25015

Journal Article

English

Preston, Cheryl B.

"The Spiritual Concept of Form and Function as One" : Structure, Doctrine, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

BYU Studies Quarterly

53

3

Provo, UT

Brigham Young University Press

2014

37-76

Cheryl B. Preston describes how the structure of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints interacts with its theological substance. Likening Church substance and structure to the design theories of architect Frank Lloyd Wright, Preston observes that unity is realized when form and function work in harmony. Form does not follow function, but goes hand in hand; thriving in a faith community occurs when the doctrine (function) of the Church is in alliance with the administrative structures (form) of the Church.

By means of this paradigm, Preston approaches various questions arising from an exploration of Church form and function: What is the LDS canon? Who are the Church's lawmakers? Does the Church have official theologians and interpreters? When approaching such questions about canon, law, and theology, Preston was impressed by how effectively the structure and substance of the Church fosters particular spiritual objectives. For Preston, the interaction of vertical and horizontal elements are key; a community of believers achieve spiritual unity only when the vertical authoritative structures and the more horizontally aligned spiritual gifts are in complementary convergence. As Preston quotes Wright, the "spiritual and material are naturally of each other."

https://byustudies.byu.edu/content/spiritual-concept-form-and-function-one-structure-doctrine-and-church-jesus-christ-latter

Doctrinal history
Leadership
Mormon thought, theology

23

"All Their Creeds Were an Abomination" : A Brief Look at Creeds as Part of the Apostasy
'Not to be Riten' : The Mormon Temple Rite as Oral Canon
A Defense of the Authority of Church Doctrine
Bishop, Office of
Disciplinary Procedures
Do You Preach the Orthodox Religion? Thoughts on the Idea of Heresy in the Church
History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Period II : From the Manuscript History of Brigham Young and Other Original Documents
Joseph Smith : Prophecy, Process, and Plenitude
Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible
Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible
Joseph Smith and the Beginnings of Mormonism
Jurisprudence and the Problem of Church Doctrine
Life of Heber C. Kimball, an Apostle; the Father and Founder of the British Mission
Mormonism's Open Canon : Some Historical Perspectives on Its Religious Limits and Potentials
Mormons and Mormonism : An Introduction to an American World Religion
Mormons and the Omnis : The Dangers of Theological Speculation
Roots of Modern Mormonism
Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith
The American Religion : The Emergence of the Post-Christian Nation
The Articles of Faith : A Series of Lectures on the Principal Doctrines of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Challenges of Defining Mormon Doctrine
The Mormons
Truth, Doctrine, and Authority