Common Consent, Decline, and Reform with Peter Bleakley

In this episode of Let’s Disagree and Other Interesting Conversations, I sit down with Peter Bleakley of Mormon Civil War for a wide-ranging conversation about the past, present, and possible future of Mormonism—particularly in the UK. Peter describes his work as an effort to understand “what has gone wrong” in the Church, while still asking whether Mormonism contains the tools for its own repair. We discuss the tension between a more open, expansive, truth-seeking Mormonism and a more controlling institutional version—one Peter argues has increasingly displaced common consent, intellectual honesty, and grassroots accountability. We also talk about the experience of growing up in the Church outside the U.S. Mormon corridor, especially in the United Kingdom, where congregations were built from scratch, flourished for a time, and are now often confronting decline, consolidation, and disengagement. Peter explains why that history radicalized him, why he believes data matters, and what it means when faithful communities are left managing decline while institutional leaders insist the system is still working. Along the way, we discuss big-tent Mormonism, prophetic authority, intellectual Mormonism, the internet’s impact on trust, Nemo the Mormon, 21st Century Saints, safeguarding reform, excommunication, and whether meaningful reform is still possible. Peter’s framing at the beginning of the interview is especially useful: he describes Mormon Civil War as an attempt to be “honest and analytical” about what has gone wrong, while still asking how the Church could be fixed through common consent, accountability, and a return to its “better self.” The conversation also focuses heavily on Peter’s UK experience, including the fragility of non-Utah Mormon communities, the decline of local congregations, and the feeling that many once-thriving wards are now managing collapse rather than growth. Please like, subscribe, and stay tuned for more conversations where we slow down, clarify assumptions, and try to understand difficult issues without reducing people to caricatures. Email feedback and for future conversations at: [email protected]