Russell M. Nelson Moves On

Russell M. Nelson was released from his call as President and as a mortal yesterday.

He was a doer and a changer.  The two-hour block and everything that went along with it such as no priesthood opening exercises and limiting announcements, Come Follow Me, getting rid of “Mormon,” emphasizing “the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” encouragement for Saints to form study groups and to engage in private gospel efforts, a temple-building spree, revising the hymn book and even how we do music, multiple serious revisions to the endowment and other aspects of temple worship, democratizing the act of witnessing ordinances, no more priesthood session and women’s session, gawky youth broadcasts, the first church-wide social media fast… the list goes on.

Other aspects did not change–the Church continued its effort to disengage from culture wars and speak softly without conceding anything of substance.  Hence the outreach to the leftist race group the NAACP for instance.  One exception might be the COVID letter.

For some normally faithful Saints who have been upset by some of these, I would offer the following wisdom–
1) Any time of change will have some things that work and some things that don’t.  Revelation isn’t a cheat code that guarantees that every effort will succeed brilliantly, as this year’s study of the Doctrine and Covenants should have reminded you.  The alternative to trying a bunch of stuff and having a few not work out is not trying a bunch of stuff at all.

2)  No mortal man is perfect and can lead perfectly.  No, the prophet was not infallible.  Similarly, your dad isn’t infallible.  But do you love and respect your dad?  Does he have some peculiar notions and some quirks but he has still taught you most everything you know, and his counsel still benefits you greatly?  Isn’t it true that the more you grow, the more things about him you have moved from the “peculiar notions and some quirks” category to the ” wise counsel and good character” category?  “The prophet” is not an abstract theological category.  He is a man leading with authority and love just like your dad.

On a personal note, the 8 Keys to Revelation that President Nelson taught early in his ministry are life-changing.  Perhaps some day I will be able to thank him for it.  Perhaps some of my ancestors already are, because it allowed them to get through to me when they otherwise couldn’t.

(From Gently Hew Stone)

However, as a simple matter of fact, the most lasting and tremendous thing he has done may be raising his large family and having numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren.

We all say that kind of thing piously–“of course, family is what really matters”–but I don’t know how often we consider the hard-nosed dollars and cents reality behind that statement.  His posterity will roll on in numbers beyond imagining for all the ages to come.

Man builds empires in space.  God–and men like RMN–build empires in time.