Gospel Tangents Podcast

Will there be polygamy in heaven? We’re diving into Ross LeBaron story with Jacob Vidrine of the Church of the Firstborn. I’ll also ask Jacob if polygamy a requirement for the Celestial Kingdom. Will it be monogamy or polygamy in heaven? His answer surprised me! We discuss Law of Adoption & the Manifesto ending polygamy in the LDS Church as well. Check out our conversation… h...

Jacob Vidrine discusses LeBaron succession! You may have heard of Ervil, Joel, and Ross LeBaron. Who took charge after Alma Dayer LeBaron died? Check out our conversation…. https://youtu.be/6NckTz7ateA Don’t miss our other conversations with Jacob:  https://gospeltangents.com/people/jacob-vidrine Copyright © 2025 Gospel Tangents All Rights Reserved Except for book reviews, no content may be...

Jacob Vidrine tells how authority transferred from Benjamin F Johnson in Nauvoo to Alma Dayer LeBaron and the LeBaron groups. Check out our conversation… The LeBaron authority line, originating from Benjamin F. Johnson, is like a secret royal charter given directly by the king (Joseph Smith) to a trusted advisor, authorizing him to establish a new subsidiary branch of the kingdom. While othe...

Let’s look into the unique authority claims of the Church of the Firstborn , also often referred to by the term Ross LeBaron-ite . They claim authority through the Council of 50 in Nauvoo! This group represents an interesting fundamentalist branch because its line of authority is distinct from the majority of other fundamentalist groups, such as the FLDS and AUB, who primarily trace their authorit...

I’m excited to introduce Jacob Vidrine, a member of Church of the Firstborn. This is a group that is part of the LeBaron fundamentalist group. Jacob is a human encyclopedia of Mormn fundamentalism, and we’re going to dive deep into how the LeBaron group cross-pollinates with other fundamentalist groups. Check it out! 0:00 Intro LeBaron Family 4:16 Lorin Woolley Authority Claims 15:20 K...

Joseph Fielding Smith is the architect of controversial LDS orthodoxy. He has some controversial writings about Blacks and Ezra Taft Benson. We’ll also delve into his role with Lowell Bennion, a BYU professor who was fired. Was JFS responsible or was it someone else? Matthew Bowman answers. We’ll also dive into his role in shaping orthodoxy in the 20th century. Don’t forget to ch...

A key figure who accelerated the historical crisis for both the Tanners (who left the group in 1962) and Pauline’s church was Wes Walters , a Presbyterian minister from Marissa, Illinois. Walters was asked to write an article on Mormons for Christianity Today . His detailed research focused on testing Joseph Smith’s claims against tangible historical records, particularly those surrounding the Fir...

Jerald and Sandra Tanner received an apostolic scolding by LeGrand Richards over the First Vision! By the early 1960s, Sandra and Jerald Tanner were deep into critical analysis of Mormon history, having transitioned from struggling Utah Mormons to committed followers of a Christ-focused faith centered on the Bible and the Book of Mormon. This new path led them to join Pauline Hancock’s “Basement C...

Sandra Tanner discusses one of the most intriguing episodes in Mormon history: her early inquiry into the missing 1832 First Vision account. (She didn’t know it was missing at the time. The account was allegedly ripped out of the Joseph Smith journal by Church Historian Joseph Fielding Smith. This pursuit led Sandra directly into correspondence with Joseph Fielding Smith, then Church Histori...

Will there be murderers in Celestial Kingdom? An Institute Teacher’s answer challenged Sandra Tanner’s faith back in the 1950s. We’ll talk about this unusual case and how it contributed to Sandra joining Pauline Hancock’s Basement Church (known as Church of Christ) in Independence Missouri. Check out our conversation… https://youtu.be/4c6tu0SYs6 Don’t miss our other c...

Before Stassi Cramm became the first woman to lead the Community of Christ, Pauline Hancock led the Church of Christ. Sandra Tanner was baptized in about 1960 into Pauline Hancock’s Church of Christ. We’ll discuss Pauline’s church, Sandra’s conversion and de-conversion, and more in this amazing conversation. Check it out! https://youtu.be/3V-7stAyZ9w Don’t miss our other co...

This is a throwback episode from 2018. Sandra & Jerald Tanner were the first to identify a Hofmann forgery. They were the first to claim the Salamander Letter was a forgery but they didn’t know it was a Hofmann forgery. Even though they didn’t suspect Mark Hofmann was the forger, they were eventually proved correct. Sandra tells how her husband Jerald came to that conclusion, his l...

A presentation titled Pregnant Possibilities was given by Mark Tensmeyer, Joseph Stanford, Amanda Hendrix-Komoto, John Kidd, & myself (Rick Bennett.) This was similar to a presentation at Sunstone & John Whitmer Historical Association in August, September, & October 2025. We tackled the question on how many children Joseph Smith should have had with his plural wives. (It is a lot less...

Today is Peggy Fletcher Stack’s 40th wedding anniversary. A few months ago, I asked Peggy Fletcher Stack’s opinions. Central to Peggy’s thirty-plus-year career is her unwavering commitment to journalistic ethics and objectivity . Peggy has been a religion reporter at the Salt Lake Tribune for decades, and she tells why she doesn’t like to share her opinions. https://youtu.b...

In a recent candid conversation, Stassi Cramm, the first female prophet of the Community of Christ , discussed the Kirtland Temple sale & highly publicized sale of historic sites. She offered insights into the church’s current financial & addressed the complexities of continuing to lead a worldwide, diverse body on issues of inclusion and mission. President Cramm, who was ordained in...

We’re discussing 2 controversial topics with Stassi Cramm, President of the Community of Christ. We’ll focus on the controversial sale of Kirtland Temple, as well as the schism that followed the 1984 revelation on women’s ordination. Which was more controversial? Check out our conversation… Don’t miss our other conversations with Stassi: https://gospeltangents.com/people/stassi-c...

Stassi Cramm is the 1st female Prophet-President of the Community of Christ . I asked her to reflect back on the 1984 revelation that granted priesthood to women and her time as a lifelong member of Community of Christ. Was it hard? Check out our conversation… https://youtu.be/OjtLJ-FG988 Don’t miss our other conversations with Stassi: https://gospeltangents.com/people/stassi-cramm/ &#...

Here is my JWHA recap 2025! I’ll show photos and give my reactions to the award winners! Check it out! Don’t miss our other Tangent Trips!  https://gospeltangents.com/mormon_history/gt-trips/ Copyright © 2025 Gospel Tangents All Rights Reserved https://youtu.be/NL_LkWQBApk Fresh off the plane from Kansas City, I wanted to share a recap of my fantastic, albeit hectic, week at the John Whitmer...

Today marks 168 years since the Mountain Meadows Massacre . Following last year’s JWHA conference in St George, Utah, I drove by the 4 monuments to the tragedy. Here is an in-depth account of the Mountain Meadows Massacre, an “unspeakable tragedy” that occurred on September 11, 1857 . This episode is a somber reflection on this event, along with a condemnation of political and gun viol...

Come along with me on a walking tour of Independence, Missouri! We’ll explore the historic Temple Lot Church (Hedrickites) and look at rare photographs from the Great Depression, when attempts were made to build the Jackson County Temple on the very cornerstones Joseph Smith laid in 1831. We’ll also stop by the Stone Church, the oldest church in Missouri, built by Joseph Smith III, and visit the R...

Unannounced Live Gospel Tangents recently surprised viewers with an unannounced live stream including a JFS book giveaway. This is a “late night edition” that offers a whirlwind update on my extensive travels, upcoming interviews, and even some “breaking news” from the Temple Lot Church. Despite a busy travel schedule and a significant backlog of videos to edit, I managed t...

This is a rebroadcast of my 2018 interview with John Hamer & Lachlan MacKay from the Community of Christ. They’ll bust some LDS myths about the Kirtland Temple, Word of Wisdom, Alice Cooper, and more! Check it out! https://youtu.be/NjnkS1Y-tls Copyright © 2025 Gospel Tangents All Rights Reserved Except for book reviews, no content may be reproduced without written permission A Journey Th...

History was made Sunday night in Independence, Missouri. The Community of Christ gathered for the election and ordination of the 1st female prophet president in Community of Christ. It was a a momentous occasion. The focus of the event was Stassi Cramm, who was anticipated to take on this significant leadership role, following Steven Veazey’s retirement. She became the 1st female prophet-president...

Changes in RLDS Succession Last Spring, John Hamer gave a monumental address about RLDS succession at the JWHA Meetings that literally changed RLDS History. Pres-prophet Steven Veazey had announced his pending retirement in 2 years and said he would choose a successor. John argued in his address that if Veazey did so, it would make his presidency illegitimate as well as whoever he picked. So, the...

John Hamer makes the surprising argument that the Auditorium is, in fact, a Community of Christ temple on the Temple Lot!  This is a claim even many RLDS members have never heard. Why does he say this? It ties back to the unfinished temple project of the Church of Christ (Temple Lot), also known as the Hedrickites. For a time, the two churches were essentially constructing rival temples side by si...