Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Latter-day Saint
Apostolic Ambitions?

Apostolic Ambitions?

Last updated on: September 5, 2018 at 9:52 am by Dan Peterson

Apostolic Ambitions? 2018-09-05T09:52:45-06:00 Dan Peterson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as of August 2018, from front left: President M. Russell Ballard, Jeffrey R. Holland, Dieter F. Uchtdorf, David A. Bednar, and Quentin L. Cook. From back row left: D. Todd Christofferson, Neil L. Andersen, Ronald A. Rasband, Gary R. Stevenson, Dale G. Renlund, Gerrit W. Gong, and Ulisses Soares

This is good news:

“New Marriott rooms across the globe will get Bible, Book of Mormon”

***

Have you seen this interesting series of articles?

“Inside the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles: The Ministry of President M. Russell Ballard and His Brethren”

“Inside the Quorum of the Twelve: What It’s Like to Be a Prophet, Seer, and Revelator”

“Inside the Quorum of the Twelve: The Divine Calling Apostles Share with Missionaries”

“Inside the Quorum of the Twelve: Called as Witnesses of Christ in All the World”

***

Some cynics like to imagine the wealth and luxury, the glory and the status and the prestige, the sheer ego-gratification, that come to the men who are called to serve in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Such imaginings tell us far, far more about the cynics and their imaginations than they do about the members of the Twelve.

The odds of being called to the Twelve are submicroscopically low for any given active male in the Church. Those who are called so to serve can hardly have been seriously thinking about elevation to the apostleship during their decades of prior service in the Aaronic priesthood, as missionaries, as priests quorum advisors, elders quorum presidents, young adult leaders, scoutmasters, members of high councils, counselors in bishoprics, bishops, counselors in stake presidencies, stake presidents, mission presidents, and the like. These were years of uncompensated, sometimes rather demanding, and very often quite unglamorous labor in the Church and on behalf of the Saints. There were plenty of welfare assignments, late night calls, and calls to move ward members.

If, through all those years, they were really just in it for wealth, luxury, glory, status, prestige, and ego, these men took an enormous risk for highly unlikely delayed gratification.

Moreover, the life of an apostle isn’t actually one of splendor, status, and luxury. It entails endless meetings, problems, challenges, reports, and constant, quite un-vacationlike travel.

And, for most of them, apostolic service commences at just about the stage in life where most men are thinking about retirement.

This really hit me when Elder Gerrit W. Gong was called to the Twelve at the end of March. He and I are approximately the same age. Like me, he has an academic background. We’re not intimate friends, but I’ve known him for quite a few years and worked with him once or twice. It struck me on 31 March 2018 that he’ll never enjoy retirement. I’m beginning, myself, to look forward to a time, which can’t be too far away, when I’ll no longer be grading student papers and serving on faculty committees. I have big writing projects and other goals to which I want to devote my attention — on my own time, at my own initiative, on my own schedule. If Elder Gong was beginning to entertain such thoughts, however, he can kiss them goodbye. The only way out of the apostleship is death, apostasy, or serious transgression and excommunication.

Anybody really ambitious for attending lots and lots of meetings, helping to oversee and guide a large and complex international organization, and coming into the office every day when not traveling nationally and internationally for the sake of the organization from roughly the age of sixty-five or so until death (perhaps several decades later) has my genuine awe and respect.

These men, too, have my respect, awe, and admiration. Not because of their ambition to reign, though. Because of their willingness to serve.

Uncategorized

apostle

apostles

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Gerrit Gong

Mormon

Mormonism

Previous Post

August 26, 2018

The Parthenon of the South Pacific?

Next Post

August 27, 2018 "Nature . . . prefers beauty"

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 March 2014 August 2013 February 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What did Moses do after breaking the tablets?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Destroyed the calf Returned to Sinai for new tablets Fasted for 30 days Left the camp