TooneTrent_05.0.jpeg

Trent Toone

Deseret News

Trent Toone is a journalist for the Deseret News' Faith team with a focus on coverage of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He is a graduate of the University of Utah and a published author. In his free time, Trent enjoys being with his family, watching sports, listening to audiobooks on long walks, and family history activities.

dnews TabChoirChristmasConcertfea ja

From the Church

Kristin Chenoweth is the RootsTech 2024 keynote speaker—how to get tickets

By Trent Toone

February 15, 2024 04:30 PM MST

Kristin Chenoweth, an Emmy and Tony Award-winning actress and singer known for her work in musical theater, TV, and film, is coming to RootsTech 2024.

1 Min Read

More

Latter-day Saint Life

What became of the oak coffins that carried Joseph and Hyrum Smith after they were martyred

By Trent Toone

June 26, 2023 01:06 PM MDT

Editor's note: This article was originally published in 2019.

3 Min Read

More

Super Bowl champion and Latter-day Saint Daniel Sorensen says faith in Christ matters more than football

By Trent Toone

May 19, 2021 08:12 PM MDT

For Daniel Sorensen, the experience of winning a Super Bowl does not compare to being a disciple of Jesus Christ.

1 Min Read

More

'Marvelous Stories': A Heritage of Faith and Sacrifice Bring the 100-year History of the Laie Hawaii Temple to Life

By Trent Toone

November 27, 2019 09:07 AM MST

As a 9-year-old girl, Mary Ann Mele Wong Song traveled with her family from their home in Kauai to Oahu for the dedication of the Laie Hawaii Temple in November 1919.

9 Min Read

More

Latter-day Saint Life

5 Important Themes from the October 2019 General Conference

By Trent Toone

October 21, 2019 06:33 PM MDT

The journey from premortality back to our heavenly home is like a “great adventure,” as told in J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic novel The Hobbit.

7 Min Read

More

The Dream That Compelled One Historian to Help His Dying Colleague

By Trent Toone

October 16, 2019 11:54 AM MDT

Not long after Michael H. MacKay took a job in the Department of Church History and Doctrine at Brigham Young University, he was approached by William G. Hartley.

4 Min Read

More

Latter-day Saint Brothers Who Swam the English Channel Share 6 Spiritual Takeaways

By Trent Toone

October 15, 2019 04:00 PM MDT

As they swam from England to France—the Mount Everest of long-distance swims—brothers David and Richard Barnes braved frigid temperatures and treacherous water currents, faced high winds and waves, endured physical pain, tangled with jellyfish, and carried on through other obstacles.

5 Min Read

More

Latter-day Saint Life

The Only Book of Mormon Ever to Reach the Moon Is Up for Auction and Coming to Utah

By Trent Toone

October 02, 2019 01:36 PM MDT

The only known copy of the Book of Mormon ever to go into space is coming to Utah as general conference approaches.

2 Min Read

More

Why a Former BYU Dean of Religious Education Decided to Write a Book About the Holy Ghost

By Trent Toone

September 24, 2019 11:56 AM MDT

When author and former dean of religious studies at BYU Robert L. Millet needs an idea for his next book, he goes to a bookstore.

2 Min Read

More

Emily Belle Freeman Talks Creating "a Christ-Centered Home" and Don't Miss This

By Trent Toone

August 29, 2019 04:08 PM MDT

There’s one teaching of Jesus Christ that author Emily Belle Freeman thinks about regularly.

6 Min Read

More

Rare Discovery Provides Insight into Apostle's Tour That Changed Missionary Work in South America

By Trent Toone

August 19, 2019 03:21 PM MDT

The discovery was a historian's dream.

5 Min Read

More

Latter-day Saint Life

How a Jewish Couple Is Helping Church Members Connect with Early Church History

By Trent Toone

August 09, 2019 01:00 PM MDT

For Jonathan and Leslie Bari, homeownership has never been such a "fascinating" adventure.

5 Min Read

More

Father and Son Rediscover Hidden Arch Named After President George Albert Smith

By Trent Toone

August 08, 2019 06:00 PM MDT

Tucked away in a less-traveled area of Canyonlands National Park, there's an arch few people have seen since it was discovered six decades ago.

5 Min Read

More

Latter-day Saint Life

"Your Ancestors Are Watching": The Needed Message This Man Received After Converting to the Church from Hinduism

By Trent Toone

August 01, 2019 01:06 PM MDT

On the day Sai Maddali was baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he initially emerged from the water with feelings of peace and comfort.

6 Min Read

More

Latter-day Saint Life

Author Dean Hughes on How His Ancestor Joined the Church After Trying to Punch an Apostle, Polygamy, and His Book "Muddy"

By Trent Toone

July 24, 2019 03:05 PM MDT

One of author Dean Hughes' favorite pioneer stories starts out with his angry, somewhat intoxicated ancestor trying to punch out an early Latter-day Saint apostle.

8 Min Read

More

Latter-day Saint Life

The story of these early Black Latter-day Saints coming to Utah is not your traditional pioneer tale

By Trent Toone

July 24, 2019 01:23 PM MDT

It’s not the traditional pioneer story.

4 Min Read

More

Latter-day Saint Life

How a Faith Crisis and Cancer Inspired One Latter-day Saint Scholar to Write About Her Faith

By Trent Toone

July 17, 2019 12:02 PM MDT

One of Melissa Wei-Tsing Inouye's life "crossings" came when she encountered a faith crisis while doing her undergraduate studies at Harvard University.

5 Min Read

More

Latter-day Saint Life

"Unspoken Testimony": How the Carthage Jail Continues to Change Lives 175 Years After the Martyrdom

By Trent Toone

June 27, 2019 06:01 PM MDT

Ryan Olsen will never forget his first visit to Carthage Jail.

5 Min Read

More

Famous Latter-day Saints

40+ Returned Missionaries Playing D1 College Basketball + How Sam Merrill's Mission Changed Him

By Trent Toone

March 09, 2019 12:38 PM MST

Ask Utah State basketball coach Craig Smith one question about his returned missionary junior guard Sam Merrill and he can go on for hours.

12 Min Read

More

Latter-day Saint Life

Latter-day Saint Journalist Shares Honest, Raw Story of Depression to Bring Hope to Others

By Trent Toone

January 21, 2019 03:47 PM MST

There was a time when Jane Clayson Johnson felt so depressed that she planned her own funeral and secretly searched for a woman to replace her as the wife and mother in her family.

7 Min Read

More

Latter-day Saint Life

Latter-day Saint Family with 3 Sons in Wheelchairs Surprised with Customized Bus for Christmas

By Trent Toone

January 08, 2019 03:00 PM MST

Christmas came a day early for the Mark and Sharon Honey family in 2018.

3 Min Read

More

Latter-day Saint Life

One Little Boy's Question and a Mission Experience That Reveal God Loves Us as a Father

By Trent Toone

January 04, 2019 02:44 PM MST

It was a ridiculous question for David Butler's son to ask.

7 Min Read

More

Famous Latter-day Saints

Brad Wilcox Shares How Being Born on Christmas Changed His Family's View of Mary and Jesus

By Trent Toone

December 18, 2018 03:00 PM MST

"My mom said having me on Christmas definitely changed her view of the whole thing. She went into labor on Dec. 24 and delivered me on the 25th. She knew Mary had painful contractions. She knew that whatever Mary had worn was certainly not clean and beautiful. It surely was stained. Mom said I was in a sterile hospital delivery room; Mary was probably in a cave that served as a stable for animals. It surely smelled. I was blessed to have experienced doctors and nurses. Mary had Joseph.

8 Min Read

More

Latter-day Saint Life

How One Latter-day Saint Teen Is Using Big Macs to Spread Cheer, Feed Thousands This Christmas

By Trent Toone

December 18, 2018 01:43 PM MST

Most Americans recognize McDonald's Big Mac as two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, and onions on a sesame seed bun.

6 Min Read

More