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Bruce R. McConkie
McConkie’s ministry centered on scripture, teaching and extensive religious writing. His books and his work on Latter-day Saint scripture editions became widely used by members of the church.
Personality
McConkie’s public work concentrated on doctrinal teaching and the written word. He published religious books, delivered conference addresses and helped prepare the Latter-day Saint editions of scripture. His writing included commentaries on the New Testament and a compilation of Joseph Fielding Smith’s teachings. He also wrote the hymn text I Believe in Christ. These varied forms of publication made scripture interpretation a visible and continuing focus of his church service.
Under pressure
McConkie served in military intelligence during the Second World War before returning to civilian work. After the war, he joined the Deseret News and was covering general conference when he learned of his call to the First Council of the Seventy. His later assignments included presiding over the South Australian Mission. These changes required him to move between legal, military, journalistic and religious responsibilities over the course of his adult life.
The arc
Born in Ann Arbor in 1915, McConkie spent much of his youth in Utah and studied at the University of Utah. He served a mission in the eastern United States and later trained in law. He joined the First Council of the Seventy in 1946 and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in 1972. He remained an apostle until his death in Salt Lake City on April 19, 1985.
Legacy
McConkie left a substantial body of religious writing, including Mormon Doctrine and Doctrinal New Testament Commentary. His contribution to the church’s scripture editions included chapter headings that readers encountered in ordinary study. His final general conference address was delivered in April 1985, shortly before his death. His published interpretations were influential within Latter-day Saint teaching, and his books and addresses remain part of the historical record of twentieth-century church leadership.
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