Mormon Stories Sunday School is a supplementary and preparatory resource that models substantive, engaged, and informative approaches to learning and teaching the scriptures and gospel. While remaining faithful and at home in a believing, church environment, it seeks to present Sunday School at its very best. There is a hunger for interesting, substantial lesson material that engages with the difficult questions of life and the nourishing elements of the gospel and that is what we are trying to do here.
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Our Podcasts
This will be a weekly podcast following the Gospel Doctrine schedule. We will publish two weeks ahead of the Church to give listeners the opportunity to incorporate content into their lessons and comments if they wish.
This is the “ward library” of content pertinent to scripture and gospel study and will be added to over time. It will include the following projects:
- “Religion 101″ type audio-visual presentations
- Pertinent Mormon Stories interviews. These will cover in-depth the Standard Works and related religious topics.
- A podcast scripture commentary.
Please explore the site to learn more about these different projects. We are excited to have you be part of the class!
Looks interesting. I’ll be back!
Jared,
Wanted to thank you for the obvious effort that goes into your preparation. I was the one who turned Stephanie on to your podcast, which she obviously enjoys. She became your fan when she took your class at WM, and I’ve become one based on your podcasts and the comments of your panelists. I go through your podcasts before preparing my GD lessons and they are invaluable. Just wanted to urge you to keep up the great work. Another terrific service from the Mormon Stories community.
Steve,
Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by and make a comment. I am glad you are finding the podcasts useful; they are both challenging and rewarding! Let me know if you ever want to be a panelist
Thank you so much for developing and bringing these podcasts to air. I can imagine the hours upon hours spent in preparation & production. It’s been a real blessing to me as I havnt been able to attend lessons for almost 8 years now. Im a beliver with a broad & inclusive approach and really find comfort from being able to still have some connection with church attendance via your lessons. It really bothers me being labelled “inactive” yet Im into some reading or audio materials that are gospel related daily. I hope that when times come that you may be feeling tired or discouraged you can remember you are very much appreciated and your efforts have helped someone get through some really difficult times. I just love how you add real gospel “meat” to every podcast. More juicy steaks please
Thank you so much to everyone that has contributed in everyway!
Listened to 1 1/2 episodes before I had to turn it off. Your review of the scriptures are well thought out and objective. I found the discussions to be of no worth. Criticizing the Apostles of the church for not visiting the wards personally, not treating the gay membership correctly, would like to have a fictional book written giving the women’s view of the Book of Mormon events, the teaching about the devil are wrong…etc. Being married to a women who apostatized from the church- I know first hand where these kind of discussions lead. The knowledge of God and a testimony of the Gospel can only be grown thru the Spirit. I’m sure your intentions are pure and no harm is intended. If you as a group continue down the path of your discussions- apostasy is just around the corner. Let the spirit be your guide.
Thanks for taking the time to listen and comment James, as well as for the compliment on the lessons. I hope that you and your wife can nurture your relationship despite your differences of opinion.
I came pretty close to turning it off in the middle of the second podcast myself. There were a couple of reasons I didn’t. The research is of course excellent. No endeavor such as this is in it’s final form in the first year, I do pay attention to which way it heads though, because I also believe that too much radicalism will lead to failure to achieve your goal of a more in depth analysis of scriptural topics. The paramount reason that I stay, is that I like asking the hard questions myself. I believe that this church can stand to have light shone in any dark corner without harm and it is when we stop doing that that harm comes to the church. The work of Satan is built upon shadows and secrets. Many times have people suffered because of a false wall built around true gospel and we are warned against this. A static class that gives the pat answers to traditional “safe” questions learns nothing and therefore furthers the cause of evil by default.
That said, not an episode goes by where I do not find Jared or one of his speakers to say something which I find, after pondering it, to be wrong. I wish I had the time right now to publish my analysis of those things when I find them, but the only time I seem to not have filled up lately is commuting, hard to type then.
Since I have time now, here is one. Jared, you read books during church services. Are you a theologian or a librarian? I whould think that in order to not lose touch with the most important part of religion, the people, that you would participate fully, gauging and interpreting the reactions of yourself and the people around you. i might bet that you have some pretty sophisticated defense mechanisms that keep you from participating, but that is speculation. So yes, I think you make mistakes, it is no sin, however, to make mistakes in pursuing a just goal, especially in such new work.
I appreciate your comments. I actually have a developed ability to simultaneously read and listen to what is going on around me–I blame reading Tolkien through my Middle School classes.
I feel very fulfilled when I am reading and pause to listen to a musical number, reflect during the sacrament, or make a comment. It is a positive, “flow” experience for me. So I would like to say that I participate as fully as the format of the service demands. Obviously I don’t read in the temple, or when visit other more engaged services I don’t read.
I am sincerely interested in hearing about the regular mistakes in the podcast. Please pass them along if you have time. Thanks again for listening in an engaged way.
I kind of agree. I was really excited to listen to a podcast to prepare me for Sunday school each week. However, I listened to the one on tithing and decided it wasn’t for me. I’m a convert to the church 3 1/2 years now and I love the way the gospel uplifts me. I really enjoy feeling the spirit. But when I heard the guest speaker on that episode kind of complain about where the church was spending the tithing money I felt the spirit slip away. We trust that The Lord leads and guides his church in these days. Talking bad about the decisions that the leaders of the church make by revelation shows we lack some faith. How would the story have turned out if Abraham decided because he was a smart man he would use logic to decide if he should sacrifice his son?
I’m also concerned that people who aren’t able to attend church are hearing this and it’s the only spirituality they receive. Shouldn’t it be less critical of the church and more uplifting?
Believe me, I’m not some super spiritual sinless person. But I really love the gospel and I guess I feel it should be treated with more respect than to be talked badly about and broadcast for everyone to hear.
Agreed: I am sorry that you had a negative experience listening to that episode. Thank you for taking the time to comment. I was very aware that the tithing episode in particular would challenge listeners. I would invite you to give the podcast another chance, though of course that is your choice. I am glad you have such an uplifting experience with the gospel; our degree of well-being (and the well-being of others) is the true measure of the way we live.
And about Abraham, I actually think the way we use that story in Church is highly problematic. If God tells you to kill your child or hurt your loved ones, I think the right answer is HELL NO. This is a perfect example of the importance of the “challenge and be challenged by the scriptures” this podcast advocates. We need to be open to the scriptures teaching us where we need to learn, change, and be better, but we also need to be empowered to push back sometimes and say “That doesn’t seem quite right”
Finally, I do sincerely try my best to make every episode as uplifting as I can. For those I fail, I am sorry but fortunately in those cases it usually sounds like the Church Gospel Doctrine approach works for them.