30278

5

17

Journal Article

English

Terry, Roger

Authority and Priesthood in the LDS Church, Part 1 : Definitions and Development

Dialogue : A Journal of Mormon Thought

2018

51

1

Farmington, UT

The Dialogue Journal

2018

1-38

Over the space of several years, I have come to view authority in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as something quite different from what I previously assumed it to be. Primarily this is because I started seeing distinct differences between the concept of priesthood and the larger notion of authority. Growing up Mormon, I simply assumed the two were the same, and this perception is quite common in the Church. But as I will explore in detail in this article, priesthood and authority are quite distinct ideas, especially in ancient scripture, with authority being a much broader and more general concept. Authority can be a difficult topic, and inadequately understood authority can be problematic on multiple levels, but the unique Mormon definition of priesthood creates
a structure that complicates rather than simplifies matters related to authority. In this article, I will address the question of what priesthood is, but first we need to establish a context for understanding priesthood, so let’s step back and look at the nature of authority in general.

https://www.dialoguejournal.com/articles/authority-and-priesthood-in-the-lds-church-part-1-definitions-and-development/

Doctrinal history, authority
Priesthood, American setting
Women, priesthood and

Event or Process? How “the Chamber of Old Father Whitmer” Helps Us Understand Priesthood Restoration
Mercy without End : Toward a More Inclusive Church
Mormon Hermeneutics: Five Approaches to the Bible by the LDS Church
What Is Women's Relationship to Priesthood?
Yet to Be Revealed: Open Questions in Latter-day Saint Theology

David O. McKay and the Rise of Modern Mormonism
Early Mormon Priesthood Revelations : Text, Impact, and Evolution
Having Authority : The Origins and Development of Priesthood during the Ministry of Joseph Smith
History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Period I : History of Joseph Smith, the Prophet, by Himself
LDS Beliefs : A Doctrinal Reference
Lengthen Your Stride : The Presidency of Spencer W. Kimball
Mormon Christianity : What Other Christians can learn from the Latter-day Saints
Mormon Doctrine
Paradox and Discipleship
Power from on High : The Development of Mormon Priesthood
The Joseph Smith Papers : Documents, Volume 2 : July 1831–January 1833
The Joseph Smith Papers : Documents, Volume 3 : February 1833-March 1834
The Mormon Hierarchy : Origins of Power
The Politics of American Religious Identity: The Seating of Senator Reed Smoot, Mormon Apostle
The Source of God's Authority : One Argument for an Unambiguous Doctrine of Preexistence
The Words of Joseph Smith: The Contemporary Accounts of the Nauvoo Discourses of the Prophet Joseph
This is My Doctrine : The Development of Mormon Theology