Let’s Get Real with Stephen Jones

The prophet Brigham Young did not become controversial because he was simple. He became controversial because we stopped allowing complex people from the past to be understood as human beings.

In this conversation, Dr. Dan Peterson, noted Latter-day Saint scholar and historian, helps us follow one question from beginning to end: What do we lose morally, culturally, and spiritually when we replace understanding with judgment?

Brigham Young is often reduced to labels. Authoritarian. Racist. The “fall guy.” A symbol to argue over. But history is rarely that tidy. As the discussion unfolds, Brigham shifts from being a lightning rod in modern debates to a real human life shaped by faith, pressure, frontier leadership, blind spots, loyalty to Joseph Smith, and deep devotion to building Zion.

But this conversation is not only about Brigham Young. It is about us. About how we judge. About how we interpret the past, and what's lost when we're quicker to judge than to understand.

What if the Bible’s most dangerous distortions don’t come from bad intentions, but from skipping its preface?

Many people experience faith as exhausting. Commandments feel heavy. Scripture feels fragmented. And belief slowly collapses into rules.

This conversation challenges a core assumption: that the Bible explains itself from page one.

Without a restored frame of identity—without knowing who you are before being told what to do—the Bible can be misunderstood, misused, and even weaponized.

This episode reframes the Old Testament through a single, often-overlooked key that changes how scripture reads, how God is understood, and why faith so often turns into burnout.

If you’ve ever felt tension between obedience and relationship, this conversation may change how you read everything that comes next.

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What if the reason you’re not seeing miracles is that your goals don’t require them?

Blake Erickson details a counterintuitive principle taught in the restored gospel: God gets involved when your goals are bigger than what you can accomplish on your own.

From missions and business to family, faith, and personal growth, Blake shares why “realistic” goals often keep us spiritually stagnant and how setting goals that force dependence on God changes everything.

This isn’t about hustle. It’s not prosperity theology. And it’s not passive faith.

It’s about aligning ambition with belief, letting go of control, and discovering why miracles tend to show up only after faith is stretched.

If you’ve ever felt stuck, if you’ve wondered why effort alone isn’t enough, or if you’re trying to live your faith as a Latter-day Saint in a demanding world, this conversation will challenge how you think about goals, faith, and what it really means to “let God in.”

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Every day, millions of people around the world are turning to FamilySearch, not because of marketing or trends, but because of something much deeper happening beneath the surface: a global movement of identity, belonging, and human connection.

In this conversation with Elder Kevin S. Hamilton, former Executive Director of the Family History Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we explore why 98 percent of the people who use FamilySearch are not Latter-day Saints, yet are contributing to one of the most ambitious projects in human history: building the family tree of humanity.

This is not just a story about genealogy. It is a story about roots, memory, resilience, and what unfolds when technology, spirituality, and human longing intersect.
Inside this episode, you will learn:
• Why hundreds of millions use FamilySearch every year
 • How global archives, AI tools, and more than 130 years of record gathering fuel the world’s largest family history database
 • The emotional science behind family narratives and resilience
 • How wars, disasters, and endangered archives have created urgent preservation efforts
 • Why nonreligious users are powering a movement with profound spiritual implications
 • What “gathering Israel” looks like in the digital age
 • How African oral genealogies, Ukrainian archives, and worldwide records are reshaping family identity

This episode is for anyone who has ever wondered:
“Where do I come from?”
 “Who do I belong to?”
 “And why does family history matter now more than ever?”

Whether you are religious or not, whether you have used FamilySearch or are hearing about it for the first time, this conversation looks at what it means to be human and why the world is suddenly flocking to discover its story.

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Have you ever wondered how the early Saints understood the temple?
Or what the Kirtland Temple dedication can teach us about Christ today?

In this conversation, Don Bradley walks through some simple but powerful connections between the temple, scripture, and the Savior. He also shares openly about his time away from the Church, his involvement in the "ex-Mormon" community, and the experiences that led him back to faith.

This episode isn’t dramatic or sensational — it’s just thoughtful, clear, and centered on Christ.
I’m grateful for Don’s honesty and the insights he brought to this discussion.