Stats, Trends, Solutions, Admissions

and Transitions
 This class, Religion 250-18, has one spot
available.
◦ There are no waiting lists here at the
Tempe Institute.
 Please try to make all schedule changes
by Friday of this week. Next week we
need the classes to be set as possible.
 There is a backlog of parking applications
that still need to be entered and activated.
◦ Be patient
 Your hangar will still get you in if the
parking attendant is on duty. Just buzz in
if he is not on duty.
◦ Be nice to Don. I am the parking director, so
I will rain hell upon you if you are not.
 This semester two new courses are being
offered: Jesus Christ
Together and
these isthe
four Everlasting
The
Gospel (Religion following
250)called a
and Foundations of
courses are the
quotation
the Restoration given
(Religion by,
225).
“Cornerstone Courses”
then Commissioner
and will
of
 There are twobe more
required for
courses being
Church Education,
graduation.
developed: The Eternal Family (Religion
Elder Paul V. Johnson
220) and Teachings and Doctrine of the
in November 2014:
Book of Mormon (Religion 275)
“These new courses are intended to be
cornerstones of your religious education
experience. They are centered in the
scriptures and the teachings of latter-day
prophets, with a focus on the Savior, His
doctrine, and significant events in
Church history.
As you study across all of the standard
works, the scriptures will become woven
together, helping you to develop greater
gospel scholarship and more fully
understand and appreciate each book of
the standard works.
These classes will build on your previous
church and personal experiences with
gospel study. They will assist you in
applying gospel principles in ways that
are relevant to your current
circumstances.”

Elder Paul V. Johnson

CES Devotional for Young Adults
November 2014
 The intent of these new cornerstone
courses is then to get the gospel deeper
into your heart so that there is
converting and staying power.
 However, there is also a larger context
that must be kept in mind when
discussing the first new institute
courses offered in twenty years.
 What I am about to show you are some
statistics thatI believe these
were developed by a
person who statistics
does will
not reveal
work afor the
Church. growing concern that
 He based his thestatistics,
all Church however, on
available Church statisticsare
departments along with
some extrapolation
attempting tobased on some
address.
geeked out mathematical calculations.
The following chart is one
that I believe tells an
interesting and important
narrative about “Raising
the Bar” and “Preach My
Gospel.”
 This next chart may be
the most disturbing,
especially if you serve in
a leadership capacity.
 Take a look a the following chart that
indicates the percentage of people who
attend church at least once a month.
 For me the following
chart is the most
interesting one as I have
been studying and
meeting with those who
have gone through a
faith transition or faith
crisis.
 Now I am going to show you the
previous two charts side by side, and I
want you to tell me what you see.
◦ In particular, think about the connections
between the following charts and the
development of these new cornerstone
courses.
 There is a general recognition that
Church is not capturing the minds and
hearts of members on Sunday.
◦ Ward Council is now assisting in planning
sacrament meeting and there is concern by
the Brethren (Church leaders) about
Sabbath observance.
 So what I would like you to do is stand
and introduce yourself to the class by
stating your first and last name. Then
share one thing that you think the
Church should or could do to make
Sunday more spiritual or something you
have already done in your personal life.
◦ Repeats are okay; not in names, but in what
can be done better on the Sabbath.
 Last class my intent was to sell you on
the importance of the new cornerstone
courses and Jesus Christ and the
Everlasting Gospel in particular.
 However, today I will attempt to run
you off from my two classes of Jesus
Christ and the Everlasting Gospel.
I must admit that I did not want to
teach this course this semester.
◦ Instead I wanted to teach one called The
Restored Gospel and Christian History
390R (I still plan to teach it in the spring).
◦ Our new director felt strongly that we
needed to be strong out of the gate with the
new Cornerstone courses.
 What Jesus Christ and the Everlasting
Gospel is meant to be is the greatest
hits of theMy New Testament
goal this year is toand in
prevent
particular New this from
Testament 211.
◦ My concern, happening.
which I have But I with the
shared
powers thatexpect you
be, is that wetohave
assist
already paid
as well.
a price for decontextualizing our history,
are we going to do the same thing with the
scriptures now?
 One of the things that often irks me
about S&I is how we oversell things.
◦ We stand and salute just about anything
and everything that comes out of the
Church Office Building.
◦ Sometimes we have no idea what we are
saluting at, but dang our salute looks
snappy.
 If
you want to see this for yourself, just
compare and contrast how S&I talks
about the cornerstone courses on our
webpage and how BYU discusses it on
theirs.
◦ First, S&I’s take: https://si.lds.org
◦ Now BYU’s take: https://religion.byu.edu
 As you have read, the foundation of
this course will be searching and
learning across all the Standard Works.
◦ There is great value in studying the totality
of scripture as one as long as context
continues to be emphasized.
◦ 3 Nephi 23:14
 As those of you who have had me in the
past for a class know, I have a keen
interest in how people pass through faith
transitions, or, more radically, faith crises
in this Church.
◦ Most of you are probably not aware but last
semester a researcher from the Church came
here to interview Tempe Institute students
who had or were going through a faith
transition.
I went through my own faith transition
during my undergraduate and graduate
days.
 I believe that in some ways my
transition was both aided and hindered
by the lack of social media.
 Often times when people go through
faith transitions, they must rely on
earlier spiritual experiences or their
testimony of foundational truths.
◦ For example, someone might struggle with
whether Joseph Smith was a prophet given
something new he or she might have
discovered but retain a belief in Jesus.
 These Cornerstone courses are designed
to provide you with a foundation so
that any faith transitions that may
occur can indeed merely be a transition
and not a crisis.
 Either it is true …or it is false
(completely (completely
 One true)…
big problem that false). oft
contributes
Faith transitions can be
times exacerbated by this type
to a faith transition of crisis
or faith
Either Joseph
mentality
is the either/orbecausementality
once “chinks”that has
Either
Smith this
was …or
a appear in the…orit is the most
he was a
becomebeginso to
prevalent in the armor
Church.
heinous plan ever
Church
prophet
ratherandis
than seeing nuanceslecherous,
or by
Ifcompletely
something
everything concocted
megalomaniac
he did one is left con
“grey” areas, with only
is notwastwo choices. …then
true…
or taught artist. it
Satan.
completely
God’s will… must be
true…. false.
I belong to several groups on Facebook
and other social media outlets that deal
with faith transitions in the Church.
 One of the most interesting phenomena
is the number of ex-Mormons or post-
Mormons who have not been able to
give up the either/or mentality.
◦ For some it has lead to extreme cynicism.
 Is
there another way of looking at the
Gospel that transcend the either/or
outlook?
◦ Absolutely!!! It is one that requires a
mature faith that holds to foundational
truths but is willing to acknowledge
mistakes and areas where God’s will has
not been manifest even when it has been
claimed to be.
A mature faith will embrace the idea
that people’s experience with the Savior
while he lived here in mortality and
people’sConsider the
experience following
with him today are
varied from President
and sometimes even
Brigham Young:
contradictory.
◦ Furthermore it will take seriously the
progressive nature of revelation.
“I do not even believe that there is a
single revelation, among the many God
has given to the Church, that is perfect
in its fullness. The revelations of God
contain correct doctrine and principle, so
far as they go; but it is impossible for the
poor, weak, low, groveling,
sinful inhabitants of the earth to receive
a revelation from the Almighty in all its
perfections. He has to speak to us in a
manner to meet the extent of our
capacities…
If an angel should come into this
congregation, or visit any individual of
it, and use the language he uses in
heaven, what would we be benefitted?
Not any, because we could not
understand a word he said.
When angels come to visit mortals, they
have to condescend to and assume, more
or less, the condition of mortals, they
have to descend to our capacities in order
to communicate with us.
I make these remarks to show you that
the kingdom of heaven is not yet
complete upon the earth. Why? Because
the people are not prepared to receive it
in its completeness, for they are not
complete or perfect themselves.

Brigham Young
Journal of Discourses
2:314
I believe that we need to read the
scriptures with Brigham Young’s
comment in mind.
◦ There is change in understanding God and
His will as you progress through the
scriptures.
◦ Although we like to think that 7th century
B.C. Jews understood things just like we do
today, it is simply not true.
 What applies to revelation on a general
level applies to us on an individual level
as well.
◦ You and I need to be aware that our
promptings, impressions, flashes of insight,
visions, dreams, angelic ministrations, and
other forms of revelation are likewise
imperfect, and we always need further light
and knowledge.