Jana Riess
Senior columnist Jana Riess is the author of many books, including "The Prayer Wheel" (Random House/Convergent, 2018) and "The Next Mormons: How Millennials Are Changing the LDS Church" (Oxford University Press, 2019). She has a PhD in American religious history from Columbia University.
All Stories by Jana Riess
10 ways former Mormons can reconnect with devout family members
By Jana Riess — January 31, 2017
When you've left Mormonism but your family hasn't, can you still communicate with love? Guest blogger Mette Harrison offers 10 tips on reconnecting.
Do Mormons leave the Church because they ‘got offended’?
By Jana Riess — January 27, 2017
Elder Bednar says that many former Mormons left the fold because they chose to be offended by something. New research raises the question: Does this explanation hold water?
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Donald Trump: What can we learn?
By Jana Riess — January 24, 2017
A social psychologist argues that how we responded to the controversy of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir singing at Donald Trump's inauguration reveals the fault lines of how different kinds of people view the world.
Big business and the wealthy will make gains under Trump, says study — but poor people, minorities, and LGBTs will lose influence
By Jana Riess — January 18, 2017
Corporations, wealthy people, conservative Christians, and white men are expected to make gains during Trump's administration, says a Pew study released today. Left behind: Everybody else.
Why abortion may increase during a Donald Trump presidency
By Jana Riess — January 12, 2017
Despite his promises to repeal Roe v. Wade, Donald Trump’s economic policies are poised to Make America Abortion-great Again. He's creating the perfect storm of conditions for abortion rates to start ticking upwards.
‘Cancer is funny,’ says pastor — and his writing makes it so
By Jana Riess — December 30, 2016
One of my favorite books of the year is Jason Micheli's cancer memoir, which is by turns hilarious and devastating -- but always, always deeply theological. Here's a Q&A with the author.
Study shows young adult Mormons are most likely generation to tithe (but there’s a catch)
By Jana Riess — December 26, 2016
Surprise: Mormon Millennials are a little more likely to be full tithe-payers than older Mormons are -- but there's a twist in how they define income.
Protest grows against Mormon Tabernacle Choir singing at Trump’s inauguration
By Jana Riess — December 24, 2016
As backlash gains momentum against the Mormon Tabernacle Choir singing at Donald Trump's inauguration, guest blogger Carol Lynn Pearson asks, "What would Jesus do?"
When Mormons first went to Harvard …
By Jana Riess — December 19, 2016
Brigham Young sent Mormon men and women to the nation's finest universities in order to preserve the religion's separation from the U.S., but they wound up helping it assimilate.
Mitt Romney’s rejection as secretary of state is bad news for the nation — and the world
By Jana Riess — December 14, 2016
The decision to pass over Mitt Romney, one of Trump’s most strident and consistent critics during the long campaign, tells us that at the end of the day, our insecure, thin-skinned, volatile president-elect isn’t prepared to put the good of the nation and the world ahead of his own bruised ego.
Fasting from Facebook in the Age of Trump
By Jana Riess — December 8, 2016
Both conservatives and liberals have made social media an intolerable place for me to be. In the last month I've drastically reduced the time I spend on Facebook and Twitter, and it has been a life-nourishing spiritual practice.
Why I like the new Mormon #LighttheWorld campaign
By Jana Riess — December 1, 2016
The LDS Church's new Christmas campaign emphasizes simple acts of service and downplays the Mormon missionary impulse. It's about bringing Christ's light into people's lives, not about bringing those people into the Mormon faith.
Utah and Mormons are the most generous givers
By Jana Riess — November 29, 2016
(RNS) Utah residents give 6.6 percent of their income to charity -- and have the most volunteer hours of any state. A good deal of that generosity is due to the state's heavily Mormon population.
How do Mormons feel about LGBT issues? Join this survey and let your voice be heard
By Jana Riess — November 21, 2016
How do you feel about LGBT issues? If you're a Mormon, let your voice be heard in this new survey.
For families divided by Mormonism, 5 things to do – and not to do
By Jana Riess — November 17, 2016
With Thanksgiving just around the corner, Mormon families want to defuse tensions that arise when some leave the LDS Church and others stay. Guest blogger Mette Harrison says to pass the yams and hold the judgment.
