Elder David A. Bednar: Keeping Your Ears Tuned to Him

General Conference of October 2014 Conference Talk:  Come and See

General Conference of April 2005 Comparison: The Tender Mercies of The Lord

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.

The Impassioned Pleas of Jeffrey R. Holland

In a speech given during this month's General Conference, LDS apostle Elder Jeffrey R. Holland spoke passionately about poverty and the need for members to give to the poor and needy, through fast offerings and other means. Titled "Are We Not All Beggars?", the speech featured Elder Holland's usual confident inflection and timely pauses that it make it almost impossible for audiences to not pay attention. But one moment in particular stood out to me. 

Shortly before concluding his talk, Elder Holland took the time to openly admit that although he had strong feelings about the need to give to the poor and needy, the blessings he's had in his life have allowed him to never have to be one of them. He went so far as to say the words:

"I have never been poor, nor do I even know how the poor feel."

How powerful and refreshing it is to hear an apostle of the Lord openly admit that he doesn't have all the answers, and that he can't possibly pretend to know what these people are going through. 

By itself this sentence means very little--many in our class could probably say the same thing. But combined with his powerful plea to take our abundance and give to those that lack, you know that it comes from a place of compassion in spite of what he doesn't know or understand. He's appealing directly to our pathos.

In his famous address at BYU titled "Remember Lot's Wife," Elder Holland similarly admitted that he too was guilty of "looking back" and not looking forward, sharing that he had asked his own wife at one point if they should just give up.

In admitting his weaknesses, Elder Holland allows each of us to recognize and forgive our own, empowering us to move forward and not look back.

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf: Passionate Words to the Rational Minded

      President Deiter F. Uchtdorf often teaches and inspires others through his appeals to reason and logic. His use of logos is demonstrated through the real life examples he uses. In his talk, "Receiving a Testimony of Light and Truth," he demonstrates how truth, discovered or not, does not change its veracity. He states his intended purpose of the address by saying, "The purpose of my remarks is to proclaim the joyful message that God Himself—the Lord of Hosts who knows all truth—has given His children the promise that they can know truth for themselves." He also quickly establishes authority when he speaks of his experience flying many miles as a pilot. He often mentions his experience as a pilot because he was much involved in the airline industry before his call to apostleship. He was the "Senior Vice President Flight Operations and Lufthansa Chief Pilot. He was also chairman of the Flight Operations Committee of the International Air Transport Association" (lds.org). 

    Logos is used when he said, "My dear friends, here is a fairly straightforward experiment, with a guarantee from God." He outlines four steps to receiving a witness of the truthfulness of the gospel and of the Church. This is important to members and non-members who are looking to strengthen their beliefs in the teachings of the church. President Uchtdorf has used a similar method of teaching in past conference addresses. In his talk titled, "Are You Sleeping through the Restoration?" he lists three attributes that people may consider improving upon. He also starts with an anecdote before stating his purpose and directly teaching.

    Although the two previously listed talks include logos, pathos, and ethos, he often resorts to logic and reason to explain gospel principles.  His audiences respond to his style of teaching with laughter and understanding. His style of teaching allows logically oriented people to connect with his teachings. His use of imagery and detailed examples can bring abstract heavenly principles down to earth.

Elder Dallin H. Oaks: Words of the Wise

While I enjoyed all the general conference talks I was able to hear, this past conference (October 2014) I really connected with Dallin H. Oaks’ talk in the Saturday afternoon session, entitiled "Loving Others and Living With Differences". He spoke about the importance of loving everyone, not just those we are familiar with. In the October 2012 general conference Elder Oaks spoke about the importance of protecting the children. (See "Protect the Children").

Both of these topics require a certain finesse to pull off without becoming “preachy”. Elder Oaks quite frequently uses quotes to improve his ethos and to have real life connections. When discussing the importance of loving others Elder Oaks quotes over ten scriptures in just the first section of his sermon. He really is appealing to the fact that Christ has told us that we must love other people. Emphasizing the scriptural content puts credibility behind the topic instead of him simply telling us that all people are worth loving.

On the contrary, however, is his talk entitled “Protect the Children”. In this talk his ethos is based more on statistics and quotes from news sources. They still prove his credibility, but in a completely different way and in a way that allows the audience to be broadened.

He discusses laws of the land in both of the talks I analyzed. He references the importance of “being in the world, but not of the world” on several occasions. This helps him to address the struggle that Latter-day Saints go through as they try to understand the evil that is in the world.

While not known to be a powerhouse speaker (such as Elder Holland), Elder Oaks still has a way of getting the point lodged into our minds. 

Elder Neil A. Andersen Speaks to the Youth in their Language

Elder Neil A. Andersen is a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He is ordained to the office of Elder as a distinction of his status as an apostle and disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. Elder Andersen has the opportunity to speak to members of the LDS Church and other viewers when he speaks at the Church's General Conferences, which are semiannual sessions when Church leaders assemble to deliver inspired messages from God. 

Elder Andersen follows a specific form and style when he speaks at General Conference: he speaks to the youth and he does so by using media to appeal to their interests and skills. His most recent address, "Joseph Smith" (October 2014) and “Spiritual Whirlwinds” (April 2014) both follow this pattern. 

Because he chooses the youth as his audience, Elder Andersen crafts his talks in a way that appeals to them and their interests. One way he does this is through his use of form and style, specifically regarding his use of media. 

In "Whirlwinds" he features images of a tornado, a tree with its roots growing underground, and a cellphone that displayed a text about the need of the recipient to catch up with the times. In his most recent address, Elder Andersen used a movie clip of a man and his son on an airplane putting on oxygen masks.

Youth in this “chosen generation” are tech savvy, and they respond well to messages delivered in their language: the language of media.

Texts, tweets, pins, status updates, photos, and clips appeal to youth because they help them feel engaged. Using the form and style his audience most resonates with through the images and videos helps Elder Andersen's message reach its intended listeners effectively. 

Speaking to youth through media is not a new practice for Elder Andersen. He was the key devotional speaker for youth attendees in February at the RootsTech Conference, the largest family history conference in North America. Continuing to use media to engage youth and to inspire them to take action (in the devotional he calls on them to find their cousins, and in his most recent address he asks them to find favorite scriptures in the Book of Mormon and share them) helps Elder Andersen establish credibility with his audience and gives them a form they can look forward to in the future. 

Parenting: You Can Do Better. (In The Nicest Way Possible by Tad R. Callister)

Elder Tad R. Callister is the Sunday School General President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He recently spoke at General Conference - a meeting held by the LDS leaders for those wanting to learn more and to draw closer to Christ - which was viewed by thousands. I will be analyzing the talk he gave at the Saturday Afternoon session of the October 2014 General Conference titled, "Parents: The Prime Gospel Teachers of Their Children." and his 2011 talk, "The Book of Mormon - a Book from God."

In this most recent session (October 2014) Elder Callister spoke about the role of parents, and how they should be teaching their children not only how to have self-discipline and gain knowledge, but how to draw closer to Christ. He is qualified for this topic, as he and his wife have six children and 25 grandchildren.

In his 2014 speech, he started with a story about a man and tied it in to his topic: Parents should be better teachers. He had a very soft-spoken voice and tone, like he was lovingly criticizing the parents of the LDS church. Most of his talk were stories showing how parents magnified their calling and went above and beyond to teach their children. He showed the impact made, but he also used humor to keep the audience invested. In other words, his pathos kept the audience invested with his stories as well as provided ethos to talk about this subject and logos to create the "OH YEAH!" moments. He also provided ethos by quoting scriptures and relating the LDS scripture (the Book of Mormon) to today's times through the Stripling Warriors.

His soft tone and gentle way of pushing parents to step up is very different from his talk from 2011. He starts off this talk declaring boldly the truth about the Book of Mormon, with most of his talk being quotes from this scripture providing logos about his point. He also uses an example that is easy to be understood about two dots and a single straight line.

Elder Callister's tone in these two speeches are very different in approach, but both leave the audience/reader with a personal reflection on their life and a deeper appreciation for him. He knew that he shouldn't be as bold to parents about their parenting because that makes them defensive. Elder Callister understands his audience and knows how to best appeal to them and their lifestyle, while still getting his point across.

October 2014, "Parents: The Prime Gospel Teachers of Their Children"

 

 

October 2011, "The Book of Mormon - a Book from God"