Mormon Expression is a periodic podcast created by John Larsen dealing with issues of Mormon 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.
Contents
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 mainstream 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 was its host and director until he retired on December 23, 2014. John had been active in the ex-Mormon 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 ex-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.
The podcast ended on September 27, 2015, with the release of final episode #317. In the same episode, Larsen announced his intent to re-release 20 episodes of his choosing with added commentary, after which time the episode archive would require a fee to access.
Guest appearances
Several notable individuals with ties to the Mormon Community have appeared on the podcast including Ed Decker, Will Bagley, Brian Keith "Mr. Deity" Dalton, Richie T. the producer of the Radio From Hell radio show, and Elna Baker, author of The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance and contributor to This American Life.