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<\/a>I\u2019ve seen some astonishing misrepresentations of the devotional address that President Dallin H. Oaks delivered at Brigham Young University \u00a0on 10 February 2026, almost a week ago. \u00a0It was his first public address since assuming the presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints<\/a> \u2014 and it addressed an audience well beyond BYU\u2019s campus \u2014 and so, not surprisingly, it\u2019s drawn fire from Church critics. \u00a0(Moreover, President Oaks has always been something of a b\u00eate noire<\/em> for them anyway.)<\/p>\n I liked<\/em> what he had to say \u2014 yes, I\u2019m that kind of a guy \u2014 and I think that people ought to watch it, hear it, and\/or read it for themselves. \u00a0So here it is: \u00a0\u201cComing Closer to Jesus Christ.\u201d<\/a>\u00a0 And this article is also relevant:\u201c\u2018The Great University of the Lord\u2019: President Oaks\u2019 Vision Enshrined at BYU\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n By the way, my wife and I drove up late last night \u2014 or, more accurately, extremely early this morning \u2014 to pick up a Second Generation Unit who had just landed at the airport in Salt Lake City. \u00a0(Incidentally, for those who are tracking these things, no Interpreter Foundation funds were used to pay for either our gas or his airfare.) \u00a0En route, we listened to a speech given by Jeffrey R. Holland at the beginning of BYU\u2019s academic year in 1987 while he was serving as the University\u2019s president: \u00a0\u201c\u201cWho We Are and What God Expects Us to Do\u201d\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n It was very, very, very good, and I recommend it to you. \u00a0(With President Holland\u2019s recent death, we suffered a grievous and irreparable loss. \u00a0We will miss him.) \u00a0His remarks express quite beautifully some of the feelings that I myself have always had for Brigham Young University, why BYU was the school for which I had always wanted to teach, and why I enthusiastically endorsed Elder Clark Gilbert\u2019s efforts to ensure the University\u2019s continued faithful alignment with the principles and values of the Church.<\/p>\n Earlier Sunday evening, and without the slightest financial support from either the Interpreter Foundation or Redbrick Filmworks, we had driven to and from Draper, for the baptism of the daughter of one of our nieces, who lives in the American Southeast. \u00a0For various reasons, they chose to do the ordinance here in Utah. \u00a0I was powerfully struck by the passing on of the family\u2019s covenant commitments, the transmission of faith and faithfulness from generation to generation. \u00a0My wife and I attended the weddings in the temple of the little girl\u2019s grandparents, and of her parents, and now we were present for yet another important passage in the cycle of our extended family\u2019s spiritual life. \u00a0I wish that my wife\u2019s father, the little girl\u2019s great grandfather, could have been there, but he died just over a year ago in his ninety-ninth year. \u00a0Of course, perhaps he was<\/em> there.<\/p>\n In company with its three predecessors, the fourth installment of the Interpreter Foundation\u2019s Becoming Brigham<\/em> series is now available online at becomingbrigham.com<\/a>: \u00a0\u201cWhy Brigham Young? An Introduction<\/em>, Part One.\u201d \u00a0It features Matt Grow<\/a>, who serves as Managing Director of the Church History Department in Salt Lake City.\u00a0 The discussion with Dr. Grow was filmed in the Church History Museum, directly west of Temple Square.<\/p>\n This was beyond exciting for me. \u00a0It has recently been revealed by certain anonymous critics that Becoming Brigham<\/em> exists largely if not solely for the purpose of funding my lavish lifestyle, paying for my exotic travels and picking up the bills for my dining out. \u00a0I can no longer deny it.<\/p>\n I had always dreamed of seeing Salt Lake City, and our conversation with Matt Grow finally made that possible for me. \u00a0Moreover, when my co-hosts and the film crew took a lunch break from our interviews and walked over to The Garden Restaurant in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building, I went with them \u2014 and, by so doing, I was privileged to fulfill one of my other<\/em> life-long ambitions: I ate half of a French Dip sandwich and washed it down with cold water that had been poured over genuine ice made from the chemical compound H2<\/sub>O. \u00a0And that half-sandwich and glass of ice water were entirely paid for by Redbrick Filmworks<\/a>.<\/p>\n But my luxurious adventures don\u2019t end there<\/em>: \u00a0I\u2019m thrilled to announce that a trip to Fillmore may be in my near future, as well! \u00a0I\u2019ve heard for years about the Grands Boulevards de Fillmore<\/em>, the sidewalk cafes of Millard County, the strolling street musicians, the romantic gardens and vistas tr\u00e8s charmantes<\/em>, to say nothing of Fillmore\u2019s internationally celebrated haute cuisine<\/em>, and it seems that a visit there may now finally be within my reach. \u00a0I\u2019ve always wanted to visit the taverna in which Edith Piaf first sang La Vie en Rose<\/em><\/a>. \u00a0It\u2019s not yet clear whether we\u2019ll need to spend a night<\/em> in Fillmore, but I hope so. \u00a0I would very much like to be able to enjoy one of its quaint but elegant auberges<\/em>.<\/p>\n I like this article: \u201cOpinion: SB268 helps Utah students learn the vital role of religion in U.S. history: As we celebrate the nation\u2019s 250th anniversary, students should learn the meaning underlying the declaration that all are \u2018created equal.\u2019\u201d<\/a>\u00a0 More importantly, at least in principle, I support the proposed legislation. \u00a0To neglect the fundamentally important role of religion and religious belief in American and world history is to fundamentally misunderstand both.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a>