Flunking Sainthood
Leaving Mormonism . . . and finding my way back
By Jana Riess — April 3, 2014
What causes a loss of faith? Mette Ivie Harrison was a Mormon mom, BYU professor, and novelist. in this two-part post she recounts the painful loss of her Mormon foundation, and the equally painful struggle to find faith again.
Mormon leader Uchtdorf translated to heaven; begins to glow
By Jana Riess — April 1, 2014
The LDS Church announced this morning that Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the First Presidency has been translated to heaven. “He was simply too good for this world,” said a church spokesman about the wildly popular Mormon apostle.
Where is God when your child has a disability?
By Jana Riess — March 31, 2014
Parents of children with disabilities are no strangers to heartache, even despair. How can they find God's presence when they're exhausted from sleepless nights and IEP meetings?
Great advice for Mormon sister missionaries
By Jana Riess — March 29, 2014
With tens of thousands of Mormon sister missionaries now serving around the world, where are they going to get the low-down on what to expect out in the field? This inspiring new book of personal essays offers some honest advice.
“LDS Living” gently criticizes gender inequality in raising Mormon kids
By Jana Riess — March 27, 2014
LDS Living says that Mormon boys and girls should have equal standards for modesty, technology, and the recognition of their accomplishments.
Declutter! “Blessed by Less” author Susan Vogt supports the urge to purge
By Jana Riess — March 24, 2014
During Lent one year, Susan Vogt started giving a way one possession a day. But she didn't stop after Lent.
Kathleen Norris: 5 essential Benedictine values for writers
By Jana Riess — March 21, 2014
Kathleen Norris offers five Benedictine spiritual practices for writers. (Warning: Prepare to kill your darlings.)
God (still) wants you to be rich: Duke scholar Kate Bowler explores the “prosperity gospel” from Jim and Tammy Faye to Joel Osteen
By Jana Riess — March 19, 2014
Duke historian Kate Bowler says we’ve transitioned from the “hard prosperity gospel” of the 1980s to the therapeutic soft sell of Joyce Meyer, Joel Osteen, and others.
I’m a Mormon feminist, not an anti-Mormon protestor
By Jana Riess — March 18, 2014
Yesterday’s statement reveals what the LDS Church apparently thinks of the feminists within its fold. We, as faithful and active members of the Church, are being lumped together with the same anti-Mormon protestors who routinely crash General Conference and shout that the Mormon religion is of the devil.
Where do smart, sexy, single, Mormon thirty-somethings fit in the Church?
By Jana Riess — March 13, 2014
How do single Mormon women in their 30s stay faithful? And how many has the Church already lost?
The Tickle-down theory of prayer
By Jana Riess — March 12, 2014
The Tickle-down theory states that the riches of one extraordinary liturgical prayer practice can be enjoyed by any layperson. Happy 80th birthday, Phyllis Tickle.
Coming this weekend to a Cleveland near you
By Jana Riess — March 10, 2014
This coming weekend I will be speaking twice about The Twible in the Cleveland area. Come out to say hello!
President Uchtdorf urges Mormons toward “transparency and openness” in their history
By Jana Riess — March 8, 2014
President Uchtdorf's talk yesterday went a long way toward softening, if not erasing, some Mormons' decades-old fear of professional history.
5 books for your Lenten journey
By Jana Riess — March 6, 2014
Need some daily reading to inspire you during Lent? Here are five suggestions, including a book from Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
Mormons, Lent, and the Cross of Jesus
By Jana Riess — March 5, 2014
What are Mormons missing when we ignore Ash Wednesday and Lent, or avoid visual depictions of the cross?
