Hey everybody, really quickly before we get started, I just wanted to jump on and tell you about

our Friends of Faith Matters program. This is a great way to support the work that we're doing,

and we put together some really fun little perks to say thank you. So for donations of $10 a month

or more or $100 a year, you'll get a free subscription to the Faith Matters Print Magazine, Wayfair,

and we'll send you copies of any new books that Faith Matters publishes throughout the year, which this year will include books from Jennifer Finlayson

Fife, Terrell Givens, and an essay collection edited by Phil Barlow. And then you'll also receive

discounts on all of our online courses and access to exclusive live streams at our Compass

Gallery events. So if you'd like to help support Faith Matters, you can become a friend

at Faith Matters.org slash support. Thank you so much. We love doing this work, and we are so grateful

to be doing this with you. Hey, everybody, this is Aubrey Chavez from Faith Matters. Today we're

bringing you a special conversation hosted by Jared Halverson, who's joined by three women,

Bethany Brady Spalding, Catherine Knight-Sontag, and me. We've been part of a larger and ongoing

conversation sparked by one of Jared's most recent videos on social media. If you haven't

seen the video, here's some context. Jared highlighted the recent trend of women leaving the church

in greater numbers than men, and he encouraged

them to stay. He connects this to Doctrine in Covenants 25 and highlights how much depends on them.

His message, meant to be supportive and hopeful, was heard by many as hurtful and dismissive,

particularly by women who feel their voices and gifts are too often sidelined or unseen.

The response was overwhelming.

Thousands of women responded with honesty and vulnerability and a shared sense of grief for the ways that they have felt asked to carry the church while too often being denied a real seat at the table.

To his credit, Jared didn't get defensive and just just a few days later, he posted a real heartfelt

apology and then did something even more rare and brave. He asked if he could sit down,

...