Latter-day Saint. Husband. Father. PhD in religion. Nerd. Co-Host of "Pop Culture on the Apricot Tree" podcast.
Joined April 2022
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I think this is our best episode yet as we discuss the nature of eternal families from the messiness of life. @A24’s “Eternity” has some great questions to wrestle with. Come give us a listen as we unpack the underlying seriousness of this quirky afterlife romcom!
Finished the #bookofmormon a few days ago.
"Goodbye old friend."
Started it again the next day.
"Hello, old friend!"
This is the version I'm reading this go-through.
I did not have the official account of my Church weighing in on a football question on my bingo card, but with God, all things are possible.
Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe both books can help you draw closer to Jesus Christ and learn more about His gospel.
churchofjesuschrist.org/come…
There was a kerfuffle on social media about the @Ch_JesusChrist PR department "going rogue" because of a few posts some found objectionable. I found this a reasonable, data-driven response. Don't miss the forest for the trees.
I fed every Church Spotlight into a Word document and had ChatGPT analyze them with the following prompt:
"The attached file contains the LDS church's spotlights from 2026. It contains a bunch of stories and experiences from its members. Please highlight key themes, patterns, teachings, emphases, and profiles that show up in these spotlights." Below is what it responded with:
Also, the charge that PR is rogue re-circulates every now and then. It's just not true. Never has been. Never will be.
newsroom.churchofjesuschrist…
Did you know the fantastic @actordougjones acted in a Mormon polygamy-themed horror short! Go watch it and then join our conversation about it with @TresClare and then the creators, @burgindiepics!
I'm super excited that there's going to be a kind of sequel. Yay!
Things seem a bit crazy right now, but our conversation about "Truth & Treason" helped me quite a bit. Whatever's going on right now, it's nothing like living in Nazi Germany, so we can take some strength from those that did so.
Carl Cranney retweeted
Joseph Smith: The Prophet Revealed. I used his death mask, skull and Sutcliffe Maudsley drawings to build a 3D model, then rendered the likeness in Nano Banana, Photoshop, and Kling.
Love him or hate him, this now exists (and I love it!)
In our most recent episode we talk about the most recent @KnivesOut. If avowed atheist Detective Benoit Blanc can discover some grace through his time with these characters, especially his prime suspect, Father Judd, perhaps we can too.
How should one respond when one has extreme grief? And what would you do if that grief literally manifested itself in the world?
Come listen to our discussion of @AngelStudiosInc “Sketch.”
Some of these were cancelled before finishing their run, but this is still a wild list.
Major TV shows that started & ended during ‘STRANGER THINGS’ run:
• You
• Loki
• Dark
• Barry
• Ozark
• Andor
• Arcane
• Atlanta
• Snowfall
• Riverdale
• This Is Us
• Cobra Kai
• Killing Eve
• Big Mouth
• Luke Cage
• Derry Girls
• Westworld
• The Crown
• Succession
• Yellowstone
• Squid Game
• The Punisher
• Sex Education
• Young Sheldon
• The Good Place
• 13 Reasons Why
• Superman & Lois
• The Good Doctor
• Raised by Wolves
• His Dark Materials
• Star Trek: Discovery
• Designated Survivor
• The Handmaid’s Tale
• The Umbrella Academy
• Star Wars: The Bad Batch
• The Righteous Gemstones
• The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
• What We Do in the Shadows
• Chilling Adventures of Sabrina
Carl Cranney retweeted
President Dallin Harris Oaks (@oaksdallinh) was announced today as the 18th President and Prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The announcement was made during a live broadcast from Salt Lake City, Utah. President Oaks was sustained and set apart today, October 14, 2025.
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the prophet is chosen through a divinely inspired process. When the prophet passes away, the First Presidency is dissolved, and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, led by the longest-serving Apostle, assumes leadership, confirming the new Prophet through revelation and priesthood authority.
President Oaks, 93, succeeds President Russell M. Nelson, who passed away September 27, 2025.
The new leader of a global faith of more than 17 million members has called President Henry B. Eyring (@eyringHB), 92, and President D. Todd Christofferson (@ChristoffDTodd), 80 to serve with him as first and second counselors in the First Presidency, the Church’s highest governing body.
President Oaks also announced that President Jeffrey R. Holland (@hollandjeffreyr), 84, will be the President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. newsroom.churchofjesuschrist…
Carl Cranney retweeted
Susan and I have spent the day with members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and other community members who were involved in the tragic shooting episode that took place in Michigan on Sunday.
The devotion of these faithful members makes me want to be more devoted, and the faithfulness of these good people makes me want to be more faithful.
They have the capacity—because of the eternal perspective of the gospel of Jesus Christ—to learn lessons in tragedy in mortality that prepare them for eternal life.
We are familiar with the admonition that we should mourn with those that mourn. There are broken hearts here in Michigan. My invitation to any and all is to continue to pray for these good people.
Carl Cranney retweeted
With sorrow we announce that Russell M. Nelson, beloved President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has died. He was 101 — the oldest president in the history of the Church.
For more information on the life and ministry of President Russell M. Nelson, see below:
newsroom.churchofjesuschrist…
I really enjoyed the Roger’s and Hammerstein “Cinderella” with Julie Andrews, and hated the 2021 Amazon Prime version (fight the patriarchy! doesn’t fit Cinderella’s tropes). Come listen to our wide-ranging conversation about all things Cinderella!
New episode Thursday! In this episode, we explore the history of film and television adaptations of Cinderella with guests Chanel Earl and Jill Terry Rudy. We talk about how this perhaps most popular of fairy tales intersects with Latter-day Saint themes.
popcultureapricottree.com/po…
It's getting worse.
Matthew 5:44, D&C 93:16, and the words of the Lord's prophet, @NelsonRussellM from last week are lessons that we are not hearing. We will all pay the price.
In the last few years we've seen:
- The plot to kidnap Gretchen Whitmer
- The Storming of the Capitol and pipe bombs left at the RNC and DNC
- The break-in to kidnap Nancy Pelosi and the brutal on Paul Pelosi
- Multiple assassination attempts against Trump
- The assassination of Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband and the shooting of on State Senator John Hoffman and his wife
- Luigi Mangione's assassination of Brian Thompson
- The assassination of Charlie Kirk
Political violence is contagious. It is spreading. It is not confined to one side or belief system. It should terrify us all.
The foundation of a free society is the ability to participate in it without fear of violence. Political violence is always an attack against us all. You have to be so blind not to see that.
We humans can't seem to escape thinking of the point system from "The Good Place," but is that really what makes a good person? Come join us as we dive into a discussion of @nbcthegoodplace !
When you first came on board the Church there was a lot of online flak, and I’ve even gotten a few questions here asking directly whether or not you support the Family Proclamation. How was that for you when you first came on board? Has it improved, and how do you deal with that?
I'd like to point out the the conservative friends of mine here on Twitter that the questions are the 2nd half of that statement, and they are not equivalent in any way to "Do you support the Family Proclamation."
I do, and he should be more vocal if he does (and he should, as an public-facing employee of @Ch_JesusChrist), but THAT'S NOT WHAT THE QUESTION WAS!
I thought it was a good answer to what he was actually asked at the @ldsfair conference. Stop dissembling about his response.