u/iconoclastskeptic

Steven Pynakker interviews J. Danny Chadwick, compiler of the new volume "Prophets, Pioneers, and Patriots: Liberty, Zion, and American Ideals in the Journal of Discourses". Steven and Danny discuss the origins of the book, Danny’s personal faith journey through Mormonism, and the spark that led him to gather early Latter-day Saint sermons on America, liberty, the Constitution, Zion, and the kingdom of God. They also talk about how the book was created, including the role of public-domain and Creative Commons source texts, modern technology, and large language models in making the project possible. Along the way, Danny reflects on how working with these sermons has affected his own life and faith, and what he hopes Americans, Latter-day Saints, and Utahns might take from this collection as the nation approaches the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

Here is a description I asked my guest Jason to write about this important interview:

In this episode, Jason R Smith talks with Steven Pynakker about Pauline Hancock, the first woman to lead a Book of Mormon believing church. Hancock's influence was far-reaching and she was particularly instrumental in the early ministry of Jerald and Sandra Tanner, outspoken critics of Mormonism.

Shane Baldwin of Zion Media has a No-Holds-Barred conversation with Steven Pynakker of Mormon Book Reviews!

You can watch the stream tomorrow night on my channel Mormon Book Reviews and Jeremy's Still Mormon channel.

I was very tempted to title this episode "Bill Reel Gets Real", but found that to be a little too cringy (although its very true). I think this is one of the most important interviews Mormon Book Reviews has ever released. Bill opens up and gives an important oral history of himself, his life, why he started Mormon Discussion Inc, using AI to tell Mormon History, his perspective of Maven and why she left, answers some questions about his divorce, addresses his views on MAGA and Donald Trump, why he doesn't consider himself an Anti-Mormon, RFM, Jacob Hansen, Fair Mormon, John Dehlin, Jeff Strong, and much more. This is a can't miss conversation and I look forward to hearing your feedback!

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The episode is an important oral history of Bill and the Mormon Discussion podcast. I plan on releasing sometime this week on my channel Mormon Book Reviews on YouTube.

I'll probably post it on my channel Mormon Book Reviews on YouTube later this week.

Did you know that many members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) grew up believing that Alice was once a member of their church via Mormon Folklore? Did you know that Alice grew up in a Book of Mormon believing church, but they don't consider themselves Mormons? Did you know that his father and grandfather were both important leaders in the church? Did you know that Alice attempted to make a large donation to the church? And did you know that C.S. Lewis and his book The Screwtape Letters inform the Character that is Alice Cooper? Steven Pynakker of Mormon Book Reviews is joined by Nick Jones of the Pod of Thunder Rock & Roll podcast, Brandon Furlong, a Presbyterian Elder, and Dr. Daniel Stone, a historian of American history and religion, for a lively discussion about the legendary rock star, Alice Cooper (Vincent Furnier).Together the panel explore Cooper’s influence on rock and roll, share some of their favorite songs and moments from his career, and discuss his inspiring Christian faith journey. The conversation also touches on rock history, Cooper’s cultural impact, and the unique ways his story resonates with Christian audiences and members of the Latter Day Saint Community.

Recently Steven Pynakker had the opportunity to talk about the Restoration with Evangelical Apologist Nate Williams of Apologetics Resource Center. Here is how Nate described the interview:

What do you think about Joseph Smith, The Book of Mormon, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints? Steven Pynakker joins Nate Williams to share his thoughts on these issues and how Christians should conduct themselves when evangelizing to LDS.

On Steven Pynakker's latest trip to Utah he had the opportunity to sit down with Kyle Ashworth of ‪Latter Gay Stories‬ and share his journey. Here is the description of the interview by Kyle:

In this episode, we sit down with Steve Pynakker, the creator behind Mormon Book Reviews. Steve has never joined the Mormon church, but he’s deeply passionate about exploring the many different branches of the Mormon Restoration movement. On his YouTube channel, he dives into the history, beliefs, and practices of these various groups, offering a fascinating look at a tradition that many people don’t fully understand.

Steve also opens up about his personal journey as a gay man and an evangelist, and how those experiences shape the way he approaches his own faith and the Mormon Restoration. We talk about how he navigates the intersection of identity and belief, and why he’s so committed to making space for honest, open conversations about religion—especially in such a complex, often misunderstood movement.

This episode is a mix of history, personal stories, and some honest reflections on what it means to find your place in a world of evolving beliefs.

My name is Steven Pynakker of Mormon Book Reviews on YouTube and I went through a total faith deconstruction years ago and have returned to Faith, albeit a very nuanced one. A couple of years ago I had sudden hearing loss in my right ear and it was replaced by a very serious case of Tinnitus. Fortunately, a Tinnitus support group in Bradenton had just started up and it was a life saver. I'm trying to pay it forward by helping start up something locally for those who are struggling with their faith. I want to be very clear that it will be non-sectarian with all welcome and will have no affiliation with a church or any outside group. Please let me know your thoughts on this and feel free to DM me if you're interested in helping out. Thanks. (I'm not a Mormon BTW, I come from an Evangelical background)

Sociologist Ryan T. Cragun talks with Steven Pynakker about Jeff Strong's new book Torn: Why People We Love Leave the Church and What We Can Learn From Them. Cragun offers a critique of Jeff's work and why he agrees and disagrees with some of it's findings. We also broaden the conversation to include the decline of American Christianity and how the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints membership figures compare with other 19th Century New Religious Movements the Jehovah Witnesses and the Seventh-Day Adventists.

From Ryan's Bio:

Ryan T. Cragun is professor of empirical sociology at The University of Tampa. His research focuses on the nonreligious and Mormonism and has been published in various scholarly journals. He is also the author of several books.

Recently Steven Pynakker was a guest on Kolby Reddish's new channel ‪Lets Disagree (with Kolby Reddish). Here is a special release of it on MBR.

Kolby's description of the conversation:

What does it actually look like to have a good conversation across a deep belief divide?

In this episode, I sit down with Steve Pynakker, host of Mormon Book Reviews, who’s built a platform around engaging both believing and non-believing voices in Mormonism. Steve often describes himself as the “Switzerland of Mormonism”—someone trying to create space for conversation without taking sides.

We explore what that looks like in practice-and where it breaks down-by talking about:

Why Steve became interested in Mormonism in the first place

-What he’s learned from interviewing both believers and critics

-The patterns that cause discussions to fail (even when both sides mean well)

If you’ve ever found yourself talking past someone you care about when it comes to faith, this conversation is for you.