Friday, June 13, 2014

The church is made up entirely of human beings

Last weekend at the Mormon History Association conference held here in San Antonio I met Philip Barlow, the Harvard-educated Arrington Chair of Mormon History and Culture at Utah State University. I spoke with him about an insight he has shared that I personally find quite helpful and asked him to record his own voice dictating it into my iPhone. I just transcribed it:

"I think faith is misconstrued when we think of the church as essentially divine marred only by a few freckles or difficulties, but rather is better conceived of as made up entirely of human beings (with everything that implies, and it implies a great deal). The church is made up entirely of human beings from top to bottom and from Joseph Smith on, who are trying to respond to the divine with which they've been touched in faith."