Speculative Stephen

Toward the beginning of the Book of Mormon, an individual named Lehi has a vision. The central image is “a tree, whose fruit was desirable to make one happy,” but other aspects are iconic in the culture of the Church – the “rod of iron,” the “mist of darkness,” and “a great and spacious building.” 1 Nephi 8

The building is large, full of people mocking those who eat the fruit of the tree of life. Perhaps most dreamlike–it floats “in the air, high above the earth.” Lehi’s son, when shown the same vision, also sees the building fall. 1 Nephi 11

A common interpretation of the building being in the air is that it lacks a foundation, specifically the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Jesus Christ as the cornerstone. I’ve always thought of the purpose of this foundation as providing the right things to believe – the Truth. If we accept the Truth, then we have a firm foundation and our building, unlike the great and spacious variety, will not collapse.

But what if the missing foundation is not knowledge, but action? What if the thing that grounds us, that holds up the edifice of our faith, love, and hope, isn’t knowing the right things, but doing the right things?

Lowell Bennion, a mid-20th century church thinker, asked a curious question when students came to him with concerns: “What are you going to do about it?” https://pca.st/i5i888jp. Brother Bennion was a practical philosopher. He cared deeply about ideas, but a large part of that care came from how they affected people in life. He pushed church leaders on the Church’s racial policies, not simply because they didn’t square with scriptures that teach “he denieth none…black or white,” but because of the harmful impact they had on Black members of the Church.

Truth is vital. Christ taught that the truth shall make us free. And how can you know what actions are right if you don’t have knowledge of what’s right? But he was not only a teacher. He was also a healer. God Incarnate spent a great deal of time feeding people, healing people, crying with people, praying with people, walking with people. He taught his disciples not just to teach, but to build communities. One of the last things he did was command his disciples to eat and drink together in remembrance of Him. Paul says little about Christ’s mortal life, but one of the few things he does say is about this commandment.

To be a Christian isn’t simply about believing the right things. A solid foundation for a Christian requires doing right things.