Best Latterday Peace Studies Podcasts (2024)

1
Episode 85: Mack Stirling on René Girard’s mimetic theory 1:05:17

3M ago1:05:17

1:05:17

Mack Stirling on René Girard’s mimetic theoryBy Latter-day Peace Studies

1
Episode 84: René Girard's Mimetic Theory 1:02:24

8M ago1:02:24

1:02:24

Christopher and Riley are always searching out new theories and hermeneutics through which to interpret ideas, scripture, literature, or human experience. Recently, they embarked on a concerted study of René Girard’s mimetic theory and let’s just say it has been fruitful and paradigm shifting. They would love for others to join them in a study of t…

1
Episode 83: How it's Going 38:04

10M ago38:04

38:04

We recorded this follow up episode a few weeks after recording Episode #82, Where to Begin, as a follow up to report on our experiences with some contemplative practices we wanted to continue or inaugurate.By Latter-day Peace Studies

1
Episode 82: Where to Begin 38:03

11M ago38:03

38:03

In this shorter episode Christopher and Riley discuss the most frequent question we receive from those new to contemplative practice - Where do I begin? We offer some basic ideas, which can be implemented incrementally or all at once to put yourself on the path to becoming a contemplative. The core of contemplation is always stillness. To sit in si…

1
Episode 81: The Hero's Journey 58:49

1y ago58:49

58:49

In this episode Christopher and Riley discuss Joseph Campbell’s well-known model of mythology, The Hero’s Journey, and how it can be used as a model for personal transformation. Joseph Campbell was a renowned author and professor whose groundbreaking work in The Hero With a Thousand Faces did more than describe a pattern in cosmological storytellin…

1
Episode 80: Contemplative Consumption 50:40

1y ago50:40

50:40

“For the earth is full, and there is enough and to spare; yea, I prepared all things, and have given unto the children of men to be agents unto themselves.” D&C 89:17 Americans waste nearly 40% of all food, roughly 42 billion pounds per year, and even in this glut of supply we are undernourished nutritionally speaking, because of how our food is pr…

1
Episode 79: Spiritual Autonomy & Responsibility 1:12:43

1+ y ago1:12:43

1:12:43

President Nelson has encouraged Latter-day Saints to take personal responsibility for their own learning, but not many members do, relying heavily upon borrowed testimonies and lessons at church. In 2018, as Pres. Nelson introduced the new home centered, church supported gospel instruction plan, he said, “We are each responsible for our individual …

1
Episode 78: Kathryn Knight Sonntag 1:10:49

1+ y ago1:10:49

1:10:49

In this episode, Christopher and Riley talk about Heavenly Mother with Kathryn Knight Sonntag, author of a collection of poems on the Divine Feminine entitled, The Tree at the Center (Common Consent, 2019) and a second book on the Goddess, The Mother Tree: Discovering the Love and Wisdom of Our Divine Mother (Faith Matters, 2022).…

1
Episode 77: Peace in Conflict with Sahar Qumsiyeh 50:41

1+ y ago50:41

50:41

In this episode Chris & Riley are joined by Dr. Sahar Qumsiyeh. Dr. Qumsiyeh is a Palestinian American Christian who grew up in Bethlehem under Israeli occupation, attended BYU, joined the Church of Jesus Christ, studied in Turkey, and returned to Palestine, before taking a permanent position at BYU-Idaho as a math professor. She recounts her vivid…

1
Episode 76: Ritual and Remembrance 1:11:16

1+ y ago1:11:16

1:11:16

For this episode Christopher and Riley were pleased to welcome artist, architect, husband, father, and scripture junkie, Bob Sonntag, to discuss the power of ritual in family and community spiritual practice, language, art, space, and song. Bob has spent considerable time studying ritual in sacred texts and his art reflects this focus on transforma…

1
Episode 75: A Tribute to Richard Rohr 1:01:23

1+ y ago1:01:23

1:01:23

In this episode of Latter-day Contemplation, Christopher and Riley were joined by Jana Johnson Spangler to pay tribute to the life and legacy of Franciscan friar, Richard Rohr. Father Rohr, as an ecumenical teacher, speaker, and author is largely responsible for the modern resurgence in popularity of contemplative practices. He has successfully bro…

1
Episode 74: Renouncing War 53:41

1+ y ago53:41

53:41

In Episode 74, Christopher and Riley revisit a topic they’ve previously spoken about on the podcast, but from a different perspective. Episode 5: On Peace deals with inner peace, while this one deals with interpersonal, relational, and world peace. They explore the LDS doctrinal case for renouncing war in Sec. 98 as a springboard to a larger discus…

1
Episode 73: Contemplating Justice 58:35

1+ y ago58:35

58:35

For this episode, Christopher and Riley are joined by LDPS member and contributor, Jeffrey Goddard, for a wide-ranging discussion on justice, sin & righteousness, good & evil, and atonement. In the past year Jeff read or listened to 200 books, and wrote one of his own – The Physician Christ. As a medical practitioner he tends to see the world throu…

1
Episode 72: The Shadow 50:59

1+ y ago50:59

50:59

In this episode of Latter-day Contemplation, Christopher and Riley are joined by a friend of the program and Carl Jung fan, Morgan Aldous, to discuss the concept of the Jungian Shadow. Morgan is a life coach who has spent considerable time in the study of psychology, philosophy, and religion as the means to personal transformation. This concept of …

1
Episode 71: Stoic Objectivity and Amor Fati 58:37

1+ y ago58:37

58:37

In this episode Christopher and Riley draw upon the teachings of Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, Epictetus, Byron Katie upack the stoic concepts of Amor Fati (love of fate, consent to destiny) and Objectivity as a means of better understanding Christ and our duties as disciples. The evidence surrounds us; life is filled with adversity, or as a Buddhist mi…

1
Episode 70: Contemplating Emotions 1:05:10

1+ y ago1:05:10

1:05:10

In this episode, Christopher & Riley take up a discussion on emotions and emotional intelligence. They start from the premise that humans are (contrary to popular opinion) primarily emotional, not rational, beings. Taking this as a given, they search for meaning in the emotional journey, and recognizing our emotional drivers, suggest practices to h…

1
Episode 69: Contemplative Habits & Rituals 1:04:42

2y ago1:04:42

1:04:42

For this episode of Latter-day Contemplation Riley welcomes back Phil McLemore to discuss the power habits and rituals. Habits can be positive or negative and ultimately become the structural backbone of our lives. As we learn to use them in productive ways we are led to lives of inner and outer transformation. However, habits have the potential to…

1
Episode 68: Contemplating Art with Greg Olsen 1:00:47

2y ago1:00:47

1:00:47

In this episode Christopher and Riley welcome artist Greg Olsen. Greg is particularly well-known in LDS circles as a painter of Jesus. Our hosts had the opportunity to mine his experiences becoming a professional painter of religious iconography and images that convey the relatable nature of the Savior. Of course, he is much more than his public wo…

1
Episode 67: The Bhagavad Gita (Part 2) 1:07:25

2y ago1:07:25

1:07:25

In this episode Christopher and Riley welcome Phil McLemore and Ben Heaton, Bhagavad Gita enthusiasts and students of Vedic wisdom, to finish our discussion of the seminal Hindu scripture. Our hosts dive into the usefulness of the book, approaches to understanding it, and a few favorite passages.By Latter-day Peace Studies

1
Episode 66: On Exodus 1:07:18

2y ago1:07:18

1:07:18

The Book of Exodus can be divided into three parts: First, we witness the power of the Lord as he extends his arm against Pharaoh, sending the ten plagues and finally parting the Sea of Reeds, which swallows up Pharoah and his army, letting Moses and the Israelites escape into the wilderness. In the second part, Moses will ascend Mount Sinai and re…

1
Episode 65: The Bhagavad Gita (Part 1) 59:04

2y ago59:04

59:04

In this episode, Christopher and Riley discuss one of their favorite religious texts, an excerpt from the Mahabharata, called the Bhagavad Gita. This seminal Hindu work introduces the various forms of Yoga as an allegorical discourse between the warrior prince, Arjuna, and the reincarnated God, Krishna. Contrary to the Western understanding of Yoga…

1
Episode 64: Contemplating Satan 1:13:21

2y ago1:13:21

1:13:21

Christopher is joined by guest co-host Shiloh Logan to talk about the history of “Satan” from the Old Testament or Hebrew Bible through today. This is not a theological discussion but a historical discussion of how the idea of Satan has evolved. Shiloh and Christopher use scholar Ryan Stokes to show how the idea of “the Satan” was understood before…

1
Episode 63: Beyond the Great Apostasy 1:12:32

2y ago1:12:32

1:12:32

In a church with global proselytizing reach, which must outgrow its geographic origins theologically and practically, the Great Apostasy, as historically understood in LDS theology, has become problematic. For this episode we welcome back our friend, Sufi al-hajj Daud, a.k.a. Dr. David Peck (www.ofsaintsandsufis.org) to discuss his contribution to …

1
Episode 62: On Sufism 1:05:48

2y ago1:05:48

1:05:48

Among the world’s many religions are shadow traditions that express the esoteric or mystical experience of divine union. In Christianity this is manifest in ecstatic, revelatory examples, such as within restorationist movements, in monastic cloisters, and through spontaneous re-emergence among individuals and small groups accessing truth through my…

1
Episode 61: Our Faith and Identity 59:01

2y ago59:01

59:01

In the opening of his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches that the kingdom of heaven belongs now to the "poor in spirit", which translates as "the very empty ones". What does that kind of poverty or emptiness imply? Surely Jesus wants us to have an abundance of His Spirit, but is our vessel empty? In this episode, Christopher and Riley break down id…

1
Episode 60: Certainty From Doubt 1:01:32

2y ago1:01:32

1:01:32

In this episode, Christopher sits down face to face with Riley on a visit to Heber, Utah from Bakersfield California to talk about arriving at certainty through methodological doubt. The conversation begins with the uncannily similar methodological doubt of medieval Muslim philosophical theologian and Sufi mystic al-Ghazali (1056 or 1057-1111) and …

1
Episode 59: On Knowing 1:28:21

2y ago1:28:21

1:28:21

In this episode, guest-host Lindsey Ohlin is joined by educator Tom Bogle as they discuss their similar experiences with an unhealthy relationship surrounding the idea of knowing. What stumbling blocks might we encounter in our pursuit of perfect knowledge and how might that influence how we see our place in the world? What is the relationship betw…

1
Episode 58: Stillness, Spirit, and Awareness 49:16

2+ y ago49:16

49:16

In this episode Riley and Christopher discuss the contemplative value of stillness. While we’ve referenced meditation multiple times, this means of approaching God in stillness offers us the opportunity to connect with the divine by quieting the sensory processes and becoming aware of autonomic processes such as breathing and heartbeat. So what are…

1
Episode 57: A Journey of Faith: Building Bridges of Trust and Reconciliation 1:39:03

2+ y ago1:39:03

1:39:03

In this episode Christopher and Riley are joined by Latter-day Peace Studies co-founder and former Latter-day Contemplation co-host Shiloh Logan to discuss his journey of faith. Shiloh’s family’s recent decision to resign from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints created an opportunity to explore faith transition and its relationship to …

1
Episode 56: A Contemplative Approach to the Old Testament 1:01:57

2+ y ago1:01:57

1:01:57

In this episode, after Christopher read a couple of dozen books on the Bible in a couple of weeks and recorded a three-hour introduction to the Old Testament on our sister podcast, LDPS Presents: Come, Follow Me with his co-host Ben Petersen, Christopher and Riley sat down to record this briefer conversation on the Old Testament. After touching on …

1
Episode 55: The Divine Feminine 1:01:14

2+ y ago1:01:14

1:01:14

In this episode Riley and Christopher welcome Dr. Jennifer Finlayson-Fife, “a licensed therapist who specializes in working with LDS couples on sexuality and relationship issues,” for a wide-ranging discussion of the Divine Feminine from an archetypal spiritual perspective. The discussion covers, among other things, the attributes of the Divine Fem…

1
Episode 54: Perennialism 1:01:40

2+ y ago1:01:40

1:01:40

In this episode, Christopher and Riley discuss perennial wisdom and why we should study and incorporate the foreign, yet familiar, truths of all traditions into our own understanding and practice. Within the Church, we have a common misconception that the “fullness of the gospel” found in the “only true and living church” (D&C 1:30) gives us a clai…

1
Episode 53: The Alchemy of Happiness 49:50

2+ y ago49:50

49:50

In this episode Christopher and Riley introduce Abu Hamid al-Ghazali and the most accessible abridged translation of one of his most beloved works, The Alchemy of Happiness, itself an abridgment by al-Ghazali of his magnum opus, The Revival of the Religious Sciences. Known as “The Proof of Islam,” Al-Ghazali is the second most important figure in t…

1
Episode 52: How We Read the Scriptures 1:09:57

2+ y ago1:09:57

1:09:57

In this episode Riley and Christopher are joined by Ben Peterson, co-host of Latter-day Peace Studies Presents: Come, Follow Me, for a conversation on how we read the scriptures and how that determines the meaning we get out of them. In the course of the conversation, they examine a few of the hermeneutics (i.e., ways of reading the scriptures) the…

1
Episode 51: The Logos of God 1:01:31

2+ y ago1:01:31

1:01:31

In this episode, Christopher and Riley trace the roots of the Logos of God, translated “Word” in John 1:1 in the New Testament, through the early Church fathers Clement of Alexandria and Justin Martyr to its roots in Ancient Greek Presocratic philosopher Heraclitus. In so doing, Christopher and Riley explore the meaning of the Logos of God in-depth…

1
Episode 50: Retrospective 1:06:08

2+ y ago1:06:08

1:06:08

In this episode, Christopher and Riley are joined by Latter-day Peace Studies and Latter-day Contemplation podcast co-founder, Shiloh Logan, to commemorate the podcast’s 50th installment. They look back on the genesis of the podcast, what it has taught them about the contemplative mindset, and express gratitude for those who have contributed to the…

1
Episode 49: The Need for a Church 1:04:27

2+ y ago1:04:27

1:04:27

In this episode, Christopher and Riley talk about the need for a church. First, they refer to the Greek word in the Bible translated “church” and bring out its two simultaneously operative meanings. Next, they explore in-depth the need for a church based on those two meanings. Finally, they explore a threefold path one tends to take as a member of …

1
Episode 48 - Loving Kindness 1:02:07

2+ y ago1:02:07

1:02:07

What if you knew you were loved unconditionally? In this episode, Riley and guest host Shiloh Logan explore loving kindness. They discuss how it interfaces with Latter-day Saint theological constructs like Zion and degrees of glory, as well as the longstanding Christian call to disciples to nonviolence and detachment from outcomes. The calculus of …

1
Episode 47: The Importance of Mentors 1:00:54

2+ y ago1:00:54

1:00:54

In this episode, Riley and Christopher discuss the critical importance of mentors in our lives. In the process, they wander back and forth through the various benefits and risks inherent in the establishment of mentor/protégé relationships. At its core, mentoring is about teaching, but on a deeper, more personal level. Mentorships include expectati…

1
Episode 46: The Stories We Tell Ourselves 1:08:57

2+ y ago1:08:57

1:08:57

Christopher and guest co-host Shiloh Logan talk about the power of the stories that we tell ourselves and the impact that they have on our lives. It has been said that “we don’t live in reality, but, rather, we live in our stories about reality.” What does this mean? Human beings are story and meaning-making entities. We are what makes meaning out …

1
Episode 45: Being Present to Our Values and How We Spend Our Time 59:50

2+ y ago59:50

59:50

In this episode, Christopher and Riley discuss being present to our values and how we spend our time. They reminisce about the 60-second TV spots “Family. Isn’t It About . . . Time?” (Remember those?) Using these TV spots as a springboard, they talk about the process of formulating values, the difference between the quantity of time and quality of …

1
Episode 44: Contemplating Jesus 1:16:35

2+ y ago1:16:35

1:16:35

“Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21) “For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:30). “But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou have shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret, shall reward yo…

1
Episode 43: Contemplating Symbols and Meanings 56:01

2+ y ago56:01

56:01

In this episode, Christopher and Riley are joined by guest Daniel Meehan for a discussion contemplating symbols and their meanings. After a brief discussion defining symbols and meanings, they delve into a discussion of some symbols and meanings beginning at convention and culminating with invention. Dan demonstrates his devotional practice of defi…

1
Episode 42: Mysticism 59:40

2+ y ago59:40

59:40

Mysticism, properly understood, is a process or pursuit of divine oneness or communion with God. While that seems like a worthy aspiration, many can feel uncomfortable with mystical practices such as transcendental meditation. Mystics over the centuries have largely been misunderstood, characterized as heretical, or marginalized to protect orthodox…

1
Episode 41: Contemplating Good and Evil 54:55

2+ y ago54:55

54:55

In this episode, Christopher and Riley contemplate good and evil from the loss of paradise in the duality of the fall to the regaining of paradise in a return to unity in the mystery of the conjunction of opposites and the sacred marriage of heaven and earth. In the course of the conversation, Riley and Christopher ponder the problem of evil postul…

1
Episode 40: Contemplating Resurrection 1:05:21

2+ y ago1:05:21

1:05:21

In this episode, Riley and Christopher take on the topic of resurrection. Is resurrection something that happens after we do, or do we need to be resurrected before we die? What would it look like to be resurrected before we die and what does a resurrected life in Christ look like? Christopher and Riley answer these questions and related questions …

1
Episode 39: Poetry and the Sacred 1:13:18

2+ y ago1:13:18

1:13:18

The language of the sacred is often poetic, rather than propositional. It speaks of feelings, not facts. The fact is, any experience of the sacred is inexpressible in propositional terms. It should come as no surprise then that many of the sacred texts of the world’s religions are in poetry, not prose: the Hindu Vedas, Upanishads, Mahabharata, Bhag…

1
Episode 38: The Word of Wisdom 1:07:54

2+ y ago1:07:54

1:07:54

In this episode, Riley welcomes guest co-host Shiloh Logan to talk about the modality and usefulness of the Word of Wisdom as a contemplative tool. They go into the history of the revelation and its subsequent modified orthodox adoption as a commandment under Heber J. Grant in order to deconstruct the popular understanding that what we read in Sect…

1
Episode 37: Revelation 58:58

2+ y ago58:58

58:58

In this episode, Christopher and Riley explore revelation. What is revelation? Who can receive it? Is it something only prophets can receive? Can we? Is revelation infallible if prophets receive it? How about if we do? Has it ceased or is it continuing? If it has ceased, how do we know we’re interpreting it correctly? Wouldn’t that take revelation …

1
Episode 36: Meditation 57:03

3y ago57:03

57:03

Latter-day prophet David O. McKay described meditation as the “most secret, most sacred door through which we pass into the presence of the Lord” yet few Latter-day Saints have a regular meditation practice. In General Conference addresses, meditation usually receives, at best, passing mention as a synonym of prayer or pondering. We’d like to see t…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Latterday Peace Studies Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Quick Reference Guide