President Russell M. Nelson and Challenges for the LDS Church

Summary: Wednesday, we’re talking about new LDS Church President Russell M. Nelson, other changes in the First Presidency, and how the Church may meet the challenges of a global faith in the 21st century. Tuesday morning, the LDS Church announced the new leader of the faith. It was no surprise that Russell M. Nelson was called; there’s a clear succession plan when a president dies. It was a surprise though that he replaced the popular leader Dieter F. Uchtdorf as a counselor in the First Presidency, the highest governing body of the Church. So Wednesday, we’re talking about Nelson, the “new” face Dallin H. Oaks, and how they may meet the challenges of a global faith in the 21st century. We want to hear from you. What do you see as the social, political, and faith challenges facing the LDS Church? What are you hoping to hear from Church leadership? Send an email to radiowest@kuer.org or comment below. Guests: Lee Hale, KUER religion reporter Joanna Brooks is a professor of English and comparative literature at San Diego State University. She is the author or editor of nine books including Decolonizing Mormonism: Towards a Postcolonial Zion [Indie bookstores|Amazon], due out in May with University of Utah Press. She is also the chair of the Dialogue Foundation supporting Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought. Janan Graham-Russell is a PhD student at Harvard University. Her research focuses on the dialogue between Afro-Atlantic identity, religious experience, and contemporary Mormonism. Her work has been featured in Mormon Feminism: Essential Writings [Indie bookstores|Amazon] and A Book of Mormons: Latter-day Saints on a Modern-Day Zion [Indie bookstores|Amazon]