NEWS PROFILE: At 88, Mormon church head says,“Future looks good to me”

c. 1998 Religion News Service SALT LAKE CITY _ The man millions honor as God’s”prophet, seer and revelator”on earth, is a skilled businessman facing the future with optimism. That trait, along with his faith and wit, is quickly becoming Gordon B. Hinckley’s hallmark as president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. A […]

c. 1998 Religion News Service

SALT LAKE CITY _ The man millions honor as God’s”prophet, seer and revelator”on earth, is a skilled businessman facing the future with optimism.

That trait, along with his faith and wit, is quickly becoming Gordon B. Hinckley’s hallmark as president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.


A skilled businessman and career church administrator, Hinckley is four years into his tenure in the LDS’ top post. He presides over an American-born tradition in which adversity bred”great independence of spirit and a great faith,”he said in a September interview in Salt Lake City shortly before the semi-annual general conference of the church (Oct. 3-4).”I just want to emphasize this fact. The future looks good to me,”the 88-year-old said.”I wish I were younger, just to be part of the great days that lie ahead. I think that we’re going to turn around.” On national issues, Hinckley is a cautious commentator, not inclined to speculate on President Clinton and the possiblity of impeachment because of Clinton’s conduct in the Monica Lewinsky matter.

Clinton is accountable to God, the Congress and the nation, Hinckley said, but is”entitled to certain constitutional processes and until they’ve run their course, I’m not going to speculate on what he can do.” Speaking about his church, however, Hinckley is enthusiastic and eager to forsake headquarters for the field. His travels _ which include breaking ground for a temple in Spain and meeting thousands of Latter-day”saints”in a multination tour of Africa _ rival globetrotting Pope John Paul II and Protestant evangelist Billy Graham.”I want to get out among the people,”Hinckley said, adding he wants to thank the hard-working adherents of one of the world’s fastest-growing religions. He oversees a faith established by a visionary on the American frontier that today offers a seemingly winning combination of religious certainty, solid organization, institutional strength, family values and mystical theology.

According to reports, the LDS church’s assets and annual income are reported to amount to billions, but officials decline to discuss either. Its television advertising targets spiritual seekers longing for answers.

Its preparedness programs _ efforts to build storehouses for short and longterm relief _ are legendary. Its American corporations are success stories. It commands respect abroad _ and at home where 14 Mormons serve in the U.S. Congress.

Mormons believe God chooses his prophets, but the mosaic of Hinckley’s life fits”the time for his leadership,”said Al Haines, president of the church’s Cypress Stake in Houston, Texas, and chief administrative officer of the City of Houston.

According to news reports and church observers, Hinckley is sharper, more available and in better health than his two immediate predecessors, Howard W. Hunter, president from June 1994 to March 1995, and Ezra Taft Benson, president from 1985 to 1994.

The church operates under a system of apostolic succession under which the senior apostle become president when his predecessor dies. Before taking the position, Hinckley served as first counselor, or second in command, to both Benson and Hunter. Because both suffered from ill health, Hinckley wielded major power for 14 years behind the scenes.


In his current post, Hinckley has presented a grandfatherly face to the world, granting interviews to a handful of major publications and chatting affably with Mike Wallace on CBS’ 60 Minutes at Easter 1996 and, earlier this month, with Larry King on CNN.”I like the press,”said Hinckley.”You talk their language a little, you get along with them.”But the friendliness of this Mormon CEO masks nerves of steel, the experts say, noting he skillfully sidesteps difficult questions.

Sitting in his expansive office in downtown Salt Lake, Hinckley was friendly, even folksy. His handshake was firm; his blue eyes clear. A familiar Mormon depiction of Jesus hung on one wall; a portrait of the faith’s founder, Joseph Smith, on another.

Nearby was a well-thumbed copy of the Wall Street Journal and a holder with 20 sharp pencils, ready for this church CEO. Hinckley views Mormons as building God’s restored church.”A man said to me once, `Do you believe you can become a god?”Hinckley said, grinning.”I said to him: `You want to be a scrub forever?'” Mormons espouse the concept of”eternal progress,”Hinckley added, deftly exploring a controversial tenet. Asked what awaits in the next life, he said,”I don’t know in detail. But I have some rough ideas. Wonderful things await us if we walk in the commandments of God.”This life is merely one phase of an eternal existence. Today is part of eternity. We lived before we came here. We’re in a testing ground, as it was, here. We’ll go on to further opportunities and further growth.” Church critics include feminists, political liberals and more traditional Christians who look askance at its unusual theology and temple rituals and dislike its pattern of older male leadership, generally conservative politics and treatment of dissenters.

Dissidents question the faith’s teachings and the truth of its origins. Opposition in the 19th century was similar. Critics viewed early Mormon teachings and practices _ including polygamy, communal holding of property, and their belief that they were called to restore true Christianity _ as a threat.

The Great Salt Lake Valley to which the early followers of Joseph Smith fled _ then Mexican territory _ offered freedom of religion. Later in the 1890s, the church repudiated polygamy, opening the door to Utah statehood in 1896. There are reports that polygamy survives in fringe sects in Utah and elsewhere.

Following recent scandals of forced marriage and child sexual abuse linked to one sect, the church deplored any link. Such sects have”nothing to do”with the church he leads, Hinckley said in a statement.”These people who practice polygamy are not members of this church. Any man or woman who becomes involved (in such a group) becomes excommunicated.” Mormonism enjoys a 4.7 percent annual growth rate. Its 5 million U.S. adherents make it the nation’s seventh-largest denomination. Outside the U.S., the growth rate is almost double with an estimated 5 million Mormons in other countries.


Hinckley attributes the church’ numerical success to its offer of firm beliefs and values, a family atmosphere and a vision for a better world at a time of insecurity.”The world’s families are falling apart across the world,”he said.”I think that’s obvious. There are people who want something to hold onto in this world of shifting values.” University of Washington sociologist Rodney Stark has predicted the church will swell to 280 million by the year 2080 if current growth rates continue.

Converts are enthusiastic because the church embraces them, Hinckley said.”They are made to feel at home, that this is a secure and comfortable place-and, furthermore they’re given work to do. This is a church of voluntary service. … They feel as if they’ve become part of a family. They enjoy it. They like it. They talk to others about it and that leads to this constant growth.”

DEA END HOLMES

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