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Brigham Young University is led unquestionably by the prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
BYU President Shane Reese calls it a “Christ-centered, prophetically directed university.”
The church president is, in fact, the chairman of BYU’s board of trustees and meets monthly with university leaders.
But, he also leads a global faith with 17 million members. That means the president/prophet speaks on campus less frequently than you might imagine.
How rare is it? (List to follow below.)
In a nutshell: The president of the church has spoken at the weekly BYU devotional only three times since 2007.
President Dallin H. Oaks will give the fourth on Tuesday, when the church president delivers the campus devotional at 11:05 a.m. in the Marriott Center.
It will be the first BYU devotional by a church president since 2019, when President Russell M. Nelson delivered a landmark talk, “The Love and Laws of God.”
President Nelson died on Sept. 27. His friend, President Oaks, succeeded him on Oct. 14.
Here’s the full list of BYU devotionals by church presidents this century:
| President | Date |
|---|---|
| President Nelson | Sept. 17, 2019 |
| President Thomas S. Monson | Nov. 1, 2011 |
| President Monson | Sept. 15, 2009 |
| President Gordon B. Hinckley | Sept. 18, 2007 |
| President Hinckley | Oct. 31, 2006 |
| President Hinckley | April 11, 2000 |
President Monson gave one other major address at BYU, in January 2009, but it was not a devotional. He delivered what then was the monthly Church Education System fireside on a Sunday night.
President Hinckley’s administration as prophet straddles the turn of the century, so the table above cuts off a remarkable run. He spoke at BYU devotionals for six consecutive years, from 1995 to 2000.
His predecessor, President Howard W. Hunter, never gave a BYU devotional.
Some readers will recall the talk he gave at BYU in 1993 that was disrupted by a man making a bomb threat, but President Hunter was not yet the church president and the event was not a devotional; it was a 19-stake fireside on a Sunday night.
President Ezra Taft Benson delivered two devotionals, in the falls of 1986 and 1987.
President Spencer W. Kimball gave many BYU devotionals. The last was in the fall of 1980.
That means that church presidents have delivered BYU devotionals 14 times in the past 45 years.
Expect a big audience at the Marriott Center on Tuesday.
My recent stories
- This evangelical pastor asked a very specific question of this Latter-day Saint leader (Feb. 4)
- The inspiring life-or-death work uniting Trump, Nicki Minaj, the Dalai Lama and the U.N. (Feb. 3)
- Trump’s personal pastor and faith adviser suggests this test of integrity at international summit (Feb. 2)
- President Dallin H. Oaks will give first BYU devotional by a church president since 2019 (Jan. 30)
- Historic Salt Lake Temple open house in 2027 may include these downtown road closures (Jan. 29)
About the church
- The church pledged significant financial and other support for the 2034 Olympic Winter Games in Utah.
- The Salt Lake Temple renovation manager took listeners inside the renovation project.
- Elder Patrick Kearon made a plea to young adults: Learn to “sing the song of redeeming love.”
- Find out where the Angel Moroni’s trumpet that fell during the 2020 earthquake is now.
- Church leaders released the location of what will be Latin America’s southernmost Latter-day Saint temple.
- What a Joseph Smith portrait at Morehouse College means to local Latter-day Saints.
What I’m reading
OK, I’m reading everything about the New England Patriots playing in the Super Bowl. That will surprise no one. I’m absorbing everything about Mike Vrabel, Drake Maye and BYU alum Khyiris Tonga, who plays defensive line on running downs and sometimes joins the offense as a very effective run blocker.
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell is my go-to for learning about how the game might play out.
I didn’t like this story: New “prediction markets” — it’s really a new way to place bets — allow people to bet on what phrases the Super Bowl announcers might use during the game. Maybe some people have too much money.
I loved this post (Jack Morris is still on my bucket list of people I’d like to meet and interview):
I’ve noted this before, but Americans love their American football, and this short video depiction using hand-drawn graphics is a cool way to learn about how much they love it:
Behind the scenes
