Evangelical Pastor On First Time At General Conference & Understanding Mormonism - Kyle Beshears

Kyle Beshears (PhD, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is a pastor in Mobile, Alabama and has taught courses on religion at the University of Mobile. He is the author of 40 Questions About Mormonism (Kregel Academic), and is presently writing on the development of LDS doctrine and practices during the life of Joseph Smith. I wanted to speak with Kyle to discuss his extensive research into the life of Joseph Smith and his perspective as an Evangelical pastor on the cultural landscape of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We explore his recent book and his unique journey of humanizing a figure he does not view as a prophet, yet has come to empathize with as a fellow minister Some highlights from this episode include: "Humanizing" Joseph Smith: Kyle shares surprising details from his research of the Joseph Smith Papers, including Joseph’s love for his dog, Major, and how Joseph’s pastoral care for a grieving mother on Christmas Eve changed Kyle's perspective. An Evangelical at General Conference: Kyle discusses his first-ever experience attending a session of General Conference in person and his observations on the "Christocentric" nature of the talks. Three Categories of Perception: A breakdown of how most Americans currently view Latter-day Saints, ranging from indifference to a "knee-jerk" suspicion born of the "countercult" movement. "Going to Jail" Quote: A discussion of Albert Mohler’s famous line regarding theological disagreement versus cultural agreement: "I don't believe we're going to go to heaven together, but there's a possibility that we might go to jail together". Building Better Relationships: Practical advice for Latter-day Saints on how to overcome the "deficit of trust" when speaking with Evangelicals by focusing on the Bible and showing genuine fruits of the Spirit. You can find more of Kyles’s work at the following links: https://www.kylebeshears.com/p/40-que... https://www.kylebeshears.com/ Follow For All The Saints on social media for updates and inspiring content: www.instagram.com/forallthesaintspod   / forallthesaintspod   For All The Saints episodes are released every Monday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and more:    • Why Latter-Day Saints Love General Conference   https://open.spotify.com/show/3j64txm... https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast... If you have feedback or any suggestions for topics or guests, connect with Ben & Sean via [email protected] or DM on Instagram Conversations to Refresh Your Faith. For All The Saints podcast was established in 2023 by Ben Hancock to express his passion and desire for more dialogue around faith, religious belief, and believers' perspectives on the topics of our day. Tune into For All The Saints every Monday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and more. Follow For All The Saints on social media for daily inspiration. 00:00 Kyle Beshears 01:18 Surprising things learned in research 02:52 Humanizing Joseph Smith 06:25 Researching the Joseph Smith Papers 08:23 First-time attending General Conference 10:47 Observations on Elder Soares and abiding in Christ 12:31 Observations on Christocentricity and salvation 15:25 Sincerity of General Conference attendees 17:33 Perception of Latter-day Saints in America 19:48 Three categories of American public perception 21:25 Media obsession and cultural peculiarities 24:51 Global church experience vs. Great Basin culture 27:24 Religious majority vs. minority dynamics 29:41 Research on global Mormonism and missionary work 31:13 Responses to the book from both traditions 35:31 Evangelical backlash and theological interlocution 39:44 Loving neighbours through understanding 40:38 The utility of interfaith relationships 46:26 Al Mohler’s BYU talk and standing together 50:02 Building trust with Evangelicals 54:27 How engagement enriches authentic personal faith 56:13 Final thoughts