Hank Smith:
Wow, excellent. Maclane, Dr. Hayward, you are a teacher, you're a scholar. You've made the History of this Church, teaching the scriptures. You've made it your career, your life's work. And you've studied it a lot. You know all the ins and outs of the History of this Church, and the ups and downs of Joseph Smith and his contemporaries. John and I would love for our listeners to hear your personal thoughts on the Restoration, on Joseph Smith. And what it's done for you personally not only as a professional, but also as a husband and father.
Dr. Maclane Heward:
There's two things that I want to mention here. And to tell you the truth, they're quotes. You've heard me quote from a lot of different people, because there's a lot of people that have influenced me in this regard. I had an experience in graduate school, I won't bore you with all the details, but I came home
one day super stressed and my wife called me over to the computer. She was on Facebook and a friend of hers had just left the church, had just come out on Facebook, "I'm leaving the Church." And she said, and this is close to if not a direct quote, she said, "I've read it all."
one day super stressed and my wife called me over to the computer. She was on Facebook and a friend of hers had just left the church, had just come out on Facebook, "I'm leaving the Church." And she said, and this is close to if not a direct quote, she said, "I've read it all."
To be quite honest with you, my reaction was maybe a little bit unChristian. I got rather upset because I was spending hours and hours and hours and hours and hours every week studying History, Religious History and was in Mormon Studies classes reading book after book, after book. Every week we were going through a different book. And I just kind of flipped out thinking that what an audacious claim that you have read it all. And that feeling has stayed with me a little bit, the Church Historian Rick Turley gave him some advice and was talking to him. And Rick Turley said this to Marlin K. Jensen. He said, "Don't study Church History, too little." I have found that to be the case personally. I have found that the deeper I go in Church History, the more inspiration. To be very honest with you, I hope you felt that.
I find in the Church, the doctrine of the Church, a call to be better than I am. A call to be more than I am. To become the type of person that I always want to be. And then speaking specifically about History and Church History, there's one other person that has become a hero for me. I shouldn't say that.
There's many other people that have become heroes to me in this avenue. But this is Spencer Fluhman. And he's a professional historian, he's educated and one of the very best History programs in the nation. He's Executive Director of the Maxwell Institute. It's really a powerful historian. He said, "I am
not a committed Latter-day Saint in spite of my careful study of LDS History, but because of it."
There's many other people that have become heroes to me in this avenue. But this is Spencer Fluhman. And he's a professional historian, he's educated and one of the very best History programs in the nation. He's Executive Director of the Maxwell Institute. It's really a powerful historian. He said, "I am
not a committed Latter-day Saint in spite of my careful study of LDS History, but because of it."
He then said this. He said, "I am a witness to history's powerful capacity to mold and shape us as disciples of Jesus Christ and straining to see clearly into the past, a dark glass, we can come
to see ourselves in the Lord more clearly. Even acknowledging the very human difficulties in our own stories." And he knows them, Spencer Fluhman knows them. He knows, he studied anti-Mormonism for a decade and wrote a book about it. He knows the difficult stories in our past. He says, "I bear witness that there is more than enough inspiration and edification to compensate. Indeed our history is a reservoir with spiritual resources sufficient to feed us spiritually for a lifetime and beyond."
to see ourselves in the Lord more clearly. Even acknowledging the very human difficulties in our own stories." And he knows them, Spencer Fluhman knows them. He knows, he studied anti-Mormonism for a decade and wrote a book about it. He knows the difficult stories in our past. He says, "I bear witness that there is more than enough inspiration and edification to compensate. Indeed our history is a reservoir with spiritual resources sufficient to feed us spiritually for a lifetime and beyond."
I feel that. I absolutely feel that. And I'm so grateful for the history of our Church. We are history-keeping people and I bear my testimony that Joseph Smith was not perfect. And that provides me with so much encouragement that maybe God can help me to bring about the cause of Zion just like he helped Joseph in his weaknesses. It helps me to see that I can do some good and I can be a part of this great Restoration of God's kingdom on the earth. I think those are the things that I would say. I love the Church. I love Church History. I laugh about stories all the time. I'm entertained by Church History, but I'm hopefully and more importantly changed by Church History. And I hope I'm a better husband. I hope I'm a better father. I hope I'm a better teacher. I hope I'm a better disciple and child of God.
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