Bruce Redd McConkie (July 29, 1915 – April 19, 1985) was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1972 until his death. McConkie was a member of the LDS Church's First Council of the Seventy from 1946 until his calling to the Quorum of the Twelve.
During his time as a general authority, McConkie published several doctrinal books and articles and wrote the chapter headings of the LDS Church's 1979–81 editions of the standard works..
McConkie received both a bachelor's degree and JD from the University of Utah. He spent his childhood between Monticello, Utah; Salt Lake City, Utah; and Ann Arbor, Michigan. In 1937, he married Amelia Smith (1916–2005), a daughter of Joseph Fielding Smith, who later became LDS Church president.
Early years McConkie was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, to Oscar Walter McConkie and Margaret Vivian Redd. Before he was a year old, his family moved to Monticello, Utah. In 1925, his family moved back to Ann Arbor, where his father continued studying law and in 1926, they moved to Salt Lake City, Utah. McConkie attended Bryant Junior High School and LDS High School, where he graduated at fifteen. He attended three years of college at the University of Utah before he served a church mission.
McConkie followed his father's preaching style and doctrinal views but differed from his father politically, as McConkie was a Republican, and his father was a Democrat. Beginning of Chapter 3, "The House of Faith" .
Eastern States Mission On September 6, 1934, McConkie received a call to serve in the Eastern States Mission, with Don B. Colton as his mission president. His first assignment was in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. From May 1 to July 24, 1935, he served in the Cumorah District in Palmyra, New York, as part of an intensive missionary campaign tied to the dedication of a monument to Moroni on the Hill Cumorah. McConkie then served in the Seneca District and later presided over it.
In 1936, McConkie participated in the first Hill Cumorah Pageant, which was attended by his future father-in-law, Joseph Fielding Smith. At the end of his second year of missionary service, McConkie "extended his mission for six weeks to travel, without a companion, from town to town throughout the mission, teaching investigators and missionaries," at the request of his mission president..
Education, marriage, and family
McConkie met Amelia Smith, daughter of Joseph Fielding Smith, before his mission while attending the University of Utah. He and Amelia graduated with bachelor's degrees in June 1937, hers being in bacteriology and pathology. They were married in the Salt Lake Temple by Amelia's father on October 13, 1937. Together, they had nine children: Bruce (1938-1938), Vivian (1940–2024), Joseph (1941–2013),Interview by Devan Jensen, “From Father to Son: Joseph F. McConkie on Gospel Teaching,” Religious Educator 6, no. 1 (2005): 23–32. Stanford (1944), Mary (1946–2021), Mark (1948–2018), Rebecca (1950), Stephen (1951), and Sara (1957). Their oldest child, Bruce, lived less than two months.
McConkie graduated with a bachelor of laws degree in 1939 and was third out of seventy-five on the Utah bar exam. His degree was automatically changed to juris doctor in June 1967. Following his graduation, McConkie worked as assistant city attorney in Salt Lake City.
Military service McConkie enrolled in Army ROTC while at the University of Utah. With the advent of World War II, he was called to active duty service on March 5, 1942. He served in military intelligence at Fort Douglas for the duration of the war and received the American Campaign Medal and the World War II Victory Medal. He held the rank of Lieutenant Colonel at his discharge on February 26, 1946. He had been one of the youngest in Army Intelligence to hold that rank.
Call to the Seventy
McConkie worked for a time as a reporter for the Deseret News. While covering the proceedings of the LDS Church's general conference on October 6, 1946, McConkie was interviewed by apostle David O. McKay to fill a vacancy in the First Council of the Seventy created by the death of John H. Taylor. McConkie's name was presented for a sustaining vote by the membership of the church that same day, and on October 10, he was ordained and set apart by George Albert Smith. He served as a member of the First Council of the Seventy for 26 years.
On June 11, 1961, McConkie was ordained a high priest by Henry D. Moyle of the church's First Presidency. This was necessary because of a new policy requiring the First Seven Presidents of Seventy to assist the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in setting apart stake presidents, stake high councilors, and bishops.
Mormon Doctrine
In 1958, McConkie published a book, Mormon Doctrine: A Compendium of the Gospel, which he described as "the first major attempt to digest, explain, and analyze all of the important doctrines of the kingdom" and "the first extensive compendium of the whole gospel—the first attempt to publish an encyclopedic commentary covering the whole field of revealed religion." He included a disclaimer that he alone was responsible for the doctrinal and scriptural interpretations, a practice then unusual..
In writing the book, McConkie relied heavily upon the church's standard works and recognized doctrinal authorities. Church leaders were surprised by its publication since he had not asked permission and was not asked to develop such a work, and they responded that while they applauded the attempt of the book to fill a need, it used a harsh tone. Apostle Mark E. Petersen called it "full of errors and misstatements, and it is most unfortunate that it has received such wide circulation.". Church president David O. McKay asked McConkie not to reprint it, but later, McConkie was asked to revise it with the editorial help of Spencer W. Kimball. The 1966 second edition incorporated many changes, such as a softening of the tone.
While almost all of the Bible Dictionary included with the LDS Church's publication of the Bible in 1979 borrows from the Cambridge University Press bible dictionary,Lavina Fielding Anderson, "Church Publishes First LDS Edition of the Bible", Ensign, October 1979, p. 9. modifications were made to some entries to reflect Mormon beliefs better, and Mormon Doctrine heavily influenced those changes. Mormon Doctrine remained in print until 2010, when Deseret Book ceased publication, citing poor sales.
Mission to Australia On February 9, 1961, McConkie was called to serve as president of the Southern Australian Mission, which encompassed all of western and southern Australia. Their daughter, Vivian, was married and son, Joseph, was serving a mission in Scotland, so six of their children accompanied them to Australia.
In October 1962, McConkie reported "an all-time high mark in mission converts and willingness of members to build new chapels.... There has been no difficulty getting six building missionaries to work on each chapel under the supervision of supervisors called from the states."
Under McConkie, the mission decided upon a motto of "Seek the Spirit", and McConkie focused on teaching the missionaries humility and listening for the whisperings of the Holy Ghost.
McConkie resumed his duties as a President of the Seventy after returning to Utah in 1964.
Memorial Estates Security Corporation In August 1960 McConkie, along with several other businessmen (including J. Thomas Fyans), formed the Memorial Estates Security Corporation (MESC), with a stated purpose of constructing memorial parks for deceased "loved ones." McConkie became its vice president. By September 1964, the company was failing, and in November, MESC filed for bankruptcy."History of LDS Fraud Chronicled" Sunstone Magazine, December 1990 page 59. online at:https://www.sunstonemagazine.com/pdf/080-59-65.pdf McConkie, along with fourteen other MESC officials, were sued by 270 stockholders and bondholders of the company, accusing the company of prominently displaying LDS Church affiliation to imply endorsement in initial sales pitches. The suit also accused the company of failing to register as an investment company with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission as required by law.
In a questionnaire sent to all investors, it was found that two thirds of all investors were elderly (ages 60–75), who had invested fifteen times as much as persons thirty years and under and four times as much as those in middle age. When asked why they contributed to the company, close to half mentioned trust in McConkie or other LDS Church leaders specifically. Further investigation showed that the company had failed to pay dividends long before its collapse, and failed to inform investors of its insolvency. The case was settled out of court on April 25, 1969, three days before going before a jury trial.Shupe, A. D. (1991). "The darker side of virtue: Corruption, scandal, and the Mormon empire." Buffalo, NY: Prometheus Books. pp. 57-61
Call to the Twelve Joseph Fielding Smith, McConkie's father-in-law, who had been serving as church president, died on July 2, 1972. The First Presidency was subsequently reorganized with Harold B. Lee as president, leaving a vacancy in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. In October 1972, McConkie was invited to Lee's office "where President Lee put his arms around him by way of greeting and said, 'The Lord and the Brethren have just called you to fill the vacancy in the Council of the Twelve.' Bruce responded, 'I know. This is no surprise to me. I have known it for some time.'"
McConkie served as an apostle until he died of cancer at 69."Elder Bruce R. McConkie Dies", Ensign, May 1985.
Poetry McConkie wrote several poems, a few of which he read in various general conference addresses. He wrote the poem "I Believe in Christ," which he delivered in a 1972 general conference address, "The Testimony of Jesus."Bruce R. McConkie, "The Testimony of Jesus", Ensign, July 1972. It was later set to music and was published in the LDS hymnal as hymn number 134."I Believe in Christ", churchofjesuschrist.org.
McConkie also wrote the fourth verse to "Come, Listen to a Prophet's Voice" which is hymn #21 in the church's 1985 hymnal."Come, Listen to a Prophet's Voice", churchofjesuschrist.org.
Final testimony McConkie gave many general conference addresses. His last conference address was in April 1985: "The Purifying Power of Gethsemane."Bruce R. McConkie, "The Purifying Power of Gethsemane", Ensign, May 1985. McConkie died in Salt Lake City less than two weeks later. He was buried at Salt Lake City Cemetery.
Critique McConkie's works in general are characterized by their authoritative tone. McConkie once wrote to a Mormon scholar in 1980, "It is my province to teach to the church what the doctrine is. It is your province to echo what I say or to remain silent." In his bestselling Doctrinal New Testament Commentaries and Messiah series, the sources most frequently cited as authority are other works authored by himself. He explained, "I would never quote another man unless I could first square what he said with the scriptures and unless he said what was involved better than I could."
McConkie comments about Jews in his book The Millennial Messiah: "Let this fact be engraved in the eternal records with a pen of steel: the Jews were cursed, and smitten, and cursed anew, because they rejected the gospel, cast out their Messiah, and crucified their King."McConkie, Bruce R. (1982), The Millennial Messiah, Deseret Book, , pp. 224–25.