Hello again, everyone! I am back, as promised earlier, with a post in tribute of Elder Dale G. Renlund, who, as noted, is marking his 66th birthday today. Let's get right into all of that. Elder Dale Gunnar Renlund was born on this day in 1952 in Salt Lake City, Utah to Mats Ake and Marianna Andersson, who had emigrated from Finland and Sweden respectively in order to be married in the temple. In view of that, Elder Renlund grew up primarily speaking Swedish (the fact that he did not speak English as a primary language gives him international appeal). In his teenage years, Elder Renlund lived with his family in Sweden while his father was a building missionary.
Several years later, Elder Renlund returned to Sweden, this time as a full-time missionary. Following his missionary service, Elder Renlund continued his scholastic endeavors at the University of Utah, where he earned a bachelor's degree in chemistry and his M. D. Approximately 3 or 4 years after he concluded his missionary service, he met and married his eternal companion, Ruth Lybbert, who was the daughter of another General Authority Seventy, Merlin R. Lybbert.
Elder Renlund went on to do a three-year cardiology residency and a three-year fellowship in cardiology, both at Johns Hopkins University, and served as a bishop while he did so. Simultaneously, his wife was earning her law degree. During that same busy time period, they gave birth to their only child, a daughter, Ashley. At some point in 1986, Elder Renlund became a professor at the University of Utah. From 1991 to the time of his call as a General Authority Seventy in 2009, he served as the medical director of the Utah Transplantation Affiliated Hospitals Cardiac Transplant Program.
In 2000, he was also appointed the director of the Heart Failure Prevention and Treatment Program at Intermountain Health Center headquartered in Salt Lake. At the same time, his wife served as a law partner in the firm of Dewsnup, King and Olsen. In the Church, in addition to serving as a bishop, Elder Renlund also served locally as ward Sunday School president, high councilman, and as a stake president. From 2000 to 2009, Elder Renlund served as an area seventy. He became a general authority seventy in April 2009, at the same conference Elder Neil L. Andersen was sustained as an apostle.
The August after his call, Elder Renlund began serving in the Africa Southeast area presidency, headquartered in Johannesburg South Africa. He concluded that service by serving as the area president from 2011 to 2014. Just over a year after concluding that service (during which time he served in other general capacities at Church headquarters), he was the third man to be called to fill the three vacancies in the Quorum of the Twelve in the wake of the passing of President Boyd K. Packer and Elders L. Tom Perry and Richard G. Scott.
Some have claimed (rightfully so, in my opinion) that since Elder Scott was the last of the three to pass away, Elder Renlund, as the last of the three new apostles called, was the one filling the apostolic vacancy occurring from the death of Elder Scott. Others may disagree on that, as is their right, but I think that is a fair statement.
Elder Renlund's apostolic call was significant for a few reasons. His call (in conjunction with those of his senior seatmates Elders Ronald A. Rasband and Gary E. Stevenson), made them the 98th, 99th, and 100th members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles called in this dispensation. There have been more men ordained as apostles, but only 102 have officially served in the Quorum of the Twelve.
There is another significant aspect of Elder Renlund's call. As most of you are probably aware, at times in the past where 2 or more apostles have been called, tradition is that they will be called, sustained, and ordained according to their age, from oldest to youngest. That tradition, as has been the case a couple of times before, was slightly adjusted, as Elder Stevenson, almost three years younger than Elder Renlund, was called, sustained, and ordained as the senior apostle to Elder Renlund. That kind of thing is not in any way unprecedented, but it is a significant anomaly to note.
As some of you are also aware, the Church has previously come under fire for a lack of cultural diversity in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. While all apostles from Elder David A. Bednar to Elder Renlund were born within the United States, almost to a man, each has had varying degrees of international experience. In January of this year, we saw President Nelson mention that there would be "more flavors in the mix", and his first apostolic appointees were the first Asian American (Elder Gong) and Latin American (Elder Soares). But as was observed in this article, Elder Renlund's diverse background certainly qualifies him as having strong international ties and experiences.
Elder Renlund had 2 opportunities to speak in General Conference prior to his apostolic call (1 of which occurred six months prior to his first address as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles), and gave his 7th talk as an apostle just over a month ago. You can review any of those 9 addresses at your convenience. While I doubt Elder Renlund will ever read this personally, I am grateful to have been able to offer this birthday tribute in his honor, and am also grateful for his service. I gladly sustain him and the other 14 apostles as prophets, seers, and revelators.
I do continue to monitor any and all Church news and temple developments and will keep doing my level best to bring word of those to you all as I receive it. That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time. Thank you for the privilege of your time. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly-added content, please feel free to subscribe. Until my next post, I wish each one of you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.
Tuesday, November 13, 2018
Elder Dale G. Renlund Marks His 66th Birthday
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
12 comments:
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Elder Rasband and Elder Stevenson had already been called and approved by the Quorum of the Twelve when Elder Scott passed away. So, althought three were sustained at the same general conference, Elder Renlund was called and approved by the Twelve after the first two. This was all then held until announcement and sustaining in General Conference.
ReplyDeleteThank you for taking time to comment. What you said is actually not true. If you go back and look at the first talks given by these Brethren (to each of which I post a link below), then each of them recounts being called to the apostleship in a meeting with the entire First Presidency the week before General Conference.
ReplyDeleteElder Rasband spoke of "meeting a few days ago" with the entire First Presidency, as demonstrated in his first apostolic talk below:
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2015/10/i-stand-all-amazed?lang=eng
Since Elder Rasband's call preceded that of Elder Stevenson, we can assume they occurred on the same day. Elder Stevenson describes meeting with the entire First Presidency on the Tuesday prior to that General Conference, which is verified here:
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2015/10/plain-and-precious-truths?lang=eng
And although Elder Renlund's talk (to which I post the link below) makes no direct reference to the circumstances surrounding his call, if the other two were called the Thursday morning before General Conference, I see no reason why that would not have also been true for Elder Renlund.
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2015/10/through-gods-eyes?lang=eng
The Church has a special section on its' official website in which you can access more thorough biographical profiles, and you can find those at the following address:
https://www.lds.org/prophets-and-apostles/meet-todays-prophets-and-apostles?lang=eng
If you look in particular at the biography of the three apostles in question on that site, the one for Elder Renlund mentions the specific date on which his apostolic call was issed, September 29, 2015. According to Google, that was the Tuesday before General Conference weekend.
I hope this information is helpful to you. Thank you again for stopping by to comment.
But doesn´t it seem plausible, based on long-standing precedent, that President Monson would have felt the promptings to replace the first two and had them in mind prior to the passing of Elder Scott. Then, after Elder Scott passed away, he felt the inspiration to call Elder Renlund;he would have kept them in the order in which he had been inspiration and presented them to the Twelve and then called them in that order.
DeleteThe apostles themselves have noted in public comments on the process of calling new members of the Quorum of the Twelve that they do not know exactly what process the prophet goes through in that regard. But if you look back at the General Conferences where other new apostles were called, almost all of them report having been called during the week prior to General Conference.
DeleteThat said, as to the particular case of Elders Rasband, Stevenson, and Renlund, when Elder Perry, President Packer, and Elder Scott passed away, President Monson had begun to reduce his workload, including the number of times he spoke during General Conference (as he only spoke twice per conference from April 2015 to April 2017). So whether or not he had anyone in mind before Elder Scott passed may not be a relevant question, primarily because he did not take any action to fill the apostolic vacancies until the week before.
In addition to that, there is another element to all of this: President Packer passed away on July 3 of that year, which was a Friday. His funeral was held the following week. But it was not until more than a week later (on Wednesday July 15) that the Church officially announced that he (President Monson) had set apart President Nelson as the new President of the Quorum of the Twelve.
Everything I saw (and reported on through this blog) during the last 3 years of President Monson's life suggests to me that he had to conserve his strength. It was not uncommon for him to not be in attendance at all in sessions in which he did not speak.
DeleteHis daughter also spoke during President Monson's funeral and in subsequent settings about how her father had to pace himself in his declining years. When he felt able to do so, he took action, and did so decisively. On his bad days, his capabilities were limited.
That said, it never has been in my disposition to speculate on how any prophetic decisions are reached. As I noted earlier, all of the apostles called during the administrations of Presidents Hinckley, Monson, and Nelson have noted that their calls to the apostleship came "a few days" prior to the time when they were sustained.
There have only been two exceptions that I know of in recent years when an apostle was called well outside of General Conference. When President Hunter became Church President (on June 5), he got right to work to fill the apostolic vacancy. In the course of a few hours on June 23, he called Elder Holland to the apostleship, gave him his apostolic charge, had the other apostles join him in ordaining him, and arranged for a press conference to announce that this had occurred.
The second example is further back than that. In July 1981, with Church President Spencer W. Kimball and his two counselors (Presidents N. Eldon Tanner and Marion G. Romney) all in a state of declining health, President Kimball was inspired to call then-Elder Hinckley as an additional counselor in the First Presidency.
To fill the resulting vacancy in the Quorum of the Twelve, he called Elder Neal A. Maxwell, who, at the time, was in the hospital recovering from either an illness or a procedure. He let Elder Maxwell know that he wanted to set him apart in his new calling on July 23. Elder Maxwell then had to arrange his early release from the hospital without being able to tell anyone why it was needed.
So in those two instances, the changes occurred when the prophet had strength and inspiration to act on the need. With President Monson's declining health being what it was in 2015, for whatever reason, he was not able to issue any calls for the apostolic vacancies until the week prior to General Conference. Based on precedent, and on what most new apostles share about the timing of their calls, being called the week prior to General Conference is not all that uncommon.
With all of that noted, again, only the Lord and the current prophet know exactly what process each Church President goes through to discern His will regarding apostolic vacancies. And with the exceptions of Elders Maxwell and Holland, all other apostles have reported in their first General Conference addresses that they were called the week before General Conference.
DeleteTherefore, I see absolutely no scenario or reason why an apostolic call would be issued any earlier than indicated. None of the Church Presidents whose lives I have studied would be inclined to call someone more than a week before their sustaining and say that they could not tell anyone until their calls are announced over the pulpit. I cannot see that making sense in any scenario whatsoever.
That said, would the Church President have mulled over the options a few weeks prior to making the call? Of course. President Nelson described last April how he went about choosing his counselors: he prayerfully met individually with each of the other 12 apostles at that time. And I imagine that President Nelson, or any prior prophet also solicited feedback before making any calls. But the idea that any calls would be issued more than a week before their ratification in General Conference does not make sense.
That said, calling multiple apostles outside the order of age is somewhat irregular, but I am sure there is a reason why Elder Stevenson is the senior apostle to Elder Renlund, although the latter is roughly 2.5 years older. And that reasoning may be one of many things President Monson kept to himself. That's not something I like to speculate about either. For me, it is sufficient enough to know that there is a process, and that the same process whereby each apostolic call is issued is the same process which I can personally use to receive confirmation that those calls come from the Lord. And that is enough for me. Hope this additional information is helpful to you, and thanks for the additional question.
Sorry. I wanted to add one additional thought. You referenced in your query "long-standing precedent." I don't know exactly what you may be referring to, but in the case of every apostle called within the last 40 years (which would encompass from the calls of Elder James E. Faust to those of Elders Gerrit W. Gong and Ulisses Soares), the only two apostles who have reported being called outside of the week prior to General Conference have been Elders Maxwell and Holland. So that is only 2 of the 20 members of that Quorum called during the last 40 years. Each of the 18 others called within that same time period stated shortly after their call that the call had come in the week prior to General Conference, and not before. 18 out of 20 is 90%, so if all but 10% of the apostles called during that time have indicated that their calls were issued the week before General Conference, I see no reason to assume that anything was in the works prior to that time.
DeleteAnd knowing what I know about President Monson's health, I can say with relatively absolute certainty that he did not have the health or strength to even consider the apostolic vacancies until a week or so before General Conference, and that he was able to muster enough energy to join his counselors in issuing the calls a few days prior to that conference. Beyond that, we just don't know the particulars, and I would not be comfortable speculating. I doubt the Church will ever issue anything official to indicate these particulars, so I am not too worried about the minutae of it all. It is enough for me to know that the current apostles have each been "called of God by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands, by those who are in authority, to preach the gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof." I won't lose sleep worrying about how that process worked in relation to the call of anyone to general Church service. Since there is much about that we likely won't ever know for sure, I rely on what I do know; that the Lord inspires such calls, issues them through the prophet and/or his counselors, and they are subsequently ratified in General Conference. The Lord directs the details of how and in what manner that occurs. If anyone does not have that witness, they need to put in the work to get it. It is not up to me to worry about the minute details about how that all occurs. It is enough for me to know that the process works. I hope this additional insight proves helpful. Thanks again.
One more thought on all of this, if I may. The Church actually has a webpage explaining the process of calling an apostle. That page goes into specific detail about what is known and what is not known about that process. I share it here in the hopes that it may prove illuminating:
Deletehttps://www.lds.org/prophets-and-apostles/unto-all-the-world/calling-an-apostle-of-god?lang=eng
Aside from what is noted here (which, coming from the Church's official website, should be considered official) the process is, as it states point-blank in that article, known only to the President of the Church and to the Lord. Unless and until something more official outlines the minutae of that process (which seems unlikely to occur) anything not officially spelled out in sources sanctioned by the Church is speculative, and may not be a correct reflection of what actually occurred in that process. Just some additional food for thought.
I agree with everything you have so wonderfully explained. I am just trying to propose an alternative reason why Elder Stevenson is junior in age to Elder Renlund. The long-standing precent I was referring to was that when multiple apostles are called they have previously been sustained and ordained according to age. At the end of the day it does not really matter for I know all were chosen by revelation. I have met all of them and love, honor and sustain them.
ReplyDeleteThank you for saying that. Why is an "alternative reason" needed? FYI, that "long-standing precedent" did not apply when more than 2 apostles have been called. Case in point: the last time the Church called three apostles (1906). At that time, George F. Richards, Drson F. Whitney, and David O. McKay were called. The birthdays of the three were February 23, 1861 (for Elder Richards), July 1, 1855 (for Elder Whitney) and September 8, 1873 (for Elder McKay). In that instance, the second apostle was the oldest, the first was in the middle, and the youngest was the last.
ReplyDeleteThis suggests that when more than 2 apostles are called, the only relevant factor is the order in which the Lord inspires the calls to be made. There is no need for an "alternative reason". The Lord had President Monson call Elders Rasband, Stevenson, and Renlund in that order because He knows which of the three (if any) need to go on to serve as Church President. The Lord governs the process of succession. Everything He does which is associated with that process happens for a very good reason: the Lord needed it to be that way. And that is as simple as it needs to get.
An additional thought, if I may. In the original Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, the order in which they were ordained did not impact the order in which they were listed. Age was the one and only relevant factor. Elder David W. Patten, who was second to Quorum President Thomas B. Marsh, did not know his age at the time of his call, and thus he was placed in order after Elder Marsh. It has since been verified by Church historians that Elder Patten was born almost a year before Elder Marsh, and should have been the Quorum President.
But the Lord appointed Elder Marsh as such because He knew about the tests to Elder Marsh's faith that were ahead. As Elder Marsh became disaffected, first because Joseph Smith acted on inspiration to call two members of that Quorum to open the doors of England to the preaching of the gospel without consulting Elder Marsh, and second because he sided with his wife over every Church court (including the First Presidency) over the milk strippings issue. By the time of his excommunication, Elder Patten had been killed, and Brigham Young thus became the President of that Quorum, and went on to serve as Church President. Throughout this dispensation, the Lord has called apostles home in such a way that prophets that succeeded each other are in reverse age order. And it works.
Whether in relation to succession in the presidency of the Church or when one or more apostles are called, the Lord inspires the order of those ordinations, and the details of how or if any of those apostles go on to serve in the Church presidency themselves. It doesn't have to be any more complicated than that. But that's just my opinion, for what it may be worth to you.
Sorry. In the above comment, I meant that "some prophets who succeeded each other were in reverse age order." A few examples of that, if I may: Brigham Young, who succeeded Joseph Smith, was born 3.5 years before Brother Joseph. Wilford Woodruff was older than John Taylor by around 3.75 years (and there was even a period of time when Elder Woodruff had been considered the more senior apostle to Elder Taylor before Brigham Young's 1875 determination that date of ordination mattered more than age; John Taylor had been ordained first). Spencer W. Kimball was exactly 4 years to the day older than Harold B. Lee. And, as we know, Russell M. Nelson was born almost 3 years before Thomas S. Monson. So ordination to the apostleship, as I explain more in my comment below, depends more on when the Lord inspires that ordination to occur rather than age. Elder Stevenson is the senior apostle to Elder Renlund (who is 2.75 years older than Elder Stevenson) because the Lord directed that action. There doesn't need to be any more to it than that. Hope these additional insights are helpful to all who read them.
DeleteI hope I am not flogging a dead horse, but I wanted to note one other aspect that will be at play for prophetic and apostolic succession in our current group of apostles. President Nelson is the oldest apostle. President Oaks, who is right next to him in seniority, is almost 8 years younger. The next apostle in that line is President Ballard, and he just celebrated his 90th birthday. Those three were the last appointed while President Kimball was Church President.
ReplyDeletePresident Ezra Taft Benson appointed 3 apostles during his prophetic administration, and those 3 (Elders Wirthlin, Scott and Hales) have all since passed away (in December 2008, September 2015, and October 2017 respectively, or passing away in the same order in which they were called).
Elder Holland was, as noted, the only apostle appointed by President Howard W. Hunter, and that appointment occurred in June of 1994. He is the youngest of the 3 apostles born in 1940. President Eyring comes next, and he was born in 1933 (and is only about 0.8 years younger than President Oaks).
Elder Uchtdorf is the middle apostle of the 3 born in 1940. Elder Bednar is younger by 12 years. Elder Cook is the least senior and oldest of the 3 apostles born in 1940. Elder Christofferson is almost five years younger than Elder Cook, and he was born in 1945. Elder Andersen is the youngest of the two apostles born in 1951, with his seatmate Elder Rasband being just about six months older than Elder Andersen. Elder Stevenson was born in 1955. Elder Renlund is almost exactly 5 months younger than Elder Bednar. Elder Gong fits in age between Elder Renlund and Elder Stevenson, as he was born in 1953. And our least senior apostle is also the youngest: Elder Ulisses Soares was born in 1958.
I have, in previous posts, voiced my opinion that President Nelson might be succeeded as Church President by President Oaks, but since neither is in bad health right now, it could go either way. Elder Holland is almost certain to serve as Church President at some point, as he is not yet 80, but is the fourth in apostolic seniority and is the sixth in age. And Elder Bednar is the seventh in apostolic seniority and the 11th oldest, so he is also more likely than not to serve as Church President as well at some point.
For the remaining four current apostles, it may be anyone's guess whether any of them will go on to serve as Church President. The youngest and least senior apostle, Elder Soares, is just over six years younger than Elder Bednar.
With all of this in mind, it brings me great comfort to know beyond doubt that the Lord is very much involved with the process of inspiring calls to the apostleship and in bringing up in the ranks those He needs to serve as His prophets. While we may not know everything involved in establishing who is called as apostles or will be around long enough to serve as Church President, we can all take comfort in the fact that the Lord does, and that no part of that process is accidental or by happenstance. And that is amazing to consider by any measure. Hope this additional comment proves helpful to any and all who read it.