Wheatley Scholar Applications Due December 31

"Marriage and childbearing belong to the domain of the spirit, the rational part of the rational animal. Marriage and kids are choices we make. They have to be chosen because we are reasoning beings. The reasons to do them have to be weightier than the reasons not to do them. And there are many reasons not to do them. Marriage and kids are hard to do. You give up a lot. But what do you gain?"

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.

Although retention is not as high as it once was, for Latter-day Saints it has remained remarkably robust across every major indicator of religious life. They lead the nation in church attendance, personal and family religious practice, and active retention, including among Millennials and Gen Z.

"While most people aren’t “overtly hostile” to marriage, they’re becoming “indifferent” to it because they don’t see “its utility or its advantages”—even though family scholars across the political spectrum agree on its economic, social and individual benefits."

"They took on one of the thorniest issues of the day from the heart of the culture wars and treated each other with dignity. They didn’t attack each other; they contended with each other’s ideas and only after working hard to understand those ideas."