Podcast
Pioneering Paradox: A podcast for conflicted saints
Hosted by Casey McFarland · EN
An attempt to find a middle ground in the Mormon experience.
27episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Patrick Mason- The Paradox of War and Peace
Feb 1101:02:39Tap to summarizeMany people know Patrick Mason as a scholar of Mormon and Christian history but not everyone knows he graduated also with a Masters in International Peace Studies at Notre Dame.Peacemaking is a topic that comes with baggage. It is often mistaken for passivity and a manipulative tool to keep people ifrom rocking the boat. Patrick argues the exact opposite. Peacemaking is anything but passive. We only scratch the surface on this topic. It might warrant a part 2 but we will see.
Transcribe →Valerie Hamaker- Just Because it’s Normal doesn't make it healthy
Feb 601:07:16Tap to summarizeWe are joined by the articulate, intelligent, and courageous Valerie Hamaker of the Latter Day Struggles Podcast. As a therapist, Valerie has been a vital support to individuals and families navigating the complexities of faith in the 21st century. Through tireless effort, she has built an extraordinary network of resources—including therapy, workshops, and educational tools—designed to help those who feel like they’re struggling just to breathe as they grapple with the realities of a faith journey.In this episode, we explore the idea of the “myth of normal,” challenging the assumption that what is considered normal within church culture is always healthy or helpful. Valerie brings a rare combination of clinical insight and lived experience, helping us examine the unspoken beliefs and behaviors that are simply part of the air we breathe, and inviting us to ask whether they truly serve us.Listen to Latter Day Struggles interview with Casey: Part 1 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/375-when-god-refuses-to-be-church-correlated/id1612326898?i=1000732662668Part 2 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/377-when-ones-soul-has-the-audacity-to-grow-right/id1612326898?i=1000733703085
Transcribe →Part 2: Navajo Spiritual Healing & Traditional Medicine with Orlando Tsosie
Jan 3101:23:34Tap to summarizeWe loved our conversation with Orlando so much, we had to bring him back for a bonus episode. In this second part, Melanie McFarland (@truewithinyou) sits down with Orlando Tsosie to explore his Navajo spiritual tradition. Orlando shares stories of helping his mother, a medicine woman, and speaks about the gifts and experiences that shaped his path. He also touches on elements of the Diné Bahane' : the Navajo Creation Story and reflects on the similarities and differences between Navajo and Latter-day Saint worldviews.
Transcribe →CASEY SEES A UFO-The Paradox of a Cosmic Gospel
Jan 2801:06:19Tap to summarizeCasey saw a UFO. So what does that mean? Melanie joins me and Wil to discuss how in Latter-day Saint theology, this phenomena bumps up against a quiet but persistent paradox: a God vast enough to organize “worlds without number,” yet a religious culture often lived out in small wards, narrow social expectations, and very local ways of thinking. The cosmic scope of the plan of salvation stretches across galaxies, intelligences, and eternities, while daily faith practice can feel bounded by committee meetings, cultural habits, and an unspoken pressure to keep the universe tidy and familiar. A UFO sighting becomes less about aliens and more about discomfort, what happens when the heavens feel too big, too strange, too alive for a worldview that prefers the comfort of the known? This episode explores that tension: how believers reconcile a radically expansive, cosmic God with the human impulse to shrink mystery down to something manageable, and what might be lost—or rediscovered—when we dare to think as big as our theology claims the universe really is.
Transcribe →Part 1: Navajo AND Latter Day Saint w/ Orlando Tsosie
Jan 1401:05:07Tap to summarizeFrom the earliest days of the Latter-day Saint movement, Native Americans have been part of our story—and, for better or worse, we have been part of theirs, especially in the American West. It’s not always an easy story to tell. It involves colonization, displacement, and at times even massacre. The full story may never be completely told, as it is often one-sided.But there are other stories—stories centered on individuals, not just groups or grand narratives. This is one of those stories.In this episode we interview Orlando Tsotsi, a Navajo and a Latter-day Saint, and how he came to find himself and is still finding himself while embodying parts of both of those identities. Orlando speaks about his journey to faith, the wisdom passed down from his Native people, and how his worldview expanded after living with five Latter-day Saint families through the Indian Student Placement Program ran by the LDS church from 1947-2000. We didn’t feel like we even scratched the surface with Orlando and plan to have him on for more discussion in the future. We hope you enjoy this conversation.
Transcribe →Staying Present When Certainty Falls Away w/MELANIE MCFARLAND
Jan 701:09:36Tap to summarizeWelcome to Pioneering Paradox (@pioneeringparadox) , hosted by Wil Wood (@willywouldnt) and Casey McFarland (@caseymcfarlandphoto). Here, we explore the messy, meaningful, and often difficult conversations within the Latter-day Saint tradition. We believe paradox is not a problem to solve but a healthy way to hold the tension of complex issues. As Richard Rohr reminds us, “Paradox is the only language that can contain the whole.”This episode marks the beginning of season 2. We start this season off with a discussion with the mystifying Melanie McFarland (@TrueWithinYou) who has an emotional wellness practice and happens to be my wife. We dive into the chaotic and exhillerating world of the stage of faith Brian Mclaren calls “perplexity”. This stage can be destabilizing and also exciting but what do we do about raising kids and being a part of the larger world when we are in this stage? We don’t have all the answers but just some thoughts and perspective. Thanks for listening.
Transcribe →Does the Covenant Path lead to Transformation? w/ MELANIE MCFARLAND
Dec 3001:03:19Tap to summarizeMelanie and I discuss the idea that religion is a tool that should lead to transformation, to becoming a "new creature" or "born again" . The Covenant Path does this for many people but what about the billions of people who don't feel a connection to the Latter Day Saint path. Are there other ways that can lead to transformation, even within the same home? We also discuss parenting kids outside of the covenant path and how families can be strengthened when we respect and honor spiritual paths different than ours.
Transcribe →