Let’s Get Real with Stephen Jones

For years, many Latter-day Saints have looked at declining activity rates and wondered the same thing: Is the Church failing? In this episode, I sit down with BYU Studies Editor-in-Chief Justin Dyer to examine what the data actually says about retention, religiosity, mental health, and why people leave faith. What we found surprised me. While religious participation has declined dramatically acros...

"I, Nephi . . . ." We’ve all read the beginning of the Book of Mormon. Lehi is warned. Nephi is sent back. Laban is drunk. The story moves fast and feels familiar. But what if we’ve been reading it without understanding the setting it's unfolding in? In this episode, I sit down with church historian and former "ex-Mormon" atheist Don Bradley to explore a clue hiding in plain sight, one that tells...

Most people don't walk away from their faith in a dramatic moment. They don't deconstruct overnight. They slowly stop caring. In this episode of Let’s Get Real, I sit down with David Snell from  @keystonelds   to talk about the quiet threat that is pulling more people away than doubt or hard questions. What happens when your faith was built on other people and they let you down? What do you do whe...

Some think healing means being kind, moving on, and keeping the peace. But what if that approach is actually keeping people stuck? We’re taught to avoid discomfort. We’re taught not to make things worse. We’re taught that compassion means letting things go. But over time, the same pain keeps coming back, and the same wounds never fully heal. In this conversation, author and victim's advocate Sage...

Many people think faith is declining. Ben Hancock has worked behind the scenes on one of the world’s top podcasts, alongside voices like Chris Williamson of "Modern Wisdom" and interacting with some of the most influential thinkers in media. From the inside, he noticed something unexpected. Not open hostility, but a quiet dismissal of faith in certain elite circles. At the same time, he is seeing...

Temple changes don’t just appear overnight. They are often preceded by thoughtful conversations in leadership councils where perspectives are shared and revelation is sought. In this episode of Let’s Get Real, former Relief Society General President Jean B. Bingham offers a rare glimpse into those councils, including discussions that helped refine temple language to reduce misunderstandings and be...

Which chapter of scripture includes a vision of God, an attempted human sacrifice, and a phrase many believe justified a racial priesthood ban? And have we been reading it wrong? When Abraham 1 describes Pharaoh as “cursed as pertaining to the priesthood,” what did that actually mean? Was it about race? Was it restriction? Or have later generations read their own assumptions back into the text? La...

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...

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 yo...

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 s...

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 Sa...

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...

Section 132 of the Doctrine and Covenants is one of the most talked about and debated revelations in scripture. Some people say it just doesn’t sound like Joseph Smith, which has left a lot of questions about who actually wrote it. Dr. Paul Fields, an expert in stylometry — the statistical study of writing style — joins Stephen Jones to take the emotion out of the debate and look at the evidence....

It blew our minds when we found out this connection President Oaks has to church history. Don Bradley—a Latter-day Saint historian who once left the Church and became an atheist, then found his way back—joins us to talk about some mind-blowing connections between Martin Harris and President Dallin H. Oaks. Don walks us through hidden pieces of Church history that show how God’s hand was moving in...

What’s it really like to sit across from a living prophet and give him feedback on his words? In this episode of Let’s Get Real with Stephen Jones, Sister Reyna I. Aburto, former Second Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency, opens up about her deeply personal experiences with President Russell M. Nelson—moments that changed how she sees revelation, leadership, and discipleship forever...

What’s it really like to observe a prophet of God receiving revelation? In this powerful episode, former Young Women General President Elaine S. Dalton shares her deeply personal experiences with President Russell M. Nelson.  She shares her personal glimpse into the heart of a prophet. She recalls the piercing blue eyes that seemed to see straight through to her soul, the counsel he gave about ide...

Among many other things, President Nelson forever transformed the way we see temples. But what happens before temples are announced? Former Executive Director of the Temple Department, Elder Larry Y. Willson shares remarkable behind-the-scenes experiences of working closely with President Russell M. Nelson. Elder Wilson recounts the pivotal moment when President Nelson, newly called as prophet, lo...

What does faithfulness look like when life doesn’t go according to plan?  In this episode, Skyler Sorensen—a father, content creator, and producer at Scripture Central—shares his journey through same-sex attraction, marriage, and the heartbreaking loss of his son, Milo. He explains why same-sex attraction wasn’t his greatest trial, how (besides his Savior) his temple marriage became his greatest s...

When most people think about humanitarian work, they think about money. But is there more to it?  Sharon Eubank, director of Latter-day Saint Charities, believes that the real power to change lives comes from something much deeper. In this episode, Sharon shares her experiences working in places devastated by war, poverty, and natural disasters. From standing at the wreckage of the Sri Lanka tsuna...

What would make a 7-year-old Joseph Smith refuse alcohol before undergoing one of the most excruciating surgeries imaginable—decades before the Word of Wisdom was ever revealed? Once an ex-LDS atheist, now a faithful Latter-day Saint and renowned Joseph Smith expert, Don Bradley shares one of the most powerful discoveries he’s ever made about Joseph’s life.  This isn’t just another “Joseph Smith r...

Everyone says Gen Z is leaving religion… but what if they’re actually leading a spiritual revival? In this episode of Faithful Anyway, I sit down with David Butler to talk about what’s really going on with today’s rising generation. Are they rebelling against faith—or are they spiritually starving for something deeper, more real, and more rooted in who God really is? We unpack the misconceptions,...

Dr. Marcus Martins made history as the first Black missionary to serve after the 1978 revelation that extended the priesthood to all worthy male members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. But that’s not what he wants to be known for. In this conversation, Dr. Martins opens up about something far more personal and powerful: his quiet, steady choice to follow Christ, even when some...

Many faithful Saints silently wrestle with the same question: “Why do I still feel broken?” In this powerful episode, Dr. Kawika Allen unpacks the hidden spiritual struggle of scrupulosity—anxiety disguised as righteousness—and how it convinces even the most devoted disciples that they’re never enough. What if the reason you feel unworthy isn’t because you’ve failed, but because you’ve been trying...

Is fatherhood just underappreciated, or is it under attack? Thirty years ago, The Family: A Proclamation to the World declared that fathers are to preside, provide, and protect. Today, fatherhood is mocked, minimized, or erased altogether. We’ve gone quiet—afraid the truth is too controversial, the standard too high, the damage already done. But Dr. Tim Rarick makes a powerful case: the world does...

In a culture that’s delaying, rejecting, and redefining marriage, what’s keeping young people from the relationships they deeply want? BYU professor Dr. Brian Willoughby breaks down the hidden fears, mixed messages, and spiritual confusion behind modern dating and what the restored gospel can uniquely offer. We discuss: Why marriage and family are being delayed—or avoided altogether The concept of...