William D. Russell is a professor of American history and government at Graceland College in Lamanai, Iowa.

He received his BA in religion from Graceland College.

He has his JD from the University of Iowa College of Law.

And he says he has about 70 hours of graduate study in history at St. Paul in the University of Iowa.

He's published a book, Treasures in Earth and Vessels in Introduction to the New Testament.

And he tells me that he was given the true believer comeback of the Year Award by the John Whitmer Historical Association in 1985

for affirming the Book of Mormon as legitimate scripture shortly after advocating that the RLDS Church quit publishing the doctrine and covenants.

He's also a runner in his run 25 Marathons including the LA and the Boston Marathon.

I've been a regular attendor of the Mormon History Association since 1971.

And in those early meetings, I met Dick Paul and Leonard Arrington, Mel Smith, and a number of others here tonight.

And in 1984, some of my Mormon history friends suggested I ought to come to Sunstone.

So I wandered out here in 84 and I think I met Catherine for the first time of that year.

And I can't stay away ever since.

And often I'm the only RLDS person here.

And so I just wanted to assure you that being the case, you might think that I was some sort of an official spokesman for the RLDS Church of Jesus Christ of Laird East Saints.

But you can be confident that I don't speak for any of the general officers of the Church, be they high or low, standing, sitting or prone.

So I am really honored to be asked to explain the pillars of my faith for you.

I was born and raised in the RLDS Wing of the Mormon Movement.

My father was a full-time paid minister in the RLDS Church.

Our lives revolved around the RLDS Church and to a great extent mine still does.

And while I still affirm myself as RLDS and of some commitment to that tradition, a more important commitment for me is the affirmation that I think of myself as Christian.

To be Christian is far more important for me than to be Latter-day Saint.

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