An Inconvenient Faith & Progressive Mormonism w/ Julie Hanks, Jana Spangler & Beau Oyler | Ep. 2058

The Documentary Dividing Progressive Mormonism: What "An Inconvenient Faith" Reveals About Faith and Doubt

For years, a documentary sat in production limbo, too controversial for mainstream LDS audiences, yet too measured for vocal critics. Now, with nine episodes released on YouTube, An Inconvenient Faith has become something unexpected: a cultural mirror reflecting where individual Mormons actually stand on questions the institutional church still struggles to address. The film presents a sprawling conversation about historical challenges, doctrinal tensions, and whether it's intellectually coherent to remain within a faith tradition when contradictory evidence seems abundant. But as panelists on the Mormon Stories podcast noted in their recent discussion, the documentary's supposedly "balanced" approach has instead become what one observer called "a Rorschach test", revealing more about the viewer's own faith position than about objective truth.

What "An Inconvenient Faith" Actually Attempts

The nine-part docu-series, funded personally by entertainment attorney Robert Reynolds, emerged from an ambitious original vision: create a comprehensive exploration of historical problems in LDS doctrine and practice, then offer both faithful apologetic responses and the alternative perspectives. According to Mormon Stories podcast host John Delin, the scope eventually narrowed due to practical constraints. The final product focuses less on methodical debate-style presentations and more on intimate interviews with scholars, former members, progressive believers, and those navigating faith transitions.

The documentary includes appearances by recognizable figures including Brandon Flowers and other Utah-based personalities, but its real contribution lies in humanizing people across the Mormon spectrum, something that rarely happens in institutional discourse. One panelist noted that even Jeremy Rowe, creator of the widely-circulated CES Letter that catalogs historical challenges to LDS truth claims, appeared not as a villain or apostate label but simply as a sincere person trying to understand his faith.

The Progressive Mormon Problem: Belief Without Orthodoxy