{"id":41207,"date":"2020-12-23T16:33:49","date_gmt":"2020-12-23T21:33:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.timesandseasons.org\/?p=41207"},"modified":"2020-12-28T15:10:01","modified_gmt":"2020-12-28T20:10:01","slug":"the-most-significant-general-conference-addresses-of-the-2010s-a-tentative-list","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/2020\/12\/the-most-significant-general-conference-addresses-of-the-2010s-a-tentative-list\/","title":{"rendered":"The Most Significant General Conference Addresses of the 2010s: A Tentative List"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>With the 2010s a year behind us now, I thought it might be a good time to look back at general conference in the 2010s and consider which of the talks were some of the most significant addresses given during that period.\u00a0 I suspect that the Gospel Topics Essays will be the most significant documents from that decade in their long-term impact on the Church, but there are still a few memorable and significant general conference talks worth discussing.\u00a0 Glancing through, here were some of the ones that stood out to me as significant for reinforcing, articulating, or developing the doctrine of the Church in notable ways; for the policies they announced or defended; or for the historical initiatives, moments, or controversies to which they were tied.\u00a0 Together, they also give us a glimpse into the history of the Church in the 2010s.\u00a0 Without further ado, here is my list:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Todd Christofferson, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.churchofjesuschrist.org\/study\/general-conference\/2012\/04\/the-doctrine-of-christ?lang=eng\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u201cThe Doctrine of Christ,\u201d<\/a> CR April 2012\n<ul>\n<li>This talk was likely written specifically for the \u201cMormon Moment\u201d that accompanied Mitt Romney\u2019s 2012 presidential campaign in mind as a way to deal with the fact that things Church leaders had said in the past that didn\u2019t reflect well on the Church today were being dredged up in the news. Most memorably, we had the Randy Bott interview that discussed some of the awful rationales we used to give for the priesthood and temple ban against individuals of black African ancestry, which made national headlines a little over a month before the talk was given. \u00a0As I remember, however, plenty of other \u201cweird Mormon beliefs\u201d were common fodder for the press at that time as well.\u00a0 In the talk, Elder Christofferson quoted extensively from the <a href=\"https:\/\/prophetsseersandrevelators.wordpress.com\/2013\/09\/06\/when-are-church-leaders-words-entitled-to-the-claim-of-scripture-by-j-reuben-clark-jr\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">1954 talk given by President J. Reuben Clark Jr. entitled \u201cWhen Are Church Leaders\u2019 Words Entitled to the Claim of Scripture?\u201d<\/a> (or, as Elder Christofferson put it, \u201chow doctrine is promulgated in the Church\u201d), and tried to make it clear that \u201cnot every statement made by a Church leader, past or present, necessarily constitutes doctrine.\u201d\u00a0 It felt significant to have a high-ranking Church leader openly make that statement in general conference and to point back to President Clark\u2019s talk (which, to me, is one of the most significant talks given in the 20<sup>th<\/sup> century in the Church).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Dieter F. Uchtdorf, \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.churchofjesuschrist.org\/study\/general-conference\/2013\/10\/come-join-with-us?lang=eng\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Come, Join with Us<\/a>,\u201d CR October 2013\n<ul>\n<li>During the 2010s, the Church faced increasingly serious concerns about a significant number of members leaving the Church over a variety of issues. This talk was memorable for being one of the most conciliatory efforts to extend an olive leaf to former members of the Church and ask them to return. \u00a0President Uchtdorf acknowledging that the reasons people leave the Church are \u201cnot that simple\u201d and stated that \u201cwe openly acknowledge that in nearly 200 years of Church history\u2014along with an uninterrupted line of inspired, honorable, and divine events\u2014there have been some things said and done that could cause people to question.\u201d\u00a0 He balanced his approach to this issue, noting that for some things, \u201cwhen the entire truth is eventually known, things that didn\u2019t make sense to us before will be resolved to our satisfaction\u201d and encouraging us to \u201cdoubt your doubts before you doubt your faith,\u201d but also bluntly stating that \u201cthere have been times when members or leaders in the Church have simply made mistakes.\u201d\u00a0 And finally, he told those who have left the Church that \u201cthere is yet a place for you here.\u00a0 Come and add your talents, gifts, and energies to ours.\u00a0 We will all become better as a result.\u201d\u00a0 While I recognize that it\u2019s not always easy to just come back and participate in the Church when you are doubting, unorthodox, or otherwise struggling with the Church (or feel like the Church is struggling with you), it was a heartening talk to hear at a time in my life when I was personally having some struggles with the Church.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Jeffrey R. Holland, \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.churchofjesuschrist.org\/study\/general-conference\/2013\/10\/like-a-broken-vessel?lang=eng\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Like a Broken Vessel<\/a>,\u201d CR October 2013\n<ul>\n<li>One thing that I appreciate about Elder Holland is that his talks tend to be more sensitive to issues in society that other general authorities overlook. I personally suffer from depression (primarily thanks to genetics), so it was meaningful to have a compassionate talk addressed to \u201cthose who suffer from some form of mental illness or emotional disorder, whether those afflictions be slight or severe.\u201d\u00a0 As far as I\u2019m aware it was one of the first talks to focus extensively on the topic of mental illness in general conference (though others, most notably <a href=\"https:\/\/www.churchofjesuschrist.org\/study\/general-conference\/2019\/10\/31aburto?lang=eng\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Reyna I. Aburto<\/a>, have addressed it since then as well).\u00a0 His advice was to balance the approach making an ongoing effort to \u201cfaithfully pursue the time-tested devotional practiced that bring the Spirit of the Lord into your life\u201d while also taking the step to \u201cseek the advice of reputable people with certified training, professional skills, and good values,\u201d stating that: \u201cIf you had appendicitis, God would expect you to seek a priesthood blessing <em>and <\/em>get the best medical care available.\u00a0 So too with emotional disorders.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Dallin H. Oaks, \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.churchofjesuschrist.org\/study\/general-conference\/2014\/04\/the-keys-and-authority-of-the-priesthood?lang=eng\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Keys and Authority of the Priesthood<\/a>,\u201d CR April 2014\n<ul>\n<li>One of the big stories of the Church in the early 2010s was the ongoing efforts of the Ordain Women movement (and similar groups) to pressure the Church to allow to participate more fully in the Church (including in general conference), women to be ordained to the priesthood, and to be allowed to attend priesthood sessions. These efforts often included engaging in large protests near Temple Square during general conference.\u00a0 In a move full of irony, President Oaks addressed the topic during a priesthood session, while the women he was responding to were locked out of the meeting on Temple Square.\u00a0 In this address, took part in a shift in doctrine and teaching during this last decade that has tried to make the priesthood seem more accessible to women without actually ordaining them to the priesthood by stating that they have priesthood authority by way of delegation and receiving ordinances. For example: \u201cWe are not accustomed to speaking of women having the authority of the priesthood in their Church callings, but what other authority can it be? \u2026 Whoever functions in an office or calling received from one who holds priesthood keys exercises priesthood authority in performing her or his assigned duties.\u201d\u00a0 That line of the thought has been developed further by other Church leaders, such as during an earlier address by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.churchofjesuschrist.org\/study\/general-conference\/2013\/10\/power-in-the-priesthood?lang=eng\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Neil L. Anderson<\/a> and a few later ones by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.churchofjesuschrist.org\/study\/general-conference\/2019\/10\/36nelson?lang=eng\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Russell M. Nelson<\/a>, as well as by some Latter-day Saint authors, such as <a href=\"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/2019\/12\/women-priesthood-and-power\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Wendy Ulrich<\/a> in her book <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Live-Up-Our-Privileges-Priesthood\/dp\/1629725811\/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&amp;qid=&amp;sr=\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em>Living Up to Our Privileges: Women, Power, and Priesthood<\/em><\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Dieter F. Uchtdorf, &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.churchofjesuschrist.org\/study\/general-conference\/2014\/04\/are-you-sleeping-through-the-restoration?lang=eng\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Are You Sleeping through the Restoration?<\/a>&#8220;, CR April 2014\n<ul>\n<li>This talk is important for giving official sanction to the idea that the Restoration is an ongoing process with the statement that: &#8220;Sometimes we think of the Restoration of the gospel as something that is complete, already behind us. &#8230; In reality, the Restoration is an ongoing process; we are living in it right now.&#8221;\u00a0 This is an important doctrinal concept because it gives emphasis to the idea of ongoing revelation and also gives us greater flexibility in making course adjustments as a religion to adapt to an ever-changing world.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Russel M. Nelson, \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.churchofjesuschrist.org\/study\/general-conference\/2014\/10\/sustaining-the-prophets?lang=eng\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sustaining the Prophet<\/a>,\u201d CR October 2014\n<ul>\n<li>During the last few years of President Thomas S. Monson\u2019s life, it was an open secret that he suffered from some form of dementia. While the Church would try to allay concerns that President Monson wasn\u2019t able to actively fulfill his role as the prophet by stating that he was <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.sltrib.com\/article.php?id=2465653&amp;itype=CMSID\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">still participating in meetings and making decisions in 2015<\/a>, this talk by President Nelson also seemed geared specifically towards addressing the situation.\u00a0 In it, President Nelson made it clear that in the Church, we do not \u201cremove people from office or business when they grow old or become disabled\u201d after they have been called as apostles or president of the Church.\u00a0 He then defended that practice by discussing how \u201cthe Church today has \u2026 a remarkable system of governance that provides redundancy and backup.\u00a0 That system provides for prophetic leadership even when the inevitable illness and incapacities may come with advancing age,\u201d i.e., the remaining members of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve can continue to run the Church if some members of those groups are rendered incapacitated. \u00a0It\u2019s an ongoing concern and consideration in the Church, since we\u2019ve had several presidents now who spent part of their term unable to function (most notably Heber J. Grant, Spencer W. Kimball, Ezra Taft Benson, and Howard W. Hunter), so the talk was significant for outlining some of how we deal with that issue as a Church while maintaining the tradition of the senior apostle serving as president.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Dieter F. Uchtdorf, \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.churchofjesuschrist.org\/study\/general-conference\/2015\/04\/the-gift-of-grace?lang=eng\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Gift of Grace<\/a>,\u201d CR April 2015\n<ul>\n<li>Historically, we have been a very works-oriented religion and have shunned the word grace because of association with Evangelical theology. This was pronounced enough that at one time, Sterling McMurrin claimed that the Church\u2019s doctrine was \u201cessentially Pelagian in its theology\u201d (i.e., we have the free will to achieve human perfection without divine grace)<a href=\"#_ftn1\" name=\"_ftnref1\">[1]<\/a>.\u00a0 During the last few decades, however, grace has become less shunned as a term and Church leaders have begun to discuss exaltation in ways that balance our commitment to works necessary for salvation and the need for the Christ\u2019s grace for salvation.\u00a0 This talk was one of the most notable of the decade in that regard, stating that \u201cwe cannot earn our way into heaven; the demands of justice stand as a barrier, which we are powerless to overcome on our own. \u2026 The grace of God is our great and everlasting hope.\u201d\u00a0 There has also been a greater amount of discussion of grace as something that gives us greater ability to change and become something better.\u00a0 That idea is most notably discussed in David A. Bednar\u2019s BYU address \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/speeches.byu.edu\/talks\/david-a-bednar\/strength-lord\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">In the Strength of the Lord<\/a>\u201d and Sheri Dew\u2019s book <a href=\"https:\/\/deseretbook.com\/p\/amazed-grace-sheri-l-dew-95136?variant_id=342-hardcover\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em>Amazed by Grace<\/em><\/a>, but President Uchtdorf also brings up that idea in this talk, stating that grace is the means \u201cthrough which God pours out blessings of power and strength, enabling us to achieve things that otherwise would be far beyond our reach.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Todd Christofferson, \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.churchofjesuschrist.org\/study\/general-conference\/2015\/10\/why-the-church?lang=eng\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Why the Church<\/a>,\u201d CR October 2015\n<ul>\n<li>For as much effort as we spend focusing on the institution of the Church, I feel like we put surprisingly little effort into articulating why the organization we participate in is relevant and important beyond our claims to priesthood authority and the idea that priesthood ordinances are necessary for salvation. That lack of explanation is probably part of why Eugene England\u2019s classic essay \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.eugeneengland.org\/why-the-church-is-as-true-as-the-gospel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Why the Church is As True As the Gospel\u201d<\/a> is such an important piece that strikes a chord with a lot of people who have read it. \u00a0This talk by Elder Christofferson stood out to me as an important address to note because it is a robust effort by an apostle to answer the question: \u201cHow does [God\u2019s] Church accomplish the Lord\u2019s purposes?\u201d\u00a0 He gives several answers, including \u201cto create a community of Saints that will sustain one another,\u201d that uniting with the Church is \u201can important part of taking His [Jesus Christ\u2019s] name upon us,\u201d and (in ways that reflect England\u2019s essay) \u201cas the body of Christ, the members of the Church minister to one another in the reality of day-to-day life\u201d in a \u201chands-on\u201d way that tests and shapes us.\u00a0 He also points out that working together as an organization, we can \u201cachieve needful things that cannot be accomplished by individuals or smaller groups,\u201d such as the humanitarian efforts of the Church or the construction and operation of temples.\u00a0 Again, I felt like this was one of the most important talks of the decade because it was an outstanding effort to explain why the Church is relevant in our day and age.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Linda K. Burton, \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.churchofjesuschrist.org\/study\/general-conference\/2016\/04\/i-was-a-stranger?lang=eng\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">I Was a Stranger<\/a>,\u201d CR April 2016\n<ul>\n<li>Speaking of humanitarian efforts, at the height of the Syrian civil war and the war with ISIS (among other problems across the world leading to an increase in refugees), Church leaders made a coordinated effort during this general conference to encourage members of the Church to get personally involved in local refugee relief projects. This talk was, to me, the most powerful of the talks directed towards this effort, and significant because the initiative was first announced during the women\u2019s session of general conference.\u00a0 I\u2019m uncertain how much follow-up there has been since that time on refugee relief projects in the Church, but this talk was part of an important moment in encouraging members to participate in the Church\u2019s humanitarian efforts.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>David A. Bednar, \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.churchofjesuschrist.org\/study\/general-conference\/2016\/04\/always-retain-a-remission-of-your-sins?lang=eng\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Retain a Remission of Your Sins<\/a>,\u201d CR April 2016\n<ul>\n<li>Shifting back to doctrine and theology, this talk represented (to me) some important articulation and evolution of our doctrine about ordinances, the Holy Spirit and sanctification. As stated in the talk, \u201cthe Holy Ghost is a sanctifier who cleanses and burns dross and evil out of the human souls as though by fire.\u201d\u00a0 This role as sanctifier is central to retaining a remission of sins throughout life and in relationship to the saving ordinances, which are \u201cauthorized channels through which the blessings and powers of heaven can flow into our individual lives\u201d (as an aside, for those who have an interest in the Protestant Reformation, that statement is fairly significant in aligning where we stand in relationship to theologians like Luther, Calvin, and Zwingli on the subject of sacraments as channels of grace).\u00a0 Elder Bednar states that \u201cbaptism provides a necessary <em>initial cleansing <\/em>of our soul from sin,\u201d but by contrast, \u201cthe act of partaking of the sacrament, in and of itself, does not remit sins.\u201d \u00a0In both cases, the true, long-term remission of sins comes from the Holy Spirit, since \u201cby the sanctifying power of the Holy Ghost as our constant companion, we can <em>always <\/em>retain a remission of sins,\u201d and that companionship is promised in the covenants we make during confirmation and the sacrament.\u00a0 I enjoy getting into the nitty-gritty details on things like this, so I thought this talk was both interesting and important for doing so about ordinances and remission of sins.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Dallin H. Oaks, \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.churchofjesuschrist.org\/study\/general-conference\/2017\/10\/the-plan-and-the-proclamation?lang=eng\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Plan and the Proclamation<\/a>,\u201d CR October 2017\n<ul>\n<li>The Church\u2019s ongoing stand against homosexual unions was a major controversy throughout the 2010s (as it was before and still is). While this was most pronounced with the unpopular policy of exclusion that was in place from 2015-2019, there were plenty of other skirmishes and events that are a part of that controversy.\u00a0 Both Dallin H. Oaks and The Family: A Proclamation to the World were deployed on the frontlines throughout the entire decade to defend the Church\u2019s position on the subject.\u00a0 This talk was one of the more strongly-worded efforts on President Oaks\u2019s part to make it clear that the Church is standing by what it says in Proclamation, stating that \u201cit has been the basis of Church teaching and practice for the last 22 years and will continue so for the future,\u201d with a specific focus on \u201csame-sex marriage and cohabitation without marriage.\u201d\u00a0 He even goes as far as making it a litmus test of faithfulness and true conversion to embrace the Proclamation, stating that: \u201cConverted Latter-day Saints believe that the family proclamation \u2026 is the Lord\u2019s reemphasis of the gospel truths we need to sustain us through current challenges to the family,\u201d and that \u201cI believe our attitude toward and use of the family proclamation is one of those tests [a chance to stand and prove ourselves] for this generation.\u201d\u00a0 I have no doubt that this talk will continue to be quoted and used to reinforce the Proclamation\u2014as, indeed, it already has been in the \u201cCome, Follow Me\u201d manual for 2021.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Russell M. Nelson, \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.churchofjesuschrist.org\/study\/general-conference\/2018\/10\/the-correct-name-of-the-church?lang=eng\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Correct Name of the Church<\/a>,\u201d CR October 2018\n<ul>\n<li>The talk gains its significance from the policies that had already been put in place as part of an extensive effort focused on presenting the Church as being Christocentric in its orientation, effectively making \u201cMormon\u201d a bad word in Mormon circles. This talk was President Nelson\u2019s heavy-handed explanation and defense of that policy.\u00a0 He obviously feels strongly about the subject and, while I still feel attached to the term \u201cMormon\u201d (as well as other symbols associated with the Church that are being de-emphasized like the Angel Moroni), I know that he is correct in his assessment that the Lord has made it clear in multiple times and places that \u201cJesus Christ directed us to call the Church by His name because it is His Church, filled with His power.\u201d \u00a0It is likely that this topic (and, by extension, this talk) will be remembered as the iconic initiative of President Nelson\u2019s tenure as president of the Church.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Those are the talks that stand out most to me as being especially significant.\u00a0 A few more honorable mentions (in addition to the ones mentioned in the discussion above) might include Dieter F. Uchtdorf\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.churchofjesuschrist.org\/study\/general-conference\/2010\/04\/you-are-my-hands?lang=eng\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u201cYou Are My Hands\u201d<\/a> for its beautiful expression of how we can serve as Christ\u2019s hands in serving our fellow human beings; Dallin H. Oaks\u2019s \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.churchofjesuschrist.org\/study\/general-conference\/2010\/10\/two-lines-of-communication?lang=eng\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Two Lines of Communication<\/a>\u201d for its efforts to balance personal revelation with the right of Church leaders to receive revelation for Church members; Russell M. Nelson\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.churchofjesuschrist.org\/study\/general-conference\/2015\/04\/the-sabbath-is-a-delight?lang=eng\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u201cThe Sabbath Is a Delight\u201d<\/a> for its connections to an initiative to focus on Sabbath day observance (there was some research that indicated that Sabbath day observance was key to lasting, inter-generational commitment to the Church, which led to an increased emphasis on the idea for a while, including some in-Church trainings); and Dale G. Renlund\u2019s \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.churchofjesuschrist.org\/study\/general-conference\/2019\/04\/41renlund?lang=eng\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Abound with Blessings<\/a>\u201d because of its efforts to work through the balance between works and grace in ways that have some interesting parallels with the Eastern Orthodox belief in <em>synergeia <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/2019\/04\/grace-and-cooperative-salvation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">or cooperative salvation<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>I recognize that this list is shaped by my own perspectives and interests, so I\u2019m curious to hear your thoughts as well.\u00a0 Do you agree that these talks belong on a list of \u201cmost significant general conference talks of the 2010s\u201d?\u00a0 What are the talks that I missed that you would include and why?<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Footnote:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref1\" name=\"_ftn1\">[1]<\/a> Sterling McMurrin,\u00a0<em>The Theological Foundations of the Mormon Religion\u00a0<\/em>(Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 1965),\u00a082.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With the 2010s a year behind us now, I thought it might be a good time to look back at general conference in the 2010s and consider which of the talks were some of the most significant addresses given during that period.\u00a0 I suspect that the Gospel Topics Essays will be the most significant documents from that decade in their long-term impact on the Church, but there are still a few memorable and significant general conference talks worth discussing.\u00a0 Glancing through, here were some of the ones that stood out to me as significant for reinforcing, articulating, or developing the doctrine of the Church in notable ways; for the policies they announced or defended; or for the historical initiatives, moments, or controversies to which they were tied.\u00a0 Together, they also give us a glimpse into the history of the Church in the 2010s.\u00a0 Without further ado, here is my list: Todd Christofferson, \u201cThe Doctrine of Christ,\u201d CR April 2012 This talk was likely written specifically for the \u201cMormon Moment\u201d that accompanied Mitt Romney\u2019s 2012 presidential campaign in mind as a way to deal with the fact that things Church leaders had said in the past that didn\u2019t reflect well on [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10397,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17,1284,18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-41207","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-church-history","category-general-conference-features","category-general-doctrine"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41207","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10397"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41207"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41207\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":41233,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41207\/revisions\/41233"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41207"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41207"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41207"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}