John takes the hot seat this time as Rick Bennett from YouTube Channel Gospel Tangents does the interviewing. Gospel Tangents is a channel looking to represent a 360 degree view of Mormonism and welcomes guests representing various views and experiences of the Restoration Gospel started by Joseph Smith. Rick calls John Dehlin the “grandfather” of Mormon podcasting. Not that he’s old, but rather internet-old! Rick asks John about his journey in and out of the Church, dating an Oscar-winning actress in high school, some of his dealing with general authorities, and his excommunication and aftermath. They also discuss his tangles with apologists & neo-apologists, the Swedish Rescue, and whether he really wants people to stay LDS. Chapters: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:02:00 High School & Rene Zellweger 00:12:00 John’s Problematic Mission to Guatemala 00:25:00 John talks to BYU professors & apostles Oaks & Holland about problematic mission leadership 00:41:30 BYU Grad & Early Career 00:50:00 Final years of Microsoft career (2001-02) John learns troubling Church History. 00:58:30 Genesis of John’s Faith Crisis actually begins at BYU Honors Colloquium while the September Six were getting excommunicated. 01:07:00 John finds a place in liberal Mormonism until he lost faith completely at Microsoft 01:14:00 Despite loss of faith, John finds community in chat forums and “bloggernacle” through intellectual discourse. John becomes Exec Dir of Sunstone. 01:23:00 John begins podcasting in hopes to start honest discourse on sticky Church topics 01:32:00 Creation of staylds.org. 01:35:00 Joined FAIR, gets a few big apologists like Richard Bushmann on the show 01:49:00 Starts his PhD in counseling to help marriage, guests & others. 01:50:00 Support of feminism & LGBTQ issues catalyst for excommunication. 02:15:00 Relationship with apologetics after excommunication 02:36:00 “Code” when speaking w/apostles. Holland stops all communication w/John 02:44:00 Swedish Rescue & John starts to study why people leave. The Church works with John to make improvements while smearing his character and preparing for his excommunication behind the scenes. 03:00:00 Rick asks John what his advice is for the Church. 03:15:00 Is John a Wolf in Sheep’s clothing? 03:36:00 Is Mormon Stories a fair or neutral view of the Church? 03:41:00 Bitter, angry ex-Mormon trope? 03:45:00 Does John ever see himself coming back? 03:50:00 Post-Mormon Communities ________ ABOUT US: Mormon Stories Podcast is the longest-running and most successful podcast in Mormonism - hosted by Dr. John Dehlin. At Mormon Stories we explore, celebrate, and challenge Mormon culture through in-depth stories told by members and former members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We also occasionally interview scholars, authors, LDS apologists, and other professionals. Our overall mission is to: 1) Facilitate informed consent amongst LDS Church members, investigators, and non-members regarding Mormon history, doctrine, and theology, 2) Support Mormons (and members of other high-demand religions) who are experiencing a religious faith crisis, and 3) Promote healing, growth and community for those who choose to leave the LDS Church or other high demand religions. Mormon Stories Podcast is a product of the Open Stories Foundation - a 501c3 non-profit dedicated to supporting Mormons in religious transition. Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today: One-time or recurring donations: https://donorbox.org/mormon-stories?d... Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mormonstories Amazon Smile: Be sure to select “Mormon Stories” website: https://smile.amazon.com app: https://amz.run/5r2M Our Platforms: Mormon Stories Blog: https://www.mormonstories.org/episodes Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mormonstories Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4sDzk7d... Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mormstories TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mormonstories... Discord: https://discord.com/invite/kuX5p6yyjF Contact us: MormonStories@gmail.com PO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117 #MormonStories #Mormon #lds