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79-548: The RSC (sometimes called the Center for Religious Studies in its early years) was founded in 1975 by Jeffrey R. Holland , dean of Religious Education at BYU. Upon the recommendation of BYU president Dallin H. Oaks , the establishment of the RSC was approved by BYU's Board of Trustees in early 1976. Holland became the RSC's first director, with Keith H. Meservy, assistant professor of ancient scripture, as administrator. In 1976, Holland

158-654: A missionary for the LDS Church in Great Britain. After returning from his mission, he transferred to BYU and graduated with a bachelor's degree in English. He later earned a master's degree in religious education at BYU. Holland received a second master's degree and later a PhD in American studies at Yale University . In 1974, Holland was appointed BYU's dean of religious education , then two years later he

237-484: A Muslim background in Africa, most of them belonging to some form of Protestantism. Islam is the other major religion in Africa alongside Christianity, with over 40% of the population being Muslim, accounting for about one fourth of the world's Muslim population. The faith's historic roots on the continent stem from the time of Muhammad , whose early disciples migrated to Abyssinia (hijira) in fear of persecution from

316-642: A dissertation on the religious sense of Mark Twain . He was an instructor at the LDS Church's institute in Hartford while he was a student at Yale. While studying at Yale, Holland served as a counselor in the presidency of the LDS Church's Hartford Connecticut Stake . Holland served as an institute director in Salt Lake City after earning his PhD. He also served as director of the Melchizedek Priesthood MIA and as chair of

395-651: A grocery bagger, and a service station attendant. As a young man, Holland served in what was then known as the British Mission. His mission president was Marion D. Hanks , a church general authority . He and Quentin L. Cook were missionary companions. Holland graduated from Dixie High School in 1959. He helped the Flyers capture state high school championships in football and basketball. He began his college education at Dixie College before his mission. After returning from his mission, he served as co-captain of

474-494: A large amount of debate about BYU's dress code throughout the previous administration. Holland clarified his support for dress code rules. Regarding violations of the Honor Code , if a student requested their names be removed from the church records, Holland instituted a policy in which they would have to receive special permission from the board of trustees in order to remain enrolled in school. During Holland's presidency,

553-600: A member of the Seventy, Holland was a counselor in the general presidency of the church's Young Men organization from 1989 to 1990. Prior to his call as a general authority, Holland served as bishop of a single adult ward in Seattle, as a counselor in the presidency of the Hartford Connecticut Stake, and as a regional representative . He also served in the presidency of two other stakes and as

632-508: A new advisory board with male and female members from diverse backgrounds with interest in ancient scripture and modern history and doctrine of the LDS Church. Draper negotiated a partnership with Covenant Communications to publish RSC materials; that partnership lasted about five years. The Religious Educator relied on copyediting by Ted D. Stoddard and Devan Jensen with design work by Stephen Hales Creative, based in Provo, Utah. Holzapfel started

711-516: A number of countries across Africa; including North Africa , Ethiopia , Uganda , Kenya , Cameroon , Gabon , Ghana , Ivory Coast , Sierra Leone , Nigeria , Mali , and Southern Africa . The Baháʼí Faith in Africa has a diverse history. It especially had wide-scale growth in the 1950s which extended further in the 1960s. The Association of Religion Data Archives (relying on World Christian Encyclopedia ) lists many large and smaller populations of Baháʼís in Africa with Kenya (#3: 512,900),

790-510: A perspective of faith." The main audience consists of Church Educational System teachers, such as volunteers and paid professionals in LDS Seminaries and Institutes of Religion and religion professors at church colleges. In 2007 the RSC agreed to oversee and help fund the student journal Studia Antiqua . Jeffrey R. Holland Jeffrey Roy Holland (born December 3, 1940) is an American educator and religious leader. He served as

869-683: A premier venue for rigorous and faithful scholarship on Church history. The topics have been Oliver Cowdery, Wilford Woodruff , John Taylor , "Preserving the History of the Latter-day Saints," "A Firm Foundation: Church Organization and Administration," "Go Ye into All the World: The Growth and Development of Mormon Missionary Work," "Joseph F. Smith: Reflections on the Man and His Times," "Approaching Antiquity: Joseph Smith's Study of

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948-638: A project to digitize past RSC content; initiated translation of selected articles into Spanish, Portuguese, and German; and launched the BYU Religious Education Review magazine. In 2024 supervision of the BYU Religious Studies Center transferred to Religious Scholarly Publications. Believing that church leaders , not scholars, are the ultimate doctrinal authority, the RSC seeks only to add historical, cultural, and linguistic context and to explore new views of

1027-542: A stake high councilor . From 1990 to 1993, Holland and his wife lived in Solihull , England , where he served as president of the church's Europe North Area . On June 23, 1994, Holland was called and ordained as an apostle by new church president Howard W. Hunter . The vacancy was created by the death of Ezra Taft Benson and subsequent reorganization of the First Presidency. This timing differed from

1106-663: A thesis on selected changes to the text of the Book of Mormon , while also teaching religion classes part-time. After earning his master's degree, Holland became an Institute of Religion teacher in Hayward, California . He later worked as an institute director in Seattle, Washington . Holland then studied American studies at Yale University , where he received a second M.A. and a PhD in 1972. At Yale, Holland studied with American literary scholar and critic R. W. B. Lewis and authored

1185-400: A wide variety of traditional beliefs. Although religious customs are sometimes shared by many local societies, they are usually unique to specific populations or geographic regions. All traditional African religions are united by a shared animistic core with special importance to ancestor worship . According to Dr J Omosade Awolalu, The "olden" in this context means indigenous, that which

1264-502: Is Waaq, which continues to be manifested into the modern era with religions such as Waaqeffanna and Waaqism . According to the author Lugira, the Traditional African religions are the only religions "that can claim to have originated in Africa. Other religions found in Africa have their origins in other parts of the world." The majority of Africans are adherents of Christianity or Islam . African people often combine

1343-526: Is a tiny religion in Africa with around 250,000 practicing adherents, and up to nearly 400,000 if combined with Taoism and Chinese Folk Religion as a common traditional religion of mostly new Chinese migrants (significant minority in Mauritius , Réunion , and South Africa ). About half of African Buddhists are now living in South Africa , while Mauritius has the highest Buddhist percentage in

1422-707: Is also fairly widespread populations of Seventh-day Adventists and Jehovah's Witnesses . The oldest Christian denominations in Africa are the Eastern Orthodox Church of Alexandria , the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria , and the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church (which rose to prominence in the fourth century AD after King Ezana the Great made Ethiopia one of

1501-631: Is based mainly on oral transmission; that which is written in people's hearts, minds, oral history, customs, temples and religious functions. It has no founders or leaders like Gautama Buddha, Jesus, or Muhammed. It has no missionaries or the intent to propagate or to proselytise. Some of the African traditional religions are those of the Serer of Senegal , the Yoruba of Nigeria , and the Akan of Ghana and

1580-554: Is financed through BYU funds, individual donations, and the Friends of Religious Education (FORE). FORE is a national volunteer committee to find donors for BYU Religious Education activities, such as RSC research, publishing, and translation. FORE encourages donations, sponsors projects, and hosts firesides (special religious lectures) throughout the United States given by Religious Education faculty. The following titles show

1659-474: Is foundational, handed down from generation to generation, meant as to be upheld and practised today and forevermore. A heritage from the past, yet not treated as a thing of the past but that which connects the past with the present and the present with eternity. Though often referred to in singular terms, Africa is a vast continent with many nations, each possessing complex cultures, numerous languages, and various dialects. The essence of this school of thought

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1738-444: Is multifaceted and has been a major influence on art , culture and philosophy . Today, the continent's various populations and individuals are mostly adherents of Christianity , Islam , and to a lesser extent several traditional African religions . In Christian or Islamic communities, religious beliefs are also sometimes characterized with syncretism with the beliefs and practices of traditional religions. Africa encompasses

1817-504: Is the combining of different (often contradictory) beliefs, often while melding practices of various schools of thought. In the commonwealth of Africa syncretism with indigenous beliefs is practiced throughout the region. It is believed by some to explain religious tolerance between different groups. Kwesi Yankah and John Mbiti argue that many African peoples today have a 'mixed' religious heritage to try to reconcile traditional religions with Abrahamic faiths. Jesse Mugambi claims that

1896-657: The BYU Easter Conference , was so positive that BYU decided it should be an annual event, cosponsored by Religious Education and the RSC. Early on, nearly one thousand attendees heard D. Todd Christofferson give the keynote address at the second annual conference, "The Atonement and the Resurrection," later published in the Religious Educator . In subsequent years, the event was shifted to Fridays, often targeted to coincide with Good Friday. Over

1975-527: The Book of Mormon Institute , a center for research on the Book of Mormon , with Ludlow as its first director in 1965, followed by Paul R. Cheesman in 1968. In September 1985, at the request of Holland, then BYU's president, the RSC began holding annual symposia on the Book of Mormon. The first of these was organized by Paul R. Cheesman , who also edited the published compilation of papers from that event. Each symposium successively covered following sections of

2054-606: The Democratic Republic of the Congo (#5: 282,900), South Africa (#8: 238,500) and Zambia (#10: 190,400) among the top ten numerical populations of Baháʼís in the world in 2010, and Mauritius (#4: 1.8% of population) joining Zambia (#3: 1.8%) and Kenya (#10: 1.0%) in the top ten in terms of percentage of the national population. All three individual heads of the religion, Bahá'u'lláh , `Abdu'l-Bahá , and Shoghi Effendi , were in Africa at various times. More recently

2133-781: The Ivory Coast , and the Bono of Ghana and Ivory Coast. The western coast is also consisted of the Yoruba and Anglican religion of syncretism. The religion of the Gbe peoples (mostly the Ewe and Fon ) of Benin , Togo and Ghana is called Vodun and is the main source for similarly named religions in the diaspora , such as Louisiana Voodoo , Haitian Vodou , Cuban Vodú , Dominican Vudú and Brazilian Vodum . Some distinctions between West African and East or Hornn religion often includes considering

2212-667: The Pearl of Great Price , and world religions. The RSC has also sponsored LDS sociological studies and research on other religions, such as early Egyptian Christianity , Islam , and sub-tropical African religions . In 1985, the RSC began to publish works from some of these specialized areas of study, making up the RSC Specialized Monograph Series. The RSC awards financial grants to BYU faculty and other scholars for research into LDS history, doctrine, scripture, and culture. This research has been published by

2291-705: The St. George Temple . They are the parents of three children. Their oldest son, Matthew S. Holland , served as president of Utah Valley University from 2009 to 2018 and has been a general authority since April 2020. Their youngest son, David F. Holland , is the John A. Bartlett Professor of New England Church History and Interim Dean of Harvard Divinity School . Patricia died on July 20, 2023, from causes incident to age and health. Religion in Africa Religion in Africa (2020 estimate) Religion in Africa

2370-560: The Wasatch Front . The proceedings are published every other year by the RSC in cooperation with Deseret Book . In 2006 the RSC began sponsoring the Church History Symposium , copublishing the proceedings with Deseret Book . Professor Alexander L. Baugh initiated the event by proposing a conference to acknowledge the two hundredth anniversary of Oliver Cowdery 's birth. Since that time, this event has become

2449-802: The ninth president of Brigham Young University (BYU) and is the acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). As a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, Holland is accepted by the church as a prophet, seer, and revelator . Currently, he is the third most senior apostle in the church. Holland was born and raised in St. George, Utah . After graduating from high school, his college education began at Dixie College and he also served as

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2528-757: The pagan Arabs. The spread of Islam in North Africa came with the expansion of Arab empire under Caliph Umar , through the Sinai Peninsula . The spread of Islam in West Africa was through Islamic traders and sailors. The religion had also began influencing Harla Kingdom in the Horn of Africa early on. Islam is the dominant religion in North Africa and the Horn of Africa . It has also become

2607-521: The Ancient World," "The International Church: Mormonism as a Global Religion," "Beyond Biography: Sources in Context for Mormon Women's History," "Financing Faith: The Intersection of Business and Religion," and "Latter-day Saints and Religious Liberty: Historical and Global Perspectives.". In addition to books and articles, the RSC publishes its own periodicals. In 1986 the RSC began publishing

2686-482: The Christianity taught to Africans by missionaries had a fear of syncretism, which was carried on by current African Christian leadership in an attempt to keep Christianity "pure." Syncretism in Africa is said by others to be overstated, and due to a misunderstanding of the abilities of local populations to form their own orthodoxies and also confusion over what is culture and what is religion. Others state that

2765-595: The Dixie basketball team. In 2011, the school broke ground for the Jeffrey R. Holland Centennial Commons Building, a building to honor both Holland and the school's 2011 centennial. The completed building was dedicated in September 2012. Holland transferred to BYU, where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in English. He did graduate study in religious education, receiving a Master of Arts (M.A.) degree in 1966 with

2844-707: The Evangelist . Christianity existed in Ethiopia before the rule of King Ezana the Great of the Kingdom of Axum, but the religion grasped a strong foothold when it was declared a state religion in 330 AD, becoming one of the first Christian nations. The earliest and best known reference to the introduction of Christianity to Africa is mentioned in the Christian Bible 's Acts of the Apostles , and pertains to

2923-797: The LDS Church's 3,000th stake, located in Freetown, Sierra Leone . On March 12, 2012, the Harvard Law School hosted Holland for a "Mormonism 101" series. On June 10, 2015, he addressed the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Foreign Affairs in the House of Lords at the UK Parliament. In 2016, Holland was keynote speaker at the Boy Scouts of America 's (BSA) Duty to God breakfast, as part of his assignment as

3002-548: The LDS Church's chief BSA representative. From 2015 to 2023, among his other assignments, Holland served on the Church Board of Education and Boards of Trustees , where he also served as chairman of the Board's Executive Committee from January 2018 to May 2023. In November 2018, Holland spoke at a major inter-religious conference at Oxford University . During the same trip, Holland met with Theresa May , Prime Minister of

3081-411: The LDS Church's religious tradition. The RSC coordinates and publishes this research in the hopes of growing the body of LDS literature and thought. In 1977, as Church Commissioner of Education, Holland told the center that he hoped it would bring dialogue with other cultures and religions, leading to greater understanding, brotherhood, and peace. Later, as president of BYU in 1986, Holland recalled that

3160-569: The Queen, which in turn caused a church to be built. Tyrannius Rufinus , a noted church historian, also recorded a personal account as do other church historians such as Socrates and Sozemius. Some experts predict the shift of Christianity's center from the European industrialized nations to Africa and Asia in modern times. Yale University historian Lamin Sanneh stated, that "African Christianity

3239-470: The RSC and other publishers, including Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought , the University of Illinois Press , the University of Missouri Press , and Oxford University Press . Of the several projects it accepts per year, the RSC prefers those that benefit religious teachers and the progress of the LDS Church. RSC publications are intended to be scholarly and useful to general LDS readers. The RSC

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3318-527: The RSC is the organization of symposia and conferences on religious subjects, from which selected papers are later published. Anthologies from symposia on broad topics make up several volumes in the RSC Monograph Series. Some of these symposia recur annually, such as ones on scriptures and church history. The RSC is also involved with the annual Sidney B. Sperry Symposium , which have been held at BYU since 1973. Often, general authorities deliver

3397-612: The RSC was established to inform those within the university and the general LDS Church membership. In 2008, the RSC began posting its complete library in English and selections in Spanish and Portuguese in order to increase its worldwide presence. The RSC has funded research in several areas, including ancient scripture, ancient studies, the Bible , the Book of Mormon , Church history, the Doctrine and Covenants , Judeo-Christian Religions,

3476-583: The United Kingdom. This may have been the first official meeting of an LDS Church apostle and a British prime minister. In January 2019, Holland presided at the groundbreaking for the church's Urdaneta Philippines Temple . He also spoke at a multi-stake conference in the Philippines that week. In 2020, as chairman of the executive committee of the BYU-Hawaii board of trustees, he announced

3555-409: The Young Adult Committee for the LDS Church. In 1974, at age 33, Holland was appointed Dean of Religious Education at BYU. As dean, Holland founded BYU’s Religious Studies Center and became its first director. From 1976 to 1980, he served as the eleventh commissioner of CES, replacing Neal A. Maxwell, who was called to the First Council of the Seventy . During this time, Holland also served on

3634-403: The appointment of John S. K. Kauwe III as the institution's new president. In August 2021, Holland spoke at BYU's annual conference for faculty and staff and the speech sparked controversy within the LGBTQ+ community. In the address, Holland asked the faculty to defend the doctrine of the LDS Church, BYU's institutional sponsor, with the use of metaphorical "musket fire." In April 2023,

3713-418: The board of directors of both LDS Hospital and the Polynesian Cultural Center . In 1980, Holland was appointed to succeed Dallin H. Oaks as BYU's president. After a search committee was formed, as a favorite candidate of N. Eldon Tanner , First Counselor in the LDS Church's First Presidency , and the protégé of the chair of the executive committee of the BYU Board of Trustees, Gordon B. Hinckley , Holland

3792-404: The book until 1994, when papers on the entire book had been published in nine anthology volumes in the Book of Mormon Symposium Series . In 2001 the dean of Religious Education, Andrew C. Skinner, asked Richard D. Draper to reorganize the center with Holzapfel as editor of the new Religious Educator journal and Devan Jensen as executive editor to professionalize the publications. The RSC created

3871-661: The breadth of books published by the RSC ( complete list ): Andrew F. Ehat and Lyndon W. Cook, eds., The Words of Joseph Smith ; Hugh W. Nibley, Nibley on the Timely and the Timeless ; Kenneth L. Alford, ed., Civil War Saints ; Roger P. Minert , In Harm's Way: East German Latter-day Saints in World War II; Mark L. Grover, A Land of Promise and Prophecy: Elder A. Theodore Tuttle in South America, 1960–1965 ; Laura Harris Hales , ed., A Reason for Faith: Navigating LDS Doctrine and Church History ; and Michael Hubbard MacKay and Nicholas J. Frederick, Joseph Smith's Seer Stones . Several have won awards (see list below). A primary function of

3950-418: The building of the Crabtree Technology Building, but didn't promise more than ten new buildings during his presidency. A significant achievement during Holland's presidency was the founding of the BYU Jerusalem Center . Also during his presidency, the BYU Center for International Studies was renamed the David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies and had its role at BYU re-emphasized. There had been

4029-401: The campus. In order to supplement the school's funds, Holland launched a fundraiser called "Excellence in the Eighties" which sought to raise $ 100 million from 1982 to 1987. Specific funds were raised for student scholarships, academic programs, faculty salaries, and extension programs. He emphasized hiring more qualified faculty and purchasing more library and research materials. He supervised

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4108-515: The church reported that Holland would take a two-month hiatus from service to focus on his health. He had been undergoing dialysis for a kidney issue and had also contracted COVID-19 . In early June, Holland began to gradually return to church service. After the death of M. Russell Ballard on November 12, 2023, Holland was appointed and set apart as the acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on November 15, 2023. Holland and his wife, Patricia Terry , were married on June 7, 1963, in

4187-416: The church's Chile Area from 2002 to 2004. In church general conferences in the fall of 2007 and spring of 2008, Holland gave sermons that directly answered accusations that Latter-day Saints are not Christians. At the April 2009 general conference, Holland gave a sermon about the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and the importance of Christ's statement, " my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me ". This talk

4266-461: The continent, between 1.5% to 2% of the total population. Other faiths are practiced in Africa, including Sikhism , Jainism , Zoroastrianism and Rastafari among others. A Gallup poll found that the irreligious comprise 20% in South Africa , 16% in Botswana , 13% in Mozambique , 13% in Togo , 12% in Ivory Coast , 10% in Ethiopia and Angola , 9% in Sudan , Zimbabwe and Algeria , 8% in Namibia and 7% in Madagascar . Syncretism

4345-448: The evangelist Phillip's conversion of an Ethiopian traveller in the 1st century AD. Although the Bible refers to them as Ethiopians, scholars have argued that Ethiopia was a common term encompassing the area South-Southeast of Egypt. Other traditions have the convert as a Jew who was a steward in the Queen's court. All accounts do agree on the fact that the traveller was a member of the royal court who successfully succeeded in converting

4424-404: The first Christian nations . ) In the first few centuries of Christianity, Africa produced many figures who had a major influence outside the continent, including St Augustine of Hippo , St Maurice , Origen , Tertullian , and three Roman Catholic popes ( Victor I , Miltiades and Gelasius I ), as well as the Biblical characters Simon of Cyrene and the Ethiopian eunuch baptised by Philip

4503-428: The gospel, publishing studies on scripture, doctrine, and LDS Church history, and sharing the messages of outstanding devotional essays." Millet replaced the temporary editorial board in 2001 with Richard Neitzel Holzapfel, who became the full-time editor in chief. Holzapfel asked Ted D. Stoddard, a professor in the Marriott School of Business , to explore design and content issues and prepare guidelines that would enhance

4582-431: The keynote addresses at these symposia. In 2003 the Religious Education Administrative Council approved a proposal by Richard Holzapfel and Thomas Wayment to host a conference on the Saturday before Easter which would focus on Jesus's last twenty-four hours and Resurrection. The conference was held and rebroadcast on KBYU Television, helping Religious Education expand its audience. The response to this conference, now called

4661-439: The late 19th century. There are an estimated 2-2.5 million adherents of Hinduism in Africa. It is the largest religion in Mauritius , and several other countries have Hindu temples. Hindus came to South Africa as indentured laborers in the 19th century. The young M.K. Gandhi lived and worked among the Indian community in South Africa for twenty years before returning to India to participate in India's freedom movement. Buddhism

4740-428: The number of vice-presidents to four and increased the number of assistant and associate vice-presidents over academics. Holland easily transitioned into the role of president. He was familiar with the president's duties, since he had worked closely with Oaks as the commissioner of education. He placed emphasis on upgrading programs and improving relationships with faculty rather than focusing on physical expansion of

4819-413: The position was renamed the Richard L. Evans Chair of Religious Understanding , reflecting the hope that holders would extend the hand of friendship to all people, not just Christians. The RSC also assumed and expanded upon the activities of the Institute of Mormon Studies , which was founded to study Mormon history and doctrine under Daniel H. Ludlow in 1961 and Madsen in 1966. Likewise, the RSC absorbed

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4898-418: The practice of their traditional belief with the practice of Abrahamic religions . Abrahamic religions are widespread throughout Africa. They have both spread and replaced indigenous African religions, but are often adapted to African cultural contexts and belief systems. The World Book Encyclopedia has estimated that in 2002 Christians formed 45% of the continent's population, with Muslims forming 40%. It

4977-546: The predominant religion on the Swahili Coast as well as the West African seaboard and parts of the interior. There have been several Muslim empires in Western Africa which exerted considerable influence, notably the Mali Empire , which flourished for several centuries and the Songhai Empire , under the leadership of Mansa Musa , Sunni Ali and Askia Mohammed . The vast majority of Muslims in Africa are followers of Sunni Islam . There are also small minorities of other sects. Adherents of Judaism can be found scattered in

5056-404: The president of the American Association of Presidents of Independent Colleges and Universities (AAPICU) and as a member of the NCAA 's presidents' committee. He also received the "Torch of Liberty" award from the Anti-Defamation League . Holland was called as a general authority and member of the First Quorum of the Seventy on April 1, 1989, bringing an end to his term as BYU's president. As

5135-417: The quarterly (later bimonthly) Religious Studies Center Newsletter , which carried updates on RSC symposia, books, and research, and was distributed to Church Educational System faculty and LDS military chaplains. In 2008 the newsletter was replaced by BYU Religious Education Review , a semiannual magazine. In 2000, Dean Robert L. Millet and others created the Religious Educator journal to focus on "teaching

5214-496: The re-establishment of religious instruction as the "hub" of BYU's academics as one of his significant administrative goals. While he did not initiate any significant changes along these lines, his public communications regularly emphasized the importance of religious education. As BYU's president, Holland encouraged academic excellence in an atmosphere of faith. Holland emphasized that BYU could not do everything but would seek excellence in what it did choose to do. Holland served as

5293-541: The roughly 2000 Baháʼís of Egypt have been embroiled in the Egyptian identification card controversy from 2006 through 2009. Since then there have been homes burned down and families driven out of towns. On the other hand, Sub-Saharan Baháʼís were able to mobilize for nine regional conferences called for by the Universal House of Justice 20 October 2008 to celebrate recent achievements in grassroots community-building and to plan their next steps in organizing in their home areas. Hinduism has existed in Africa mainly since

5372-423: The scholarly basis of this new publication. Holzapfel clarified the purpose of this new venture: "Our hope is to provide readers with carefully prepared, inspirational, and information-packed writings on a wide range of subjects explicitly associated with the Restoration. Teachers, authors, researchers, and students of Latter-day Saint studies at every level will appreciate discussions of relevant ideas and issues from

5451-484: The supernatural and natural or tangible as being one and the same, and using this stance to incorporate divination. Clergymen from this region who would historically catechize to the masses was often referred to as waganga . Another distinction of East African and Horners is the greater prevalence of prophets within the oral traditionas and other forms of generational transmissions of traditional African religion. The most prominent indigenous deity among Cushitic Horners

5530-503: The term syncretism is a vague one, since it can be applied to refer to substitution or modification of the central elements of Christianity or Islam with beliefs or practices from somewhere else. The consequences under this definition, according to missiologist Keith Ferdinando, are a fatal compromise of the religion's integrity. However, communities in Africa (e.g. Afro-Asiatic ) have many common practices which are also found in Abrahamic faiths, and thus these traditions do not fall under

5609-452: The typical sustaining of new apostles in a general conference and ordaining them afterward. Holland also met with the media on the day of his ordination. His call to the apostleship was subsequently ratified by the church during the October 1994 General Conference. In 2000, Holland became the chair of the Missionary Curriculum Task Force which worked to develop Preach My Gospel . Holland lived in Santiago and served as president of

5688-430: The weekly independent student newspaper, The 7th East Press was shut down due to writing about controversial topics. However, student editor, Dean Huffaker, believed that Holland had tried to prevent them from being banned because Holland was conscious of public relations and didn't want to cause controversy. The students stated that they believed the ban came from one of the LDS Church's general authorities. Holland had

5767-491: The years keynote addresses were delivered by BYU president Cecil O. Samuelson in 2006 F. Enzio Busche in 2007, and Bonnie D. Parkin in 2009. An estimated 2,500 people attended the 2013 Easter Conference that featured John M. Madsen , Brad Wilcox , and Brent L. Top . Other well-known keynote addresses have been given by Elaine S. Dalton , Spencer J. Condie , Sheri L. Dew , and BYU president, Kevin J Worthen . The annual event has stayed quite popular among people living along

5846-733: Was also estimated in 2002 that Christians form 45% of Africa's population, with Muslims forming 40.6%. Christianity is the most widely practiced religions along with Islam and is the largest religion in Sub-Saharan Africa . Several syncretistic and messianic sects have formed throughout much of the continent, including the Nazareth Baptist Church in South Africa and the Aladura churches in Nigeria. There

5925-474: Was appointed Commissioner of Church Education , and Ellis T. Rasmussen replaced him as dean of Religious Instruction and general director of the RSC. The RSC brought together several earlier BYU institutions. It became the home of the Richard L. Evans Chair of Christian Understanding , which had been founded in 1973 with Truman G. Madsen as its first occupant. Madsen became a professor emeritus in 1994, and

6004-486: Was appointed as the eleventh commissioner of the Church Educational System (CES), replacing Neal A. Maxwell . In 1980, Holland became BYU's ninth president, replacing Dallin H. Oaks . Holland was born in St. George, Utah . His father, Frank D. Holland, was a convert to the LDS Church while his mother, Alice, came from a long line of Latter-day Saints. As a youth, he worked as a newspaper carrier,

6083-423: Was appointed less than two days later. As the church's commissioner of education at the time Oaks was released, Holland was supposed to compile a list of candidates to be the next BYU president. Instead, he was unexpectedly notified of the First Presidency's intention to make him president. After his appointment, rumors on campus cited the decision as "politically motivated". Before he arrived at BYU, Holland reduced

6162-586: Was later reformatted with music and put on a church website where it had been viewed over 500,000 times by August 2009. In 2012, Holland was the member of the Quorum of the Twelve with responsibility for the affairs of the LDS Church in Africa . Early in that year, he went to Sierra Leone , Liberia , and Ghana to meet with members and missionaries. He also met with the Vice President of Sierra Leone, Samuel Sam-Sumana . In December 2012, Holland organized

6241-509: Was not just an exotic, curious phenomenon in an obscure part of the world, but that African Christianity might be the shape of things to come." The statistics from the World Christian Encyclopedia (David Barrett) illustrate the emerging trend of dramatic Christian growth on the continent and supposes, that in 2025 there will be 633 million Christians in Africa. A 2015 study estimates 2,161,000 Christian believers from

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