Inside Out with Jim Bennett and Ian Wilks

Send a text  Ian and Jim sit down with listener Chris Robinson to discuss faith, shame, addiction, and the long road toward self-acceptance. Chris shares his deeply personal story growing up in the Church, serving a mission, and quietly battling a pornography addiction that filled his life with secrecy, guilt, and spiritual turmoil. Chris’s courage in sharing his story opens an honest conversation about topics that are often avoided but desperately needed.

Send a text This is the audio version of a live discussion with Greg Prince that took place on Tuesday, February 24, 2026. Greg Prince’s Roadmap for Improving Mormonism outlines how essential it is for the Church to adopt a positive philosophy of sex as it deals with the realities and the challenges of the modern world.  You can watch the video on YouTube by clicking here. 

Send a text In this deeply personal episode, Ian shares a story he’s never told publicly before about an experience that changed his life forever. Jim responds with a powerful mission story of his own, and together they reflect on what these sacred moments mean — inside faith, outside faith, and beyond religious boundaries. Does God show up only within organized religion? Or is divine love universal and available to everyone?

Send a text How much do we really know? And how much should we claim to know? Ian, Jim, and historian Greg Prince explore the role of mystery in faith. Beginning with a fascinating story about President David O. McKay’s reluctance to “paint Christ,” the conversation unfolds into a wide-ranging discussion about doctrine, certainty, humility, science, temple symbolism, and the danger of claiming too many answers.

Send a text Ian shares a spontaneous with two young missionaries in a shopping mall — a conversation that quickly moved from small talk to polygamy, race and the priesthood, prophetic fallibility, and moral obedience. What happens when one missionary says he would follow the prophet “even if it was wrong,” and his companion quietly says he wouldn’t? Then the discussion turns to the recent calling of Elder Clark G. Gilbert as an apostle — a decision that has sparked both support and backlash. Is this a missed opportunity for broader representation? A signal of retrenchment? A strategic move by President Oaks? What does it mean to sustain a leader you don’t necessarily agree with?

Send a text We're going to be one of the first podcasts out of the gate to discuss President Oaks's debut address as President of the Church, which he gave today at BYU!  Come be part of the discussion - it starts at 7:00 PM, about an hour from now! Click here or visit https://www.youtube.com/live/yCpgfxzximk?si=RrZBJySGSaH3qjxz

Send us a text Ian and Jim welcome historian and author Greg Prince back to the podcast for a searching, urgent conversation about moral authority in the public square—and the growing silence of religious institutions at a moment of profound civic and ethical crisis.

Send us a text Ian and Jim sit down for a one-on-one conversation to examine recent remarks by Elder Ronald A. Rasband about missionary work, church growth, and the “hastening” of the Lord’s work. Taking a close look at six “false narratives” Elder Rasband says need debunking, Jim and Ian explore what church growth really means—and how it’s measured. They discuss missionary numbers, retention rates, regional differences, and why broad claims often lack the hard data needed to evaluate them honestly.

Send us a text Ian and Jim are joined once again by historian and scholar Greg Prince to explore one of the most neglected and sensitive issues in modern Mormonism: disability. Drawing from Greg’s unpublished “roadmap” for institutional reform—and from deeply personal experience as the parent of an autistic adult—the conversation examines how church culture, doctrine, and silence have shaped the lived experiences of people with disabilities and their families. Together, Greg, Jim, and Ian unpack harmful theological assumptions, patronizing narratives, and the human tendency to seek tidy answers for suffering. The discussion ranges from autism and physical disability to broader parallels with race, gender, and LGBTQ issues in the Church. At its heart, this episode is a call for humility, compassion, and honesty—centered on two simple principles: don’t judge, and ask how you can help.

Send us a text Ian and Jim are joined once again by historian and author Greg Prince to discuss the Church’s long-standing “us versus them” mindset — how it shaped missionary culture, theological certainty, and member identity, and how it continues to affect relationships with other faiths, former members, and the wider world. 

Send us a text Richard Lyman Bushman, one of the most influential historians of Joseph Smith and early Mormonism, returns to Inside Out for a candid conversation about faith, doubt, and the complicated relationship between spiritual conviction and institutional history.

Send us a text In this New Year episode of Inside Out, Ian and Jim welcome back historian and scholar Greg Prince for a wide-ranging conversation centered on the recent passing of Elder Jeffrey R. Holland and what his funeral revealed about the Church’s leadership transition and future direction.

Send us a text Ian and Jim welcome back renowned Mormon historian and author Greg Prince for a thoughtful, eye-opening conversation about one of the most debated elements of modern Mormon culture: the Word of Wisdom.  Together, they examine how a revelation originally given “not by commandment or constraint” became a central loyalty marker for temple worthiness—and why the Church’s modern enforcement looks very different from the actual text of Doctrine & Covenants 89. 

Send us a text What does it really mean to be a Christian - or a Mormon - today? Ian and Jim are once again joined by historian Greg Prince and author and former bishop Ganesh Cherian for an honest, unscripted conversation about faith, loyalty, identity, and the future of Mormonism.

Send us a text What happens when conscience collides with institution—and peace, not anger, is the result? Ian and Jim sit down with Karen Hyatt, a lifelong Latter-day Saint whose deep devotion to Christ led her to one of the most controversial conclusions in modern Mormon discourse: that Joseph Smith was not a polygamist—and that the historical record has been profoundly misrepresented. Karen shares her faith journey as a convert, missionary, wife, and researcher, culminating in her two-hour documentary Woe Unto You Scribes, which compiles primary documents from the Joseph Smith Papers and other contemporary sources. What follows is not a story of bitterness or rebellion—but of calm conviction, spiritual clarity, and integrity.

Send us a text Jim and Ian sit down with Pat Boisselle — an old friend of Ian's whose life in Mormonism was defined by devotion, service, and sincerity.  For decades, Pat was the kind of Latter-day Saint who quietly strengthened his community: a devoted husband, a dedicated missionary, a compassionate servant, and someone known for going above and beyond without seeking recognition. But in recent years, Pat’s faith was shaken by troubling questions, institutional decisions, and personal experiences that made him reevaluate the church he once gave everything to.  It’s the heartfelt account of a good man seeking truth, wrestling with loss, and choosing integrity even when it hurts.

Send us a text Join us at https://www.buzzsprout.com/673495/episodes/18289328

Send us a text Ian and Jim welcome back a favorite guest: Nemo the Mormon, joining Inside Out from the UK for a deep-dive conversation about one of the most defining—and difficult—topics in Latter-day Saint culture: fallibility vs. infallibility in the Church. Using a homemade “Infallibility Meter” (complete with sound effects and a cardboard spinner), the three tackle several big topics at random—each framed around the question: What does the Church get right, and where does human fallibility show through?

Send us a text Ian and Jim welcome back historian and author Greg Prince for a deep dive into one of the most sensitive and consequential themes in Greg’s “Roadmap for Improving Mormonism”: gerontocracy—a system of governance led by the very old—and how it shapes the culture, leadership, and future of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Send us a text In one of our most anticipated conversations to date, Inside Out welcomes the remarkable Sandra Tanner — writer, historian, researcher, and the great-great-granddaughter of Brigham Young. For more than sixty years, Sandra and her late husband Jerald Tanner have been at the forefront of documenting and analyzing the origins, doctrines, and historical claims of the LDS Church. Their work has influenced generations of scholars, members, and truth-seekers across the faith spectrum. In this candid, wide-ranging interview, Sandra recounts her journey from faithful Latter-day Saint to one of the most influential critical voices in modern Mormon history.