‘Gospel’ Culture Shock
I grew up in New Zealand hearing a term that was frequently deployed in order to remind us that certain cultural practices don’t comport with one’s membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of...
View ArticleHow I Failed My Mormon Sabbatical
At the end of last year I tearfully thrust my Temple Recommend into my Bishop’s hands, I stopped wearing temple garments and I gave myself permission to walk away. Like many, I’d had years of feeling...
View ArticleTyler Glenn and Jeffery Holland: The Power and the Limits of Anger
Shortly after Nathan and I married we were enjoying a family evening for two. He was about 12 years old at the time (#kiddingnotkidding) and had literally just come home from his mission. He’d had a...
View ArticleHolding on to those in Faith Crisis: A Sacrament Talk
Guest Post by Nathan McCluskey. What follows is an extract from a 15 minute sacrament talk Nathan was asked to give as the Ward Mission Leader on the topic of “Reactivation and Rescuing.” In...
View ArticleHurray! It may or may not be fine if you are Mormon and Gay!
The re-vamped Mormon and Gay website went live today. If I had discovered the website as a newbie I might give a wee yip of approval. But I’m not new to the Mormon church’s misguided and historically...
View ArticleDear God, Please keep America a Foreign Land
The best thing I heard on National Radio this morning was; “This is a wake-up call for the rest of the world. America is foreign. They may talk like us and look like us, but it’s foreign.” Except if...
View ArticleOn the Sin of Weaponizing Testimonies
I’ve been asked on several occasions to bear my testimony. On one occasion I was seeking a renewal of my Temple Recommend from a counsellor in the Stake Presidency who announced: “I’ve heard your...
View ArticleLeaving the Church to Lead the Nation
For the last month, New Zealand has been in the grim, dim shadow space between a general election, vote counting and coalition deals. Tonight it was confirmed that New Zealand First has chosen a deal...
View ArticleOn the twists and tangles of church: Reflections on Kirtland
A few days ago I sat in the Kirtland Temple. It’s currently the only Mormon (or should I say an ‘Expression of the Restoration’) temple in which I’m permitted entry. So, it meant a lot to me to be...
View ArticleAn Open Letter to the Christchurch Stake on the Day of My Church Discipline
Dear Sisters and Brothers of Christchurch Stake, I recall several years ago talking with a former Stake President about the reasons for church disaffiliation. He’d just been to a regional meeting and...
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