The Foyer Leonard J Arrington Chair at Utah State University

How do religious organizations and individuals contribute to local and global humanitarian, relief, and development efforts? In this conversation, Sharon Eubank, Director of Humanitarian Services for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, offers concrete examples and advice that will inspire anyone wanting to make the world a better place.

“The Psalm of Nephi” is a beloved passage from the Book of Mormon (2 Nephi 4:16-35). In this special episode, Patrick Mason teams up with tenor Chris Machado and the Logan Institute Singers for a lecture and performance of three musical pieces with lyrics taken from the psalm.

Utah is a great state, but there are some important areas where it lags behind.  One of these areas, unfortunately, is women’s equality.  Utah statistically ranks toward or at the bottom of the nation when it comes to various gaps between men and women.  And it turns out that the state’s trademark religiosity has something to do with it.  In this episode, Patrick Mason talks with Dr. Susan Madsen, founding director of the Utah Women & Leadership Project at Utah State University, to discuss the statistics, why gender inequality matters, and what we can do about it—in Utah, in the country more broadly, and in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

From its very founding, the United States has always featured a delicate balance of being home to an overwhelmingly religious populace while also rejecting a religious establishment.  What does it mean to be a person of faith in a secular and pluralistic public sphere?  Should religious people bring their values to the arena of politics – and if so, what are the limits?  How can we balance religious freedom with other crucial civil and human rights?  The Foyer is very grateful to be joined by Utah’s current governor (and USU alum), Spencer J. Cox, to discuss these important questions.

Mormonism’s beginnings are based on Joseph Smith’s remarkable claims that he saw God and angels and then retrieved golden plates from a hill near his home.  The debate between believers and nonbelievers over the truthfulness of Smith’s claims has followed well-worn paths ever since.  In recent years, however, new interpretations have emerged that attempt to make sense of the gold plates and translation of the Book of Mormon from a secular academic perspective.  In this episode Patrick talks with Ann Taves, one of the nation’s most distinguished scholars of religion, to consider new ways of thinking about gold plates and other extraordinary things.

This special episode of the foyer is a live recording in front of a live audience. Join Patrick Mason, Leonard J. Arrington Chair of Mormon History and Culture, and Dallas Jenkins, Creator and Director of The Chosen, as they discuss the behind the scenes of creating the largest crowd-funded media project of all time.