, an assistant professor of folklore at BYU and co-host of the “Angels and Seerstones” podcast, discuss these stories, what they mean spiritually and communally, and why the “Three Nephites” continue to engage and entertain believers.

Quin Monson, a political scientist and professor at Brigham Young University, delves into the significant influence LDS leaders have on member opinions. He highlights a grassroots movement that successfully opposed the MX missile project in the '80s, aided by then-church president Spencer W. Kimball. Monson discusses how the timing and messaging of church leaders can sway public perspectives on hot-button issues like vaccines and immigration. With a look at the evolving relationship between faith and politics, he assesses the potential for future church interventions.

Independent researcher Matt Martinich, known for tracking LDS Church data, joins to discuss the recent announcement of 55 new missions. He expresses surprise at both the quantity and geographic distribution, highlighting a shift away from traditional hubs like Utah. The discussion covers logistical challenges, the rapid missionary growth in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and how new missions will enhance outreach in the Philippines. Martinich also explores emerging trends in Europe, the strategic focus on U.S. population centers, and missed opportunities for language-specific missions.

The heroic tale of Helmuth Hübener, a teenage Latter-day Saint activist who was executed in 1942 for trying to warn Germans about Hitler’s lies, is familiar to many members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the United States and abroad. He has been the subject of plays, articles, books and a documentary. For those who still don’t know it, though, there is now a feature film, “Truth & Treason,” that recounts Hübener’s harrowing experience of faith and courage. What is fact and what is fiction in the film? More important, what is its message to modern believers? Discussing those questions and more on this week’s show is Alan Keele, an emeritus professor of German language and literature at Brigham Young University, who first publicized the story.

Eli McCann, a humor columnist for the Salt Lake Tribune and savvy media commentator, joins the conversation to dissect 'Real Housewives of Salt Lake City.' Eli hilariously contrasts the vibrant, comedic tone of RHOSLC with the heavier, more vulnerable narratives found in 'Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.' He dives into how the show's portrayal of Mormonism shifts from intriguing hook to backseat storyline. The panel also explores the complexities of cast members' wealth, parenting styles, and authenticity, making for a captivating discussion on culture and reality TV.

If there is a constant in the history of Latter-day Saint temple worship, it is change. Language used, covenants made, clothing worn and meaning ascribed to all of it — each has evolved since the early 1830s, when Joseph Smith introduced the idea of sacred rituals beyond baptism and confirmation. In his newly published book, “Holiness to the Lord: Latter-day Saint Temple Worship,” historian Jonathan Stapley explores those changes in greater detail than any other work to date. Those changes have not only practical but also theological implications, he argues, for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the past and the present.

Historian Gregory Prince, an expert in LDS history and leadership succession, joins to explore the implications of Dallin H. Oaks becoming the church's new prophet-president at age 93. He discusses the challenges of an aging leadership model, such as declining capabilities and generational disconnect, and considers whether adopting an emeritus status could invigorate the church. Prince highlights historical precedents of leadership decline and emphasizes the potential power of a bold president to enact significant changes.

It’s fitting this week to revisit our 2021 “Mormon Land” podcast with the biographer of President Dallin H. Oaks, the newly installed leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In this episode, historian Richard Turley discusses his book “In the Hands of the Lord: The Life of Dallin H. Oaks," which documents the personal journey of a church leader known for his devotion to religious liberty, his doctrinal dissections and his pointed preachings from the pulpit. Oaks’ father died when he was 7 years old. Reared by his mother and his maternal grandparents, he committed himself to hard work and diligent scholarship. He became a star student, earned a degree at one of the nation’s most prestigious law schools and launched a legal career that would see him rise to the Utah Supreme Court with whispers that he someday could land a seat on the country’s highest court. Then, virtually overnight, Oaks changed his life’s trajectory, trading his career in the law for a commitment to his Lord. He accepted a call to be a Latter-day Saint apostle, a lifetime appointment in which he now serves as the faith’s prophet-president. Enjoy this episode and learn about life of the church’s 18th president.