Thomas S. Monson - 16th LDS Church President

Two days after the funeral of Gordon B. Hinckley, the Mormon church has announced its new presidency, headed by Thomas S. Monson.


On a related note, I had the opportunity to shake Monson's hand back in 1989 at the Boy Scout National Jamboree.

177th Annual General Conference

This coming weekend will be the general conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It takes place in Salt Lake, and will be broadcast pretty much everywhere. It's always an uplifting and informative 10 hours. I made a little flyer that was passed out in church. See it below for viewing options. Or, go to LDS.org for more information.

Christian Coalition Officer Joins Romney Campaign

You can have it both ways. NewsMax reports that Drew McKissick, who was instrumental in pushing through South Carolina's gay marriage ban, has joined the Romney team as a paid "South Carolina grass roots adviser." This is significant because McKissick is an officer of the Christian Coalition, and an example of crossing theological barriers to promote common values.

From NewsMax:

"I started to go through this process a year ago," McKissick said of the endorsement. "It became obvious to me who was likely be the consensus conservative choice."

See Mr. McKissick's own announcement on Conservative Outpost.

While Latter-day Saints remain separate from mainstream Christianity, there are far more similarities with conventional beliefs than there are differences. And Mormons espouse values that are virtually identical to all faiths who believe the Bible to be the Word of God.

It's refreshing to see people campaign on values instead of dogma, and on substance over rhetoric.