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The purpose of this podcast is to help Latter-Day Saints better understand their history and increase their faith. The podcast hosted by Dr. Gerrit Dirkmaat, associate professor of Church History and Doctrine at BYU.
Episodes
7 days ago
7 days ago
In this episode, we receive another email from an expecting mother and discuss whether Sir Isaac Newton dabbling in wizardry. We also talk about loved ones who go through a faith crisis and Gerrit shares experiences from the frontlines of faith conversations.
Kristy’s KorneЯ (Last Minute Lesson Prep): We introduce a new stinger and Gerrit gives a couple of nuggets for D&C 54
Standard of Truth Tour dates for the summer of 2026: https://standardoftruth.com/tours/
Missouri/Nauvoo – June 14th through June 20th – 6 spots
Palmyra/Kirtland – June 21st through June 27th – SOLD OUT
Palmyra/Kirtland – July 12th through July 18th – SOLD OUT
Sweetwater Rescue Temple Project: Helping the Saints of Lithuania get to the Helsinki, Finland Temple https://www.sweetwaterrescue.org/current
If you would like to donate, please click on the link: https://www.sweetwaterrescue.org/donate
Sign up for our free monthly email: https://standardoftruthpodcast.substack.com
If you have any questions or possible topics of discussion for upcoming podcasts, please email us at: questions@standardoftruthpodcast.com
Thursday May 22, 2025
Thursday May 22, 2025
Revisit this classic episode, now rereleased as a bonus, for a reminder that even in the Restoration's earliest years, the gospel was already colliding with the religious fringe.
We go back to early 1831 and unpack one of the most unusual revelations in the D&C 49. Directed to the now all-but-extinct Shaker community, this revelation responds directly to a faith group that believed Jesus had already returned… as a woman.
What begins as a historical tour through a radical offshoot of Quakerism becomes a broader exploration of how early Latter-day Saints navigated wildly different theological worlds.
Standard of Truth Tour dates for the summer of 2026: https://standardoftruth.com/tours/
Missouri/Nauvoo – June 14th through June 20th – 12 spots remaining
Palmyra/Kirtland – June 21st through June 27th – SOLD OUT
Palmyra/Kirtland – July 12th through July 18th – SOLD OUT
Sweetwater Rescue Temple Project: Helping the Saints of Lithuania get to the Helsinki, Finland Temple https://www.sweetwaterrescue.org/current
If you would like to donate, please click on the link: https://www.sweetwaterrescue.org/donate
Sign up for our free monthly email: https://standardoftruthpodcast.substack.com
If you have any questions or possible topics of discussion for upcoming podcasts, please email us at: questions@standardoftruthpodcast.com
Thursday May 22, 2025
Thursday May 22, 2025
In this episode, we discuss a cornucopia of issues from our Hindu and Buddhist friends to claims of sex trafficking by the New York Times. It takes about 45 minutes, but Gerrit’s dander is up. In fact, Gerrit’s dander has never been higher.
Kristy’s KorneЯ (Last Minute Lesson Prep): D&C 49 discussion about Shakers
Standard of Truth Tour dates for the summer of 2026: https://standardoftruth.com/tours/
Missouri/Nauvoo – June 14th through June 20th – 12 spots remaining
Palmyra/Kirtland – June 21st through June 27th – SOLD OUT
Palmyra/Kirtland – July 12th through July 18th – SOLD OUT
Sweetwater Rescue Temple Project: Helping the Saints of Lithuania get to the Helsinki, Finland Temple https://www.sweetwaterrescue.org/current
If you would like to donate, please click on the link: https://www.sweetwaterrescue.org/donate
Sign up for our free monthly email: https://standardoftruthpodcast.substack.com
If you have any questions or possible topics of discussion for upcoming podcasts, please email us at: questions@standardoftruthpodcast.com
Thursday May 15, 2025
Thursday May 15, 2025
In this episode, we hope the litners will also enjoy a heartfelt shout-out to Elder Crum, Elder Crum, possibly a third Elder Crum and his Deseret flag sewing companions, a reflection on the doctrine of intelligence from D&C 93, and a deeper exploration into the Latter-day Saint rejection of creation ex nihilo.
Kristy’s KorneЯ (Last Minute Lesson Prep): Latter-day Saint worship services were designed to be open to all, excommunicated members, seekers, and non-believers. This was VERY uncommon at the time D&C 46 was received.
Standard of Truth Tour dates for the summer of 2026: https://standardoftruth.com/tours/
Missouri/Nauvoo – June 14th through June 20th
Palmyra/Kirtland – June 21st through June 27th – SOLD OUT
Palmyra/Kirtland – July 12th through July 18th
Sweetwater Rescue Temple Project: Helping the Saints of Lithuania get to the Helsinki, Finland Temple https://www.sweetwaterrescue.org/current
If you would like to donate, please click on the link: https://www.sweetwaterrescue.org/donate
Sign up for our free monthly email: https://standardoftruthpodcast.substack.com
If you have any questions or possible topics of discussion for upcoming podcasts, please email us at: questions@standardoftruthpodcast.com
Wednesday May 07, 2025
Wednesday May 07, 2025
This episode begins with a high-stakes battle of identity between Richard and his more successful French Canadian biochemist doppelgänger. Things escalate quickly to NBA heartbreak, papal betting odds, and whether Calvinist theologians would bet on a Pope “if predestination already picked the winner.” Gerrit helps Kristy prepare her Mother’s Day sacrament meeting talk and then we discuss shared visionary experiences that make LDS history uniquely hard to dismiss.
Kristy’s KorneЯ (Last Minute Lesson Prep): D&C 45 Stand in Holy Places
Standard of Truth Pope Predictions:
- Pietro Parolin
- Luis Antonio Tagle
- Matteo Zuppi
- Pierbattista Pizzaballa
- Peter Turkson
Standard of Truth Tour dates for the summer of 2026: https://standardoftruth.com/tours/
Missouri/Nauvoo – June 14th through June 20th
Palmyra/Kirtland – June 21st through June 27th – SOLD OUT
Palmyra/Kirtland – July 12th through July 18th
Sweetwater Rescue Temple Project: Helping the Saints of Lithuania get to the Helsinki, Finland Temple https://www.sweetwaterrescue.org/current
If you would like to donate, please click on the link: https://www.sweetwaterrescue.org/donate
Sign up for our free monthly email: https://standardoftruthpodcast.substack.com
If you have any questions or possible topics of discussion for upcoming podcasts, please email us at: questions@standardoftruthpodcast.com
Thursday May 01, 2025
Thursday May 01, 2025
In this episode we answer another email written by a litner in labor. We discuss grace and how do Latter-day Saints understand it differently than other Christians. Along the way we also have a heated debate over how to pronounce “pecan” and discuss what a terrible parent Richard is as he tries to justify missing his son’s MTC drop-off and return.
Standard of Truth Tour dates for the summer of 2026: https://standardoftruth.com/tours/
Missouri/Nauvoo – June 14th through June 20th
Palmyra/Kirtland – June 21st through June 27th – SOLD OUT
Palmyra/Kirtland – July 12th through July 18th
Sweetwater Rescue Temple Project: Helping the Saints of Lithuania get to the Helsinki, Finland Temple https://www.sweetwaterrescue.org/current
If you would like to donate, please click on the link: https://www.sweetwaterrescue.org/donate
Sign up for our free monthly email: https://standardoftruthpodcast.substack.com
If you have any questions or possible topics of discussion for upcoming podcasts, please email us at: questions@standardoftruthpodcast.com
Thursday Apr 24, 2025
Thursday Apr 24, 2025
In this episode, we review General Conference 2 weeks late with a segment we like to call “Fun with General Conference”. Gerrit answers a litner question about how the Book of Mormon was distributed and Joseph and Hyrum’s preaching to the Native Americans. Richard’s dander is way up after reading a question about Mary Magdalene. Gerrit provides the history of the genesis of Mary’s bad reputation. As always, we depart slightly from things of a spiritual nature to discuss our favorite pies.
Sweetwater Rescue Temple Project: Helping the Saints of Lithuania get to the Helsinki, Finland Temple https://www.sweetwaterrescue.org/current
If you would like to donate, please click on the link: https://www.sweetwaterrescue.org/donate
Standard of Truth Tour dates for the summer of 2026: https://standardoftruth.com/tours/
Missouri/Nauvoo – June 14th through June 20th
Palmyra/Kirtland – June 21st through June 27th
Sign up for our free monthly email: https://standardoftruthpodcast.substack.com
If you have any questions or possible topics of discussion for upcoming podcasts, please email us at: questions@standardoftruthpodcast.com
Saturday Apr 19, 2025
Saturday Apr 19, 2025
In this Easter special, we explore the profound teachings about the Savior's suffering in Gethsemane and its eternal implications. We discuss how early Latter-day Saints grappled with the concepts of repentance, eternal punishment, and the infinite nature of Christ's atonement. We also explore the radical truths in D&C 19 that challenge the prevailing 19th-century Protestant beliefs by emphasizing a Savior who deeply desires us to avoid suffering through sincere repentance. Gerrit also draws on connections between biblical texts and early Christian writings, including Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, and Hippolytus.
Most importantly, this episode underscores the Savior's desperate plea for repentance, not out of wrath, but from a profound desire to spare His children from unimaginable suffering. This message of compassion and redemption is especially powerful during the Easter season, and a reminder of the incredible depth of Christ’s love and the hopeful promise of forgiveness and spiritual renewal.
Sweetwater Rescue Temple Project: Helping the Saints of Lithuania get to the Helsinki, Finland Temple https://www.sweetwaterrescue.org/current
If you would like to donate, please click on the link: https://www.sweetwaterrescue.org/donate
Sign up for our free monthly email: https://standardoftruthpodcast.substack.com
If you have any questions or possible topics of discussion for upcoming podcasts, please email us at: questions@standardoftruthpodcast.com
Thursday Apr 17, 2025
Thursday Apr 17, 2025
In this episode, we dive into a discussion about misconceptions surrounding "The Sound of Music," particularly the differences between the movie and the original Broadway play. The conversation then transitions to a look at an upcoming groundbreaking publication in the Latter-day Saint Historical Studies journal, featuring newly uncovered secret police files on the treatment of Latter-day Saints in pre-war Nazi Germany. We also discuss the latest Sweetwater Rescue project, taking Saints from Lithuania to the Helsinki, Finland Temple, and answer a litner’s question about how Martin Harris got the money to pay for the printing of the Book of Mormon
Sweetwater Rescue Temple Project: Helping the Saints of Lithuania get to the Helsinki, Finland Temple https://www.sweetwaterrescue.org/current If you would like to donate, please click on the link: https://www.sweetwaterrescue.org/donate
Ensign Peak Foundation: https://ensignpeakfoundation.org/subscribe-to-our-publications/
Sign up for our free monthly email: https://standardoftruthpodcast.substack.com
If you have any questions or possible topics of discussion for upcoming podcasts, please email us at: questions@standardoftruthpodcast.com
Thursday Apr 10, 2025
Thursday Apr 10, 2025
This week, Gerrit and Richard discuss the powerful symbolism of Elijah’s appearance during Passover and its profound connection to both Jewish traditions and Latter-day Saint teachings.
Sign up for our free monthly email: https://standardoftruthpodcast.substack.com
If you have any questions or possible topics of discussion for upcoming podcasts, please email us at: questions@standardoftruthpodcast.com