I was
intrigued as Elder David A. Bednar began to walk up to the pulpit being one of
the last speakers on Sunday afternoon for General Conference this October of
2014 to give his talk, Come and See (Oct. 2014) anticipating that
he was preparing to address the members of the church. He proceeded to direct
his talk to individuals not belonging to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day
Saints. Mentally, I almost checked it off my list and thought about taking a
nap during his talk because it was not addressed to me. Throughout Elder David
A. Bednar’s talk however, he used great examples and scriptures, which kept my
ears tuned to his words and made me increasingly curious of what he might be
saying.
His October
2014 General Conference address reminded me of another one of his Conference
addresses delivered during a Sunday evening session in General Conference, The Tender Mercies of The Lord (April
2005). He gave this address after his induction earlier, in October 2004, to
the quorum of the Twelve Apostles. In the earlier years of his induction, Elder
Bednar had experiences that he easily shared with the audience. In this experience his favorite hymn was played right
before he gave his address. These personal references, like his favorite hymn
being played, makes the pathos more relevant in knowing that God is always
putting tender mercies in your life because he knows and loves you. In the
Sunday evening session of the October 2014 General Conference, Elder David A.
Bednar employed logos to help others
outside of the Church of Latter Day Saints understand why those inside the church
are the way they are. For example, Elder David A. Bednar revisited this in the
October 2014 address, when he said, “When we invite you to attend church with
us or to learn with the full-time missionaries, we are not trying to sell you a
product. As members of the Church, we do not receive prizes or bonus points in
a heavenly contest. We are not seeking simply to increase the numerical size of
the Church. And most importantly, we are not attempting to coerce you to
believe as we do. We are inviting you to hear the restored truths of the gospel
of Jesus Christ so you can study, ponder, pray, and come to know for yourself
if the things we are sharing with you are true.”(October 2014). Elder David A. Bednar
shared who, what, why, and how the members of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter
Day Saints are the way they are. Just as the personal experiences in the earlier
message he gave in 2005, his first talk as a twelfth Apostle, Elder David A. Bednar
also related a story in the General Conference of October 2014 about his two
sons. In the story, the older son was taking care of the younger brother in
this year’s General Conference October 2014. He uses stories to help both the members
of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and those who are not a
member to understand the logic of his addresses and the understanding of his
faith.
Both talks have very similar style and form
throughout his speeches and both use common, contemporary examples which help
with logos. Elder David A. Bednar’s talks engage both nonmembers and members
not only because he is speaking doctrinal truth but also effectively using
logos, pathos, and ethos.
Elder Nelson spoke to the nonmembers who were listening in one of the talks that I analyzed and I noticed that it changed how he spoke. Even though he spoke to someone else, not members, we were all able to take away a message and learn something.
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