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Confidence Amid Change: The Presidential Diaries of David O. Mckay, 1951-1970
Charismatic and a polished public speaker, LDS President David O. McKay instilled devotion in church members around the globe. An avowed optimist, he maintained a lifelong “faith in mankind; they are God’s children.” His desire to share the Mormon gospel coincided with a deep need to protect the church from outside social pressures, leading him to adopt a nuanced yet politically conservative public image. Though his genial personality aided him in unifying church leadership, McKay’s dislike of interpersonal conflict allowed strong-willed colleagues to sometimes overshadow him. His personally disagreed with apostle Ezra Taft Benson’s advocacy for the right-wing John Birch society, while allowing Benson and others to promote an extremely conservative political agenda in religious settings. Similar hesitancy existed in McKay’s failure to lift the priesthood and temple ban against black Mormons. Governing during the height of the Civil Rights movement, he never fully reconciled his belief in human spiritual equality with the racial tensions of his era. The voice of his dedicated secretary Clare Middlemiss often guides the diary’s narratives, revealing not only the personal musings of the church prophet but tracking the birth and development of the modern LDS Church as a social, political, and economic entity.
920 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 29, 2019
About the author
David O. McKay
128 books29 followersDavid Oman McKay was the ninth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), serving from 1951 until his death.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 6, 2024
Interesting extracts from the McKay journals. However, these are selections, which allows bias by the editor. I found it informative even when I was wishing for a more complete picture of some events.
September 10, 2019
https://radiowest.kuer.org/post/2019-...
Although I did not read through the entire volume, I found it an informative glimpse into the working life of president McKay. Some sections were very enlightening, and some sweetly touching.
Although I did not read through the entire volume, I found it an informative glimpse into the working life of president McKay. Some sections were very enlightening, and some sweetly touching.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews