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Mormon Stories Podcast

213: Dr. William Bradshaw Part 5 - Reconciling Thought and Faith as a Believing Mormon

Mormon Stories Podcast

Dr. John Dehlin

Religion & Spirituality

4.55.7K Ratings

🗓️ 5 November 2010

⏱️ 30 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this episode, John Dehlin interviews one of his former professors and mentors, Dr. William Bradshaw, on a wide variety of topics. Dr. Bradshaw has just recently retired from a rich and fulfilling career as a microbiology professor at BYU in which he influenced thousands of students to continually be open to the best thinking of the sciences while still nurturing a robust, mature faith and spiritual life. Many report Dr. Bradshaw’s classes and their various interactions with him as pivotal to their finding a way to value the wisdom generated in both their heads and their hearts. In this far-ranging discussion, Dr. Bradshaw takes us through the arc of his life, including his mission, experiences at Harvard, the circumstances of his career choice, and the surprise call he and his wife Marge received to serve as very young mission presidents in Hong Kong, during which service they had to wrestle with opening and closing missionary work in Vietnam. Dr. Bradshaw relates stories from his career at BYU, talks about science and religion issues, and reveals the way he faces challenges to his faith from Mormon history and scriptural studies. Many Mormon Stories podcast listeners will already be familiar with one aspect of Dr. Bradshaw’s life from Episode 191, which featured a recording of the most recent lecture he gave at BYU on the biological origins of homosexuality--a lecture he has arranged and given every year for the past several years. Dr. Bradshaw first became prompted to study the research on this subject when his son Brett came out about his homosexuality. Since that time, the Bradshaws have been active members in various LDS groups for families working to support their GLBT children. They are currently serving as the presidents of LDS Family Fellowship. Brett and his partner are married and living in California, where they are raising an adopted daughter.

Transcript

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0:00.0

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0:06.0

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0:14.0

Some would want to target their anger at church leadership like Boykate Backer, Thomas S. Monster, or whoever.

0:23.0

But the truth is they've inherited a doctrine and a theology that was not of their own making largely.

0:33.0

So I guess we could blame them for proposition A or the stance or the lack of welcomeness, lack of welcome in the church towards our gay brothers and sisters.

0:47.0

But really, it's got to kind of come down to God.

0:53.0

And if we're believers of modern day revelation, it seems like if there was ever a time for one that would be on this issue.

1:01.0

But it's not here.

1:05.0

Do you ever have feelings or prayers in that respect?

1:13.0

I imagine you would.

1:15.0

It seems like if God could speak to his prophets to fix this, he could. He would.

1:21.0

So it must be his duty.

1:23.0

I believe he could.

1:33.0

My hubris is, well, God's a rational fellow like me. He certainly would do what I want to do.

1:47.0

He would certainly institute the policies that I'm in favor of.

1:56.0

He wouldn't be God if he were otherwise.

2:00.0

Well, it seems to me on a whole lot of issues where we inquire of God, what is thy will?

2:22.0

And we would like Deity to tell us what to do.

2:32.0

The answers that we get are my son.

2:38.0

It's a hard issue, isn't it? I want you to know I'm with you.

2:44.0

Go to the best you can.

2:48.0

Try your best to base your behavior and your actions and your decisions on right principles.

...

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