History and background preceding the 1978 Revelation on the Priesthood with Martin Tanner

Latter Day Radio, now podcasting from The Intersection of Faith & Freedom.

As we look at the events that led up to the momentous revelation that allowed black men in the Church to receive the Priesthood, let’s go back to the mid 1970’s. The Church was undergoing growing pressure to do something about its policy–note that I use the word “policy,” not doctrine–regarding race and full fellowship in the Church. Ever since the mid 19th-century, men of African descent were not ordained to the Priesthood. That also meant that the blessings of the temple were not only withheld from them, but also from their spouses. And, this was despite the fact that early black Saints had received the Priesthood and were able to participate fully in everything the Church had to offer. A number of black men had ordained priests and elders, and even held Church office and served missions. But, had there been a specific revelation or doctrine that spelled out that position?

In the next segments of this series, Martin Tanner gives a very detailed description of early black Saints who, in fact, DID receive the Priesthood. And, points out that most other Christian churches were of the same opinion in the 19th-century. In fact, he surmises that the reason Brigham Young did not continue with the practice was to deflect criticism from the Church and forestall any additional persecution; it was after all, well known that the Church was anti-slavery and that had been a tenet of Joseph Smith’s 1844 platform in his pursuit of the presidency of the United States. And, Martin points out that it took a REVELATION to change a POLICY, since the practice had been so entrenched in Church practice and culture. That all changed for the better in 1978 and led to incredible growth in the Church since then, especially in Africa.