CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts — At a time when young adults are feeling isolated and lonely, faith-based and faith-inclusive colleges and universities must deepen young adults’ sense of purpose and provide belonging, Elder Clark G. Gilbert said at Harvard University.
“This is a nation calling for something more, something deeper,” he said.
Speaking on Thursday, March 26, to students and faculty at the Harvard Faculty Club, Elder Gilbert, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, discussed the role of faith in the public square.
“It is my prayer and my hope that people of faith will stand up, that they will be counted, that they will find ways — even if it takes multiple ‘at-bats’ — to keep having their voices heard in the public square,” he said.
Before becoming an Apostle in February, Elder Gilbert was the Commissioner of Church Education and previously served as the president of BYU–Idaho and BYU–Pathway Worldwide. This address was a return to Harvard, where he earned his doctorate and taught in the business school. He spoke during a “Faith in the Public Square” series ahead of the university’s 2026 Faith and Veritas event — a universitywide gathering of Harvard’s Christian community.
“Faith and Veritas is an absolute gift to Harvard University,” he said, thanking Ruth Okediji, a Harvard law professor, for organizing the event.
Okediji, who spoke at BYU in January 2024, said events like these address a deep need in this generation and in the nation, “which is how do we improve the quality and integrity of our public square by making faith once more a part of that?”
A crisis and a solution
Elder Gilbert said America’s college-age students are facing a crisis of anxiety, depression and loneliness.
“Your generation in particular is the loneliest in the history of America,” Elder Gilbert said to the young adults, linking this to not just smartphones and social media but also a lack of religious affiliation.
Elder Gilbert cited a recent Harvard University study demonstrating that nearly 3 in 5 young adults lack a sense of purpose. Pew Research Center data shows a rise in adults with no religious affiliation, yet those who maintain regular worship report higher happiness and satisfaction.
Despite the rise in what are called the religious “nones,” and despite a common media narrative, faith-based universities are growing nationally. In fact, from 2000 to 2025, the BYU system grew by over 100,000 students, Elder Gilbert said. Other universities with religious affiliations are also seeing growth as students, including nonreligious ones, seek an education that includes faith and character development.
Elder Gilbert originally authored an August 2025 article for Deseret Magazine outlining these very themes. The Chronicle of Higher Education recently published a follow-on article titled “Religious Colleges Are Booming. Why?”
“If you are a person of faith, you have to keep going back up to bat,” Elder Gilbert said, encouraging the students not to get discouraged or to disengage when speaking up for faith is challenging.
Walking ‘to’ something
Also on Thursday, Elder Gilbert spent some time on the banks of the Charles River to be near a place that holds much significance to him. When he was in graduate school at Harvard, he and his wife, Sister Christine Gilbert, had come to the spot for a picnic with their young son.
At the start of graduate school, he felt way over his head in the intensive math courses he was required to take. He told his wife he did not think he could do it. In so many words, she told him: “You prayed for this, you know our family is supposed to be here. Now, ‘buck up’ and do the math.”
He recognized that he needed to trust in the Savior to help him; that he had made covenants with the Lord, and the Lord would direct his path.
Recounting the story to the Harvard faculty and students, Elder Gilbert concluded, “If I did not have a framework of faith and purpose, I would have given up.”
One of the faculty members asked him about the courage to “walk away from” his career as a professor at the Harvard Business School to follow his faith and go to BYU–Idaho. Elder Gilbert responded that it was “also walking to” something better, which always happens when following the Lord’s direction.
Faith and reason are not in conflict, he concluded, explaining that if America truly values a pluralistic society, where all are welcome, then American institutions and the public square must also include faith.
“America needs faith,” he said. “The majority of ‘nones’ want God in their life. The majority of nones pray. The majority of nones may have disaffiliated with a particular religion, but they are feeling the gap in their life without faith.”
Elder Gilbert concluded by inviting the students to stand up for their faith and to have the courage to help others do the same.
