That’s the question we’re asking on the show — not exactly from a legal point of view, but a cultural one. In the early years, “Mormonite” was a slur, and since then, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has had an unsettled relationship with the word Mormon, sometimes embracing it and other times discouraging its use. There are also many religious sects that trace their lineage to LDS Church founder Joseph Smith. Those, too, have strong associations with the word Mormon. Then you’ve got shows like the wildly popular “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,” upending what it even means to be a Mormon today. Mormon, then, means more now than perhaps it ever has before. We’ll be talking history and exploring the questions raised by the LDS Church’s lawsuit against John Dehlin and his podcast “Mormon Stories.”
GUESTS –
Benjamin E. Park | He’s an associate professor of history at Sam Houston State University, author of the book “American Zion: A New History of Mormonism,” and past president of the Mormon History Association. You can check out his popular YouTube channel here.
Lindsay Hansen Park | She's the Executive Director of the Sunstone Education Foundation and host of the podcast “The Year of Polygamy.”
Airdate: Aug. 26, 2026