Эпизоды
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This week, we bring you the first of two Christmas episodes. This one is a reading of a Christmas essay that I (Paul) wrote for my fmaily when I was near the end of my time in the LDS Church. I thought that it would be interesting for me and you (our listeners) to revisit it.In the essay, I reference Jimmy Stewart's masterful acting in Mr. Krueger's Christmas. If you haven't seen that movie, check it out here:https://youtu.be/oonebld1IoE?feature=shared
We hope that you enjoy this episode and your holidays with your friends and family. Merry Christmas!
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This episode, we welcomed Daniel Ortner on the program. Daniel has a very interesting story. He was raised in an ethnically Jewish family and converted to Mormonism. In 2023, he began attending a Christian church with his wife and ended up leaving the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for faith in Christ alone.Daniel is passionate about the Epistle to the Galatians. He joined us to talk about a commentary he wrote about it. We dive deep into the teachings of the apostle Paul contained in that letter.More about Daniel. He is an attorney at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE). You can learn more about his work there by clicking here. His blog is Boasting in Christ Alone. An you can find his Galatians commentary that we discuss in this episode here.We liked Daniel so much that we had him back on to debrief a debate he had about the doctrine of Sola Scriptura on the For the Love of God channel. So look forward to that, fireflies!
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Пропущенные эпизоды?
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In this episode, we welcome Jonathan Stoddard to Outer Brightness: From Mormon to Jesus. Pastor Jon ministers at Jordan Valley Church (Presbyterian Church in America) in West Jordan Utah where I (The Apostate Paul) grew up. He has written a very helpful and accessible book titled, Choosing a Church: A Biblical and Practical Guide aimed at helping those, particularly of an LDS background in navigating finding a new church home after leaving the LDS Faith.We talk with Pastor Jon about his book, why the search for a new church home has some unique challenges for former Latter-day Saints, the differences between creeds and confessions, what a confessional church is and how it worships, church membership, and Christian baptism.One book I (The Apostate Paul) read on pastoral ministry when I was attending seminary was called They Smell Like Sheep by Dr. Lynn Anderson. He makes the case that those who are ministering in the way Jesus intended are shepherds, and shepherds smell like sheep. I think you'll find through our discussion with Pastor Jon and through his book, that he smells like his sheep because he gets into the pasture with his flock to know and understand them, and feeds them with the Word of God.
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This week we bring you another special guest episode. Kyle Beshears is a pastor in the Mobile, Alabama area and a scholar of Christianity. In his scholarly work, Kyle engages with the broader Latter Day Saint Restoration Movement, and in particular with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day [no hyphen, capital ‘D’] Saints, or the branch of the LDS Movement that followed James J. Strang after the death of Joseph Smith. I (The Apostate Paul) first met Kyle when I went on Steven Pynakker’s Mormon Book Reviews YouTube channel to discuss our book Responding to the Mormon Missionary Message: Confident Conversations with Mormon Missionaries (and Other Latter-day Saints). Steve had invited Kyle on as a co-host for our author panel discussion of the book, and based on some of Kyle’s comments and some conversations he and I had afterwards, I thought it would be interesting to have Kyle on to discuss what it looks like to have effective dialogue with those from the LDS Restoration Movement.
You can learn more about Kyle at https://kylebeshears.com/.
His article that we discuss in this episode is available here:
https://kylebeshears.com/content/unobvious-differences
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This week we're publishing a crossover episode. Several coauthors of the book, Responding to the Mormon Missionary Message: Confident Conversations with Mormon Missionaries (and other Latter0day Saints) appeared on Steve Pynakker's Mormon Book Reviews YouTube program. Represented here are Corey Miller, president and CEO of Ratio Christi (ratiochristi.org), Ross Anderson, pastor at Alpine Church and executive director of Utah Advance Ministries, the Apostate Paul, and Joel Fauver.Kyle Beshears, a pastor in Mobile, Alabama, joined Steve as his cohost for this panel discussion. We hope you enjoy this episode and that it is helpful to you in your journeys.
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In this episode, Matthew the Nuclear Calvinist and I continue our discussion from last week regarding feed back we received to our Apostles Creed episode.
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In this episode, Matthew the Nuclear Calvinist and The Apostate Paul share a conversation they originally had in March of 2022. After discussing an LDS Church sign in that was posted in Arizona, they begin a discussion of the "harrowing of hell" clause in the Apostle's Creed. Latter-day Saint teaching is that between Jesus' death and resurrection, he visited "spirit prison" to begin a program of missionary work in the "spirit world" so that those who died without hearing the gospel can accept it after death. We received some pushback on our episode on the Apostle's Creed. Some Latter-day Saints suggested that our theology wouldn't allow us to accept the line in the Apostle's Creed that Christ "descended into hell." This episode and the next is our response to that claim.
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In this episode, Matthew and I revisit an old criticism of the LDS Faith. Namely, that Latter-day Saints worship Joseph Smith. We tackle it by comparing and contrasting with a similar critique that Protestants sometimes make about Roman Catholics with regards to their veneration of Mary. Thus, the Joseph & Mary Chain, a play on the name of the Scottish Rock band, The Jesus & Mary Chain.We ask and discuss:1. When we talk about worshipping God, what do we mean by the word “worship”?2. Do Catholics worship Mary? If yes, in what ways?3. Do Mormons worship Joseph Smith? If yes, in what ways?4. What about the Hymn “Praise to the Man?”Some will certainly be surprised by our answers. All we ask is that you listen and not prejudge. God bless you.
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In this episode we respond to some listener feedback that we received to our Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God episodes (#s 98 & 99). Go give those a listen if you haven't already.A Latter-day Saint listener named David wrote in to challenge and interact with some of the things we said in that episode and with Jonathan Edwards' sermon. We take the time to respond to David's eamil here.
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In this episode, Paul spoke with Rich Hoyer, Senior Minister at Calvary Christian Church in Sellersburg, Indiana. This is Rich's second appearance on Outer Brightness. He joined us previously on Episode 70, "The Importance of Christian Apologetics."Rich wrote a book titled So You Think You Understand Christianity?: Teaching Christianity to a Culture That's Saturated With Misconceptions.Paul and Rich discussed the why Rich wrote the book and its contents, as well as some similarities and differences between Calvinism and Arminianism.Rich is also involved in the Reveal Conference, an annual conference presenting Christian apologetics. Learn more at https://reveal-truth.com/
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In this episode, Matthew and I continue our conversation of LDS beliefs regarding the omnipresence of God. In this part, we discuss various LDS views of God's omnipresence, the impact of God's omnipresence on practical (lived) theology, and some the Bible passages that touch on God's being present everywhere.
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In this episode we welcome Ross Anderson to Outer Brightness. Ross joined us to discuss his chapter in our book, Responding to the Mormon Missionary Message.
Ross was born in Utah and was raised LDS. After leaving Mormonism as a young adult, he earned a Master of Divinity degree and a Doctor of Ministry degree. Anderson has served as a church planter and pastor in Utah for four decades. He taught at Salt Lake Theological Seminary and served as a denominational church planting director for the region. Ross is currently a teaching pastor at Alpine Church. He is the executive director of Utah Advance Ministries and founder of the Faith after Mormonism project and the Culture-Wise podcast. Ross is author of Understanding the Book of Mormon, Understanding Your Mormon Neighbor, and Jesus without Joseph – a study guide for former Mormons.
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When I [the Apostate Paul] was an Mormon missionary in Hungary, teaching people who were investigating the LDS Church, I memorized the missionary discussions that I would share with them. In describing LDS beliefs about God, I would say, “Isten tökéletes. Ő mindentudó és mindenható.” Translated into English, that means, “God is perfect. He is all-knowing (omniscient) and all-powerful (omnipotent).”Our listeners who are versed in classical Christian theology will notice that in that description, there is an attribute of God that is missing. In this episode and the next, Matthew the Nuclear Calvinist and I talk about the missing Mormon omni. And no, we’re not talking about the wicked prophet character in the Book of Mormon who supposedly wrote a mere 3 verses but moved the plot forward 276 years. We’re talking about Omnipresence.
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Matthew the Nuclear Calvinist sat down with Michael a.k.a. The ex-Mormon Apologist to chat with him about his article, "Understanding Grace, Misunderstanding Mormonism: A Critique of Brad Wilcox's 'His Grace is Sufficient'."Michael's article can be found on fromwatertowine.org here:Understanding Grace, Misunderstanding Mormonism:A Critique of Brad Wilcox's "His Grace is Sufficient"Brad Wilcox's speech can be found on BYU's website here:His Grace Is Sufficient
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In this episode, Matthew and I discuss the role of the church in interpreting Scripture. Is there a magesterium that holds unique authority to interpret the Bible? How does this question relate to Mormonism?
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Hi fireflies! Matthew and I have finally returned. In this episode we talk about a book project that we both worked on, providing chapters to the book Responding to the Mormon Missionary Message: Confident Conversations with Mormon Missionaries (and Other Latter-day Saints). The book is published by Aneko Press and is out now, available direct from the publisher or from Amazon.Order "Responding to the Mormon Missionary Message" at the following locations: Aneko Press (Publisher): https://anekopress.com/product/respon... Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Responding-Mor...
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In this episode, we welcome a listener, Sarah Bateman to Outer Brightness. She recently shared with us that she has listened to about 2,400 minutes of the podcast. She joined us to talk share her experiences meeting with LDS missionaries and sharing the good news with them. She also posed some questions to us to get our insights as former LDS missionaries into how best to reach those young men and women with the biblical gospel of Jesus Christ.Coinciding with this episode we are running a giveaway of five copies of Micah Wilder's book, "Passport to Heaven: The True Story of a Zealous Mormon Missionary Who Discovers the Jesus He Never Knew." To receive this book for free, navigate to our Outer Brightness Facebook discussion group, find the post for this episode, and be one of the first five to request a copy.
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“Lions, and tigers, and bears. Oh my!”
Textus Receptus, and Modern Critical Text, and Comma Johanneum. Oh my!
The Apostate Paul, here. No sooner had I began attending a Christian church back in 2010, and declared myself an “ex-Mormon Christian” online did Latter-day Saints begin to challenge my belief in the Bible as the reliable Word of God. I quickly learned of critical Biblical scholars like Bart Ehrman, and had to bone up on terms like those above. I had to try to make sense of the many debates around text-types, and the impacts they have on English translations of the Bible. As I did so, I wondered how my former co-religionists were so knowledgeable on these topics when they were fairly new to me. Was it because I didn’t attend BYU? Is that where they learned to use such tactics to bolster the LDS claim to additional Scripture?
As I studied, I reached tentative conclusions that I discussed with others on Facebook as these issues came up. “So the Comma Johanneum isn’t in the earliest manuscripts, does that necessarily mean that it was an intentional corruption of the text? And even if it isn’t original, so what? Textual criticism can trace to where it seems to have been introduced in the transmission of the text.” When I did so, I was challenged vigorously by a KJV-only Christian.
It was a veritable mine field to try to navigate as a new Christian trying to defend his faith against volleys from Mormon online apologists. I struggled to get my mind around the breadth of the topic of textual criticism. Part of the answer for me was to attend a Christian Seminary to seek a degree in Biblical Studies. Not everyone can do that.
In this episode we welcome Dwayne Green to help listeners get the lay of the land regarding this topic. He’s very knowledgeable and has a YouTube Channel that is very helpful. Follow him if you want to dig deeper into topics related to textual criticism of the Bible.
https://www.youtube.com/@Dwayne_Green
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In this episode, we welcome Sandra Tanner to the podcast. She joined us earlier this year to discuss her transition from Mormonism to Christianity. Many who go through an LDS faith crisis end up jettisoning Christianity and religion altogether. We asked Sandra to talk about why she kept Christianity after deconstructing Mormonism. It was a pleasure to have Sandra on Outer Brightness, and to have had the opportunity to meet her in person at the Utah Lighthouse Ministry Bookstore in Salt Lake City in September.
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Hey Fireflies! Long time no post. Big apologies. In this episode, Matthew and I give an update on what's been going on in our busy lives and talk about the relaunch of Outer Brightness: From Mormon to Jesus.
We're glad to be back, and hope to hear from you soon!
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