Mormon Stories Podcast

What would cause a megachurch pastor to lose his faith?

In this episode of Mormon Stories Podcast, we sit down with former megachurch pastor Dr. Todd Phillips to explore his journey from a new Christian searching for a fresh start, to becoming a pastor and ministry leader, preaching to crowds of 10,000 people or more.

Todd grew up without a strong religious background, but after finding Christianity in his twenties, he quickly immers...

What happens when a pastor can no longer believe the message he has spent his life preaching?

In Part Two of our conversation with Dr. Todd Phillips, former megachurch pastor and creator of “The Deconstructed Pastor,” Todd continues his journey out of evangelical Christianity. After years of building his life around the Bible, he began confronting difficult questions surrounding his faith in the Bible, Jesus, and even Go...

On today’s episode of Mormon News, Meggan and John break down another busy week of headlines involving The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Charlie Bird says he is pulling back from sharing his journey to fatherhood after receiving horrific messages about his future family, including messages invoking LDS teachings. We look at the broader Mormon conversation surrounding Charlie and Ryan’s plans to become pare...

In this new series on Mormon Stories Podcast, we’re joined once again by historian Dr. John Turner to take an in-depth look at one of the most important –and complicated –figures in Mormon history: Brigham Young. 

Dr. Turner is the author of Brigham Young: Pioneer Prophet, his acclaimed 2012 biography of the second president and prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. John was recently our ...

For this weeks Mormon News Podcast,  John Dehlin and Meggan Hayes dig into what Bloomberg uncovered about the Church's growing real estate empire, plus warnings about "baseball baptisms" and the push for convert growth, concerns about the Church's new Sunday meeting schedule, the sentencing of a polygamous sect leader, and a new LDS strategy for bringing nonmembers into local meetinghouses.

Bloomberg's investigation examines ju...

What can Nauvoo land deeds actually tell us about Joseph Smith and the practice of plural marriage? 

In this episode of LDS Discussions, we take a close look at Nauvoo land records and examine claims that deeds issued to women –including women who were later identified as plural wives of Joseph Smith –provide evidence for Joseph Smith’s practice of polygamy. 

The records are fascinating, but they are also ...

What happens when you spend your life trying to find your way in a religion that never seems to have a space for you? Today, Mormon Stories welcomes Eli McCann, attorney, writer, podcaster, and humor columnist for The Salt Lake Tribune, to hear insights into his upbringing as a gay man in the LDS faith.

Eli knew from a young age that he was gay, but understood that there would never be a place for him as an openly gay man in Mormoni...

This week on Mormon News, Dr. John Dehlin and Nemo the Mormon get stuck into the dramatic headlines involving The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints over the past 7 days.

From a shooting at a funeral to the surprise re-emergence of Tim Ballard’s OUR,  this is your one stop shop for Mormon News every week.

___________________

Show Notes

YouTube

At Mormon Stories we explore, celebrate, and challenge Mormon culture thro...

In Episode 81 of the LDS Discussions series, we take a deep dive into the history of Mormon tithing –where the concept comes from, how it appears in the Bible and Book of Mormon, how Joseph Smith and the early Latter-day Saints understood it, and how the practice evolved into the modern LDS Church’s system of financial requirements. 

We begin with the biblical origins of tithing, examining passages from the Old and ...

Today we sit down with Coy Johnston, a longtime active member of the LDS Church, to explore what it looks like to question Mormonism without completely walking away.Coy grew up in Mesa, Arizona, served a mission in England, became a doctor, and spent his life deeply involved in the church. His faith began to shift as he studied scripture and biblical scholarship, and issues with early Mormon church history. He shares how learning m...

On today’s episode of Mormon News, John Dehlin and Meggan Hayes break down another busy week of headlines involving The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

FAIR Warns: Satan Wants You to Leave

The 2026 FAIR Conference brought together LDS apologists and defenders of the Church for three days of presentations. We look at FAIR president Scott Gordon’s warning about the strategies he believes Satan uses to lead memb...

What would cause a child to lose their LDS faith? We strive to answer this question in today's interview with TikTok star, Annie Marie. Annie is an ex-mormon content creator who has gained an audience from her satirical videos that mainly center around questions she had as a child growing up in the LDS faith. Today she sits down with John and Margi to share her full Mormon story, offer commentary on some of her most popular videos,...

On today's episode of Mormon News, John Dehlin and Meggan Hayes break down another busy week of headlines involving The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

We begin with a major Arizona Supreme Court ruling protecting clergy confidentiality when abuse is disclosed during religious confession. We'll discuss what the decision means, why it matters, and the broader questions it raises about protecting vulnerable people, religi...

Today on Mormon Stories, we are thrilled to welcome back singer-songwriter Mindy Gledhill, who is returning to the podcast to share the stories behind her newest collection of songs, the PhoneBooth Sessions (vol. 1 & 2), which reflect on her childhood, adolescence, and life after stepping away from Mormonism.

Along the way, she opens up about some of the early questions that challenged her faith and where she stands with her bel...

In Episode 80 of our LDS Discussions series, Julia, Kolby, and Nemo the Mormon join together for a deep dive into one of the most significant financial controversies in modern Latter-day Saint history: Ensign Peak Advisors and the SEC’s investigation into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

The discussion begins by examining what Ensign Peak Advisors is, why the Church created an enormous investment reserve,...

Why are so many young Mormons leaving the Church? Today, we're joined by Hailey Walker to explore that question through the lens of her own Mormon story.

Hailey was raised in the Church in Alaska, where growing up Mormon looked very different from the experience many members have in Utah. As a teenager, she began asking questions about feminism, Church culture, and the role of women, but still considered herself a committed believer...

On today's episode of Mormon News, Nemo the Mormon and Meggan Hayes break down another busy week of headlines involving The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

We begin with new research identifying seven trends shaping the future of the LDS Church, including changing missionary priorities, evolving member behaviors, and what the data suggests about where Mormonism may be headed.

Link:

https://religionnews.com/2026/07/16/more...

Welcome to LDS Discussions Part 79, where we continue our deep dive into the Book of Abraham, examining one of the most popular apologetic arguments: the claim that Joseph Smith drew on ancient traditions about Abraham rather than translating the surviving papyri.

We begin by exploring the history of the Joseph Smith Papyri and the various theroies proposed to explain the Book of Abraham, including why so many copeting models exist....

Thomas Westbrook, creator and host of Holy Koolaid, joins Mormon Stories to share his remarkable journey from growing up in an intensely fundamental Christian environment to becoming one of YouTube’s leading voices for skepticism, science, and critical thinking.

Raised by missionary parents and immersed in evangelical culture from childhood, Thomas recounts life overseas, homeschooling, Youth With A Mission (YWAM), purity cult...