“If they are not revolutionary, they are at least going to be a breath of fresh air across the church,” Jensen told the Utah class. “Has the church seen the effects of Google on membership? Access to the internet is often credited and blamed for this mass exodus, where members learn about problematic doctrines and cover-ups of LDS history… The curious find a family-focused church with socially conservative values that teaches Christian principles and believes Christ appeared to founder Joseph Smith in America, where Smith established the new religion. And many are not. Excerpts of the Q&A session specifically having to do with the difficulties Mormons face when learning about church history are included below. And it has now reached out, quietly, to the gay community. He was asked his thoughts regarding the effects of Google on membership and people who are "leaving in droves" over Church history. Many are happy as Mormons. In 2012, Mormon General Authority Marlin K. Jensen acknowledged that members are leaving the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints "in droves." Elder Marlin K. Jensen's response: In 2012, Mormon General Authority Marlin K. Jensen acknowledged that members are leaving the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints “in droves.” Access to the internet is often credited and blamed for this mass exodus, where members learn about problematic doctrines and cover-ups of LDS history. But on Broadway, the church’s gospel and missionary zeal are mocked. But census data from some foreign countries targeted by clean-cut young missionaries show that the retention rate for their converts is as low as 25 percent. This is a serialization of “A Faithful Reply to the CES Letter from a … SALT LAKE CITY, Utah - A religious studies class late last year at Utah State University in Logan, Utah, was unusual for two reasons. He served as the official Church Historian and Recorder of the church from 2005 to 2012. In a February 25, 2008 press release about the new Church Historian's Press publishing the Joseph Smith Papers, Jensen offered instruction on how to approach church history. The small group of students, faculty and faithful there to hear Mormon Elder Marlin Jensen were openly troubled about the future of their church, asking hard questions. Now Utah Democratic Senator Ben McAdams and Republican Representative Derek Brown are proposing a similar statewide bill, and the Church’s position on that will be significant. Previously he practiced law and was a partner in a family ranching enterprise. Elder Marlin K. Jensen's response: There was no immediate agreement. These former members of the Presiding Bishopric did not serve as a Seventy during their time as a general authority. First Seven Presidents of the Seventy / First Council of the Seventy, CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (. He was the 19th man to hold that calling since it was established in 1830. In the article was information about a Q&A meeting at Utah State University that LDS Church Historian and General Authority, Elder Marlin K. Jensen, gave in late 2011. Church historian Elder Marlin K. Jensen attended a Q;A set up by Phil Barlow at Utah State University. [34] Several bills were under debate to block undocumented access to jobs and public benefits, such as in-state tuition and driving privilege cards. Still, in heavily evangelical South Carolina, Romney won only one-tenth of the vote among those who said a candidate’s religious beliefs mattered to them a great deal. I've even herd of them referred to as equity pioneers. And to some voters, Mormonism remains a complete enigma. [2] He later served as president of the Huntsville Utah Stake. They really do know and they really care,” he said. He was asked his thoughts regarding the effects of Google on membership and people who are "leaving in droves" over Church history. Many evangelicals say they do not consider the LDS church to be Christian. And many are not. Many are happy as Mormons. Jensen observed "greater dialogue coming about, less suspicion and a greater openness that is coming to pass". [5], Jensen married Kathleen Bushnell on June 9, 1967 in the Salt Lake Temple. He was asked his thoughts regarding the effects of Google on membership and people who are “leaving in droves” over Church history. Plural marriages were "not controlled by the authority of one individual" and "the consent of individual women was always honored in any marriage proposal". Jensen was Church Historian and Recorder from 2005 to 2012,[1] and executive director of the Church History Department from 2004 to 2012. But Christian Anderson, 41, a non-practicing Mormon in Columbia, South Carolina, for years filed away on a mental “shelf” concerns about the historical veracity of the religion’s central text and its socially conservative views. He often acted as a peacemaker, attempting to bring understanding or empathy to divisive issues. All this comes as the public profile of America’s Mormons had been raised by two pop-culture hits: the recent TV series “Big Love” and the current Broadway hit, “The Book of Mormon.” The attention, says church spokesman Michael Purdy, is a “double-edged sword.”. Is the church aware of that problem? Church members are satisfied with their lives, content with their communities, strongly see themselves as Christian and believe acceptance of Mormons is increasing, a recent Pew Research poll of people who describe themselves as Mormon found. Jensen, the church’s official historian, would not provide any figures on the rate of defections, but he told Reuters that attrition has accelerated in the last five or 10 years, reflecting greater secularization of society. [27], On April 22, 1998, Jensen was sent by the First Presidency to give an interview with the Salt Lake Tribune in reaction to a 1998 First Presidency statement[30] and to explicitly state that someone could be a devout Mormon and a member of the Democratic Party. And many are … That’s a common story to PhD student John Dehlin, who conducts conferences nationally for “unorthodox Mormons” wrestling with doubts and has a podcast, mormonstories.org. [2] After returning home in 1964, he graduated from BYU with a B.S. In 2012, Mormon General Authority Marlin K. Jensen acknowledged that members are leaving the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints "in droves". This crisis of faith in the LDS church remains largely offstage in the race for the presidency. Jensen responded that top church leaders "realize that, maybe, since Kirtland we've never had a period of, I'll call it apostasy, like we're … He later served first as a counselor, then as president, of the North America Northeast Area. Jensen has served in various area presidency positions. Jensen served in these positions until 2001. Lived In Ogden UT, Rochester NY, Salt Lake City UT. There has been a bit of buzz (mostly amongst ex- and anti-Mormons) recently over some remarks of Elder Marlin K. Jensen, an emeritus member of the 1st Quorum of the Seventy and former Church Historian and Recorder, who is alleged to have said that, thanks to Google, the omniscient fount of all knowledge, members of the Church are leaving “in droves”. Observers reported that his contributions "helped transform the Utah-based faith's approach to its history," and saw the church's history department "truly come of age. Did the leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints know that members are “leaving in droves?” a woman asked. "[27][39], At the invitation of Utah State University professor Philip Barlow, Jensen held a "Q&A" with a Mormon Studies student group on November 11, 2011. He said a new church initiative would give answers to troubling questions, and such issues should be discussed more openly with the new internet-savvy generation. : Answering God's Interrogatories", Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Latter-day Saint History, "Church History: Past, Present and Future", "The Joseph Smith Papers: The Manuscript Revelation Books", "The Rest of the Story: Latter-day Saint Relations with Utah's Native Americans", "Minding the House of Church History: Reflections of a Church Historian at the End of His Time", "A Conversation on Preparing Ourselves for the Temple", "Conversation: Church Museum Strengthens Members and Visitors", "A Historian by Yearning: A Conversation with Elder Marlin K. Jensen", "Historian by yearning' collects, preserves: Elder Marlin K. Jensen is historian/recorder", "Elder Marlin K. Jensen of the First Quorum of the Seventy", http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865560066/Former-LDS-Church-leaders-tabbed-for-Utah-higher-education-boards.html, "Called to Serve: An Historic Event—159th Annual General Conference", "Family History: A Conversation with Elder D. Todd Christofferson", "Political Briefing; A Democratic Mormon Offers Hope in Utah", "Changing of the guard in Mormon history", "A Church that Takes Its History Seriously", "History of the Joseph Smith Papers Project", "New Church History Library to Be Constructed", "Breaking News: Changes in Family and Church History Department Organization", "Groups want church to back historic landmark status", "Mountain Meadows landmark plan aims to heal, unite", "Mountain Meadows officially becomes National Historic Landmark", "Mormon leadership bids farewell to peacemaking progressive", "Church Historian: 'A record of His Church and its people, "Emeritus general authorities welcome the chance to practice what they've preached", "First Presidency Urges Citizen Participation", "Have compassion for immigrants, lawmakers urged", "Debate resumes over illegal immigrants' status in LDS Church", "Compassion call could affect immigration bills", "Mormon Leader: ‘I’m Sorry’ For Hurtful Legacy of Prop. [15] From 1990 to 1992, Jensen served as president of the Utah North Area. For example, the “I am a Mormon” ad campaign, which features stereotype-busting Mormons who are black or single parents, helped boost chat sessions on the church’s website to more than a million in the last 12 months. In addition, many 19th-century polygamous wives were well-educated, politically active professionals. He is married to the former Kathleen Bushnell and they have eight children and 32 grandchildren. [11] He lamented the decline of the Utah Democratic Party, and regretted that the Republican Party might be seen as the "church party". “My own daughter,” he then added, “has come to me and said, ‘Dad, why didn’t you ever tell me that Joseph Smith was a polygamist?’” For the younger generation, Jensen acknowledged, “Everything’s out there for them to consume if they want to Google it.” The manuals used to teach the young church doctrine, meanwhile, are “severely outdated.”. He elaborated that “maybe since Kirtland, we never have had a period of, I’ll call it … Most of the church members present said they weren’t aware of anyone they knew being gay, but they had heard from parents whose gay children were no longer speaking to them and who felt caught between their religion and their family. While not always official church positions, his statements illustrated his candid views as a leader within the LDS Church. But the Church did in 2009 support a job and housing anti-discrimination measure in Salt Lake City, saying that opposing discrimination was a separate issue from same-sex marriage. He served as the official Church Historian and Recorder of the church from 2005 to 2012. He asked for LDS historians to "not be in an apologetic mode, but to be as open, candid and fair about our own history as we can". Participants took turns describing their background. In January 2012, it was announced that, after a transition period, Steven E. Snow would replace Jensen as the Church Historian and Recorder later in the year. Related To Kathleen Jensen, Matthew Jensen, Clarice Jensen, Stephen Jensen, Jessica Jensen. Includes Address(5) Phone(2) See Results. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays. In 2012, Mormon General Authority Marlin K. Jensen acknowledged that members are leaving the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints "in droves." The person who recorded it summarized the the Q&A session in a blog post where Jensen was asked if church leaders were aware that Mormons were "leaving in droves" which Jensen confirmed. In 2005, he became the first Church Historian and Recorder to serve since 1997. While not always official church positions, his statements illustrated his candid views as a leader within the LDS Church. They should foster a culture of mutual openness with the general historical community. [2] At the relatively young age of 28, he served as bishop of his ward in Huntsville, as had both his father and grandfather. [35] On behalf of the First Presidency[36] at Westminster College's Interfaith Dialogue on Immigration, Jensen said lawmakers should "take a step back" since this "deal[s] with God's children" and "a more humane approach is warranted".[34]. The church denied the higher priesthood to blacks until 1978 and still bars sexually active homosexuals from its temples. LDS Church Historian and Recorder General Authority Marlin K. Jensen confirmed the end of 2011 that LDS are "leaving in droves." Not a trained historian or academic, Jensen brought a passion to his work; reading widely, gathering scholars, and implementing changes. The church is particularly concerned, however, about its younger members -- the ones who are asked to dedicate two years of their life to spreading the Mormon gospel. [3] This supported his real passion of living a farming lifestyle. Marlin K. Jensen, an Emeritus General Authority of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, served in the First Quorum of the Seventy from 1989 to 2012. Among other steps, it has hired an expert in search-engine optimization to raise the profile of the church’s own views in a web search. [27][31], Jensen featured prominently in the 2007 PBS documentary The Mormons. Resides in Huntsville, UT. In 2012, Mormon General Authority Marlin K. Jensen acknowledged that members are leaving the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints "in droves." These are tumultuous times for the faith founded by Joseph Smith in 1830, and the rumbling began even before church member Mitt Romney’s presidential bid put the Latter-Day Saints in the spotlight. In the wake of the Prop 8 battle, Brandie Balken, executive director of gay rights group Equality Utah, was one of five gay advocates who met with three LDS officials to ease tensions. What was supposed to be a half hour or hour meeting stretched to two hours. "[16][17] Terryl Givens said of his legacy, "Marlin Jensen has done more to further the cause of Mormon history than any person of the current generation."[16]. [11] From 1996 to 1998 he was executive director of the Church Historical Department. leaving in droves". Moreover, church leaders have taught that the Book of Mormon is a historical document -- not a parable -- so the faithful are startled to find articles on the internet using science to contradict it. Did the leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints know that members are “leaving in droves?” a woman asked. Several major developments occurred during Jensen's leadership over the Church History Department. Jensen is one of the few general authorities of the LDS Church who self-identifies as a member of the Democratic Party.[14]. In 1989, Jensen became a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy at the age of 46. [38], On September 19, 2010, members of the Oakland, California stake were invited to share with Jensen their experiences and troubles over the LDS Church's involvement in the Proposition 8 campaign to ban gay marriage in California. During the South Carolina primary, one Mormon woman there said an acquaintance was surprised to see her driving a car, confusing Mormons with the Amish. Utah State University that LDS Church Historian and General Authority, Elder Marlin K. Jensen gave in late 2011. Jensen later clarified that critics were overstating his remarks, saying "To say we are experiencing some Titanic-like wave of apostasy is inaccurate."[40][41][42][43]. “We are aware,” said Jensen, according to a tape recording of his unscripted remarks. “And I’m speaking of the 15 men that are above me in the hierarchy of the church. Except for the three former members of the Presiding Bishopric noted, all living emeritus general authorities are former members of the First or Second Quorums of the Seventy.2. On May 5, 2008, Jensen officially responded to Timothy Egan's New York Times op-ed piece which claimed that FLDS polygamy "is a look back at some of the behavior of Mormonism's founding fathers". [13] In these roles and as a church official, Jensen has spoken at General Conference, BYU Women's Conference (1998), BYU Family History and Genealogy Conference (2006), Northern Utah Family History Conference (2006), Yale's American Society of Church History (2007), and the Mormon History Association Conference (2005 and 2007). “I think you can find scientific studies coming down on both sides, but the Book of Mormon doesn’t live or die on scientific evidence,” Jensen said. “ Reports of the Death of the Church are Greatly Exaggerated,” January 15, 2013) [27][29], Jensen at times addressed the press or public as a church representative. [2] His family operates a ranching enterprise called Jensens' Middle Fork Ranch, in which he is a partner. He was asked his thoughts regarding the effects of Google on membership and people who are “leaving in droves” over Church history… This truly shocked me. Elder Marlin K. Jensen's response: These remarks were recorded by a student and circulated online, and were picked up in a Reuters "Special Report". LDS Church Historian Elder Marlin K. Jensen was asked if church leaders were aware that Mormons were “leaving in droves” which Jensen confirmed. He was asked his thoughts regarding the effects of Google on membership and people who are "leaving in droves" over Church history. The purpose of this post is to provide to new members of this forum, who simply 'may have missed it', the link to the 2012 article where LDS church historian Marlin K. Jensen verifies that the Q15 do know that church members are... 'leaving in droves'. [8] In 1993, he was made assistant executive director of the church's Priesthood Department,[9] later becoming executive director until 2001. They are moving to Utah. “I think this is an epidemic for the church,” said Dehlin. And Jensen was uncharacteristically frank in acknowledging their concerns. “One concern is that Romney’s campaign could further energize evangelical antipathy toward the church. [2], Professionally, Jensen was an attorney in private practice in Ogden, Utah, specializing in business and estate planning. “There have been discussions at LDS church headquarters about both the positive and negative aspects of Romney’s presidential bid,” a person briefed on the talks said. It won’t allow its property to be used for polling, unlike many other churches, and has been careful not to run the “I am a Mormon” ads in early primary states. They are the parents of eight children. [6], In August 2012, Utah Governor Gary Herbert nominated Jensen to serve on the Utah State Board of Regents, which oversees the state's colleges and universities.[7]. The LDS church claims 14 million members worldwide -- optimistically including nearly every person baptized. [37] Jensen strongly disagreed and pointed out that by 19th-century norms a 15-year-old bride was not unusual nor considered abused and the "common-law marriage age for women was 12". In Africa and Latin America, however, Jensen said that interest in the LDS was so strong that the church has cut back baptisms in order to better care for new members. He was president of the Europe Central Area from 2001 to 2003. [11], Coming from a church official on assignment from the First Presidency, the comments surprised many prominent Utah politicians and Latter-day Saints. Starting in 1978, the duties of Church Historians fell to the Executive director of the historical department. But Spaniards introduced horses to the New World many centuries later, and extensive DNA studies have failed to find any genetic link between Israelites and Native Americans, suggesting instead that North America’s indigenous population came across the Bering Strait from Asia many thousands of years ago. As Droves Out Our Windows Reuters published a fascinating and timely article yesterday, and the opening four paragraphs reminded me of a favorite Richard Bushman quote: "To be credible we must be candid". Researchers note a rising tide of questions from church members about the gospel according to Joseph Smith’s The Book of Mormon, the best known of the Latter-day Saints’ scriptures. Elder Marlin K. Jensen’s response was to him shocking: Maybe since Kirtland, we’ve never had a period of – I’ll call it apostasy, like we’re having now; largely over these issues… Then he outlined how the church was using the technologies that had loosened its grip on the flock to reverse this trend. Many are happy as Mormons. Actually, Elder Jensen never said that Church members were leaving “in droves.” That specific phrasing came from a member of the audience during the question and answer part of a devotional given by Elder Jensen in November 2011. Over the years, church literature has largely glossed over some of the more controversial aspects of its history, such as the polygamy practiced by Smith and Brigham Young, who led the Mormons to Utah. In the U.S., only about half of Mormons are active members of the church, said Washington State University emeritus sociologist Armand Mauss, a leading researcher on Mormons. Certainly the church can change, as it did a generation ago in admitting blacks to the higher priesthood. Many religions have been suffering similarly, he noted, arguing that Mormonism has never been more vibrant. He was the 19th man to hold that calling since it was established in 1830. Marlin K. Jensen, in Logan, Utah, on November 11, 2011, who states that there is a massive exodus/apostasy going on, where more people are leaving Mormonism right now, than any other time since Kirtland! “I don’t think God was ever against blacks in the priesthood. [29] On October 6, 2012, Jensen was then released from the First Quorum of the Seventy and designated as an emeritus general authority at the LDS Church's semi-annual general conference. Several years back, LDS General Authority and outgoing official church historian, Marlin K. Jensen, publicly acknowledged that the membership of the church was leaving “in droves” and that the pace of defections was increasing in startling numbers. [32], On February 13, 2008, Jensen urged the Utah State Legislature to show compassion in considering laws that would affect undocumented immigrants. During a Q&A at Utah State University in 2011, Elder Marlin K. Jensen, who was then the official Church historian, fielded a polite hardball question from a … Marlin K Jensen, 78. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Church History, "Loving with the Spirit and with the Understanding", "Where Art Thou? 1. 8", "Special report-Mormonism besieged by the modern age", "Mormons tackling tough questions in their history", "Reports of the Death of the Church are Greatly Exaggerated", General Authorities and General Officers: Elder Marlin K. Jensen, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Marlin_K._Jensen&oldid=1001322198, American general authorities (LDS Church), American Mormon missionaries in the United States, General Presidents of the Sunday School (LDS Church), Members of the First Quorum of the Seventy (LDS Church), Official historians of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Articles with dead external links from October 2010, Latter Day Saint biography Infobox with missing parameters, Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SNAC-ID identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 19 January 2021, at 05:21. While Larsen was still technically Church Historian until 1997, others succeeded him as Executive Director of the Historical Department, and those men were sometimes referred to as the Official Church Historians. 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