"LEARNING IN THE LIGHT: Selected Talks at BYU," by John S. Tanner, BYU Studies, $24.95, 252 pages (nf)
While John S. Tanner served at Brigham Young University in Provo as an English professor and administrator, he felt inspired by Psalms 36:9: “For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.”
A collection drawn from talks he gave during that time can be found in the recent book "Learning in the Light: Selected Talks at BYU."
A self-proclaimed idealist, President Tanner, a former member of the general Sunday School presidency of the LDS Church and now president of BYU-Hawaii, shares his feelings on the sacred nature of discovering truth in many of his speeches. “Learning in the light entails learning by study and by faith; by reason and by revelation; through work and through worthiness; with mind and heart,” he states in the introduction.
The nearly two dozen talks are organized into three sections.
The first section is "A House of Dreams: Pre-school Talks to the Faculty." Seven talks are in this section, including, “One of the Great Lights of the World,” and “Building a Better House of Learning.” These focus on the resistance to change, and how to shift from an “instruction paradigm” to a “learning paradigm” are some of President Tanner's key thoughts that are outlined.
The second section, titled "Of Mind and Soul: Talks on Education," incudes 10 talks, such as “On Sacrifice and Success,” “Ambition and the Love of Learning” and “The Healer’s Art.” President Tanner speaks of sacrifice being greater than success, personal righteousness being the greatest achievement, and various parables reflecting the true healer’s heart.
The third section, "Podium Turned Pulpit: Campus Devotionals," contains six talks. “One Step Enough” shares examples of walking by faith, while “More Holiness Give Me” features both President Tanner and his wife, Sister Susan W. Tanner, former general Young Women's president, outlining how one may strive for more holiness, despite the flawed and imperfect nature of mankind.
Elder Bruce C. Hafen, an emeritus general authority Seventy and former BYU law professor, provides insights into the motivation for President Tanner’s theme of “learning in the light” in the foreward of the book.
Stephanie Abney, retired schoolteacher and freelance writer, lives in Mesa, Arizona, with her husband, Jim. They have five children and 18 grandchildren. Her email is sabneyfeedback@cox.net, and she blogs at stephaniesaysso.blogspot.com.