Good evening, dear friends. It is a privilege to occupy this pulpit, though, believe me, I am well aware that those who’ve honored to deliver the Truman G. Madsen Eternal Man Lecture through the years are to a person more qualified than I. But Truman Madsen had an outsized influence in my life. So tonight, I welcome the chance to pay tribute to him and, in particular, to the masterful way he combined depth of scholarship with deep faith and devotion to Jesus Christ and to His prophets.

In connection with Faith Matters, Wheatley Institute sponsored an event at the National Press Club earlier this month titled "The Peacemaker: Exploring the Legacy of President Russell M. Nelson." While acknowledging President Nelson's passing this past week, we re-emphasize his prophetic call to be peacemakers in a polarizing time.

Wheatley Institute sponsored a 2-day BYU conference focused on The Family: a Proclamation to the World in celebration of its 30th anniversary. Speakers included Wheatley Institute Family Initiative Director Jason Carroll and fellows Jenet Erickson, Shima Baradaran Baughman, Brian Willoughby, Loren Marks and Justin Collings.

This week, Newsweek published an opinion editorial featuring the 2022 State of Our Unions study on marriage. Newsweek’s op-ed focuses on the benefits of marrying earlier in life rather than later, highlighting research from the 2022 report.

In a recently published commentary in the Wall Street Journal, Wheatley Fellow Jenet Erickson, and her co-author J.D. Vance, raise important questions about the wisdom of President Joe Biden’s $225 billion budget proposal for daycare. Apart from questioning the cost, Erickson and Vance question how to ensure efficacious care for millions of children moved abruptly into childcare.