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Teaching True Doctrine, by Michael T. Malm. Intellectual Reserve, Inc.

ABSTRACT: Doctrinal drift occurs when gospel teachings deviate from revealed truth, often through mingling scripture with worldly ideas, pursuing popularity, emphasizing incomplete truths, or engaging in speculation. This article explores why doctrinal drift happens and provides principles to avoid and correct it. By following living prophets, maintaining doctrinal balance within the full context of the gospel, and pivoting to pure doctrine rather than speculation, teachers can ensure that classroom instruction remains centered on Christ’s revealed truth. Keeping the doctrine pure invites the Holy Ghost, strengthens faith, and preserves the integrity of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

KEYWORDS: doctrine · doctrinal drift · gospel teaching · living prophets · Church education

In a General Authority training meeting, President Gordon B. Hinckley offered counsel that applies to all of us as teachers in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He taught: “I have spoken before about the importance of keeping the doctrine of the Church pure, and seeing that it is taught in all of our meetings. I worry about this. Small aberrations in doctrinal teaching can lead to large and evil falsehoods.”[1]

Doctrinal drift refers to any deviations to the pure doctrine we are commissioned to teach. As President Hinckley explained, these deviations are dangerous because they lead people off the covenant path. In the classroom, these doctrinal errors can be introduced by both teachers and students. As teachers, we should be careful to teach pure doctrine and to gently correct errors expressed by our students.

This article will seek to answer two main questions: (1) Why does doctrinal drift happen? and (2) How can we avoid and correct it?

Why Doctrinal Drift Happens

We mix God’s revealed truth with man-made ideas

The Savior himself identified one form of doctrinal drift when he warned, “They teach for doctrines the commandments of men” (JS—H 1:19). Scripture is mingled with the philosophies of men when unorthodox religious views, uninspired cultural ideas, and personal opinions creep into our lessons. This is often done in ignorance because of a failure to acquire sufficient spiritual knowledge to discern God’s truth from error.

Examples include

• Teaching that truth is a matter of personal preference and that we can’t say what is right or wrong
• Accepting cultural norms regarding marriage, gender, and chastity

We twist the truth to try to make it more popular

Another form of doctrinal drift we find in the example of Nehor, who was “preaching . . . that which he termed to be the word of God, . . . declaring unto the people that every priest and teacher ought to become popular” (Alma 1:3). Sometimes we may be tempted to twist the truth to make it more palatable and popular with the world and appealing to the natural man (Alma 30:53). Social media can increase this temptation to seek approval from the world to get more followers and less criticism.

Examples include

• Teaching that God’s love overrides the need for obedience to his laws
• Teaching anything that resembles Nehor’s doctrine that “in the end, all men should have eternal life” (Alma 1:4)
• Teaching anything that lowers God’s standards

We are incomplete and imbalanced in our doctrine

The Lord revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith that “whatsoever is more or less than [truth] is the spirit of that wicked one who was a liar from the beginning” (D&C 93:25). As a result, when truth is incomplete, it can become inaccurate. Sometimes doctrinal drift is the result of not telling the whole truth but overemphasizing one true doctrine at the exclusion of other balancing or related truths, resulting in a false impression.

Examples include

• Talking about Jesus Christ but deliberately omitting the message of the Restoration for fear of being different from our Christian friends
• Giving a false impression of Christ’s character by only telling stories of his mercy and love but never of his justice and high expectations

Elder Neal A. Maxwell cautioned us about this form of doctrinal drift when he taught: “Orthodoxy ensures balance between the gospel’s powerful and correct principles. In the body of gospel doctrine, not only are justice and mercy ‘fitly joined’ together for ‘effectual working,’ but so is everything else! (Eph. 4:16). But the gospel’s principles do require synchronization. When pulled apart from each other or isolated, men’s interpretations and implementations of these doctrines may be wild.”[2]

I like to illustrate this problem by showing my students caricatures of famous celebrities. A caricature is a drawing that intentionally exaggerates certain features while minimizing others to produce a comically distorted image. Students can quickly identify who the caricature is supposed to be, but they can also recognize that the image is not accurate. It is not what the person really looks like. Likewise, the way the Savior is described in popular culture is more of a caricature of Jesus than an accurate reflection of the true character of Christ as revealed in the scriptures.

We speculate about unrevealed things

Jesus Christ identified another form of doctrinal drift when he rebuked his critics, saying, “Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God” (Matt. 22:29). Sometimes doctrinal error is the result of speculating about things that we do not know or that have not been fully revealed.

Examples include

• Teaching ideas about Heavenly Mother beyond what has been revealed by prophets of God
• Teaching our own reasoning for why priesthood ordination was not offered to every race historically

Avoiding and Correcting Doctrinal Drift

To assist teachers of the gospel avoid and correct doctrinal drift, the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles have approved the Principles for Ensuring Doctrinal Purity.[3] This document identifies nine principles, quoted here, that provide a standard to ensure that doctrinal content remains pure:

1. Centered on Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and Their Fundamental Doctrine

   Materials and messages should be centered on Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and Their fundamental doctrine to help individuals increase faith in Them, become converted to Them, and receive the blessings of eternal life (see 1 Nephi 15:14).

2. Scriptural and Prophetic Authority

   Materials and messages should be grounded in the scriptures and teachings of latter-day prophets, which are the Lord’s authorized sources of doctrine (see Doctrine and Covenants 28:2–3, 8).

3. Multiple Witnesses

   Materials and messages should communicate only those doctrinal teachings which the Lord has established through multiple authoritative witnesses (see 2 Nephi 11:3).

4. Avoid Speculation

   Materials and messages should not go beyond what God has established and should avoid introducing error through speculation, personal opinions, or worldly ideas (see 3 Nephi 11:32, 40).

5. Spiritual Edification

   Materials and messages should be in harmony with the influence of the Holy Ghost in content and tone to help individuals experience spiritual edification (see Doctrine and Covenants 50:21–23).

6. Doctrinal Balance

   Materials and messages should give appropriate focus or weight to a point of doctrine within the context of related gospel truths to avoid distortion and help cultivate a balanced understanding (see Matthew 23:23).

7. Clarity

   Materials and messages should communicate truth with clarity to increase understanding and avoid potential misunderstandings (see Alma 13:23).

8. Accuracy

   Materials and messages should communicate only accurate and reliable information to inform and strengthen God’s children and to protect the integrity of the Lord’s Church (see Doctrine and Covenants 93:24).

9. Non-Distraction

   Materials and messages should avoid elements that could distract from the gospel truths they are intended to communicate (see Doctrine and Covenants 6:36).

To summarize and synthesize these principles, this article will identify three overarching principles to help us avoid and correct doctrinal drift.

Follow the teachings and tone of living prophets

Before they served as General Authorities, A. Theodore Tuttle and Boyd K. Packer served as S&I administrators. There was a growing concern that Church leaders were losing confidence in CES teachers because of doctrinal drift and other related concerns. Seeking a solution to this problem, these two administrators came to the office one morning fasting, held all phone calls, and counseled together about what to do. The simple, three-word answer came by revelation: “Follow the Brethren.”[4]

What Brother Packer and Brother Tuttle discovered continues to be critical to CES teachers today. We would do well to follow the counsel President Howard W. Hunter gave to General Authorities when he taught: “In recent years, my close association with members of the First Presidency and the Twelve has been an exceptional blessing to me in my service. . . . I suggest that you observe them carefully. Be attentive and teachable. Make notes mentally and otherwise. You will learn your duty through this process in a powerful way. You will not go wrong if you do as they do, dress as they dress; you will not be in error if you think and speak and pray as do my brethren.”[5]

So many of the principles for ensuring doctrinal purity would be observed if we as teachers simply followed the teachings and tone of living prophets. If we just followed this one principle, it would do so much to eliminate doctrinal drift from the Church Educational System. This is because living prophets are very careful to represent Jesus Christ in their teachings and their tone. They recognize that they are the correlation of the Church. Although we usually think of Correlation as a department within Christ’s church that ensures doctrinal purity, in reality that department is presided over and receives their direction from the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. As a result, our living prophets are the correlation of Christ’s church, and as we follow them, we ensure doctrinal purity.

Consider how these current doctrinal drifts would be avoided and corrected if we simply followed the teachings and tone of living prophets.

Doctrinal drift of overemphasizing prophetic fallibility. There is a concern that some are overemphasizing prophetic fallibility, leading to a loss of confidence in the prophetic office and keys. Notice what Elder Andersen says (and doesn’t say) to avoid and correct this doctrinal drift:

Some will try to overly dissect the prophet’s words, struggling to determine what is his prophetic voice and what is his personal opinion.

In 1982, two years before being called as a General Authority, Brother Russell M. Nelson said: “I never ask myself, ‘When does the prophet speak as a prophet and when does he not?’ My interest has been, ‘How can I be more like him?’” And he added, “My [philosophy is to] stop putting question marks behind the prophet’s statements and put exclamation points instead. . . .

In my personal life, I have found that as I prayerfully study the words of the prophet of God and carefully, with patience, spiritually align my will with his inspired teachings, my faith in the Lord Jesus Christ always increases. If we choose to set his counsel aside and determine that we know better, our faith suffers and our eternal perspective is clouded.[6]

In this simple, powerful statement, Elder Andersen avoids extremes. He does not say a prophet can’t make mistakes, but he is not critically dwelling on a prophet’s fallibility either. He is pointing us toward following prophets in faith. We should follow this tone and teaching.

Doctrinal drift of God’s love superseding his laws. This is another concern about doctrinal drift. It is a popular idea outside of the Church and often creeps its way into the Church also. Consider how following the teachings and tone of these living prophets would help us avoid and correct doctrinal drift regarding God’s love:

The love of God does not supersede His laws and His commandments. . . . Some seem to value God’s love because of their hope that His love is so great and so unconditional that it will mercifully excuse them from obeying His laws.[7]

Because the Father and the Son love us with infinite, perfect love and because They know we cannot see everything They see, They have given us laws that will guide and protect us. There is a strong connection between God’s love and His laws. . . . God’s laws are motivated entirely by His infinite love for us and His desire for us to become all we can become.[8]

Doctrinal drift of speculating about Heavenly Mother. Again, consider how this doctrinal drift would be avoided and corrected by simply following the teachings and tone of this living prophet:

Very little has been revealed about Mother in Heaven, but what we do know is summarized in a gospel topic found in our Gospel Library application. Once you have read what is there, you will know everything that I know about the subject. I wish I knew more. You too may still have questions and want to find more answers. Seeking greater understanding is an important part of our spiritual development, but please be cautious. Reason cannot replace revelation. Speculation will not lead to greater spiritual knowledge, but it can lead us to deception or divert our focus from what has been revealed.[9]

In 2016 President Ballard warned us about “overclaiming” and said, “Let me warn you not to pass along faith-promoting or unsubstantiated rumors or outdated understandings and explanations of our doctrine and practices from the past.” To avoid this, he counseled CES teachers that “it is always wise to make it a practice to study the words of the living prophets and apostles; keep updated on current Church issues, policies, and statements.”[10]

We must consistently pay attention to our living prophets and then emulate their teachings and tone in the classroom. It is important to remember that we serve and work under their inspired direction. We answer to them, and we should follow them in our lives and our lessons.

Keep all truth in context of the whole “gospel pie”

But is it possible for teachers to follow our living prophets and still doctrinally drift?

Yes, this can happen if we pick one gospel principle and become extreme with it. One recent example of this can be found in online conversations about Christ’s Second Coming. Some extremists take a single truth taught by President Russell M. Nelson, detach it from other teachings, and run wild in their interpretation and application. To avoid this, we must keep all truth in the context of the whole gospel pie.

Imagine the restored gospel of Jesus Christ as a large pie and each doctrine as a slice of that pie. When we teach a lesson, we are essentially taking out a slice of pie to examine and understand better. But we can’t treat it like it is the whole pie! When we are done teaching that doctrine, it needs to be able to fit back into the rest of the gospel pie. If we overteach or overemphasize a single truth, we run the risk of exaggerating it so that it no longer fits in its proper place in the pie. The danger with this is that just as any virtue in excess becomes a vice, any true doctrine can become a false doctrine if it is isolated from balancing, companion principles. All truth is corrupted when isolated from the whole—even fundamental truths. Jesus Christ revealed all the truths of his gospel because he wants us to learn all of them in their proper place and priority.

Elder Neil L. Andersen explained this to CES teachers when he taught, “Be wise as you balance the doctrine you teach. Give appropriate weight to a point of doctrine within the context of other related truths. . . . Elder Neal A. Maxwell explained, ‘Gospel principles are weaved together in a fabric which keeps them in check and in balance with each other.’”[11] We must teach the complete doctrine, not just parts, to avoid doctrinal drift. The following are examples to consider:

Christ’s grace. Consider the many classic misunderstandings about Christ’s grace that can come from isolating it from the rest of the gospel pie and making it the whole gospel. How would these misunderstandings be avoided if this truth was taught alongside companion truths of covenants, commandments, and ordinances?

God’s love and mercy. Consider also the many misunderstandings about God’s love and mercy that can come from isolating it from the rest of the gospel pie. How would these misunderstandings be avoided if God’s love was taught more completely and his laws were shown to be a manifestation of his love—not a contradiction to it?[12]

God’s justice and expectations. Consider also the historical misunderstandings about God’s justice that have come from isolating it from the rest of the gospel pie and the false conclusions that have been reached about a vengeful, mean, demanding God. How different this is from the God of the Book of Mormon who proclaims, “Yea, and as often as my people repent will I forgive them” (Mosiah 26:30).

We must remember that all gospel truth has two contexts in which it must reside:

1. Historical context of the scripture and setting where it was revealed, and
2. Doctrinal context of related truths that surround, support, and balance it.

We must always be asking ourselves: What misunderstanding could come from this truth if I am not careful to balance this truth with other doctrines? Yes, there is power in the priesthood to heal, but it must be according to God’s will. Yes, Jesus Christ forgives our sins, but only on conditions of repentance. Yes, ordinances have the power of godliness to sanctify us, but only if we keep the associated covenants. All gospel truths can be circumscribed into one whole gospel pie. So be careful. Be balanced. This is the potential danger of specialty classes in Institute and the wisdom of required cornerstone classes to give a broader, more complete understanding of Christ’s restored gospel.

We can avoid speculation and error by pivoting to pure doctrine

Is it possible to follow the teachings of living prophets and maintain doctrinal balance and still have doctrinal drift?

Yes, one way this can happen is when it is introduced by student comments and questions.

Sometimes in our efforts to engage students we may unintentionally invite doctrinal drift. For example, a common practice is to ask students what they think the doctrine on a particular matter is. The problem with this approach is that what is shared is usually just their opinion and is often influenced by the conventional wisdom of the world. But doctrine is not established by opinion; it is revealed by God through his prophets. A better approach would be to invite students to first study a passage of scripture or a prophetic quote and then share what they learned from it and how they can apply it.

An increasingly common misunderstanding in Church education is that we are just supposed to be discussion leaders—but we are called to be teachers. This means we have a responsibility to ensure the pure truths of the gospel are being taught and learned in our class.[13] If false ideas are shared by a student, we must find a way to help that student feel loved and appreciated while gently correcting the error. We must validate the student, but not the idea. We cannot let false teaching go unchallenged.

Our objective is to build faith, and to build their faith, we must teach pure doctrine. Intellectual Reserve, Inc.

Another way we may be tempted to drift from pure doctrine in the classroom is to try to help resolve student questions or concerns. In this situation, it is important to remember Elder Renlund’s instruction to religious educators:

With some questions and some questioners, we simply do not know enough about the will of the Lord and the fulness of Church doctrine to satisfy students completely. In these situations, an attempt to persuade the questioners with additional logic or reason may not help.

A trap many teachers may inadvertently fall into is to give reasons or explanations that the Lord has not given. When that happens, the reason or answer given may eventually fall apart, and then the student may have less faith. It is better to say that we do not know than it is to fabricate a reason or explanation. . . .

You will note that many of the suggestions for helping others with their questions are most effectively done one-on-one. I believe this is the best way. It may be unwise for a teacher to allow the entire class to be devoted to answering one person’s important question. Students’ questions should not divert planned curriculum that is designed to build faith. Always remember your objective is to build faith in the whole class, not to get distracted by a vocal few.[14]

Our objective is to build faith, and to build their faith, we must teach pure doctrine.

So how can we teach pure doctrine while gently correcting error and answering questions that tempt speculation? We can avoid speculation and error by pivoting to pure doctrine.

Elder Neil L. Andersen trained CES teachers on how to do this when he taught:

Let’s be willing to say, “I don’t know about that, but this is what I do know.”

Consider these questions and answers:

“Brother Jones, what is the connection between the Big Bang and Adam and Eve?” “I don’t know the answer to that question, but let me tell you what we do know about Adam and Eve.”

“Sister Gonzalez, why don’t we know more about our Mother in Heaven?” “I don’t know the answer to that question, but I do know that you are ‘a beloved daughter of heavenly parents, with a divine nature and eternal destiny.’”

Think how you can turn good questions, but questions that tempt speculation, into answers that build faith in our Savior Jesus Christ. And here is a challenge for you. Help instill in your students the insight that all questions are not created equal. Spiritual understanding and maturity help separate important questions from the interesting questions.[15]

What a helpful instruction and reminder from Elder Andersen! Not all questions are created equally. There is a danger of being diverted from teaching the truth that the whole class needs. We must bring wandering students back to the solid ground of pure doctrine where their faith can be strengthened. Here are some examples:

Student: Is it true that we can advance to higher kingdoms of glory after the Resurrection and Final Judgment?

Consider how the following quote by President Nelson would gently bring a student back to pure doctrine:

My purpose tonight is to make sure that your eyes are wide open to the truth that this life really is the time when you get to decide what kind of life you want to live forever. Now is your time “to prepare to meet God.”

Mortal lifetime is hardly a nanosecond compared with eternity. But, my dear brothers and sisters, what a crucial nanosecond it is! During this life we get to choose which laws we are willing to obey—those of the celestial kingdom, or the terrestrial, or the telestial—and, therefore, in which kingdom of glory we will live forever.[16]

Student: Is it true that we can reject the gospel here but still be exalted if someone does our temple work?

Again, how might this quote by President Nelson help steer the lesson away from speculation and towards pure doctrine?

One such dear friend of mine had limited experiences with God. But he longed to be with his departed wife. So he asked me to help him. I encouraged him to meet with our missionaries in order to understand the doctrine of Christ and learn of gospel covenants, ordinances, and blessings.

That he did. But he felt the course they advised would require him to make too many changes in his life. He said, “Those commandments and covenants are just too difficult for me. Also, I can’t possibly pay tithing, and I don’t have time to serve in the Church.” Then he asked me, “Once I die, please do the necessary temple work for my wife and me so that we can be together again.”

Thankfully, I am not this man’s judge. But I do question the efficacy of proxy temple work for a man who had the opportunity to be baptized in this life—to be ordained to the priesthood and receive temple blessings while here in mortality—but who made the conscious decision to reject that course.[17]

Student: Is it true that earlier prophets were racist and that is the reason for the priesthood and temple restriction?

Rather than speculate about reasons for this restriction, as many have unwisely done in the past, it would be safer to turn our students to statements like this from President Dallin H. Oaks:

If you read the scriptures with this question in mind, “Why did the Lord command this or why did he command that,” you find that in less than one in a hundred commands was any reason given. It’s not the pattern of the Lord to give reasons. We [mortals] can put reasons to revelation. We can put reasons to commandments. When we do, we’re on our own.

Some people put reasons to [the priesthood ban] and they turned out to be spectacularly wrong. There is a lesson in that. . . . The lesson I’ve drawn from that, I decided a long time ago that I had faith in the command and I had no faith in the reasons that had been suggested for it. . . . Let’s [not] make the mistake that’s been made in the past, here and in other areas, trying to put reasons to revelation. The reasons turn out to be man-made to a great extent. The revelations are what we sustain as the will of the Lord and that’s where safety lies.[18]

As President Ballard taught, “Gone are the days when a student asked an honest question and a teacher responded, ‘Don’t worry about it!’”[19] But as Elder Andersen reminds us, that doesn’t mean that we invent our own doctrine as a substitute for revealed truth or entertain endless speculation with personal opinion. “Sometimes,” Elder Renlund explained, “the only answer is to rely on faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and faith in the Restoration of His gospel and to be patient in waiting for answers from the Lord when He chooses to reveal them.”[20]

Conclusion: Keep the Doctrine Pure

President Harold B. Lee summarized our commission well when he taught:

Now you as teachers are not being sent out to teach new doctrine. You’re to teach the old doctrines, not so plain that they can just understand, but you must teach the doctrines of the Church so plainly that no one can misunderstand.

The doctrines of the Church are not “ours,” but His, whose Church this is! That we must impress upon all. Failure to keep the doctrines given by Christ pure and simple would cause much human misery here and in eternity. For this reason, fruitless speculation, fascination with the mysteries, and the tendency of some teachers to add their own personal embroidery to the fabric of the Gospel, must be resisted.[21]

Our job is not to create or shape the doctrine of Christ’s Church. Our job is to echo and amplify the doctrine the Lord has revealed that is being taught by our living prophets.[22] As we keep that doctrine pure, we will bless and change lives.

President Henry B. Eyring explained why this is the case, “Because we need the Holy Ghost, we must be cautious and careful not to go beyond teaching true doctrine. The Holy Ghost is the Spirit of Truth. His confirmation is invited by our avoiding speculation or personal interpretation. That can be hard to do. . . . It is tempting to try something new or sensational. But we invite the Holy Ghost as our companion when we are careful to teach only true doctrine.”[23]

Our doctrine is beautiful! It is something that distinguishes us from all other churches.[24] I believe that the greatest evidence that Jesus Christ is the Savior and that this is his Church is found in the pure doctrine we are commissioned to teach. We don’t need to try to improve it. It doesn’t need our help. It is perfect the way it is. It is true. Let’s teach it with power and authority and help our students learn it by the Spirit. That is what will convert them to Christ.[25] Pure doctrine changes lives—it changes everything—so let’s teach it! As President Nelson said, “The pure doctrine of Christ is powerful. It changes the life of everyone who understands it and seeks to implement it in his or her life. The doctrine of Christ helps us find and stay on the covenant path.”[26]

Notes

[1] Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley (Deseret Book, 1997), 620.

[2] Neal A. Maxwell, “Behold, the Enemy Is Combined,” Ensign, May 1993, 78.

[3] First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “Principles for Ensuring Doctrinal Purity” https://seminaryresources.weebly.com/uploads/2/0/9/7/20970912/principles_for_ensuring_doctrinal_purity_for_teachers.pdf.

[4] Lucile C. Tate. Boyd K. Packer: A Watchman on the Tower (Bookcraft, 1997), 121; By Study and Also by Faith: One Hundred Years of Seminaries and Institutes of Religion (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2015), 146–47.

[5] As quoted in Tate, Boyd K. Packer, 296–97.

[6] Neil L. Andersen, “The Prophet of God,” Liahona, May 2018, 26–27.

[7] Dallin H. Oaks, “Love and Law,” Ensign, Nov. 2009, 26.

[8] Russell M. Nelson, “The Love and Laws of God,” Brigham Young University devotional, Sept. 17, 2019, https://speeches.byu.edu.

[9] Dale G. Renlund, “Your Divine Nature and Eternal Destiny,” Liahona, May 2022, 74.

[10] M. Russell Ballard, “By Study and by Faith,” Religious Educator 17, no. 3 (2016): 7.

[11] Neil L. Andersen, “The Power of Jesus Christ and Pure Doctrine,” CES Religious Educators Conference, June 11, 2023, www.churchofjesuschrist.org, quoting Neal A. Maxwell, “The Gospel Gives Answers to Life’s Problems,” address to Church Education System religious educators, July 1, 1970).

[12] Scripture voices this concern and teaches these principles: “What, do ye suppose that mercy can rob justice? I say unto you, Nay; not one whit” (Alma 42:25). “When we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated” (D&C 130:21).

[13] “It’s not stepping out of the way. You can fall off the road on either side. You can fall off the road by not engaging your students. You can also fall off the other side of the road by saying, ‘Well, it’s your class. What do you want to talk about?’ The teacher has a role. It’s not just a facilitator. We teach. We teach the scriptures.” Clark Gilbert and Chad Webb, Y Religion, podcast, episode 1, “The Power of Teaching,” June 8, 2025.

[14] Dale G. Renlund, “Vital Gospel Nutrients,” CES Religious Educators Conference, June 18, 2024, www.churchofjesuschrist.org.

[15] Andersen, “The Power of Jesus Christ and Pure Doctrine,” www.churchofjesuschrist.org.

[16] Russell M. Nelson, “Choices for Eternity,” Worldwide Devotional for Young Adults with President Nelson, May 15, 2022.

[17] Russell M. Nelson, “Come, Follow Me,” Ensign, May 2019, 90–91.

[18] Dallin H. Oaks, Life’s Lessons Learned (Deseret Book, 2011), 68–69.

[19] Ballard, “By Study and by Faith,” 1.

[20] Renlund, “Vital Gospel Nutrients”; see also Dallin H. Oaks, “Patterns of Personal Apostasy,” general conference leadership meeting, Apr. 2024, www.churchofjesuschrist.org.

[21] Harold B. Lee, “Special Challenges Facing the Church in Our Time” (address given at the Regional Representatives’ seminar, Oct. 3, 1968), 6, in Zone Administrators’ Coordinator 23, no. 3, 1.

[22] Clark G. Gilbert, “Speak, Lord; for Thy Servant Heareth” S&I Annual Broadcast January 2024.

[23] Henry B. Eyring, “The Power of Teaching Doctrine,” Liahona, May 1999, 74. President Hinckley further warned us, “We cannot be too careful. We must watch that we do not get off [course]. In our efforts to be original and fresh and different, we may teach things which may not be entirely in harmony with the basic doctrines of this the restored Church of Jesus Christ” (as quoted in Ballard, “By Study and by Faith,” 1).

[24] “How is your church different from other Christian Churches? Among the answers we give is the fulness of the doctrine” (Dallin H. Oaks, Liahona, Oct. 2023).

[25] “True doctrine, understood, changes attitudes and behaviors.” Boyd K. Packer, “Little Children,” Ensign, Nov. 1986, 17.

[26] Russell M. Nelson, “Pure Truth, Pure Doctrine, and Pure Revelation,” Liahona, Nov. 2021, 6.