Her article on “Mormon videos spur question: Should aging LDS apostles be able to retire?” laments a leadership that is old, white, and male, with “almost no women or people of color” in sight. Further, she complains that only “a few non-Americans have inched up the leadership ladder.”
In a statement of astounding self-discovery, the videos, as she reports, provide “stark visual verification of what believers long have known about their faith’s top leaders.” Yikes! (This is news?)
Maybe she should take a closer look at the new general authorities chart, which includes men and women, leaders of color from dozens of different countries, and among them noted physicians, dentists, lawyers, business executives, government officials, tradesmen, and other professionals….including a Czech former chief 747 pilot for Lufthansa with an authoritative German accent in the First Presidency!
Oh, Peggy, what were you thinking when you wrote this article??
She continues with “some wonder if an LDS Church president could resign his office—the way Pope Benedict XVI did—and hand the leadership to a younger, more vibrant man.” (And this is a faith editor who has covered the Church for the Tribune for 25 years--since 1991), yet she seems wholly illiterate on the process by which Church leaders are chosen for each position, from top to bottom, and the high caliber of those leaders, intellectually and spiritually. What is worse, she negligently disregards the process and the doctrine stated clearly in the Fifth Article of Faith:
“We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands, by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.”
Peggy Fletcher Stack conveniently forgets that she covers the Church of Jesus Christ, a church that is led and guided by Jesus of Nazareth through direct revelation. Directly addressing her topic, Elder David A. Bednar stated that the leaders of this Church are called and chosen of God “by prophecy” and revelation.
“Some people have suggested younger, more vigorous leaders are needed in the Church to address effectively the serious challenges of our modern world. But the Lord does not use contemporary philosophies and practices of leadership to accomplish His purposes (Isaiah 55:8–9).” (“Chosen to Bear Testimony of My Name,” Ensign, November 2015).
In his October 2015 General Conference talk, Elder Bednar further stated that we can expect that the President and other senior leaders of the Church will be older and spiritually seasoned men…with human physical frailties as they age and eventually die. The order and process by which they are called and released is “the Lord’s revealed pattern of governance by councils in His Church,” he said.
Peggy quotes Gregory Prince, author of a forthcoming article on the gerontocracy topic, who warns of downsides to reliance on aging authorities. "A power vacuum at the top, caused by the incapacitation of the church president, can put the entire church at risk of damage that might otherwise be prevented by a competent president," he explained.
Power vacuum at the top? Can put the entire Church at risk? Looks to us like Gregory Prince has little personal knowledge of Church leadership and how it functions.
She further quotes Gregory Prince as follows: “The top leader also can step in and settle conflicts between apostles and take actions his counselors feel uncomfortable implementing on their own.”
Conflicts and discomfort?
Notice the disparaging language, as though this problem exists among the leadership. The harmony, unity, and brotherhood of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles are not mentioned.
Peggy Fletcher Stack quotes Gregory Prince once again, that "service until death is a tradition but not a scripturally based doctrine,” (from “Gerontocracy and the Future of Mormonism," to be published in Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought.) Au contraire Mr. Prince, do you not understand the doctrine of the Church as it pertains to revelation, the mind and will of God, and the sacred lifetime calling of all apostles since organization of the Original Church of Jesus Christ as given in somewhat fragmentary detail in the New Testament??
In our opinion, the general authorities of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are great men and women, of noble character and enormous leadership ability, who follow the Spirit of the Lord in personal righteousness. We know many of them personally.
It is easy for others to criticize President Thomas S. Monson for his advanced years and decreasing physical abilities. But the Lord knows him, and loves him, and he is supported by the strength of his counselors, the Quorum of the Twelve, the Seventy, and thousands of other outstanding leaders, chosen by God, throughout the world in various capacities and callings.
We love the reflection by Elder Bednar from the same conference talk mentioned above: “The limitations that are the natural consequence of advancing age can in fact become remarkable sources of spiritual learning and insight. The very factors many may believe limit the effectiveness of these servants can become some of their greatest strengths. Physical restrictions can expand vision. Limited stamina can clarify priorities. Inability to do many things can direct focus to a few things of greatest importance.” (Ensign, November 2015, op cit.). And that is good for the Church.
So, Peggy Fletcher Stack and Gregory Prince, we don’t expect President Monson to resign and retire to a castle in the mountains anytime soon. God will call him home when the time is right.
