Bruce R. McConkie: 'Mormon Doctrine' and Beyond

Bruce R. McConkie left a lasting legacy as an Apostle in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. People still talk about his mastery of the scriptures, the controversial impact of Mormon Doctrine, and his correspondence with Eugene England. Elder McConkie’s final testimony also remains profoundly influential, having marked a shift in the way Latter-day Saints talk about Jesus Christ. We’ll cover all of these things and more in our introduction to the life of Bruce Redd McConkie.

Sign up to be notified when we publish new content, such as posts about Joseph Smith, Truman Madsen, and the Kirtland Temple.

Bruce R. McConkie Quotes

Final Talk
Family
Church Service
Scriptures
Mormon Doctrine
Books
1978 Priesthood Revelation
Eugene England
FAQ

The Purifying Power of Gethsemane: Elder McConkie’s Final Testimony

In April 1985, visibly weakened by a terminal battle with cancer, Elder McConkie took the pulpit to deliver a heartfelt witness of the Atonement of Jesus Christ:

I am one of his witnesses, and in a coming day I shall feel the nail marks in his hands and in his feet and shall wet his feet with my tears.

But I shall not know any better then than I know now that he is God’s Almighty Son, that he is our Savior and Redeemer, and that salvation comes in and through his atoning blood and in no other way.
Elder McConkie, “The Purifying Power of Gethsemane.”

Watch Bruce R. McConkie give his final general conference talk, a 1985 address entitled, “The Purifying Power of Gethsemane.”

Impact on the Church

Reflecting on his book, The Atoning One, Robert L. Millet said that McConkie’s final testimony marked the beginning of a “blessed trend” in which Latter-day Saints have become more focused on Christ, atonement, and grace:

I am persuaded that it is one of those very few public addresses that literally “rocked the Church,” meaning, it so impacted those who then heard or saw the address, as well as millions who have since heard or read it, that we as a people will never be the same.
Robert Millet Reflects on His BYU Career and Relationship with God

Did You Know? The poetic text of this historic address closely mirrors the beloved Latter-day Saint hymn, “I Believe in Christ,” which Elder McConkie penned himself.

Son-in-Law to a Prophet: Bruce R. McConkie and the Joseph Fielding Smith Dynasty

Bruce Redd McConkie was the son of Oscar McConkie and Margaret Vivian Redd. He was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1915 and moved with his family to Utah a year later. Bruce’s father, Oscar, was a man known for his strong faith. Biographer Dennis B. Horne calls Oscar Sr. “a man of faith like unto Enoch and Elijah” who counted prominent church members like James E. Talmage, J. Reuben Clark, and David O. McKay as friends.

Bruce married Amelia Smith McConkie in 1937 after serving in the Eastern States Mission. As he would later say in his BYU Devotional, “Agency or Inspiration,” Elder McConkie never asked God whether the marriage was right, because it simply made so much sense to him.

The couple’s first child, Bruce Redd Jr., died shortly after his birth and was buried in the Smith plot in the Salt Lake City Cemetery. Amelia told me in a 1999 interview that she considered his death a “tithing” on her family (Bruce and Amelia had nine children).

(Bruce is also the brother of Oscar W. McConkie Jr., a founding partner in the Kirton McConkie law firm.)

Doctrinal Influence: Evolution, Race, Atonement, and More

Amelia’s father, Joseph Fielding Smith, would go on to play an influential role in her husband’s life. Prior to serving a short term as Church President, Smith served as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, worked as the official Church historian, and published scores of books that taught his literalist approach to scripture.

Bruce and his father-in-law were kindred spirits. The two men would often talk about the gospel, even when Bruce was dating Amelia. At times, the distinction in their voices disappeared entirely. When compiling Joseph Fielding Smith’s Doctrines of Salvation, Elder McConkie would sometimes write a passage and ask Smith to sign his name as the author.

Together, they shaped the beliefs of several generations and continue to exert a tug-and-pull influence on the modern Church. On one hand, their teachings on issues such as evolution now run counter to organizational teachings, and the Church has taken steps to de-publicize McConkie’s influential Mormon Doctrine.

What Should Latter-day Saints Know About BYU’s Evolution Book?

Conversely, their writings on topics like the family, race, and the Atonement of Jesus Christ remain deeply entrenched. For example, the Church disavowed the priesthood and temple ban in a Gospel Topics essay, but failed to challenge the documented racial origins.

As recently as 2020, the Come Follow Me manual for the Book of Mormon included Smith’s controversial teaching about skin color:

The dark skin was placed upon the Lamanites so that they could be distinguished from the Nephites and to keep the two peoples from mixing. The dark skin was the sign of the curse. The curse was the withdrawal of the Spirit of the Lord.
Joseph Fielding Smith,

The Church’s response left some confused, while potentially offering insight into how Smith and McConkie’s teachings may still be used by the modern Correlation Department. When negative media coverage arose, the quote was left in print, but a statement was issued to the Salt Lake Tribune attributing it to a recent, outdated draft.

What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About Race?

Service as a General Authority: From Seventy to Apostle

“Brother McConkie” became “Elder McConkie” when Bruce was called to serve as a general authority Seventy in 1946. His full-time church service lasted nearly 40 years, during which he developed close relationships with fellow general authorities, including:

Boyd K. Packer
David O. McKay
Glenn L. Rudd
Gordon B. Hinckley
Harold B. Lee
Henry D. Moyle
Joseph Fielding Smith
Mark E. Peterson
Marion D. Hanks
Marvin J. Ashton
S. Dilworth Young
Thomas S. Monson

Thomas S. Monson Quotes

McConkie also served as a dominant doctrinal voice during the formative apostolic years of influential church leaders like Russell M. Nelson and Dallin H. Oaks.

When Joseph Fielding Smith died roughly a year after being called to serve as President of the Church, Harold B. Lee called Bruce R. McConkie to fill his vacancy as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in 1972.

Timeline of Key Events

October 1946. President David O. McKay called Bruce R. McConkie to serve in the First Council of the Seventy. He was “set apart” by George Albert Smith.

April 1947. Bruce R. McConkie gave his first general conference talk in which he bore testimony of Jesus Christ, Joseph Smith, and George Albert Smith (then president of the Church).

June 1961. President Henry D. Moyle ordained Elder McConkie as a high priest.

July 1961. Bruce and Amelia McConkie commenced a three-year period of service presiding over the Australia Mission. The mission doubled during the term of their service, and Amelia played a key role in establishing a sisters-only district of missionaries.

October 1972. Harold B. Lee called Bruce R. McConkie to serve as an Apostle. Bruce shared the news with his wife during an intimate walk at This Is the Place Heritage Park. President Lee originally had someone else in mind to fill Joseph Fielding Smith’s vacancy in the Twelve, but called Bruce after going before the Lord in the Holy of Holies in the Salt Lake Temple.

April 1985. General conference attendees witnessed Bruce R. McConkie’s final testimony roughly two weeks before the apostle died of cancer at his home near Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Powerful Preparation: Bruce R. McConkie and the Scriptures

Elder McConkie had a passionate love for the scriptures, deeply studying both the Bible and Restoration scripture:

Scripture study habits. Truman G. Madsen asked the apostle what his secret to scripture study was. Elder McConkie replied that he simply “paid the price” for scripture knowledge, studying with “frequency, intensity, and consistency.”

Personal assignments. Elder McConkie constantly memorized scriptural verses. After doing so, he assigned himself a topic and drafted mental notes as he went about his day. Most of these talks were never written down or shared from the pulpit. “He would just find a time and a way to learn something because he wanted to,” said his son.

Applications. Bruce R. McConkie had the entire standard works memorized nearly word-for-word, and he was often called upon to repeat verses from memory in real-time discussions with church leaders. His familiarity with the scriptures also led him to share doctrinal concerns about Mark Hofmann’s forgeries of the Joseph Smith III blessing and Salamander Letter.

Humility. One of his missionaries in Australia told me of an event he witnessed while seated on the stand behind then “President McConkie” at a church meeting. McConkie referenced a verse, quickly opened his scriptures, and began to read—or so it seemed. The missionary was surprised at how quickly Elder McConkie had found the verse, but then noticed that the general authority’s scriptures had been opened to an entirely different section. He commented that Elder McConkie hadn’t wanted to appear arrogant, so he pretended to look up the verse in his physical scriptures before quoting it from memory.

The “Mormon Doctrine” Controversy: Dissecting the 1,000 Errors and McKay’s Review

Origins and Controversies

Mormon Doctrine was first published in 1958. The book’s legacy is controversial and mixed, having inspired today’s leading scholars and church leaders, while also yielding disavowed teachings and a distasteful tone that BYU’s Joseph Spencer calls “more authoritarian than authoritative.” McConkie took unusual liberties not only with the book’s teachings and its title, but also with his interpretation of the First Presidency’s repeated counsel that he not publish books as a general authority.

For years, Mormon Doctrine was one of the most popular sources for answers about Latter-day Saint theology. The encyclopedic reference work covered topics ranging from the doctrinal fall of Adam and the atonement of Jesus Christ to controversial entries about Catholicism and African Americans.

The Many Legacies of Bruce R. McConkie

The book’s strengths were also its weaknesses:

Popularity: The book was widely distributed, but filled with doctrinal mistakes (a First Presidency report identified more than 1,000 errors).
Tone: McConkie’s encyclopedic format and authoritarian tone made concepts easy to digest, but also solidified false ideas.

First Presidency Concerns

President David O. McKay worried that church members might think Mormon Doctrine represented official Church doctrines. A subsequent report by Apostle Mark E. Peterson found that McConkie’s book contained a significant doctrinal error on nearly every page, and McKay issued instructions that the book should not be reprinted.

McConkie’s Decision to Republish

Elder Bruce R. McConkie republished Mormon Doctrine—though scholars debate his motives. Some believe that he did so against the First Presidency’s wishes, continuing a pattern first demonstrated in the attempted 1956 publication of “Sound Doctrine.”

What Was Bruce R. McConkie’s ‘Sound Doctrine’?

Others believe that McKay later changed his mind, with Thomas S. Monson reportedly stating that he helped Elder McConkie obtain permission:

President Monson went out of his way to say, so that it would be in the recorded minutes of the First Presidency, “Bruce and I got President McKay’s permission to republish Bruce’s Mormon Doctrine.”
Oscar W. McConkie Junior, June 26, 2017 Audio Interview with Dennis B. Horne.

A Mixed Legacy

Doctrinal Misinformation

Deseret Book stopped carrying Mormon Doctrine in 2010, in part due to its negative reception by Black members. Despite being out of print, Church leaders still struggle to communicate that it represented only McConkie’s personal views, not the Church’s official position.

According to historian Matt Harris, President Gordon B. Hinckley reportedly complained, “Mormon Doctrine left us a pile of poop in the street, and we’re still cleaning it up.”

Love for the Scriptures

Joseph Spencer says that overly critical assessments of McConkie’s legacy fail to consider the apostle’s positive influence:

What I appreciate above all—and this has to be clear from all I’ve said above—is that Elder McConkie drew the Latter-day Saints’ collective attention toward scripture.
Joseph Spencer, “Is Bruce R. McConkie Treated Unfairly?“

Fun Fact. Bruce R. McConkie gave his first copy of Mormon Doctrine to his friend, Glenn Rudd.

Is Bruce R. McConkie Treated Unfairly?

Beyond Mormon Doctrine: A Guide to Elder McConkie’s Other Writings

Bruce R. McConkie was a prolific writer even outside of Mormon Doctrine. He wrote three book series, including the Messiah series, the Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, and Doctrines of Salvation. He also published several other doctrinal books and produced manuscripts that remain unpublished.

Most Popular Books

Book Title	Format	Core Doctrinal Focus
Mormon Doctrine (1958)	Single Volume	A comprehensive, alphabetized reference work about Latter-day Saint theology (currently out of print).
Doctrines of Salvation	3-Volume Series	Edited collection of sermons, papers, and correspondence from President Joseph Fielding Smith.
Doctrinal New Testament Commentary	3-Volume Series	A verse-by-verse scriptural breakdown incorporating the Joseph Smith Translation (JST).
The Messiah Series	6-Volume Series	An expansive study of Christ’s mission spanning from pre-mortality through the Millennium.
A New Witness for the Articles of Faith	Single Volume	His final published book (1985), focusing heavily on Restoration insights and Joseph Smith.

Unpublished Manuscripts

Project Title	Status / Scope	History and Content Focus
Book of Mormon Analysis	Destroyed / Never Published	Written at age 19, this verse-by-verse re-wording was discarded by McConkie, who noted that the personal understanding gained was what mattered most.
Sound Doctrine	Canceled Manuscript	A planned 10-volume edited set featuring select talks from the Journal of Discourses. It was nixed by J. Reuben Clark, though later adapted in part by Joseph Fielding McConkie.
These Three: Elohim, Jehovah, and Michael	Unpublished Manuscript	Highly praised by biographer Dennis B. Horne, this text traces the distinct roles and identities of God the Father, Jesus Christ, and Adam across the Plan of Salvation.

“Forget Everything I Said”: Bruce R. McConkie and the 1978 Priesthood Revelation

A Prophet’s Tailored Request

For years, Elder McConkie was one of the most vocal defenders of the priesthood and temple ban initiated during Brigham Young’s presidency. President Spencer W. Kimball viewed the apostle as a powerful potential ally in his effort to overturn the ban. The prophet tailored his approach to McConkie, asking the apostle to assess the doctrinal implications of opening a temple in South America while denying non-Whites access.

McConkie reread the Standard Works with this question in mind and concluded that he no longer believed there was scriptural support for the ban.

How Did President Kimball Receive the 1978 Priesthood Revelation?

Participation in the 1978 Revelation

President Kimball spent several years working individually with various Apostles until he felt there was a majority opinion in favor of a policy change. He then met with those Apostles in the Salt Lake Temple on June 1, 1978. During the meeting, many of the Brethren had powerful spiritual experiences as a revelation was received providing priesthood and temple access for all worthy males.

Communicating Change

Elder McConkie subsequently shared poetic devotional accounts of the meeting, drafted the text of Official Declaration 2, and edited Mormon Doctrine in relation to the policy change (he retained a belief in its inspired origins).

In a noteworthy example of humility, McConkie also spoke to church members who resisted the 1978 revelation because of his earlier teachings that Black skin was a result of a curse placed by God upon those who had been less valiant in the premortal existence:

Forget everything that I have said, or what President Brigham Young or President George Q. Cannon or whomsoever has said in days past that is contrary to the present revelation. We spoke with a limited understanding and without the light and knowledge that now has come into the world.
Bruce R. McConkie, in the aftermath of the 1978 priesthood revelation

Intellectual Tension: The 10-Page Letter to Eugene England

Elder McConkie’s correspondence with Eugene England highlights the tension that sometimes exists between intellectuals and Church leaders. When the BYU scholar taught that God eternally progresses in knowledge, McConkie issued a scathing public rebuke during a 1980 BYU Devotional titled “The Seven Deadly Heresies.”

When England wrote back seeking reconciliation, it instead triggered McConkie’s infamous, leaked 10-page letter. In it, the Apostle delivered a blistering rebuke, writing, “It is my province to teach to the Church what the doctrine is. It is your province to echo what I say or to remain silent.”

Though deeply hurt, England initially complied—but later published his controversial paper anyway. The two men left a complex legacy that is often viewed as a modern case study of the boundaries of intellectual dissent within Latter-day Saint culture.

Bruce R. McConkie and Eugene England

Frequently Asked Questions

When did Bruce R. McConkie become an apostle?

Bruce R. McConkie was called to be an Apostle by Harold B. Lee in October 1972. He filled a vacancy created by the death of his father-in-law, Joseph Fielding Smith.

Who wrote the chapter headings in the Book of Mormon?

Bruce R. McConkie wrote the chapter headings in the Book of Mormon for the 1979–81 scriptures. He also solicited input and criticism from other members of the Scriptures Publication Committee, including Robert J. Matthews, Ellis T. Rasmussen, Robert C. Patch, and William James Mortimer.

How much is a first edition of Mormon Doctrine?

The price of a first-edition copy of Mormon Doctrine depends on factors such as the book’s condition, provenance, and whether it’s signed by Elder McConkie. However, most copies typically sell for around $300–$500.

How old was Bruce R. McConkie when he died?

Bruce R. McConkie died a few months before turning 70. He passed away from complications of cancer roughly two weeks after sharing his final testimony in general conference.

Is James W. McConkie III related to Bruce R. McConkie?

Elder James W. McConkie III is Elder Bruce R. McConkie’s grand-nephew. His grandfather, James McConkie, was the brother of Bruce R. McConkie.

Table of Contents