He later served first as a counselor, then as president, of the North America Northeast Area. It has been an opportunity to educate the public about Mormonism and fight misconceptions. In a November of 2011 Fireside at Utah State University Elder Marlin K. Jensen, a General Authority Emeritus of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, engaged an attendee in the following conversation (Stephan Smoot. In the article was information about a Q&A meeting at Utah State University that LDS Church Historian and General Authority, Elder Marlin K. Jensen, gave in late 2011. He was asked his thoughts regarding the effects of Google on membership and people who are “leaving in droves” over Church history. [34] Several bills were under debate to block undocumented access to jobs and public benefits, such as in-state tuition and driving privilege cards. He served as the official Church Historian and Recorder of the church from 2005 to 2012. Utah State University that LDS Church Historian and General Authority, Elder Marlin K. Jensen gave in late 2011. [11] From 1996 to 1998 he was executive director of the Church Historical Department. “We are aware,” said Jensen, according to a tape recording of his unscripted remarks. As a new Seventy in 1989, he was counselor to John K. Carmack, president of the Utah Central Area. [3] This supported his real passion of living a farming lifestyle. He quit attending service, telling himself, “Ok, I’m done.”. Also known as Marlen K Jensen. While not always official church positions, his statements illustrated his candid views as a leader within the LDS Church. Elder Marlin K. Jensen's response: In 2012, Mormon General Authority Marlin K. Jensen acknowledged that members are leaving the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints "in droves." Did the leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints know that members are “leaving in droves?” a woman asked. And many are not. Jensen, the church’s official historian, would not provide any figures on the rate of defections, but he told Reuters that attrition has accelerated in the last five or 10 years, reflecting greater secularization of society. “Maybe since Kirtland, we’ve never had a period of - I’ll call it apostasy, like we’re having now,” he told the group in Logan. Elder Marlin K. Jensen’s response was to him shocking: Maybe since Kirtland, we’ve never had a period of – I’ll call it apostasy, like we’re having now; largely over these issues… [11], Coming from a church official on assignment from the First Presidency, the comments surprised many prominent Utah politicians and Latter-day Saints. [2] His family operates a ranching enterprise called Jensens' Middle Fork Ranch, in which he is a partner. They should foster a culture of mutual openness with the general historical community. I have never ever been associated with an organization that changes as fast as the Mormon church,” said former church researcher Ray Briscoe, 79, whose investigations helped spur movement on issues such as the treatment of blacks. Church members are satisfied with their lives, content with their communities, strongly see themselves as Christian and believe acceptance of Mormons is increasing, a recent Pew Research poll of people who describe themselves as Mormon found. “I think we are at a time of challenge, but it isn’t apocalyptic,” he said. In 2012, Mormon General Authority Marlin K. Jensen acknowledged that members are leaving the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints "in droves". Lived In Ogden UT, Rochester NY, Salt Lake City UT. The LDS church claims 14 million members worldwide -- optimistically including nearly every person baptized. Elder Marlin K. Jensen's response: It won’t allow its property to be used for polling, unlike many other churches, and has been careful not to run the “I am a Mormon” ads in early primary states. Jensen was born in Huntsville, Utah. This is a serialization of “A Faithful Reply to the CES Letter from a … One thing often said by online critics is that Church membership is in decline and that even Elder Marlin K. Jensen admitted that people are “leaving in droves.” Marlin Keith Jensen (born May 18, 1942) has been a general authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) since 1989. "[27][39], At the invitation of Utah State University professor Philip Barlow, Jensen held a "Q&A" with a Mormon Studies student group on November 11, 2011. “And I’m speaking of the 15 men that are above me in the hierarchy of the church. Sociologists estimate there are as few as 5 million active members worldwide. Marlin Keith Jensen (born May 18, 1942) has been a general authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) since 1989. He was asked the following question. They really do know and they really care,” he said. Balken talked about her love of gardening -- and the pain infusing the family of her wife, who was the only gay child in a big LDS family. [35] On behalf of the First Presidency[36] at Westminster College's Interfaith Dialogue on Immigration, Jensen said lawmakers should "take a step back" since this "deal[s] with God's children" and "a more humane approach is warranted".[34]. First Seven Presidents of the Seventy / First Council of the Seventy, CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (. But Christian Anderson, 41, a non-practicing Mormon in Columbia, South Carolina, for years filed away on a mental “shelf” concerns about the historical veracity of the religion’s central text and its socially conservative views. Many evangelicals say they do not consider the LDS church to be Christian. In 2012, Mormon General Authority Marlin K. Jensen acknowledged that members are leaving the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints "in droves." But on Broadway, the church’s gospel and missionary zeal are mocked. Then he outlined how the church was using the technologies that had loosened its grip on the flock to reverse this trend. This crisis of faith in the LDS church remains largely offstage in the race for the presidency. Most of the church members present said they weren’t aware of anyone they knew being gay, but they had heard from parents whose gay children were no longer speaking to them and who felt caught between their religion and their family. [29] On October 6, 2012, Jensen was then released from the First Quorum of the Seventy and designated as an emeritus general authority at the LDS Church's semi-annual general conference. [27], On April 22, 1998, Jensen was sent by the First Presidency to give an interview with the Salt Lake Tribune in reaction to a 1998 First Presidency statement[30] and to explicitly state that someone could be a devout Mormon and a member of the Democratic Party. [11] He lamented the decline of the Utah Democratic Party, and regretted that the Republican Party might be seen as the "church party". Among other steps, it has hired an expert in search-engine optimization to raise the profile of the church’s own views in a web search. But Spaniards introduced horses to the New World many centuries later, and extensive DNA studies have failed to find any genetic link between Israelites and Native Americans, suggesting instead that North America’s indigenous population came across the Bering Strait from Asia many thousands of years ago. However, they remain general authorities of the church until their death. Starting in 1978, the duties of Church Historians fell to the Executive director of the historical department. The church is particularly concerned, however, about its younger members -- the ones who are asked to dedicate two years of their life to spreading the Mormon gospel. Individual Mormons are encouraged to participate in public life, including running for office and supporting candidates, but the church officially stays out of electoral politics. Several years back, LDS General Authority and outgoing official church historian, Marlin K. Jensen, publicly acknowledged that the membership of the church was leaving “in droves” and that the pace of defections was increasing in startling numbers. “And I’m speaking of the 15 men that are above me in the hierarchy of the church. LDS Church Historian and Recorder General Authority Marlin K. Jensen confirmed the end of 2011 that LDS are "leaving in droves." Jensen responded that top church leaders "realize that, maybe, since Kirtland we've never had a period of, I'll call it apostasy, like we're having right now, largely over these issues." In 2012, Mormon General Authority Marlin K. Jensen acknowledged that members are leaving the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints “in droves.” Access to the internet is often credited and blamed for this mass exodus, where members learn about problematic doctrines and cover-ups of LDS history. He was the 19th man to hold that calling since it was established in 1830. Previously he practiced law and was a partner in a family ranching enterprise. Access to the internet is often credited and blamed for this mass exodus, where members learn about problematic doctrines and cover-ups of LDS history. In the wake of the Prop 8 battle, Brandie Balken, executive director of gay rights group Equality Utah, was one of five gay advocates who met with three LDS officials to ease tensions. In 1989, Jensen became a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy at the age of 46. “My own daughter,” he then added, “has come to me and said, ‘Dad, why didn’t you ever tell me that Joseph Smith was a polygamist?’” For the younger generation, Jensen acknowledged, “Everything’s out there for them to consume if they want to Google it.” The manuals used to teach the young church doctrine, meanwhile, are “severely outdated.”. Marlin Francis Jenson, 77. There were demonstrations in Salt Lake City, which is home to the Mormon tabernacle but was also just named the “the gayest city in America” by the Advocate magazine, crediting its numerous gay-friendly bars, book stores and neighborhoods. 1. Access to the internet is often credited and blamed for this mass exodus, where members learn about problematic doctrines and cover-ups of LDS history. Many are happy as Mormons. There has been a bit of buzz (mostly amongst ex- and anti-Mormons) recently over some remarks of Elder Marlin K. Jensen, an emeritus member of the 1st Quorum of the Seventy and former Church Historian and Recorder, who is alleged to have said that, thanks to Google, the omniscient fount of all knowledge, members of the Church are leaving “in droves”. In 2004, he replaced D. Todd Christofferson as executive director of the Family and Church History Department,[13] a position he held previously when it was just the Historical Department. The church denied the higher priesthood to blacks until 1978 and still bars sexually active homosexuals from its temples. [2] In 1987 he became a regional representative for the Kaysville Utah and Layton Utah regions. These are tumultuous times for the faith founded by Joseph Smith in 1830, and the rumbling began even before church member Mitt Romney’s presidential bid put the Latter-Day Saints in the spotlight. And to some voters, Mormonism remains a complete enigma. Plural marriages were "not controlled by the authority of one individual" and "the consent of individual women was always honored in any marriage proposal". But the Church did in 2009 support a job and housing anti-discrimination measure in Salt Lake City, saying that opposing discrimination was a separate issue from same-sex marriage. Marlin K. Jensen, in Logan, Utah, on November 11, 2011, who states that there is a massive exodus/apostasy going on, where more people are leaving Mormonism right now, than any other time since Kirtland! 8", "Special report-Mormonism besieged by the modern age", "Mormons tackling tough questions in their history", "Reports of the Death of the Church are Greatly Exaggerated", General Authorities and General Officers: Elder Marlin K. Jensen, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Marlin_K._Jensen&oldid=1001322198, American general authorities (LDS Church), American Mormon missionaries in the United States, General Presidents of the Sunday School (LDS Church), Members of the First Quorum of the Seventy (LDS Church), Official historians of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Articles with dead external links from October 2010, Latter Day Saint biography Infobox with missing parameters, Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SNAC-ID identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 19 January 2021, at 05:21. He often acted as a peacemaker, attempting to bring understanding or empathy to divisive issues. Related To Kathleen Jensen, Matthew Jensen, Clarice Jensen, Stephen Jensen, Jessica Jensen. Many are happy as Mormons. These remarks were recorded by a student and circulated online, and were picked up in a Reuters "Special Report". In 2012, Mormon General Authority Marlin K. Jensen acknowledged that members are leaving the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints “in droves.” Access to the internet is often credited and blamed for this mass exodus, where members learn about problematic doctrines and cover-ups of LDS history. “Has the church seen the effects of Google on membership? Another concern is that he could take positions that would complicate the church’s missionary efforts in the U.S. or other countries such as in Central and South America.”, But on the positive side, the person said, “having a Mormon president could raise the church’s profile and legitimize it in other countries.”, (Reporting By Peter Henderson and Kristina Cooke, editing by Lee Aitken). We just had to grow up enough to accept it,” he said. For example, the “I am a Mormon” ad campaign, which features stereotype-busting Mormons who are black or single parents, helped boost chat sessions on the church’s website to more than a million in the last 12 months. Many are happy as Mormons. “ Reports of the Death of the Church are Greatly Exaggerated,” January 15, 2013) “There’s no sense kidding ourselves, we just need to be very upfront with them and tell them what we know and give answers to what we have and call on their faith like we all do for things we don’t understand.”. The head of the church, President Thomas Monson, who is considered a living prophet, has called the campaign “The Rescue” and made it his signature initiative, according to Jensen. Is the church aware of that problem? He is married to the former Kathleen Bushnell and they have eight children and 32 grandchildren. Dr. Phillip Barlow (Arrington Chair of Mormon History and Culture at Utah State University) invited Elder Marlin K. Jensen (Church Historian and Recorder) to speak at USU. Leaving in Droves?, Really? And the Web has intensified debate over the truth of the history the church teaches. He was president of the Europe Central Area from 2001 to 2003. Elder Marlin K. Jensen - Stand in the Sacred Grove - YouTube CES Reply: Leaving in Droves? [13] In these roles and as a church official, Jensen has spoken at General Conference, BYU Women's Conference (1998), BYU Family History and Genealogy Conference (2006), Northern Utah Family History Conference (2006), Yale's American Society of Church History (2007), and the Mormon History Association Conference (2005 and 2007). For example, the book describes Israelites moving in 600 BC to the Americas, where they had horses and other domesticated animals. Mitt Romney’s religion has been less of a prominent issue on the campaign trail this time around than in 2008. He was asked his thoughts regarding the effects of Google on membership and people who are "leaving in droves" over Church history. And Jensen was uncharacteristically frank in acknowledging their concerns. Elder Marlin K. Jensen's response: “It came to a point where the shelf was too heavy,” he said. The purpose of this post is to provide to new members of this forum, who simply 'may have missed it', the link to the 2012 article where LDS church historian Marlin K. Jensen verifies that the Q15 do know that church members are... 'leaving in droves'. [32], On February 13, 2008, Jensen urged the Utah State Legislature to show compassion in considering laws that would affect undocumented immigrants. “Most of the people we cater to have been life-long members.”. “I think this is an epidemic for the church,” said Dehlin. : Answering God's Interrogatories", Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Latter-day Saint History, "Church History: Past, Present and Future", "The Joseph Smith Papers: The Manuscript Revelation Books", "The Rest of the Story: Latter-day Saint Relations with Utah's Native Americans", "Minding the House of Church History: Reflections of a Church Historian at the End of His Time", "A Conversation on Preparing Ourselves for the Temple", "Conversation: Church Museum Strengthens Members and Visitors", "A Historian by Yearning: A Conversation with Elder Marlin K. Jensen", "Historian by yearning' collects, preserves: Elder Marlin K. Jensen is historian/recorder", "Elder Marlin K. Jensen of the First Quorum of the Seventy", http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865560066/Former-LDS-Church-leaders-tabbed-for-Utah-higher-education-boards.html, "Called to Serve: An Historic Event—159th Annual General Conference", "Family History: A Conversation with Elder D. Todd Christofferson", "Political Briefing; A Democratic Mormon Offers Hope in Utah", "Changing of the guard in Mormon history", "A Church that Takes Its History Seriously", "History of the Joseph Smith Papers Project", "New Church History Library to Be Constructed", "Breaking News: Changes in Family and Church History Department Organization", "Groups want church to back historic landmark status", "Mountain Meadows landmark plan aims to heal, unite", "Mountain Meadows officially becomes National Historic Landmark", "Mormon leadership bids farewell to peacemaking progressive", "Church Historian: 'A record of His Church and its people, "Emeritus general authorities welcome the chance to practice what they've preached", "First Presidency Urges Citizen Participation", "Have compassion for immigrants, lawmakers urged", "Debate resumes over illegal immigrants' status in LDS Church", "Compassion call could affect immigration bills", "Mormon Leader: ‘I’m Sorry’ For Hurtful Legacy of Prop. [2] After returning home in 1964, he graduated from BYU with a B.S. He was asked his thoughts regarding the effects of Google on membership and people who are “leaving in droves” over Church history… This truly shocked me. In 1995, Jensen became a member of the church's Public Affairs Committee. All quotes delayed a minimum of 15 minutes. As a 19-year-old, he served as a missionary for the LDS Church in West Germany. Many are happy as Mormons. leaving in droves". “The church has a very progressive research and information division, with tremendous public opinion surveyors,” he said. [27][31], Jensen featured prominently in the 2007 PBS documentary The Mormons. In January 2012, it was announced that, after a transition period, Steven E. Snow would replace Jensen as the Church Historian and Recorder later in the year. Jensen was asked if church leaders were aware that members were discovering problems with LDS Church history through the internet, and what is to be done for those who may be affected or "who are already leaving in droves". I accept that his heart was touched and that he was overcome by emotion when he heard of the suffering those affiliated with the LDS church experienced because of the LDS church's involvement with the Proposition 8 measure in California. Marlin K Jensen, 78. In 2005 the callings of Church Historian and Church Recorder was restored. On May 5, 2008, Jensen officially responded to Timothy Egan's New York Times op-ed piece which claimed that FLDS polygamy "is a look back at some of the behavior of Mormonism's founding fathers". In a February 25, 2008 press release about the new Church Historian's Press publishing the Joseph Smith Papers, Jensen offered instruction on how to approach church history. All this comes as the public profile of America’s Mormons had been raised by two pop-culture hits: the recent TV series “Big Love” and the current Broadway hit, “The Book of Mormon.” The attention, says church spokesman Michael Purdy, is a “double-edged sword.”. I've even herd of them referred to as equity pioneers. Observers reported that his contributions "helped transform the Utah-based faith's approach to its history," and saw the church's history department "truly come of age. Jensen was Church Historian and Recorder from 2005 to 2012,[1] and executive director of the Church History Department from 2004 to 2012. “If they are not revolutionary, they are at least going to be a breath of fresh air across the church,” Jensen told the Utah class. Now Utah Democratic Senator Ben McAdams and Republican Representative Derek Brown are proposing a similar statewide bill, and the Church’s position on that will be significant. See: In 1837 the callings of Church Historian and Church Recorder were separated, but in 1842 these callings were again merged. Topic: MARLIN K. JENSEN -Link To MC Article- I have met Marlin Jensen and think that he is a good person. Of course, some of the comfort offered outside the community of believers is false comfort, and we should be clear about that. In 2005, he became the first Church Historian and Recorder to serve since 1997. Certainly the church can change, as it did a generation ago in admitting blacks to the higher priesthood. Did the leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints know that members are “leaving in droves?” a woman asked. The church’s active role in promoting California’s Proposition 8, which outlawed gay marriage, drove away some its more liberal members. 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