Elder Michael John U. Teh of the Seventy (left) with interfaith leaders in Davao City, Philippines. Intellectual Reserve, Inc.

The interview for this article was conducted on March 15, 2024.

ABTRACT: This interview explores the role of interfaith engagement in preparing Latter-day Saint youth and young adults to become effective religious leaders in an increasingly diverse and interconnected world. Drawing on the experiences of two prominent interfaith practitioners, the discussion examines theological foundations, practical principles, and personal experiences that support meaningful relationships across religious differences while strengthening commitment to the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. The participants discuss how interfaith leadership is rooted in Christlike love, respect for agency, recognition of divine truth wherever it is found, and a commitment to peacemaking and collaboration. The interview offers insights for religious educators, parents, and Church leaders seeking to help the rising generation cultivate faith-filled engagement with people of diverse beliefs and backgrounds.

KEYWORDS: interfaith efforts, leadership, youth, young adults, Christlike love, peacemaking, religious diversity

Ryan Gardner. Brian, how did you first become interested in interfaith work?

Brian Farr. In 1999 my oldest daughter was involved in creating an international children’s choral festival as a pre-Olympic event for the Olympics that were coming to Salt Lake in 2002. At the time, there was concern in Utah about the Olympics being perceived as the “Mormon Olympics.” We wanted the festival to be legitimately a community event. So we started reaching out to other houses of worship. The Salt Lake Organizing Committee for the Olympics had a subcommittee whose responsibility was to provide religious support and services to athletes. We engaged with that subcommittee and the seventy-five to one hundred different faiths represented there. When the Olympics were over, these people were enjoying the associations so much that they set up a nonprofit corporation called the Salt Lake Interfaith Roundtable. We were enjoying the friendships, too, so we continued our association with the roundtable.

Gardner. How about you, Keryn? How did you get started in interfaith work?

Keryn Wouden Anderson. I was brought into interfaith work in a gradual process. My parents were very open about making sure that we understood how many good people lived around us. We lived in the Midwest, so as Latter-day Saints we were definitely in the minority, but we had so many good friends we associated with who were not of our faith. It brought so much richness into our lives, and as a result I was taught to appreciate a lot of different faiths. Later, I went to Chapman University in Southern California, where my freshman roommates ended up being Jewish and nondenominational Christian. We got along really well, and we started attending each other’s events as we were getting to know the people in our various organizations. It became so enriching. Chapman University is unique because they have the Fish Interfaith Center, which was dedicated by President Jeffrey R. Holland in 2005, so The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints definitely had a presence. Because of that, I felt empowered to participate in the interfaith events that existed on campus and ended up on various interfaith leadership councils. I ended up getting my graduate degree at Northwestern University. During my first year, I was really craving that connection with others of faith. In the year I got there, they opened a new campus program called Interfaith Advocates, where eight students from different parts of campus organized interfaith events. From there, I got involved with Interfaith America, which built my foundation of understanding in terms of why and how I wanted to do this work and its importance in the world. That gave me a much larger toolkit to do the work effectively. It was really that line-upon-line process of having lots of little experiences. And I’m a musician, so it continued to be relevant in my life as I moved in and out of the various religious spaces to perform musically.

Farr. Such a blessing to have such a great start with great parents.

Gardner. Keryn, how would you define interfaith work?

Anderson. My definition of interfaith work comes from the book by Eboo Patel, Interfaith Leadership. He talks about how interfaith has two parts: inter, meaning the relationship between things, and faith—how you identify with spiritual and religious identity.[1] I look at interfaith work as “how I engage with people who are different from me in spiritual- and faith-based ideology.” As a result, my definition of interfaith work also includes people of no faith and people within my faith who have different spiritual understandings of the ideology.

Gardner. Brian, what do you want to add to that?

Farr. I like her perspective about interfaith within the Church because of people’s different understandings of the gospel. From my perspective, interfaith is not so much something you do as something that you are: a disciple of Christ who follows the two great commandments—to love God and to love all his children. So most simply, interfaith is just about loving God and his children.

Gardner. Thank you. Keryn, can you tell how your experiences helped shape your view of interfaith work?

Anderson. Initially, interfaith was just, “Well, I coexist with different ideas.” Over time that has shifted to something more action-based. It’s about finding common causes, ways that I can do good for my community and ways I can build bridges with people who believe different things. It’s been fifteen-plus years since some of those first experiences, and I’m so grateful for the breadth that I’ve had. It has been reiterated to me over and over how many good people exist and want to do good—want to be connected. That perspective has shifted a lot of the judgments and filters that I had previously, which has allowed me to love and appreciate that most people are trying their best where they’re at.

Gardner. That’s great. Brian, do you want to tell us about your involvement with interfaith work and how those experiences have shaped your understanding of interfaith work over time?

Farr. I continued with the Interfaith Roundtable. We sponsored an annual Interfaith Week, which became Interfaith Month and now Interfaith Season. We have open houses at churches, synagogues, mosques, temples, and other houses of worship with displays and activities to help learn about other faiths. The culminating event each year is Sacred Music Night, where there is music, dance, prayer, and spiritual thoughts from many different faiths. Originally, it moved from one house of worship to another from year to year. When it got too big, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said we could use the Tabernacle. So now, every year in March or April, there’s a Sacred Music Evening at the Tabernacle. It’s wonderful as people learn, lift, and bond there.

I also got involved in the Utah Council for Citizen Diplomacy (now Utah Global Diplomacy). The federal government has an International Visitor Leadership Program, under which US embassies around the world watch for people who they think are opinion leaders. They nominate them to the State Department. Some are selected each year to come to the United States for three weeks as guests of the State Department. When I was involved, visitors spent the first week in Washington, DC, and then visited three or four cities across the country. The Utah Council for Citizen Diplomacy contracted to provide hosting services when those people came to Utah. When they were here, one of the goals was for them to have dinner in someone’s home, which usually ended up being the highlight of their visit. The first time I hosted one of those groups, there were three men from Cote d’Ivoire: a Catholic priest, an evangelical minister, and an imam. I invited my adult children who were living away from home, and it was absolute magic. Our guests were pretty intimidated to come into a US home, but when they saw that they were invited to a family dinner, all their angst just melted away. They actually started hugging us when they found out that we cared about family like they cared about family. We made some great friendships.

One quick comment: I think Keryn gave a great perspective on how simple interfaith interactions can be, and it doesn’t have to be this structured. It can be just forming little groups in your community. It can be going to dinner with friends of different faiths—getting to know people, getting to care about them. You can volunteer with people of other faiths in community service, food banks, and other programs and get to know them. And as you get to know them, it’s an easy thing to ask them what is important to them in life, what principles light their life and power their way. Strengthening JustServe in your community is a great way to build interfaith connection and cohesion.

Anderson. I totally agree with that, Brian, and I just will add to it. Sometimes a really great way for people to approach it is to think, What do I care about? What are the causes I would put myself out there for? Then find groups that already exist that support those causes. That can be an interfaith action because if your faith is part of your identity, as you interact with people, it will just be a part of the process and can be built on in other ways as you feel more comfortable.

Gardner. Both of you have led into this idea of what does it mean for somebody to be an interfaith leader. That’s the main point of this interview: to help us think about how we can help youth and young adults become interfaith leaders. It doesn’t have to be a big organization; it doesn’t have to be super formal. But it does have to be intentional. It has to be a deliberate effort to bring people together who see the world from a different religious point of view, but who also want to and are willing to work together. How has your understanding of interfaith work changed over time?

Farr. Central to all we’ve been talking about is caring about others enough to get to know them and do things together to make the world a better place. A couple of months ago, I was sitting in the living room. All of a sudden, I envisioned the great preexistent council as vividly as if the veil had been removed. One powerful impact on me was looking at the vast assemblage and feeling connected to every one of them. Realizing that I knew every one of them, that I loved every one of them. There were other more profound lessons in that little flash of light, but it was striking to me: that feeling about connectedness and knowing.

Gardner. That leads into the question, What does it mean to be an interfaith leader? Part of it means to have that sense of caring and desire for connectedness that isn’t limited to religious affiliation. It has to extend beyond that if we’re really going to live the two great commandments. Not just proclaim them, not just believe them, but live them. So, that’s great. Keryn, do you want to add anything about that?

Anderson. Brian, I’m so grateful that you felt to share that because that is what we’re building toward: Zion, where we’re all of “one heart and one mind” (Moses 7:18). We have experienced that; our spirits have experienced that before.

Gardner. Thank you, Keryn. Why do you think it’s important for youth and young adults in the Church of Jesus Christ to become interfaith leaders? Why is this something that we ought to be paying attention to, thinking about, and putting some effort into?

Anderson. One of the amazing benefits of our faith is it equips our youth and young adults to be leaders. We teach how to speak openly about faith. We give opportunities to do service. We encourage goal setting. And a lot of people are sent on missions where they’re gaining additional skills and assets in languages and cultures that are not familiar to themselves or others. In amazing ways, we are giving our youth and young adults, from the beginning, the tools and equipment to be successful in this work. We all recognize how diverse and divisive the world is becoming, and it’s only going to get worse. So we need to be peacemakers. We need to be actively engaged in building bridges. In 2018 President Nelson said, “Ultimately, we realize that only the comprehension of the true Fatherhood of God can bring full appreciation of the true brotherhood of men and the true sisterhood of women. That understanding inspires us with passionate desire to build bridges of cooperation instead of walls of segregation.”[2]

That is a call to action for all of us to take this more seriously, and youth and young adults are in some of the best positions to do that. We need to help them recognize opportunities, tools, and abilities that already exist so they can feel confident doing this work. We can also be a safe place for them to ask questions. There were so many times that engaging in interfaith work brought questions or enabled me to experience concepts in different, more meaningful ways. I think when we get afraid of introducing people to this area of work, oftentimes that fear comes more from a lack of trusting in our foundation of the principles that we have and trusting more in our arm of flesh. And when we let go of that, we really believe in and teach the gospel of Jesus Christ in a powerful way. That allows us to open ourselves to these additional opportunities because our foundation is secure. Much more good can be done in the world as we all make these larger impacts. To start while people are young gives that much more time for impact and ability.

Gardner. You hit on so many things there, Keryn. Thomas Griffiths and Eboo Patel had a great discussion in a Mormon Land podcast about Latter-day Saints being uniquely positioned to get as good at interfaith as we are at proselytizing.[3] And I think that’s really compelling. Some of the things you said at the end reminded me of this concept called rooted cosmopolitanism—the idea that we can be firmly rooted in our own convictions yet open to and wanting to branch out, improve the lives of all humanity, and develop relationships with people in different circumstances and ideologies. Brian, what do you want to add on why our youth and young adults need to become interfaith leaders?

Farr. The Prophet Joseph Smith said, “Christians should cease wrangling and contention with each other and cultivate the principles of union and friendship in their midst; and they will do it before the Millennium can be ushered in, and Christ takes possession of his kingdom.”[4] A central purpose of interfaith work is preparation for the Second Coming and building friendship, earthly Zion, and harmony between religions. It’s never a question of trying to make all faiths one. As Keryn pointed out, you hang on to the integrity and foundation of what you have as you work with others and notice some of the good that is shared. A statement from President Howard W. Hunter sums up why young people might want to do this: “As members of the Church of Jesus Christ, we seek to bring all truth together. We seek to enlarge the circle of love and understanding among all the people of the earth. Thus we strive to establish peace and happiness, not only within Christianity but among all mankind. . . . All persons on earth are literally brothers and sisters in the family of God. . . . The purpose of the gospel of Jesus Christ is to bring about love, unity, and brotherhood of the highest order.”[5] To me, that is central to why youth and young adults might want to be involved in interfaith work.

But there’s an even more powerful reason. When you think of God’s love for all his children, his command that we love each other, and the primacy of agency and respect for freedom of belief in God’s plan, clearly the Father and the Son are the ultimate interfaith leaders. A statement from the First Presidency in 1978 [6] noted that the great religious leaders and moral philosophers of the world received a portion of divine light, given to them by God to enlighten whole nations. It just puts a whole different perspective on interfaith work when you stop to think that the Lord speaks to the people of all nations (2 Nephi 29:12) and gives them the light he sees fit for them to have (Alma 29:8). The Father and the Son are the source of that light. The call to “union and friendship” comes from them. President Hunter’s grand vision of bringing all truth and all people together in love and unity of the highest order comes from them. They are the ultimate interfaith leaders. If we want to become like them, leading out in building interfaith relations is part of our opportunity, challenge, responsibility, and blessing. So, to be an interfaith leader seems to be part of what it means to be more Christlike, to take upon you his name, to always remember him, to have his Spirit to be with you. And not just say that but do it.

Gardner. Yes, and Howard W. Hunter is a great example of this. I love the work that he did in the Middle East, specifically working to bring together people from different religions to pave the way for the BYU Jerusalem Center. At the exhibit in the Church History Museum, there’s a little display with some Christian, Jewish, and Muslim artifacts in it, with an inscription underneath that reads, “The Church has an interest in all of Abraham’s descendants. . . . Both the Jews and the Arabs are children of our Father. They are both children of promise. . . . We have love for and interest in each.”[7] We are all Heavenly Father’s children.

Farr. When you look at the current First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, you can see their engagement.[8] They lead the way.

Gardner. Sometimes I am asked about the Interfaith Leadership Society at BYU–Idaho. If you look at what the leaders of the Church are doing, they’re really moving that work forward. We want to train our students to be able to take that baton and carry it even further. Our students are going to have to take the Church to places it’s never been, and I’m not just talking geographically. It’s taking the Church socially and culturally and spiritually where we need to go.

Anderson. I would add that we have an amazing heritage of interfaith engagement from the Savior all the way to Joseph Smith, who gave us Doctrine and Covenants 134 and the eleventh article of faith. In the core beliefs of our faith, we believe that everyone is entitled to “worship how, where, or what they may” (Articles of Faith 1:11), as long as it’s not physically hurting other people. In October 2022, Elder Dallin H. Oaks reported that in 2021 the Church spent $906 million on humanitarian work worldwide.[9] In that same general conference talk, President Oaks referred to my favorite interfaith quote, which is by Orson F. Whitney in 1928: “God is using more than one people for the accomplishment of his great and marvelous work. . . . It is too vast, too arduous, for any one people.”[10]

Farr. I think your reference to Joseph Smith is inspirational. When the First Presidency sent out the 1841 proclamation for gathering, the last paragraph made it clear that this isn’t limited to our own members. In effect, they said, “You’re all welcome to come, and we’ll treat you as citizens and friends.”[11] One of the things that to me is almost mind-blowing when you think about the history of the United States is how far back the Church’s involvement in interfaith relations goes. Even the ordinances of Nauvoo included religious freedom protections for people of other faiths.[12] The Prophet Joseph Smith said that he was just as willing to die for a person of another faith as his own faith in holding up truth and light.[13]

Gardner. So, in one sense, for our youth and young adults to become interfaith leaders is to carry on the heritage of the ongoing Restoration. Let’s put this in a more real-life situation. You’ve got a classroom full of youth or young adults that you get to talk to for an hour. What principles would be crucial for them to learn in order to become interfaith leaders?

Farr. Leadership is about engagement—engagement of ourselves and others. A foundational principle is individual responsibility. I woke up one morning with these words in my mind: “Though none of us are solely responsible for world peace, each of us is responsible for our piece/peace.” We’re each responsible for our piece of world peace and responsible for our own inner peace. To be interfaith leaders we need to etch that principle in our own heart and mind and into the hearts and minds of as many other people on the planet as we can. President Nelson’s April 2023 general conference talk is a prophetic call for each of us to be peacemakers.[14] Interfaith work is a tool to do that.

A second principle is love: remembering that we’re all children of God and learning to care as God cares, to love them as he loves, and to be a catalyst in helping them love each other.

A third principle to focus on is divine light. This includes being true to the light God has given you, respecting the light given to others and encouraging them to do the same, recognizing our shared divine light, and letting that shared light strengthen the bonds of friendship, union, and commitment to building a better world together. When I had that little sense of looking into the preexistence, one of the things that stood out is that God tutors each of his children individually and in a way that is best for them. Those who are true to the light God has given them receive more light that will grow “brighter and brighter until the perfect day” (Doctrine and Covenants 50:24).

Gardner. Thank you. That’s great. Keryn, what would you want to emphasize?

Anderson. I think that individual responsibility is key, and the principle of agency. Sometimes we underestimate how important that is to God. I firmly believe that God loves all of his children, has a plan for them, and wants them to come home. With that perspective, interfaith is about honoring people’s agency, part of the core reason we were sent to earth.

The other principle also focused on recognizing the light others have. I believe that we have the prophets and the scriptures to help us understand, as frameworks of truth, where the boundaries of that light exist. Their existence helps us be discerning about what is right and wrong. That framework can help gather truth even when that truth comes from quotes, experiences, or principles that exist in the world and other faith communities. Using the light and truth we have, we can find common truth with others but also recognize where we need to let go of something because it doesn’t fit within that framework of light. That provides the merciful opportunity for everyone to be accountable for the light and knowledge they have.

I think the other principle that I would teach is the interfaith triangle from Interfaith America.[15] There is social science data showing that when we have appreciative knowledge of another faith, relationships with people of that faith, and a positive attitude toward that faith, it’s like a spring that naturally lifts everybody. Those three facets of that triangle support interfaith leaders in helping everyone be safe and authentic in their engagement.

The last thing I would say is start where you are. Find areas where you can reach out, whether that’s making more effort to know your coworkers or knocking on your neighbor’s door. I know my family has recently been trying to get to know our physical neighbors better. A lot of those small ways are good starting points.

Gardner. What additional suggestions would you have for the teachers of youth about preparing youth to be good interfaith leaders and to enter into that space?

Farr. The best teachers in my life, the ones that have had the most impact, are the ones who really get it. They have a deep understanding of the topic and a love for it and their students. It is a love that radiates from them and permeates everything they do—like Joseph Smith’s vision of Zion. The starting point for any and all of us to really get it regarding interfaith is to expand our own vision of the breadth and depth of God’s “stupendous, magnificent”[16] work of preparation for the Second Coming and our responsibility and blessed opportunity to help. When Christ comes again, his kingdom—the kingdom of God on earth—will be a political kingdom that will cover the earth. Every person on earth will be a citizen of that kingdom. There will likely be as many faiths then as there are now, maybe more.[17] At the beginning of the Millennium, members of the Church will still be but a small minority. Our responsibility now to build “union and friendship”[18] to prepare for the Second Coming and to lay the foundation for the millennial kingdom will continue then. That’s interfaith.

Gardner. I don’t think we can underestimate the importance of vision for teachers.

Anderson. Absolutely! I think being an example, as a teacher to youth and young adults, of engaging with others of faith can help demystify it. If you’re a teacher and you occasionally use a source from another religious text to confirm the truth we believe, that helps to break down the misconception that we have the corner on the market of truth. In Doctrine and Covenants 1:30, the Lord talks about how this is his “true and living church.” That is true! And there are other faiths that have truth, and they live truth. Our church is living, though, and that allows us to not only have truth but receive regular direction on that truth. That is an important distinction that the Doctrine and Covenants gives us. I think about my institute teachers and how empowered they made me to be involved in these interfaith centers because of their example. I didn’t go into it from a place of fear because I knew that if I had questions, I could go to them and they would help and support me.

Gardner. Sometimes youth and young adults just need to see that someone ahead of them on the path has been through the territory that we’re inviting them into and that it’s safe. You can navigate that without losing your testimony, your faith, your spiritual convictions.

Anderson. I can definitely relate to that feeling. Having those examples, building that in our families, being that for our kids, and not being afraid to engage with those of other faiths allow that example to exist in other spheres as well.

Farr. Can I just throw something in here? I was scheduled to speak at a North American Interfaith Network gathering a few years ago at a time when my second daughter was in the Huntsman Cancer Institute. The day before I was to speak, her doctors invited the family to say our last goodbyes. That evening, while talking with Bettina Gray, a prior chair of the North American Interfaith Network, she offered to deliver my presentation for me. She was well-versed in the things that I thought were important to say, and I accepted. When she started the presentation, she first explained why she was doing it and asked that vast interfaith crowd to pray for my daughter. Miraculously, our daughter came out of the coma and returned home. I felt the power of interfaith prayer from that experience.

Gardner. That’s a powerful example. Let’s conclude with your thoughts about how being involved in interfaith work has impacted your life. Keryn, will you lead off for us?

Anderson. I’ve learned so much. One of the things I’ve learned is that God inspires this work, and when he does, everybody feels it. I really believe in synergy. I believe that as you come to that spiritual place where you’re in alignment with the will of God, you all come together. An example of this was September of 2020, when I was commissioned to do an original work from Interfaith America and The Peace Studio[19] with two other interfaith leaders. I composed music for it, Maya Williams provided the text, and Harmeet Kambooj did Hindu dancing. We created a video about five minutes long. It was amazing as we came together during the COVID-19 pandemic; everyone was feeling disconnected. We had that synergy, so it came together very quickly. And I am not even a composer! But the music just came because I knew it was something that I was supposed to be doing. It was an opportunity that I had been given, and I was receiving help in accomplishing the work Heavenly Father wanted me to do. I think about Ron Farmer, the director of interfaith at Chapman University when I was there. He would always tell us, “We’re bringing light, not heat.”

I have members of my family on different spectrums of faith, and even within my ward there are some concerns coming up now. I’m using these skills all the time in my everyday life because so many of them are foundational to gaining understanding and pointing light on the things that have been dark. So that has brought me closer to my Savior as I have truly learned, tried to communicate with the Spirit, and let it guide me in these interactions with others. I feel the strength of that guidance, and it brings me to a place of charity, compassion, and collaboration.

Gardner. That was really beautiful! As you were talking, I was imagining a world of youth and young adults who are firmly settled in their own convictions and are out to bring light, not heat, to others around them. Brian, what would you like to share?

Farr. That’s a great, great statement. Interfaith work, to me, is not about comparative religion. It’s not about who’s right and who’s wrong. It’s about love and respect and learning from each other. Being engaged in interfaith has been a huge source of enrichment and blessing in my life. The friendships made and soul expansion are priceless. My own faith has been enhanced by what I have learned from those of other faiths. For example, a rabbi once mentioned that the Hebrew word that Christians translate as “sin” would translate as “off the mark” or “off target.” I think it gives a great perspective to sin and transgression that you’re “off the mark.” You’re no longer focused on harmony with the divine. When I go to the Sikh Temple, it’s hard for me to express the respect I have for those people. They came out of Northern India and the caste system culture, and their central doctrine is there’s one God and we’re all equal. When you think about the heaviness of the caste system and these people coming out of that and saying, “No, there’s one God—we’re all equal,” I have great respect for those efforts. When I’ve attended a Buddhist temple, they end with a recitation that says, “I am a link in Amida’s [Buddha’s] Golden Chain of love that stretches around the world. I will keep my link bright and strong. I will be kind and gentle to every living thing and protect those who are weaker than myself. I will think pure and beautiful thoughts, say pure and beautiful words, and do pure and beautiful deeds. May every link in Amida’s Golden Chain of love be bright and strong, and may we all attain perfect peace.” I asked the Buddhist children if, after they did their part of the program for our interfaith concert, they would do that recitation. As they did it, we had the words up on the big screens on the side of the Tabernacle organ pipes, and the woman sitting next to me leaned over and said, “I had no idea Buddhists believed that. That’s a beautiful thing to believe.” I said, “That’s why we do this: to help people see some of the beauty of other faiths.” So being exposed to some of the beauty has just been a huge blessing.

More importantly, it has deepened my understanding and appreciation of the grandeur of God and his purposes, plans, and love for all of his children. It has expanded my understanding of our Savior’s critical role. It has increased my sense of awe, praise, gratitude, and love for them. I cannot imagine a more praiseworthy understanding of God than a God who experiences, personifies, and exemplifies a fullness of all that is good, praiseworthy, and enduring. He loves us so much and is so incredibly pure and generous that his whole purpose is built around loving and lifting us, around sharing that fullness with us. Such understanding has deepened my gratitude for the Restoration and the unmatched blessing of being part of it. It has infused my testimony with strength, commitment, and desires to serve. It has expanded my vision of temple covenants.

Anderson. I’m thinking about all my interfaith friends; they’re like family to me. I totally agree with what you’re saying.

Farr. Just like family. I can’t imagine how life would be without interfaith involvement. It’s been so incredibly rich because of these wonderful people from other faiths, people who are true to the light God has given them. These are people who put God first in their lives and do his will to the best they know. They are striving to be pure in heart.

Anderson. In these interfaith settings, we cultivate such rich soil as we’re honest with each other about what we believe and think. And as you’re respectful, it cultivates so much good.

Farr. It’s amazing how seeing someone’s perspective deepens the appreciation of the light you’ve been given.

Gardner. I am so grateful that I’ve been fortunate enough to be pulled by the Lord into this work. It’s blessed my life and made me, I hope, a better member of the Church and a better follower of Jesus Christ.

Farr. Me too! It offers some great opportunities to contribute to God’s “stupendous, magnificent” work.[20] President Boyd K. Packer, quoting President Joseph Fielding Smith, said, “‘While it may be said . . . that we are but a handful in comparison with . . . the world, yet we may be compared with the leaven of which the Savior spoke, which will eventually leaven [or lift] the whole world.’ We can and in due time certainly will influence all of humanity.”[21] Being catalysts for interfaith engagement in building a better world together is one of the most powerful tools for that lift—especially when combined with letting our love and light shine. There is a dangerous pandemic of polarization and division that infects so much of the world and disrupts and further threatens our peace and so much that is dear to us. By coalescing around the principles we’ve talked about today (like shared light, shared humanity, and individual responsibility), good people everywhere, of all faiths and none, can together reverse and diminish that growing threat and replace it with something better. Difference must not be allowed to eclipse the good that is shared in common. Interfaith caring and engagement not only enriches lives and expands souls, it also lays the foundation for something bigger: building the kingdom of God on earth. We can be more impactful contributors to the success of God’s great work by expanding our vision and urgently living it better.

Anderson. I totally agree, and it’s shifted my understanding of the covenants and ordinances that I make. They’re not a checklist; they are amazing spaces where I am empowered with the blessings and gifts that God has available to do what he’s asking me to do.

Gardner. Ultimately, seeking that fullness of God and receiving of that fullness from God comes back to the thirteenth article of faith: We seek those things that are “lovely,” “virtuous,” “of good report,” and “praiseworthy” wherever they are. Interfaith engagement gives us an opportunity to do that. We really engage in seeking that which is “virtuous, lovely, . . . of good report [and] praiseworthy” wherever we can find it. That’s what we need to learn how to do if we’re going to become like he is.

Notes

The authors thank Sam McCarty and Trevor Roberts for transcribing this interview and Logan Weaver, Elizabeth Hansen, and Karah Lindsay for editing it for publication.

[1] See chapters 2 and 3 in Eboo Patel, Interfaith Leadership: A Primer (Beacon, 2016).

[2] Russell M. Nelson, “Building Bridges,” Liahona, December 2018.

[3] Peggy Fletcher Stack, host, Mormon Land, podcast, episode 310, “Can Latter-day Saints Become as Good at Peacemaking as They Are at Proselytizing?,” Salt Lake Tribune, 2024, www.soundcloud.com/mormonland.

[4] History, 1838–1856, volume E-1 (1 July 1843–30 April 1844), 1666, www.josephsmithpapers.org.

[5] Howard W. Hunter, That We Might Have Joy (Deseret Book, 1994), 59, 75.

[6] “Statement of the First Presidency Regarding God’s Love for All Mankind,” February 15, 1978, catalog.churchofjesuschrist.org.

[7] Howard W. Hunter, “All Are Alike unto God,” Ensign, June 1979, 74.

[8] Some examples include the Q&A discussion by Elder Ulisses Soares and Baptist pastor Bob Roberts Jr. at the 2025 International Religious Freedom Summit ( “At Global Summit, Elder Soares Advocates for Peace Through Religious Freedom,” Church Newsroom, February 4, 2025, newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org.), President Russell M. Nelson’s conversation with Pope Francis II at the Vatican (Sarah Jane Weaver, “President Nelson Becomes the First Church Leader to Have a Formal Audience with the Pope,” Church News, March 9, 2019, www.thechurchnews.com.), and President Jeffrey R. Holland and his friendship with the Rev. Andrew Teal of Oxford (Sydney Walker, “How Elder Holland and the Rev. Teal of Oxford Became Friends and What This Interfaith Friendship Means to Them,” Church News, November 12, 2021, www.thechurchnews.com).

[9] Dallin H. Oaks, “Helping the Poor and Distressed,” Liahona, November 2022, 6.

[10] Quoted in Oaks, “Helping the Poor and Distressed,” 7. See Orson F. Whitney, in Conference Report, April 1928, 59.

[11] See Proclamation, 15 January 1841, 273, www.josephsmithpapers.org.

[12] See Nauvoo City Council Minute Book, 1841–1845, 13, www.josephsmithpapers.org.

[13] Discourse, 9 July 1843, 301, www.josephsmithpapers.org.

[14] Russell M. Nelson, “Peacemakers Needed,” Liahona, May 2023, 98–101.

[15] See Interfaith America, “Interfaith Triangle,” https://www.interfaithamerica.org/resources/the-interfaith-triangle/.

[16] Whitney, in Conference Report, April 1921, 32.

[17] See Discourses of Brigham Young, Second President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, arr. John A. Widtsoe (Deseret Book, 1925), 115, 119; Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation: Sermons and Writings of Joseph Fielding Smith, comp. Bruce R. McConkie (Bookcraft, 1954), 1:86; and Bruce R. McConkie, The Millennial Messiah: The Second Coming of the Son of Man (Deseret Book, 1982), 651–52.

[18] History, 1838–1856, volume E-1 (1 July 1843–30 April 1844), 1666, www.josephsmithpapers.org.

[19] “The Eye of the Storm Peace Offering,” posted October 27, 2020, by Interfaith America, YouTube, www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtKUGUOhrYI.

[20] Whitney, in Conference Report, April 1921, 32.

[21] Boyd K. Packer, “The Power of the Priesthood,” Ensign, May 2010, 7.