Claim OwnershipInside Out with Jim Bennett and Ian Wilks
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© 2026 Inside Out with Jim Bennett and Ian Wilks
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The format of Inside Out is simple - Jim Bennett is still on the inside of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and Ian Wilks is on the outside of the Church. Yet both care about the Church and its future, and both want to see constructive dialogue between those who stay and those who leave. Hopefully, all of us can come to a better understanding of the Church and of each other.
161 Episodes
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Send us Fan Mail Ian and Jim reunite for a wide-ranging, candid conversation sparked by a recent Church policy change allowing women to serve as ward Sunday School presidents. What begins as a discussion of a seemingly small shift quickly expands into a deeper exploration of authority, gender roles, and the nature of change within the Church. Jim and Ian examine whether this move represents meaningful progress or merely a symbolic “crack in the dam”—and what it might signal for the future.
Send us Fan Mail This is audio from a livestream discussion that took place on March 10, 2026. You can watch the original video here. Ian and Jim are joined once again by historian and author Greg Prince for a candid discussion on one of the most difficult and urgent issues facing the Church today: abuse, accountability, and institutional responsibility. Framed as “encouragement, not criticism,” Greg shares insights from his proposed roadmap for improving Mormonism—focusing on how the C...
Send us Fan Mail Ian and Jim welcome returning guest Michelle Brady Stone, along with historian Cheryl Bruno, co-founders of the Journal of Mormon Polygamy. Together, they explore the complex and often controversial history of polygamy in the early Church through the lens of scholarship, not soundbites.
Send us Fan Mail Ian and Jim welcome a longtime friend and Ian's former missionary companion, Byron Casper—the son of legendary golfer Billy Casper. Byron shares what it was like growing up in the shadow of one of golf’s greatest champions, rebelling as a teenager, and eventually serving a mission in Scotland despite feeling completely unprepared for it. His story includes everything from PGA Tour life to culture shock in Aberdeen, a fiery missionary companionship with Ian, and a transf...
Send us Fan Mail 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 us Fan Mail 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 us Fan Mail 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 us Fan Mail 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 us Fan Mail 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 backl...
Send us Fan Mail 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 Fan Mail 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 ...
Send us Fan Mail 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 u...
Send us Fan Mail 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 Fan Mail 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 Fan Mail 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 Fan Mail 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 Fan Mail 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 Fan Mail 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-ho...
Send us Fan Mail 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 person...
Send us Fan Mail 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 fallibil...
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