846: Tom Christofferson - That We May Be One Pt. 2
Mormon Stories Podcast
Dr. John Dehlin
4.5 • 5.7K Ratings
🗓️ 25 December 2017
⏱️ 80 minutes
🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Our special Christmas Morning release on Mormon Stories Podcast includes an interview with Tom Christofferson about his book “That We May Be One.”
Tom shares the story of voluntary excommunication from the LDS Church in order to live his life as a gay man—a life that included a fulfilling relationship with a partner and acceptance from his family including brother D. Todd Christofferson—Apostle in the LDS Church.  Sensing a void in his spiritual life, Tom began attending a local meetinghouse of the Church with the support of its leadership. Over time his relationship with his partner ended and his relationship with the Church began again.
We ask Tom about his experience outlined in his book and delve deeper into the impacts his returning to the church had on his relationship with his partner, and on his spiritual self.  We also ask Tom tougher questions about whether his brother’s apostleship affords him greater privilege as a member of the Mormon LGBTQ community, his thoughts on the November 2015 policy on children of same-sex parents denied baptism, and his being held up as a role model (intended or not) for Mormon LGBTQ youth to choose a life of celibacy in the LDS Church.
We thank Tom for this fascinating interview and hope it furthers the conversation on reconciling sexuality with faith!
Transcript
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| 0:32.0 | Okay, so let's now fast forward back or go back to you entering back into the church or starting to consider the idea in 2007. |
| 0:51.0 | It had been a very gradual thing. It wasn't just kind of an all of a sudden. But in the early years after I left the church when I would visit my parents originally they were in Colorado and then they were in Utah. |
| 1:07.0 | Make sure I traveled on Sunday so I didn't have to go to church. |
| 1:11.0 | And then over time I'd get a travel on Monday because I started to enjoy going to church with them. |
| 1:16.0 | When Todd was called, my oldest brother was called as a 70, then when he would speak in conference which was about every five years, I would try to make sure I was there. |
| 1:27.0 | And when my partner and I were together we would go together and try to be there in the Tabernacle or Conference Center when he would speak. |
| 1:36.0 | And the motabs were always a connecting point for me. |
| 1:42.0 | The hymns of the restoration were always a really heartfelt thing for me. |
| 1:50.0 | There were things that over time had a pull. |
| 1:55.0 | And so when my partner graduated from med school and was starting his internship and residency we moved from Westchester, New York to New Canaan, Connecticut to be closer to the hospital where he was doing his program. |
| 2:11.0 | And I knew there was more of a church in New Canaan. |
| 2:16.0 | The timing just all kind of worked and I thought, well, I'll go to Sacramento and see what I think. |
| 2:22.0 | And so I did that for several months, I don't know not every week, but there we go and just sneak in the back and come late leave at the minute. |
| 2:31.0 | Anybody so I never had to talk to anyone. |
| 2:34.0 | But in those times I felt something and it was became meaningful to me. |
| 2:39.0 | And then that brought me to a point where I felt like if I had to continue this, then I want to be open. |
| 2:46.0 | I asked to leave the church because I wanted to be honest with myself and if I'm going to be involved with it at all, I want to be able to be honest as well. |
| 2:53.0 | And so that was when I asked to speak to the local bishop. |
... |
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