Bruce R. McConkie and B.H. Roberts—parallels and contrasts

This post begins a three-part series about Elder Bruce R. McConkie and his book Mormon Doctrine. In this article, I will point out several striking parallels between the earthly ministry and struggles of Elder Bruce R. McConkie and Elder B.H. Roberts.  These parallels include, for example, the fact that both men were called to the First Council of the Seventy at the age of 31—Elder Roberts serving 45 years until his death and Elder McConkie serving 38 years until his death (including 13 years as an Apostle).

Both men were prolific writers

Another similarity lies in the fact that both men were prolific writers.

Elder Roberts is "the author of the 3,400-page Comprehensive History of the Church (1930), the editor of the seven-volume 'documentary' History of the Church (1902–1932), and the author of the three-volume New Witnesses for God (1909)....  He authored, in addition, more than fifty tracts, articles, and pamphlets revolving around the Book of Mormon, its origins, its content, its meaning, its purposes, and its power as a sacred document."  (Truman G. Madsen, Ensign, Dec. 1983, 11.)

Elder McConkie is the author of the three-volume Doctrinal New Testament Commentary (1966-1973), the six-volume Messiah series on the life of Christ, and A New Witness for the Articles of Faith (1985).  Elder McConkie also edited the three volumes of Doctrines of Salvation, which contain the sermons and writings of President Joseph Fielding Smith.

The most striking parallel

But the most striking parallel is that each wrote a large encyclopedic volume about the gospel which generated controversy among the leaders of the Church—and it is here that we also begin to see the contrasts.

The book that caused trouble for Elder Roberts was The Truth, The Way, The Life (Provo, Utah: BYU Studies, 1994).  Because Elder Roberts was not willing to accept criticism of his book from the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve, The Truth, The Way, The Life remained unpublished until more than 60 years after his death.  I've presented a rather detailed discussion of this whole affair at http://ndbf.net/eom.htm.

The book that caused trouble for Elder McConkie was Mormon Doctrine (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1958).  Because Elder McConkie was willing to accept criticism of his book from the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve, it has become "one of the time-honored classics of Mormon literature."  (Joseph Fielding McConkie, "The Mormon Doctrine Saga 1958 and 1966," in The Bruce R. McConkie Story: Reflections of a Son [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2003], 182; click here to read the entire chapter.)

Today, it has rightfully been said that "few books can match it [Mormon Doctrine] in endurance or number of copies sold.  Perhaps few books, except the scriptures, can match it in the frequency with which it has been quoted in talks and lessons by those seeking to teach gospel principles."  (Ibid.)  But I'm getting ahead of myself.

A difficult beginning

Trent D. Stephens and D. Jeffrey Meldrum state that "President McKay provately disavowed Elder McConkie's book, which was written without approval of or direction from the church.  The First Presidency concluded that the book was  ' full of errors and misstatements, and it is most unfortunate that the book has received such wide circulation'  (Paul, Science, Religion, and Mormon Cosmology, 179)."  (Evolution and Mormonism: A Quest for Understanding [Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 2001], 49.)

Erich Robert Paul claims Elder McConkie's book was found to contain "over 1,000  'doctrinal errors' "  (Science, Religion, and Mormon Cosmology [Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1992], 179.)

According to Elder McConkie's son, "In January 1960, President McKay asked Elder McConkie not to have the book reprinted."  (Joseph Fielding McConkie, "The Mormon Doctrine Saga 1958 and 1966," op. cit., 183; click here to read the entire chapter.)

Spencer W. Kimball assigned to help

But then "on July 5, 1966, President McKay invited Elder McConkie into his office and gave approval for the book to be reprinted if appropriate changes were made and approved.  Elder Spencer W. Kimball was assigned to be Elder McConkie's mentor in making those changes."  (Ibid.)

"There were about fifty items that Elder Kimball wanted Elder McConkie to revisit....  These [were not] doctrinal matters in which he differed with Elder McConkie....  They dealt with tone and with the wisdom of including particular things....  Elder Kimball was a wise mentor who taught him the difference between being right and being appropriate.  The fact that something is true does not necessarily mean one ought to say it....  Elder Kimball's list of things that needed changing [was] much less extensive than the changes that were made in the second edition....  A wiser Bruce McConkie did a lot of rewriting on his own."  (Ibid, 187.)

"Changes [regarding evolution] between the two editions involve only a couple of sentences.  The discussion on evolution is the longest single entry in the book, and it includes a lengthy quotation by President John Taylor against Darwin and his theory of evolution.  In the first edition, this quotation was introduced with the statement that President Taylor's views reflected  ' the official doctrine of the Church.'  In the second edition, that statement was dropped.  Elder McConkie wrote,  ' How scrubby and groveling [changed in the second edition to  ' weak and puerile ' ] the intellectuality which, knowing that the Lord's plan takes all forms of life from a pre-existent spirit state, through mortality, and on to an ultimate resurrected state of immortality, yet finds comfort in the theoretical postulates that mortal life began in the scum of the sea, as it were, and has through eons of time evolved to its present varieties and state! Do those with spiritual insight really think that the infinite Creator of worlds without number would operate in this way? '  The conclusion to this section in both editions is  ' There is no harmony between the truths of revealed religion and the theories of organic evolution.' "  (Ibid, 188-189.)

Elder McConkie followed counsel

"Mormon Doctrine was reissued in 1966, and its author was called to the Quorum of the Twelve in 1972.  It takes a pretty good imagination to suppose that a man who flagrantly ignored the direction of the president of the Church and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles would be called to fill a vacancy in that body."  (Ibid, 183.)

Those today who so freely criticize Elder Bruce R. McConkie and his book Mormon Doctrine have forgotten two things:  (1)  Just as the 1931 First Presidency never said anything publicly about The Truth, The Way, The Life, so also the 1958 First Presidency never said anything publicly about Mormon Doctrine.  (2)  After rewriting Mormon Doctrine under the supervision of the Quorum of the Twelve, Elder McConkie and his book can be said to have gone through "the refiner's fire."

President Spencer W. Kimball, who represented the Quorum of the Twelve during the 1966 Mormon Doctrine rewrite, has warned:  "The Lord gives the authority to judge and condemn only to the regularly constituted councils of the Church and not to man generally;  ' and those who lift their voices ... against the authority of the Holy Priesthood ... will go down to hell, unless they repent.' "  (Spencer W. Kimball, "We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet," Ensign, Jan. 1973, 35.)

President Kimball gave the above warning during the same session of general conference in which Bruce R. McConkie was first sustained as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve.  I know because I was sitting on the main floor of the Salt Lake Tabernacle that morning.