Mormon Expression is a weekly podcast

Podcast

A podcast is a series of digital media files that are released episodically and often downloaded through web syndication...

 created by John Larsen dealing with issues of Mormon

Mormonism

Mormonism is the religion practiced by Mormons, and is the predominant religious tradition of the Latter Day Saint movement. This movement was founded by Joseph Smith, Jr. beginning in the 1820s as a form of Christian primitivism. During the 1830s and 1840s, Mormonism gradually distinguished itself...

 faith, culture, doctrine and history. The podcast includes a mixed format of interviews and panel discussions. The overall tone of the podcast is somewhat critical of the mainline LDS Church, but also includes faithful perspectives from believing Mormons.

Content

According to the Mormon Expression website, the podcast is a "weekly discussion of topics dealing with Mormon faith, culture, doctrine and history." It adds, "We try to straddle the position between defense and criticism of the faith, and look at it from all points of view. We believe that Mormonism is interesting by itself, and we are going to talk about it!" The podcast has had several guests who are faithful Mormons, but skews towards those who are not in the main stream or those who have abandoned the faith.

John Larsen, founder of Mormon Expression, explains that the target audience for the website is “anyone interested in Mormonism as a legitimate topic of inquiry. So much of what is out there dealing with Mormonism is either apologetic, propaganda, or vitriolic attack. We want to get to the heart of what Mormonism is, not what people would have it be – for good or for bad."

History

The podcast was the brainchild of John Larsen who remains its director. John had been active in the ex-Mormon

Ex-Mormon

Ex-Mormon refers to a disaffiliate of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or any of its schismatic breakoffs, collectively called "Mormonism". Ex-Mormons, sometimes referred to as Exmo, typically neither believe in nor affiliate with the LDS church. In contrast, Jack Mormons may believe...

 community for several years before beginning the show. The podcast began publishing episodes on June 23, 2009 and released its 100th episode on January 4, 2011. The podcast has included an active number of regular panelists. The initial panelists including Tom Perry, James Hill, "George" Thatcher, "Nyal Davidsson" (alias) and Zilpha Larsen who is John's wife. Later additions include Mike Tannehill, Glenn Ostlund and Bridget Jack Jeffries.

On February 23, 2010, the podcast won the 2009 Brodie Award (an award for Mormon-themed blogs and websites) for best podcast. In 2010 the blog was listed as one of Guide to On Line Schools Top 50 Mormon Blogs. As of December 30, 2010, the podcast was downloaded an average of 15,000 times per week.

Guest appearances

Several notable individuals with ties to the Mormon Community have appeared on the podcast including Ed Decker

Ed Decker

Ed Decker , also known as John Edward Decker, is an American counterculture apologist and evangelist known for his studies, books, and public presentations of the perceived negative aspects of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Freemasonry...

, Will Bagley

Will Bagley

Will Bagley is a historian specializing in the history of western United States. Bagley has written about the fur trade, overland emigration, American Indians, military history, frontier violence, railroads, mining, and Utah and the Mormons....

, Brian Keith "Mr. Deity

Mr. Deity

Mr. Deity is a series of satirical short films that parody aspects of religion, created by Brian Keith Dalton and distributed by Lazy Eye Pictures. It stars Brian Keith Dalton, Jimbo Marshall, Sean Douglas, and Amy Rohren. It premiered on December 27, 2006...

" Dalton, Richie T. the producer of the Radio From Hell

Radio From Hell

Radio From Hell is an American radio program broadcast weekday mornings on Salt Lake City, Utah's KXRK 96.3FM, simulcast via a live internet audio stream, and available as an iTunes podcast or downloadable MP3...

 radio show, and Elna Baker

Elna Baker

Elna Baker is a writer and performer of humorous stories. Her stories have been featured on radio programs such as This American Life, The Moth, BBC Radio 4 and Studio 360...

, author of The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance and contributor to This American Life

This American Life

This American Life is a weekly hour-long radio program produced by WBEZ and hosted by Ira Glass. It is distributed by Public Radio International on PRI affiliate stations and is also available as a free weekly podcast. Primarily a journalistic non-fiction program, it has also featured essays,...

.