Elder Dale G. Renlund. Courtesy of Intellectual Reserve, Inc

Abstract: Instead of sharing “spiritual Twinkies,” or shallow teachings, teachers can provide deep spiritual nourishment to students. Four spiritual principles, or “staples,” are essential to help students grow strong in faith: (1) nurturing students’ testimonies of Jesus Christ and the gospel, (2) fostering students’ personal relationships with teachers, (3) facilitating students’ confidence in addressing gospel questions, and (4) preparing students’ hearts to feel the Spirit.

Keywords: teaching the gospel, living the gospel, learning

My dear brothers and sisters, I am grateful for the opportunity to address religious educators in this worldwide broadcast. Thank you for taking your time and thank you for all you do in helping to move the Lord’s work forward. Please know that your success “is measured primarily by your commitment to helping God’s children become faithful disciples of Jesus Christ.”[1] Your success is not determined by how many of your students become faithful disciples of the Savior; it does not depend on how they choose to respond to your teaching, invitations, or sincere acts of kindness. Your responsibility is to teach clearly and powerfully so they can make an informed choice that will bless them.[2] Each individual has agency. Accordingly, I will say to you as the Prophet Joseph Smith said to the first missionaries in this dispensation, “If you do your duty, it will be just as well with you, as though all men embraced the gospel.”[3]

In 1916 Elder David O. McKay said, “No greater responsibility can rest upon any man [or woman] than to be a teacher of God’s children.”[4] The same is true today. A teacher who has faith, and teaches faith, is critical in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, especially for the rising generation.

In just a moment, I’m going to read a quote from President Jeffrey R. Holland, and you’ll see the connection. But I’ve invited a few volunteers to help. We’re going to have the Reeses and the Ashtons come forward, and they’re each going to get a Twinkie. And as you know, a Twinkie is a vanilla cake with a cream filling. I’d like them to open their Twinkie and start eating it. They each get a napkin, and I’ll try to make this connection here.

President Jeffrey R. Holland stressed the importance of focusing on teaching the vital elements of the gospel in in 1998. He taught, “We must revitalize and reenthrone superior teaching in the Church—at home, from the pulpit, . . . and surely in the classroom. . . . When crises come in our lives, . . . the philosophies of men interlaced with a few scriptures and poems just won’t do. Are we really nurturing our [students] . . . in a way that will sustain them when the stresses of life appear? Or are we giving them a kind of theological Twinkie—spiritually empty calories?”[5]

So now that you’ve consumed that, partially, President Reese, how many grams of dietary fiber do you think was in your Twinkie?” Actually, it was zero.

Sister Reese, how many milligrams of calcium do you think are in that Twinkie? Actually, it was zero.

Sister Ashton, how many micrograms of vitamin A do you think are in there? Actually, it was zero.

Brother Ashton, how many milligrams of vitamin C are there? Yes, there is a pattern. There was zero vitamin C in it.

When I was young, I loved Twinkies. If my parents had allowed me, I would have eaten nothing but Twinkies for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Now, if they had allowed me to do that, do you know what you would be looking at? In truth, I would be a constipated, osteoporotic blind man with scurvy. It is not a pretty sight.

Thank you to our volunteers. I did not really come here to discuss the impact of nutritional deficiencies on our physical health. Twinkies taste delicious, but they contain no nutrition. But I did come here to discuss the spiritual nutrition you are offering your students.

When we have eager students before us, we need to nourish them with the good word of God and not spiritual Twinkies that are devoid of spiritual nourishment. Those nourished with spiritual Twinkies are unlikely to become lifelong disciples of Jesus Christ to become individuals who have grown up in the Lord and received a fullness of the Holy Ghost.[6] Nourished by spiritual Twinkies, they are more likely, instead, to grow up to be spiritually stubborn, faithless, and bewildered.

To combat spiritual malnutrition, our students need at least four nutrient-enriched metaphorical staples. The first is a testimony of Heavenly Father and His plan, Jesus Christ and His Atonement, and the Restoration of the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ in these latter days.[7] To do this we must teach restored truth and bear testimony of those truths.

Let me give an example. Some years ago, a Chinese physician named Grace spent eighteen months visiting medical institutions in Salt Lake City. She came to learn the medical aspects of heart transplantation. My family befriended her, and we included her in many activities. On a Christmas Day that fell on a Sunday, we invited her to church for sacrament meeting. We were hoping the messages would teach of Jesus Christ and emphasize the reasons for the Christmas celebrations. I was serving as a stake president and sat on the stand during the meeting. My wife and daughter sat with Grace in the congregation.

After the sacrament, the first speaker told a well-known but fictitious story of a fourth wise man. It was beautifully told and evoked sentimentality. The next speaker based his remarks on a story of three anthropomorphized trees. One wanted to be a beautiful chest but instead became a feedbox for animals, a manger into which a baby in Bethlehem was laid. The second wanted to become an admired sailing vessel. Instead, it became an unremarkable boat used by ordinary fishermen on the sea of Galilee. During a raging storm, a man the others referred to as “master” said, “Peace,” and the storm stilled. The third tree wanted to be fashioned into something that could be admired from afar. Instead, it became beams on which a man was crucified on a hill called Calvary. Again, another fictitious but sentimental Christmas story.

I was disappointed in the content of the meeting and felt I could not let it end that way for Grace. Even though we were out of time, I leaned over to the bishop, and asked, “Are you going to fix this meeting, or do you want me to?” He said he would take care of it. He went to the pulpit and took five minutes and explained who the Babe in Bethlehem was and what He would accomplish. The bishop bore a powerful testimony of Jesus Christ as the Savior of all humankind. He announced the closing hymn and prayer and sat down.

As the closing hymn was being sung, Grace leaned over to my wife and said, “Ruth, when that bishop spoke, something in the meeting changed!” It had indeed. The speakers had been well-meaning but had served up theological Twinkies, spiritually empty calories, anemic expressions of faith and testimony that were devoid of the power of the word of God, and consequently of the Spirit.

The bishop’s sincere testimony was founded on the truths taught in the scriptures and the teachings of the Lord’s prophets; that is what invited the Spirit into the meeting. I concluded that it is hard for the Spirit to bear witness to the truthfulness of a fictious story. Whatever else we have done in our teaching, we need to always bring our teaching back to Jesus Christ and His Atonement, Heavenly Father and His plan, and the Restoration of His gospel. Of course, it is fine to use stories, even fictitious ones, to grab the attention of students. I mean I used Twinkies to get your attention. But once we have our students’ attention, we need to deliver the nourishment that changes lives. I guess I should have followed up with the Twinkies and served carrot sticks, broccoli, and hummus—but I didn’t.

The Apostle Paul declared, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”[8] Paul then asked a series of questions that helps us understand the importance of an authorized teacher teaching this essential staple. He asked, “How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent?”[9] Paul then offered this conclusion, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”[10] In order for your students to develop faith in Jesus Christ and His central role in the Father’s plan, teaching them about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ is paramount. The theme for this conference says it all: “Seek this Jesus of whom the prophets and apostles have written.”[11]

The famous Scottish religious reformer and preacher Thomas Chalmers wrote about his experiences learning this principle. Chalmers lived from 1780 to 1847. Toward the end of his life, Chalmers realized that he had conducted an unplanned experiment during his preaching. For years, he had preached against all forms of immorality and defects of character. He focused on his parishioners’ outward behavior, essentially teaching the Ten Commandments. The result was disappointing. He found that his words “had all the weight of a feather on the moral habits” of the parishioners. He realized that even if he convinced someone not to steal, the man’s soul remained unchanged; the man was no different inside, even though the man refrained from bad behavior. Stated differently, you can change behavior without altering a student’s heart.

Then Chalmers began preaching reconciliation to God and the forgiveness of sins through the blood of Christ. Not until he taught his parishioners in this way did they reform their lives. The great lesson he learned is that “to preach Christ is the only effective way of preaching morality.” He realized his earlier error—that he had worked to change behavior, not hearts. Now, he worked to change hearts, and behavior naturally and concomitantly changed.

Knowing that Jesus is the Christ, that He is my Savior and Redeemer, has changed my life and my heart. This knowledge has changed my behavior in a way nothing else could. I know that I have been the beneficiary of His infinite atoning sacrifice. That knowledge is what really changes lives.

The second nutrient-enriched spiritual staple for students is a personal relationship with you. This is because a personal relationship with you can facilitate students being drawn to the Savior. He will always be the real source of spiritual nutrition. But the relationship between teacher and learner helps learners be open to the Savior’s words. Even years after your formal teaching of students ends, your relationship can continue to exert a positive influence in their lives. Your lasting influence will be because you have, out of deep love and concern for their welfare, pointed them to the Lord and His doctrine, rather than to yourselves.

I have experienced this. One of my Primary teachers, Becky, had that kind of influence on me. When I was a child, instead of harping on my obvious mistakes, Becky would catch me doing something good, squeeze my cheek, pat me on the head, and say, “Dale, you’re such a good boy.” I did not find this demeaning, rather I looked forward to those occasions when it happened. Later when I was a youth, no longer in Primary, my family returned to that ward after living for years in Finland and Sweden. Becky came up to me after I passed the sacrament, squeezed me on the cheek, patted me on the head, and said, “Dale, you’re such a good boy.” When I returned from my mission, after I reported about my missionary experiences in a sacrament meeting, Becky came up to me, squeezed my cheek, patted me on the head, and said, “Dale, you’re such a good boy.” Over the ensuing decades, I made better choices than I otherwise would have made, in part, because Becky had directed me toward the Savior, and I did not want to disappoint her.

One Sunday after I was called to the Twelve, I returned to the ward where I grew up. Becky still lives in that ward. I sat at the end of the rostrum, spoke briefly in the sacrament meeting, and sat down. Following the benediction, Becky, then in her mid-eighties, conducted a sneak attack. She came up around the choir seats behind me, squeezed my cheek, patted me on the head, and said, “Dale, you’re such a good boy.”

Each student needs one or more Beckys in their lives, teachers who have a lifelong relationship with them, someone who has pointed them to the Savior, someone who affects their thinking and behavior, someone they do not want to disappoint. When students are wounded by crises that they will undoubtedly experience, you can provide a safe place for them to turn to for love and reassurance. Admittedly, there may be some who resist your attempts to know them, but that does not prevent you from loving them. You may have a greater influence on resistant students than you think.

A third nutrient-enriched metaphorical staple each student needs is the ability to address questions and concerns they may have about the Church. Eight years ago, Elder M. Russell Ballard counseled religious educators:

Gone are the days when a student asked an honest question and a teacher responded, “Don’t worry about it!” Gone are the days when a student raised a sincere concern and a teacher bore his or her testimony as a response intended to avoid the issue. Gone are the days when students were protected from people who attacked the Church. . . .

Before you send [your students] into the world, inoculate [them] by providing faithful, thoughtful, and accurate interpretation of gospel doctrine, the scriptures, our history, and those topics that are sometimes misunderstood.[12]

Teachers, you can help students by teaching them what it means to combine study and faith as they learn. You can teach them by modeling this skill and approach in class.

The gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored in our day through revelation. We therefore know how to return to our heavenly home, but we may still have questions and concerns that we sincerely wish we had answers to. Your students will observe how you respond to the tough questions; dodging or ignoring honest questions will raise more questions. You need to be prepared to guide others in their search for answers and help them to build faith in the Lord and His divine sources of truth. Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf taught, “Asking questions isn’t a sign of weakness; it’s a precursor of growth.”[13] To that end, the Church has compiled a wonderful, trustworthy resource for individuals seeking answers to their own questions and for others who are striving to help them. Our goal is to help strengthen faith in Jesus Christ, even as we provide some suggestions for how to approach complex and sometimes difficult topics.

This resource can be found on both the churchofjesuschrist.org website and the Gospel Library app. In case you are not familiar with these resources, let me show you the location within the Gospel Library app. Open your Gospel Library app. From the home page, navigate to the library. Tap the tile, “Topics and Questions.” Here, you will see a section called, “Seeking Answers to Questions,” another section called, “Helping Others with Questions,” and an alphabetical listing of numerous topics of potential interest.

The “Seeking Answers to Questions” section teaches principles that can guide our study as we earnestly seek answers to our questions—whether about faith, doctrine, or Church history. The introduction to this section explains that questions are an important part of spiritual growth and that seeking answers can be a lifelong pursuit. The principles found in this section encourage us to center our lives on Jesus Christ because it is upon Him that we must build our foundation of faith. We are reminded that God’s plan of salvation provides perspective for our questions. That perspective helps us distinguish core gospel truths from things that are not as essential. For faith to grow we need to choose to have faith. Then we must act in faith and hold fast to what we know. As we do, we deepen our understanding of and faith in Jesus Christ.

Additional principles discussed in this section encourage us to be patient with ourselves, with others, and with the Lord’s timing. We need to remember that revelation is a process that often starts with questions, frequently comes line upon line, and can sometimes be a struggle. As we search for answers, we should seek guidance from the Holy Ghost and work to understand the past by placing things in context.

The “Helping Others with Questions” section suggests principles that can guide us as we interact with others who have questions. No matter what, we should speak respectfully, listen with empathy, and demonstrate Christlike love. So listen and respond with love. Seek to understand, acknowledge the experience others have, and avoid being dismissive or judgmental. As we do, we can acknowledge our limitations. Please remember that although we have the fullness of the gospel, we do not have the answers to all questions. Some answers will have to wait for further revelation. With some questions and some questioners, we simply do not know enough about the will of the Lord and the fulness of Church doctrine to satisfy students completely. In these situations, an attempt to persuade the questioners with additional logic or reason may not help. A trap many teachers may inadvertently fall into is to give reasons or explanations that the Lord has not given. When that happens, the reason or answer given may eventually fall apart and then the student may have less faith. It is better to say that we do not know than it is to fabricate a reason or explanation. Faith is, after all, a choice, and sometimes the only answer is to rely on faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and faith in the Restoration of His gospel, and to be patient in waiting for answers from the Lord when He chooses to reveal them.[14] We trust in the Lord and try to be a safe and trusted source for others to turn to for help. We can encourage students to develop their own spiritual witness of their Heavenly Father’s love and that Jesus Christ atoned for them. Remember that even when students do not embrace the entirety of the gospel, they may still believe in and be faithful to the words of Jesus Christ.[15] When they struggle with an aspect of the Church, they can still have a solid testimony that Heavenly Father loves them and wants what is best for them and that Jesus Christ is their Savior.

You will note that many of the suggestions for helping others with their questions are most effectively done one-on-one. I believe this is the best way. It may be unwise for a teacher to allow the entire class to be devoted to answering one person’s important question. Students’ questions should not divert planned curriculum that is designed to build faith. Always remember your objective is to build faith in the whole class, not to get distracted by a vocal few. Like all teaching, handling questions requires the guidance of the Spirit.

The content in this section also reminds us to nourish our own faith even as we help others. Sister Tamara W. Runia counseled us not to “chase after your loved ones who feel lost.” Instead, like Lehi in the vision of the tree of life,[16] “you stay where you are and call them. You go to the tree, stay at the tree, keep eating the fruit and, with a smile on your face, continue to beckon to those you love and show by example that eating the fruit is a happy thing!”[17]

The principles contained in the “Topics and Questions” section, especially those taught in the “Seeking Answers to Questions” and the “Helping Others with Questions” sections, have helped me seek answers to my own questions in a way that strengthened my faith in the Lord and deepened my understanding of Him and His work. The principles have also helped me assist others in navigating their concerns and questions. Additional content will be added in the future to help with specific questions and topics, so please go back often to this resource and never think, “I have read that.” I am confident that you will find these sections and these topics similarly helpful. I pray that your use of these materials will help you and others deepen faith in the Savior.

The fourth and final nutrient-enriched metaphorical spiritual staple that I would love for all students to have is whatever the vital ingredient is that creates and maintains a soft heart. By a soft heart, I mean one sensitive to the Spirit. A hard heart, the opposite of a soft heart, is spiritually fatal. The scriptures frequently describe the perils that await those with a hard heart. Nephi learned that “the mists of darkness [seen in the vision of the tree of life] are the temptations of the devil, which blindeth the eyes, and hardeneth the hearts of the children of men, and leadeth them away into broad roads, that they perish and are lost.”[18]

A stiff or hard physical heart has a hard time filling with blood. So as the heart fills, as it’s getting ready to contract, a stiff heart has a hard time expanding to allow blood in. And this can cause a type of heart failure that is as severe as heart failure that stems from a dysfunction in contracting. In the same way that a hard heart has a difficult time filling with blood, a spiritually hard heart has a difficult time filling with the Spirit.

In 2 Nephi 33, Nephi specifies that people who harden their hearts will not let the Holy Spirit transport the words of God into their heart. He said, “For when a man speaketh by the power of the Holy Ghost the power of the Holy Ghost carrieth it unto the hearts of the children of men.” Nephi continued, “But behold, there are many that harden their hearts against the Holy Spirit, that it hath no place in them; wherefore, they cast many things away which are written and esteem them as things of naught.”[19]

Elder David A. Bednar pointed out, “Please notice how the power of the Spirit carries the message unto but not necessarily into the heart. . . . Ultimately, . . . the content of a message and the witness of the Holy Ghost penetrates into the heart only if a receiver allows them to enter.”[20]

If our students do not have a soft heart, they may become like those who would say, “We have received, and we need no more! . . . For we have enough!” To them, “thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have.”[21]

With hard hearts, our students may block the route through which they can receive more of God’s word or answers to their prayers. They, like us, need to be open to the Spirit so they can be taught all things they should do. As Alma taught, “And they that will harden their hearts, to them is given the lesser portion of the word until they know nothing concerning [God’s] mysteries; and then they are taken captive by the devil, and led by his will down to destruction.”[22] Soft hearts promote the outcome that the Savior promised. “He that keepeth [God’s] commandments receiveth truth and light, until he is glorified in truth and knoweth all things.”[23] Hard hearts, however, make it possible for the “wicked one [to come] and [take] away light and truth.”[24]

You help students remember and always retain in remembrance the greatness of God as you labor diligently to persuade them to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God, to know that it is by grace that they are saved, after all they can do. Courtesy of Intellectual Reserve, Inc.

King Benjamin summarized the components of this nutrient-enriched, metaphorical spiritual staple that create and maintain a soft heart. He declared, “I would that ye should remember, and always retain in remembrance, the greatness of God, and your own nothingness, and his goodness and long-suffering towards you . . . and humble yourselves even in the depths of humility, calling on the name of the Lord daily, and standing steadfastly in the faith of that which is to come.”[25] The components are these, that we always remember that redemption comes only because of Jesus Christ, that without Him our situation is hopeless. That prompts us to humble ourselves in the depths of humility and motivates us to pray daily, and then we stand firm in our faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement. The natural consequence is that we will “always rejoice, and be filled with the love of God, and always retain a remission of [our] sins; and . . . grow in the knowledge of the glory of him that created [us].”[26]

You help students remember and always retain in remembrance the greatness of God as you labor diligently to persuade them to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God, to know that it is by grace that they are saved, after all they can do.[27] So, you and I “talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, . . . that our [students] may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.”[28] That knowledge helps them remain humble, prompting them to call on the name of God daily, and stand steadfastly in the faith. It helps them maintain soft hearts, susceptible to being filled by the Holy Ghost.

All four nutrient-enriched staples that I’ve talked about overlap and are mutually reinforcing. Today is a good day to do a self-inventory of our teaching. Please ask yourself:

• Is my teaching centered on Jesus Christ?
• Do I teach with testimony and love?
• Do I seek to develop lifelong relationships with my students?
• Do I help students answer their own questions and not leave them with more questions?
• Do I show an example of a soft heart, expressing gratitude to God and standing firm in the faith?
• What are my students learning from my example as well as my teaching?

Brothers and sisters, thank you for what you do to help Heavenly Father’s children become faithful disciples of Jesus Christ, to help them maintain soft hearts, to help them let the Spirit into their hearts, and to clearly point them to Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of the world. As we heard in the song, all of us are prone to wander, prone to leave the God we love. We need to be reminded of His goodness so that that goodness, like a fetter, binds our wandering hearts to God. And that’s why Robert Robinson, when he penned that, said, “Here’s my heart. Take and seal it. Seal it for the courts above.” He wanted to be reminded why he felt to sing that song of redeeming love when he sometimes didn’t feel to sing it. And the same is our task, is to help our students on that path.

God bless you for what you do. God bless you for your goodness, God bless you for your faith, your faithfulness, your testimonies. Thank you for serving the Master. Thank you for being His friend, because He is our kind, wise, heavenly Friend. I absolutely know that that’s true, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Notes

[1] General Handbook: Serving in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 4.2.8, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/learn/mobile-applications/gospel-library.

[2] See “A Successful Missionary,” in Preach My Gospel: A Guide to Missionary Service (2019), 13.

[3] “Letter from the Church, not after 18 December 1833,” p. 120, www.josephsmithpapers.org.

[4] David O. McKay, in Conference Report, October 1916, 57.

[5] Jeffrey R. Holland, “A Teacher Come from God,” general conference talk, April 1998, www.churchofjesuschrist.org.

[6] Doctrine and Covenants 109:15.

[7] See J. Reuben Clark Jr., “The Charted Course of the Church in Education,” Brigham Young University devotional, August 8, 1938, https://speeches.byu.edu.

[8] Romans 10:13.

[9] Romans 10:14–15.

[10] Romans 10:17.

[11] Ether 12:41.

[12] M. Russell Ballard, “The Opportunities and Responsibilities of CES Teachers in the 21st Century,” an Evening with Elder M. Russell Ballard—address to CES religious educators, February 26, 2016, Salt Lake Tabernacle.

[13] Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “The Reflection in the Water,” Church Educational System fireside for young adults, November 1, 2009, www.churchofjesuschrist.org.

[14] Dallin H. Oaks, “Patterns of Personal Apostasy,” general conference leadership meeting, April 2024.

[15] 2 Nephi 33:10.

[16] 1 Nephi 8:4–34.

[17] Tamara W. Runia, “Seeing God’s Family through the Overview Lens,” general conference talk, November 2023, www.churchofjesuschrist.org.

[18] 1 Nephi 12:17.

[19] 2 Nephi 33:1–2.

[20] David A. Bednar, “Seek Learning by Faith,” Liahona, September 2007, 61; This profound insight, that “unto” is not “into,” prompted a retranslation of 2 Nephi 33:1 in the French. Instead of translating “unto” as “dans,” meaning “in,” (“le pouvoir du Sanit-Esprit port eses paroles dans les cœur des hommes”) the verse is now translated as “le pouvoir du Saint-Esprit porte ses paroles jusqu’au cœur des enfants des hommes.” The preposition “jusqu’à” in fact means “up to”.

[21] 2 Nephi 28:27, 29–30.

[22] Alma 12:11.

[23] Doctrine and Covenants 93:28.

[24] Doctrine and Covenants 93:39.

[25] Mosiah 4:11.

[26] Mosiah 4:12–13.

[27] 2 Nephi 25:23.

[28] 2 Nephi 25:26.