Let’s Get Real with Stephen Jones

The Silent Force Pulling People Away from Their Faith | David Snell E0056

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 when belief stops feeling simple and starts becoming complicated? Why do so many people get stuck right there?
We talk about why apathy matters more than controversy, the difference between borrowed belief and personal conviction, and how faith naturally moves through stages of simplicity and complexity. We also break down why testimony is something that must be built over time instead of relying on a single answer.
This is not a conversation about easy solutions. It is about what actually holds when things get difficult.
If you have ever felt your faith drifting, this episode will help you understand why and what you can do about it.

The Uncomfortable Truth About Accountability and Healing from Sexual Abuse | Sage Williams E0055

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 Williams challenges that idea.
Real healing is not about pretending the past didn’t happen. It is not about avoiding hard things. It is about bringing things into the light, telling the truth about what is there, and embracing accountability, even when it feels uncomfortable.
Sometimes healing feels worse before it gets better. That does not mean something is wrong. It may mean you are finally facing what is real.
We talk about why being nice can sometimes make things worse, why accountability is often misunderstood, and what it actually looks like to heal in a way that lasts.
This is not the easiest path. But it might be the most honest one.
Buy Sage's book: https://www.deseretbook.com/product/6078641.html?srsltid=AfmBOor7biC4Pbce5FJ1sW5ok_bbDK9p8G4MHryQYoZTUcIJlGJpEcdP
https://a.co/d/044Hl04v

What Working With The Top 0.1% Podcasters Taught Me About Faith’s Revival | Ben Hancock E0054

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 something very different on the ground, especially among young people.
Not decline.A quiet return.
In this episode, we explore:• What it is like being a Latter-day Saint inside high-level media circles• The gap between elite perception and lived reality• Why the “faith is dying” narrative does not tell the full story• What might actually be happening right now
If you have ever wondered whether faith is really disappearing, this conversation will challenge what you think you know.

Inside the Church Councils Where Temple Changes Happened | Sister Jean Bingham E0053

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 better reflect gospel truths.
She also shares what it was like to work with apostles and prophets, and how revelation unfolds through careful deliberation, unity, and spiritual insight.
The conversation explores how Church leaders, including President Dallin H. Oaks, have emphasized the value of women and helped deepen understanding of priesthood power in the lives of all covenant keepers.
This episode offers a thoughtful look at how the Lord leads His Church, how sacred decisions are made, and why the voices and contributions of women matter.

The “Racial Curse” in Abraham Isn’t What You Think | Don Bradley E0052

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?
Latter-day Saint historian, Don Bradley, explores how Abraham 1 reshapes our understanding of Abraham’s story, why he was nearly sacrificed, and what Joseph Smith may have understood about Pharaoh’s “curse” that radically challenges modern interpretations.
What if the passage that has caused so much confusion and pain was never saying what we thought it was?

Why It’s Easier to Flatten Brigham Young | Dr. Dan Peterson E0051

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 understanding with judgment?
Brigham Young is often reduced to labels. Authoritarian. Racist. The “fall guy.” A symbol to argue over. But history is rarely that tidy. As the discussion unfolds, Brigham shifts from being a lightning rod in modern debates to a real human life shaped by faith, pressure, frontier leadership, blind spots, loyalty to Joseph Smith, and deep devotion to building Zion.
But this conversation is not only about Brigham Young. It is about us. About how we judge. About how we interpret the past, and what's lost when we're quicker to judge than to understand.

Why The Bible Doesn’t Make Sense Without Moses Ch. 1 | Don Bradley E0050

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 you are before being told what to do—the Bible can be misunderstood, misused, and even weaponized.
This episode reframes the Old Testament through a single, often-overlooked key that changes how scripture reads, how God is understood, and why faith so often turns into burnout.
If you’ve ever felt tension between obedience and relationship, this conversation may change how you read everything that comes next.
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Why Trying Harder Isn't Working | Blake Erickson E0049

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 setting goals that force dependence on God changes everything.
This isn’t about hustle. It’s not prosperity theology. And it’s not passive faith.
It’s about aligning ambition with belief, letting go of control, and discovering why miracles tend to show up only after faith is stretched.
If you’ve ever felt stuck, if you’ve wondered why effort alone isn’t enough, or if you’re trying to live your faith as a Latter-day Saint in a demanding world, this conversation will challenge how you think about goals, faith, and what it really means to “let God in.”
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