Conference Books — Spring 2012

I’m always fascinated by the appearance of old and somewhat obscure books among what gets cited in General Conference talks. Except for in conference, I’ve never heard of works like McCulloch’s Home: the Savior of Civilization (1924) or Blatchford’s More Things in Heaven and Earth (1925). Nor would I have realized that someone named Elbert Hubbard had compiled so many volumes of quotations and stories, most under the title Little Journeys“¦

I don’t know what to think of these references — perhaps it has something to do with what current Apostles and Prophets read and learned during their youth. Even if the speaker didn’t read the particular book cited, they may have heard the quotation second or third hand, but it likely comes from when these books were read–in the first decades of the 20th century.

In contrast, some sources that aren’t well known among Church members appear repeatedly, such as British rabbi Jonathan Sacks, who was quoted again in this conference (at least the third time, IIRC). It is interesting to see that kind of agreement with a public figure not of our faith–I think it is a welcome recognition of the Mormon view that even today some truth can be found outside of our faith.

This conference also included an unusual citation to a periodical article not written in English (an article about the Church because of the Romney candidacy that appeared in the Brazilian newsmagazine Veja–which is roughly the equivalent of Time). I haven’t noticed any references to current non-English materials that haven’t been translated before, but I suspect that I just haven’t noticed. And I was also gratified to see a reference to the new book Women of Faith in the Latter Days, the first in a series that should make women’s experiences more widely recognized in the Church.

Here are the books and other outside sources mentioned or cited in the most recent General Conference. I hope you enjoy reading the list as much as I enjoy compiling it:

Books

Periodical articles

  • Avant, Gerry, “Learning Gospel Is Lifetime Pursuit,” Church News, March 24, 1990.
    • Donald L. Hallstrom, Converted to His Gospel through His Church, Saturday Morning Session
  • Beck, Julie B., “Why We Are Organized into Quorums and Relief Societies“, BYU Devotional Address, January 17, 2012.
    • Julie B. Beck, The Vision of Prophets regarding Relief Society: Faith, Family, Relief, Sunday Morning Session
  • Clark, J. Reuben, Jr., “When Are Church Leaders’ Words Entitled to Claim of Scripture,” Church News, July 31, 1954.
    • D. Todd Christofferson, The Doctrine of Christ, Sunday Morning Session
  • Cortez, Marjorie, “Mom’s Education Key to Halt Poverty Cycle,” Deseret News, September 23, 2011.
    • Mary N. Cook, Seek Learning: You Have a Work to Do, General Young Women Meeting
  • DeParle, Jason and Sabrina Tavernise, “Unwed Mothers Now a Majority Before Age of Thirty,” New York Times, February 18, 2012.
    • M. Russell Ballard, That the Lost May Be Found, Sunday Afternoon Session
  • Hanewicz, Cheryl and Susan R. Madsen, “The Influence of a Mother on a Daughter’s College Decision,” Utah Women and Education Project Research Snapshots, no. 3, January 2011.
    • Mary N. Cook, Seek Learning: You Have a Work to Do, General Young Women Meeting
  • Journal of Discourses.
    • D. Todd Christofferson, The Doctrine of Christ, Sunday Morning Session
  • Lee, Harold B., “The Place of Relief Society in the Welfare Plan”, Relief Society Magazine, December 1946.
    • Julie B. Beck, The Vision of Prophets regarding Relief Society: Faith, Family, Relief, Sunday Morning Session
  • Petry, André, “Entre a Fé e a Urna”, Veja, November 2, 2011.
    • Neil L. Andersen, What Things Christ of Me?, Sunday Afternoon Session
  • Riley, Naomi Schaefer, “What the Mormons Know about Welfare,” Wall Street Journal, February 18, 2012, A11.
    • Dallin H. Oaks, Sacrifice, Saturday Morning Session
  • Samuels, Jennifer, “Family Reunited in Miami after Trauma in Haiti”, Church News, January 30, 2010.
    • Neil L. Andersen, What Things Christ of Me?, Sunday Afternoon Session
  • Smith, Joseph Fielding, “Sealing Power and Salvation,” BYU Speeches of the Year, 1971.
    • Henry B. Eyring, Families under Covenant, Priesthood Session
  • Walker, Olene, “More Utah Women Need to Finish College,” Salt Lake Tribune, October 30, 2011.
    • Mary N. Cook, Seek Learning: You Have a Work to Do, General Young Women Meeting

Manuals and Handbooks

Other

  • A Change of Heart, 20 April 2011
    • Adrián Ochoa, Aaronic Priesthood: Arise and Use the Power of God, Priesthood Session
  • Alcom, Randy, Florence Chadwick and the Fog, 21 January 2010.
    • Elaine S. Dalton, Now Is the Time to Arise and Shine!, General Young Women Meeting
  • Cnaan, Ram and others, “Called to Serve: The Prosocial Behavior of Active Latter-day Saints.”
    • Dallin H. Oaks, Sacrifice, Saturday Morning Session
  • Dibb, Ann M., “My Father Is a Prophet.” BYU-Idaho Devotional, February 19, 2008.
    • Dallin H. Oaks, Sacrifice, Saturday Morning Session
  • Eberhard, Ernest, Jr., “Giving Our Young Men the Proper Priesthood Perspective”, typescript, July 19, 1971, Church History Library.
    • Thomas S. Monson, Willing and Worthy to Serve, Priesthood Session
  • Hinckley, Gordon B., “Standing Strong and Immovable”, Worldwide Leadership Training Meeting, January 10, 2004.
    • Elaine S. Dalton, Now Is the Time to Arise and Shine!, General Young Women Meeting
  • Navigation Information, and Swim Successes.
    • Elaine S. Dalton, Now Is the Time to Arise and Shine!, General Young Women Meeting
  • Packer, Boyd K., “Priesthood Power in the Home“, Worldwide Leadership Training Meeting, February 11, 2012.
    • David F. Evans, Was It Worth It?, Sunday Afternoon Session
  • Pedersen, Marva Jeanne Kimball. Vaughn Roberts Kimball: A Memorial. 1995.
    • Quentin L. Cook, In Tune with the Music of Faith, Saturday Afternoon Session
  • Reunited by Faith. 23 December 2011.
    • Adrián Ochoa, Aaronic Priesthood: Arise and Use the Power of God, Priesthood Session
  • Sacks, Jonathan. “Has Europe Lost Its Soul?”
    • Quentin L. Cook, In Tune with the Music of Faith, Saturday Afternoon Session
  • Wilcox, W. Bradford and others, “No Money, No Honey, No Church: The Deinstitutionalization of Religious Life among the White Working Class.”
    • M. Russell Ballard, That the Lost May Be Found, Sunday Afternoon Session

You can see the previous compilations of books cited in General conference here:

Fall 2011
Spring 2011
Fall 2010
Spring 2010
October 2009
April 2009
October 2008
April 2008

3 thoughts on “Conference Books — Spring 2012”

  1. Great work compiling this. I’m actually working on a project involving the rhetorical use of non-LDS voices by LDS leadership. Still in the preliminary stages, but this is a very interesting topic.

  2. I wish I had 50 years of references for you. I’ve even thought that I should go back and compile previous years. But, alas, I’ll have just 5 years when I get this Fall’s conference done.

  3. .

    If I knew I would be speaking in General Conference, it would really change the way I keep track of what I read.

Comments are closed.