Flunking Sainthood
Suffering is a feature, not a bug, of Latter-day Saint life, says author Melissa Inouye
By Jana Riess — October 26, 2023
(RNS) — 'We want a world where God keeps us safe and none of us is gonna strike out or have problems,' Inouye said. 'But in Latter-day Saint theology, that is precisely the plan of Lucifer.'
Kiersten White, bestselling novelist, explains why she left Mormonism
By Jana Riess — October 5, 2023
(RNS) — 'There’s no part of me that regrets the choices that we made in leaving the church,’ the writer says.
The Mormon prophet’s test kitchen
By Jana Riess — October 3, 2023
(RNS) — Why do mature adults practice obedience? Hint: It’s not because someone told them, again and again, to obey.
Changes coming for Mormon service missions
By Jana Riess — September 28, 2023
(RNS) — LDS service missionaries will now be integrated more fully into the Church's overall proselytizing mission structure.
Wallace B. Smith, great-grandson of Joseph Smith and pioneer for women’s ordination, dies at 94
By Jana Riess — September 26, 2023
(RNS) — The leadership of Wallace B. Smith, who headed the RLDS movement from 1978 to 1994, was a game changer.
A fifth of Mormon college students in the US say they’re LGBQ, new study shows
By Jana Riess — September 22, 2023
(RNS) — Among US Mormon college students, 78% said they were heterosexual and 22% identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual or something else.
Allegations against Tim Ballard, inspiration behind ‘Sound of Freedom,’ explain rebuke by LDS Church
By Jana Riess — September 18, 2023
(RNS) — The church distanced itself from the 'Sound of Freedom' hero.
On 30 years of Mormon belonging and not-belonging
By Jana Riess — September 11, 2023
(RNS) — I became a Mormon 30 years ago with both eyes open, and that has made all the difference.
One BYU to rule them all … for better or for worse
By Jana Riess — September 1, 2023
(RNS) — A new one-size-fits-all conduct policy seems to be one step forward, one step back.
What Mormons can learn from Twitter — I mean X
By Jana Riess — August 28, 2023
(RNS) — If you’re still calling X 'Twitter,' don’t send me hate mail about saying 'Mormon.'
Disobedient women and #churchtoo stand up to sexual abuse in evangelicalism
By Jana Riess — August 17, 2023
(RNS) — A new book shines a light on sexual abuse in evangelical churches, from Bill Gothard and Josh Duggar to the purity culture underneath it all.
Joseph F. Smith: A traumatized and beloved Mormon leader
By Jana Riess — August 14, 2023
(RNS) — Loving, devoted Mormon prophet or rage-prone abuser? Yes to both, says a new biography of Joseph F. Smith.
Mormons behaving badly
By Jana Riess — August 7, 2023
(RNS) — While the church has handled the controversy politely, some individual members have not.
Irish Mormons face dwindling numbers, but researcher finds their community inspirational
By Jana Riess — July 25, 2023
(RNS) — The struggles of Mormonism in a country where to be Irish is to be Catholic.
Vacation Bible School for Mormons could, and probably should, become a thing
By Jana Riess — July 14, 2023
(RNS) — There are few better uses of our time and money in the Church than ramping up our investment in children and youth.
Jana Riess
Flunking Sainthood
Senior columnist Jana Riess is the author of many books, including "The Prayer Wheel" (Random House/Convergent, 2018) and "The Next Mormons: How Millennials Are Changing the LDS Church" (Oxford University Press, 2019). She has a PhD in American religious history from Columbia University.
