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
Mormon leaders and the fear of apologizing
By Jana Riess — October 14, 2022
(RNS) — The inability to apologize is damning to us spiritually, as a church, in that it impedes our progress. There is so much freedom in being able to say ‘I messed up and I am so sorry.’
Are double ear piercings and sleeveless tops OK now for Mormon teens?
By Jana Riess — October 5, 2022
(RNS) — The LDS church just backed off telling Mormon teens what not to wear.
For many Mormons who question, Faith Matters is a spiritual lifeline
By Jana Riess — September 29, 2022
(RNS) — With a podcast, a magazine, a publishing imprint and a major in-person gathering in Salt Lake City in October, the young Faith Matters organization is on the move.
How are Gen Z Mormons doing with mental health?
By Jana Riess — September 26, 2022
(RNS) — Young Latter-day Saints who struggle with mental health say they depend on strong support from outside their homes.
‘At Last She Said It’ podcast helps Mormon women find their voices
By Jana Riess — September 14, 2022
(RNS) — Cynthia Winward and Susan Hinckley dare to speak aloud what many Mormon women are quietly thinking.
Mormonism’s tortured genius
By Jana Riess — August 29, 2022
(RNS) — The big-C ‘Mormon Church’ will not save us. But the little-c church keeps a light of hope kindled in my heart.
Dear Mormons in a faith crisis: You’re not crazy, wrong or stupid
By Jana Riess — August 17, 2022
(RNS) — Your old faith, like the caterpillar’s body, used to serve you well, until suddenly it didn’t.
How Mormons are addressing sex abuse: Too little, too late
By Jana Riess — August 10, 2022
(RNS) — Latter-day Saints have the opportunity to learn from others’ mistakes. But will we?
Are Mormons being oppressed and mocked on TV? If so, we’re not alone.
By Jana Riess — August 5, 2022
(RNS) — Are Mormons being singled out for religious persecution?
A real Joseph Smith photo — or not? Why do Mormons care so much?
By Jana Riess — July 28, 2022
(RNS) — The polarized response to the photo reveals less about Joseph Smith than it does about us.
Mormon founder Joseph Smith’s photo discovered by descendant after nearly 180 years
By Jana Riess — July 21, 2022
(RNS) — A great-great-grandson of Joseph Smith Jr. found the Mormon prophet’s photo tucked inside a locket passed down for generations.
Oh, now I get it: Purging the word ‘Mormon’ is a bid for the mainstream
By Jana Riess — July 14, 2022
(RNS) — I’m still not a fan of the attempt to purge ‘Mormon’ from our vocabularies, but it makes sense as a piece of the larger assimilation puzzle.
Hulu’s ‘Mormon No More’ rings true
By Jana Riess — July 1, 2022
(RNS) — While not perfect, 'Mormon No More' is a heartfelt docuseries that skillfully centers the painful experiences of LGBTQ Latter-day Saints.
Mormons now look liberal on abortion — by not changing
By Jana Riess — June 29, 2022
(RNS) — The GOP has swung so far to the right that Mormons’ nuanced abortion stance, once commonly accepted by fellow conservatives, now looks liberal by comparison.
How Mormons are sabotaging marriage and the family
By Jana Riess — June 24, 2022
(RNS) — People rightly object to the hot-wife-as-reward fallacy; it’s sexist, shallow and theologically bankrupt. But here’s another objection I haven’t heard raised: This is a surefire way to torpedo a marriage before it even begins.
