It’s General Conference weekend! Time to dig up the BINGO cards and park yourself in front of the TV with some cinnamon rolls and a Diet Coke or two, to soak in some inspiration and maybe even encounter some discomfort.
We thought we’d release a re-edited episode with Patrick Mason that feels really timely.
In this conversation with Patrick, we talked about creating what Brian McLaren has called a “four-stage community.”. The “stages” we’re referencing here come from Brian’s book Faith After Doubt, and refer to different stages in which people might find themselves in their journeys of faith. McLaren defines these stages as simplicity, where faith is straightforward; complexity, where faith becomes somewhat more complicated; perplexity, the stage where questions become more important than answers and previous faith paradigms often undergo massive shifts; and finally, harmony, where the gifts of each stage are finally realized and integrated.
It seems to us that the diverse reactions and feelings engendered by General Conference are often the result of being members of a community in which all four of these stages are manifest. Messages that seem to be tailored to members at a particular stage of faith may not resonate with listeners at a different stage. This can feel like misalignment, and it can sometimes feel jarring.
In this conversation, Patrick points to a couple of practices that have helped us turn that dissonance we sometimes feel into a gift: for one, being intentional about deeply listening to those we might be inclined to disagree with, and orienting ourselves toward generosity, asking what virtues and values might they be speaking from. Patrick also pointed out there’s a real potential for growth when we choose to stay in relationship with people we disagree with. As Eugene England points out in his essay “The Church is As True as the Gospel,” in many ways, that struggle is the point.
Patrick is the Leonard Arrington Chair of Mormon History and Culture at Utah State University and the author of several books including Restoration: God’s Call to the 21st Century World. He brought the wisdom, insight, and optimism that he always seems to meld so beautifully. We really hope that you can take what feels valuable in this episode, and use it as we come together in solidarity as a community this weekend, with all our varied life experiences and perspectives to be inspired by and stretched by General Conference.
201. The Counter-Culture of Commitment — A Conversation with Pete Davis
200. The Awakened Brain — Lisa Miller at Restore
199. Integrity and Institutions — A Conversation with George Handley on Lowell Bennion
198. Seven Gospels — A Conversation with Adam Miller and Rosalynde Welch
197. The Divinity and Humanity of the Book of Mormon — A Conversation with Jared Halverson
196. Peaceable Things: Three Names of Christ — Terryl Givens at Restore
195. Who is the Church for? — A Conversation with Patrick Mason
194. Sacred Struggle — A Conversation with Melissa Inouye
193. How to Celebrate Advent — A Conversation with Eric Huntsman
192. How Church? — Tom Christofferson at Restore
191. At-One-Ment — A Conversation with Thomas McConkie
190. Romney: A Reckoning — A Conversation with McKay Coppins
189. The Future of Spirituality — A Conversation with Casper ter Kuile
188. Disagree Better: Governor Spencer Cox with Judge Thomas Griffith at Restore
187. All Things New — A Conversation with Fiona and Terryl Givens
186. Both Things Are True — Rosalynde Welch on the Writings of Kate Holbrook
185. Your Faith Isn't Broken — Brian McLaren at Restore
184. Your Brain on Awe — A Conversation with Dacher Keltner
183. Sex Educated — A Conversation with Bonnie Young
182. Missionaries Ministering Through Service — Jeff Strong at Restore
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