When Reed Mellor was growing up, his father would pick up hitchhikers, bring them home for dinner, and invite them to stay overnight. The next morning, he would give them $20 before sending them on their way. “You know, you’re being taken advantage of,” Mellor recalls telling his dad, a schoolteacher who had to work summers on a farm to make ends meet. His father replied, “That’s okay. It won’t be the last time. I’d rather give to lots than miss the one who needs my help.” It was not just the hitchhikers who were the beneficiaries of his father’s generosity. The Mellors were (and are) devout members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; they gave dutifully to the church and all of its activities. Today, it is Reed himself who takes this approach. Reed is a successful engineer with his own business outside of Salt Lake City. He and his wife, Lareen, who works as an accountant in the business, are by any measure quite generous with the success they’ve enjoyed. Their charitable giving starts with tithing. “Everything on earth is God’s,” he says. “We are just required to give him 10 percent back.” In this, the Mellors are representative of Mormons in general. Tithing is expected, and widely practiced.

My life the past, oh, 15 years has felt a little like one (really long) chick flick. Or more specifically, the first 15 minutes of a chick flick. You know the part of the movie I am talking about—the set up. The opening scenes where we learn about the main character and are subjected to some awkward and perhaps painful (but funny) experiences so we feel sorry for her/like her/relate to her better.

All of us have fun family general conference traditions that we look forward to every six months. President Dieter F. Uchtdorf is no exception. But his came about accidentally—and it's one you can watch for this weekend.

Did Protestant missionaries help plant the seeds of democracy throughout the world? Prof. Robert Woodberry takes us on a historical tour-de-force around the globe showing how "conversionary Protestants" helped to promote literacy, spread printing technology, facilitate civic organization, defend religious and civil liberties, and protest the abuses of slavery and colonialism. We discuss how this happened and why Protestants were uniquely situated to do this, although we look at similar Catholic efforts in recent decades. We conclude with speculative thoughts about the Arab Spring. Download the podcast by "right clicking" on the "download" button and choosing "Save Target As...." Or subscribe for free on iTunes.

Gluten, flour, sugar, Diet Coke, food I can actually taste.

Last weekend, singer Christina Grimmie was shot dead during a meet-and-greet after her concert. Grimmie, a long-time YouTube sensation and recent star of NBC's The Voice, was only 22. In the aftermath of her murder, many Latter-day Saint musicians took to social media to express their grief.

In the early 1900s, missionaries in England were experiencing increasing prejudice and aggression. This prompted the British Parliament to investigate the Latter-day Saint missionaries, and the duty to head up the investigation fell to Winston Churchill, who was Secretary of the Home Department.

Through the years, President Thomas S. Monson has felt a special kinship with President Wilford Woodruff, the fourth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.