Faith Matters offers an expansive view of the Restored Gospel, thoughtful exploration of big and sometimes thorny questions, and a platform that encourages deep...
Be Ye Therefore a Perfectionist? - A Conversation with Justin Dyer
This week, we’re so grateful to share a conversation with Justin Dyer, a professor of religion at BYU and a researcher who has spent years exploring the intersection of faith and mental health. Justin’s most recent work focuses on perfectionism, especially within the church. He recently edited a special issue of BYU Studies Quarterly dedicated entirely to this subject, and you can find a link to it in our show notes.In this conversation, Justin shares some compelling research, including the striking finding that high levels of toxic perfectionism can triple the likelihood of leaving one’s religion. He offers some profound insights into why this is the case and he talks about gospel principles that could help us replace unhealthy perfectionistic beliefs.One of Justin’s most powerful insights is that our perceptions become a physiological reality. Stress responses not only shape how we think but also affect our ability to connect with others and feel the Spirit. This underscores the vital importance of creating church communities that are unconditionally loving, judgment-free spaces where people feel truly accepted. Justin highlights the critical difference between guilt and shame: guilt can guide us toward growth and change, while shame erodes our sense of worth and connection to God.Most importantly, Justin offers practical, hopeful steps for healing from perfectionism, embracing a view of self-worth firmly rooted in God’s infinite love. He also shares a vision for how we can help our wards to become a place of healing and welcoming where everyone can feel like they belong.Justin’s thoughtful research is a gift for anyone navigating these challenges or striving to build stronger, healthier relationships in faith communities. We’re so excited to share this meaningful and hopeful conversation with you. And with that, let’s dive in with Justin Dyer.Link to BYU Studies issue on perfectionism: https://byustudies.byu.edu/issue/63-4
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How to Stop Running from Your Feelings - A Conversation with Jana Spangler
This week, we’re joined by Jana Spangler for a powerful and practical conversation about emotions—especially the ones we’ll do just about anything to avoid feeling.Jana explains that emotions aren’t our enemies; they’re signals—messages from deep within us, rooted in ancient systems designed to guide and protect us. While emotions can feel overwhelming or even painful, learning to pay attention to them—rather than suppress or ignore them—helps us understand what’s really going on and respond with greater clarity, wisdom, and connection.She breaks down what emotions actually are, how they begin in our bodies, and why listening to them is key to living a healthier, more wholehearted life. Jana shares practical tools for processing even the most uncomfortable emotions and teaches us how to build emotional resilience by sitting with discomfort instead of running from it. This practice, she explains, not only strengthens our ability to face life’s challenges but also nourishes our relationships, our physical and mental well-being, and our communities, creating space for greater connection and healing.This episode is full of tools to help you navigate the hardest days and we hope it inspires you like it did us. With that, here’s our conversation with Jana Spangler.
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Heretics & Popes - A Movie Show with McKay Coppins
As we wrap up the year, we’ve got something a little different in store for you today. We’ve invited Zach Davis, Bill Turnbull, and McKay Coppins on for a conversation about two Hollywood Films that are making waves. Zach is the executive director of Faith Matters, Bill is one of the founders, and you may remember Mckay from his previous episodes. He’s a New York Times bestselling author and staff writer at the Atlantic. They’re joining us today for a deep dive into two films-- Heretic, the dark thriller about two sister missionaries lured into a man’s home by his feigned interest in their faith and become trapped in his sinister and malevolent plot -- and Conclave, which takes us into the heart of the Vatican during the election of a new pope. It’s a gripping drama filled with politics, power, and ultimately, divine mystery.Both films explore profound questions about belief, choice, and the human longing for transcendence. In an era often skeptical of organized religion, these movies take faith seriously and, in their own ways, seem to reaffirm the relevance—and beauty—of spiritual truth.This was a rich and thought-provoking conversation, so whether you’ve seen these movies or not, the questions explored in this episode and the insights are going to spark deep, and valuable reflection.With that, let’s jump into the discussion!
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“O, Great Mystery": A Christmas Eve Meditation with Tyler Johnson
Today, as Christmas Eve settles around us, we invite you into a quiet meditation written by Tyler Johnson and published as the culmination of the advent series in the FM magazine, Wayfare, with music from the King's College Choir singing O Magnum Mysterium. This reflection draws us into the sacred reality of the Nativity—the laboring Mary, exhausted and tearful, the beauty born through pain. It reminds us that the Christ child did not come to erase suffering but to teach us how to live and love within it. So, in this moment of stillness before tomorrow’s joy, we invite you to pause, breathe, and reflect on this Christmas truth: love enters our world through labor and struggle, bringing with it a deeper peace and lasting meaning.I also want to mention that you can go to the FM YouTube channel to see this meditation with beautiful nativity art by Brandon GonzalesFrom all of us at Faith Matters and Wayfare Magazine, we wish you a peaceful Christmas Eve.
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A Carol of Joy: a Reading by Lori Forsyth
In the spirit of this Christmas season, we’re so excited to share a beautiful reflection with you, written and read by Lori Forsyth, Managing Editor of the Faith Matters magazine, Wayfare. This piece is part of Wayfare’s Advent series. If you've missed any parts of this series, you can still find them at wayfaremagazine.org. You can also subscribe to the digital or print versions of Wayfare for access to the incredible essays, interviews, poetry, art and more.Advent is a time of reflection and anticipation, and Lori’s words offer a powerful reminder that joy isn’t about avoiding the hard things—it’s about embracing the light that shines through them.We hope this brings you a moment of peace and stillness during this busy season, and we’d love to invite you back here on Christmas Eve for the culmination of the Advent series—a short and powerful meditation with music to close this sacred time.And now, here’s Lori Forsyth reading Shining in Darkness.
Faith Matters offers an expansive view of the Restored Gospel, thoughtful exploration of big and sometimes thorny questions, and a platform that encourages deeper engagement with our faith and our world. We focus on the Latter-day Saint (Mormon) tradition, but believe we have much to learn from other traditions and fully embrace those of other beliefs.
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