Sustaining The Brethren: Has The LDS Church Made Support For The New Provo Missionary Training Center A Worthiness Test?

Update October 12th: The LDS Church announced it will not pursue the proposal to construct a nine-story Missionary Training Center in Provo; updated post HERE.

An editorial entitled "Editorial: An invitation to fall in line", published by the Provo Daily Herald on July 8th, 2012, raises questions about whether or not the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has made support of a proposed nine-story Missionary Training Center in the Pleasant View neighborhood of Provo a worthiness issue under the guise of "sustaining the Brethren".

First, a short synopsis of the project is in order, since it's not been previously discussed on this blog. The project was first announced by the LDS Church in March 2012; it would replace the old Melvin J. Ballard Building with a nine-story facility that will house 16 classrooms, one or two large workshop rooms, seven to nine small practice teaching rooms, two computer labs and quiet spaces for reflection on each floor, and also a basement. The new facility would be completed in late 2014, and more information is available HERE.

Opposition to the project soon emerged, and since most of the local residents are Mormon, it can hardly be attributed to "anti-Mormon bigotry". Opponents are concerned that the 161-foot height of the structure is too imposing and will overwhelm the neighborhood, obstructing their views of the mountains and the Provo Temple looking from west to east, and from east to west losing the view of the valley and Utah Lake. A few even squawk about property values, which is a more selfish concern. Opponents also claim that BYU officials once promised in 1974 that the maximum height of any MTC building on BYU property would be four stories, and that all future building would occur on property east of 900 East.

One of the point men leading the opposition has been neighborhood chairman Paul Evans, who promoted the idea of constructing two separate five-story buildings instead. In response to that alternative proposal, MTC administrative director Richard Heaton explained that discussion had gone up and down the line from the MTC to the missionary department staff to the missionary executive council to the Quorum of the Twelve and the First Presidency more than once, and it was decided that the construction of only one building would be the most economical use of tithing funds.

Now it seems like Paul Evans has abruptly abandoned his position in opposition to the project after a local stake president relayed an invitation from a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, Elder Russell M. Nelson, to support the Church's decision to build the facility. An excerpt from an email Evans sent to Gary McGinn, director of Provo city's Community Development department:

"On Monday June 25, 2012, I received an invitation from a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints ecclesiastical leader relayed from a member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles, the second-highest governing body of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...The invitation was to support the decision of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles to build a 9-story building at the Provo Missionary Training Center. I accept the invitation."

YouTube Mormon Messages: LDS Apostle David A. Bednar Explains The Role Of An Apostle

While Priesthood leaders are called and given keys to direct the Lord’s work in local quorums, whether they be presidents of deacons or elders quorums or stake presidents who preside. But only 15 men — the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve — hold keys authorizing them to direct all the Lord’s work on earth.

The Greg Jones blog calls attention to one of those select 15, Elder David A. Bednar, who represents a new generation of leaders now finding their way into the uppermost echelons of leadership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Ordained an Apostle on October 7th, 2004 by then-President Gordon B. Hinckley, he is the youngest member of the Quorum of the Twelve, and 12th in seniority.

On November 18th, 2010, Elder Bednar gave an interview in which he attempted to explain the role of an Apostle. He summed it up, saying “We read in the Bible that the ancient Apostles held the keys of the kingdom. The role of an Apostle today is the same as it was anciently. An Apostle is a missionary, bearing testimony of the reality and divinity of Jesus Christ in all the world.” Watch the video of the interview embedded below:



Read the accompanying article published on the official LDS website.

Without the direction of the Savior, Elder Bednar explained that he would feel wholly inadequate in his calling as an Apostle, and he bore strong testimony of the Lord’s hand in His work on earth. He suggested that members can best help the work of the Lord move forward by being fully converted, living what they know, and putting the light of their example before the world.

Some people criticize the Book of Mormon because it contains so many passages similar to those in the Bible, particularly Isaiah. But Elder Bednar indirectly explains why that's a manifestation of the universality of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. “The basic principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ are simple, and they are universal. Faith in the Savior is the same in Boston as it is in Accra,” noted Elder Bednar. And this has always been this way since mortals began populating the world -- the Gospel given to the ancient inhabitants of the Western Hemisphere is the same as that given to those in the Middle East.

While most LDS Church leaders are unpaid for their services, it's been reported that Apostles do receive a stipend or living allowance, although the Church does not officially disclose the amount. In October 1985, President Hinckley said that the living allowances given the General Authorities, which are modest in comparison with executive compensation in industry and the professions, come from this business income and NOT from tithing funds. One person posted a comment to BCC providing a table of stipends based upon seniority in the Twelve, but I can find no verification. Being an Apostle is a full-time vocation requiring extensive travel, so the compensation is deserved.

Trinity Lutheran Church Pastor Dr. Bobby W. Leggett Publishes His Impressions Of Mormonism; Not Bad, But Clarification Needed

The Reverend Dr. Bobby W. Leggett, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Blanco, Texas, published a column summarizing his impressions of Mormonism in the Blanco County News on November 24th, 2010. Rev. Leggett is neither anti-Mormon nor looking to pick a "fight" with Mormons; his objective is to promote better mutual understanding. He maintains that understanding what our religious neighbors believe is enlightening and helps us to be better neighbors to them. Trinity appears to be affiliated with the LCMC (Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ), the fourth largest Lutheran group in the United States after ELCA, LCMS, and Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS).

Rev. Leggett has obviously taken time to research the doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to some degree. He does not label Mormonism as a "cult" or claim it is not Christian, but he does assert that it is not considered part of Orthodox Christianity. The latter comment attracted some attention in the comments section to the story; a visit to Trinity's website provides some insight as to what they consider to be "Orthodox".

But while Rev. Leggett strives for reasonable accuracy, some clarifications to his statements are necessary. Let's take them one at a time:

Some of the apparent differences in what Orthodox Christianity and LDS believe have to do with God, Jesus, and our scriptures. The only authority for Orthodox Christians is the Bible, Old and New Testaments. The LDS church beliefs are found in the “Book of Mormon,” “The Pearl of Great Price,” and “Doctrine and Covenants.”

The latter statement needs clarification because it could lead people to believe we Mormons don't use the Bible. The fact is that we use the Bible, and consider it co-equal in value to the other cited books, which we refer to as the Standard Works. Perhaps Rev. Leggett would like to re-word the last sentence by stating, "In contrast, LDS Church beliefs aren't just found in the Bible, but also the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price".

LDS church believes that gods, angels and humans are all different forms of the same beings. These beings began their journey as spirit children created through celestial procreation. Not only do they teach about a heavenly father, but also a heavenly mother. The spirit children produced by the union of the heavenly father and mother are said to be angels...

Reasonably accurate, but not sufficiently precise. There are actually five forms of sentient beings in the universe; pre-mortal spirits, mortal beings, translated beings (a more advanced version of mortality in which disease and death are neutralized), resurrected beings, and gods (who are resurrected beings ordained unto godhood). Translated beings are sometimes also described as "the spirits of just men made perfect". The term "angel" generally describes a messenger who is usually either be a translated being or a resurrected being. We're also informed that the only angels who are sent to minister unto this earth are those who actually lived on this earth as mortals. The spirit children produced by our heavenly parents are simply pre-mortal spirits. There is no way Rev. Leggett could have been expected to understand these finer distinctions in advance unless he studied Mormonism in depth, so I won't fault him for his lack of precision here.

In a subsequent paragraph, Rev. Leggett notes that we Mormons believe in plurality of gods, but fails to note that we worship only our Heavenly Father, as prescribed in Matthew 6:9. His failure to include that information makes it look like we practice polytheism.

And finally, here comes the "Jesus is the brother of Satan" canard once again:

Who is Jesus the Christ? Christians believe Jesus is the one and only Son of God taking on flesh and bone to become a Savior to those who believe and live in Him. LDS teaches in their “Gospel Principles” that Jesus is merely the first of billions of created spirit children and is literally our “elder brother.” In the LDS “Doctrine and Covenants” every person who was ever born on earth was our spirit brother or sister in heaven. They also teach Jesus is the brother of Satan.

We also believe that Jesus is one of a kind, the only one to become a Savior. But yes, we believe that Jesus initially received the same spirit tabernacle like those all the rest of us received. So did Lucifer, before he fell and became Satan. So yes, technically, Jesus and Lucifer were brothers -- at one time. But to say that "Jesus is the brother of Satan" makes it appear we consider them equal. Not so; while one is a Savior, the other is a Deceiver and a Destroyer.

Nevertheless, Rev. Leggett did a reasonably good job of capsulizing Mormonism notwithstanding the limitations of his knowledge and background. Certainly there appears to be no desire to misrepresent the LDS Church. So some of the comments posted to the story by Mormons seem overly defensive. Rev. Leggett has actually rendered us a useful service; we now have a better idea about what aspects of Mormonism we need to communicate more clearly. Eternal progression and plurality of Gods need to be explained better.

We also owe one other debt of gratitude to the Lutherans. Their founder, Martin Luther, launched the Reformation, which was a necessary precursor to the Restoration launched by Joseph Smith.