Bruce D. Porter
Encyclopedia
Bruce Douglas Porter is an American clergyman, who has been a general authority
of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) since 1995. He is a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy.
as a recipient of a David O. McKay scholarship and in 1970 interrupted his studies to serve as a full-time missionary
for the LDS Church in Germany
, specifically the Germany Central Mission
based in Düsseldorf
, at that time in West Germany
. He served for the standard two-year period, completing his service as an assistant to the mission president
. Upon his honorable release he returned to Brigham Young University.
Porter served in Germany under two mission presidents who were both native Germans holding United States citizenship, Walter H. Kindt and Rudolf K. Poecker
, who served as consecutive mission presidents and had served as missionary companions in the immediate postwar period in what became communist East Germany. Kindt and Poecker had both been arrested a number of times by Soviet authorities because of their missionary activities, and Poecker especially had used his time in Russian incarceration to learn the Russian language
and tried to teach the doctrines of the church to any Russians he happened upon. The stories that these two men frequently related to the missionaries under their supervision inspired Porter to change his university major to Russian Affairs.
Porter married the former Susan Elizabeth Holland on February 2, 1977 in the Washington D.C. Temple
, and they are the parents of four children.
Before attending Harvard University
, where he received a doctoral degree in political science emphasizing Russian affairs, Porter spent a summer in the Soviet Union
as an exchange student. He has worked for the federal government on the United States Senate Armed Services Committee
and as executive director of the U.S. Board for International Broadcasting. He also worked for two years for the Northrop Corporation. Before accepting a professorship at Brigham Young University, he served for three years (1990–93) as the Bradley Senior Research Fellow at the Olin Institute for Strategic Studies at Harvard University. During this period he authored War and the Rise of the State (Simon and Schuster, 1994.)
Porter's church service after his full-time mission and before his call as a general authority included increasingly more responsible callings. In the 1980s, during a period of residence in Munich
, West Germany, where he worked for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty as a foreign policy specialist, Porter served as the president
of the Munich Servicemen's Branch of the LDS Church. He later served as a bishop in Virginia
, and after he accepted a position of Associate Professor at Brigham Young University he was also called to serve as a counselor in a student stake presidency at BYU. He was a counselor to Noel B. Reynolds
.
Porter was initially called to serve as a Seventy in the Second Quorum in 1995, but in 2003 was released from that responsibility and called to serve on a more permanent basis in the First Quorum of the Seventy.
General authority
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , a general authority is a member of certain leadership organizations who are given administrative and ecclesiastical authority over the church...
of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) since 1995. He is a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy.
Biographical details
Porter began attending Brigham Young UniversityBrigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
as a recipient of a David O. McKay scholarship and in 1970 interrupted his studies to serve as a full-time missionary
Mormon missionary
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of the most active modern practitioners of missionary work, with over 52,000 full-time missionaries worldwide, as of the end of 2010...
for the LDS Church in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, specifically the Germany Central Mission
Mission (LDS Church)
A mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a geographical administrative area to which church missionaries are assigned. Almost all areas of the world are within the boundaries of an LDS Church mission, whether or not Mormon missionaries live or proselytize in the area...
based in Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
, at that time in West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
. He served for the standard two-year period, completing his service as an assistant to the mission president
Mission president
Mission president is a priesthood leadership position in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . A mission president presides over a mission and the missionaries serving in the mission...
. Upon his honorable release he returned to Brigham Young University.
Porter served in Germany under two mission presidents who were both native Germans holding United States citizenship, Walter H. Kindt and Rudolf K. Poecker
Rudolf K. Poecker
Rudolf Kurt Poecker was a German–American baker, missionary, and religious leader in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
, who served as consecutive mission presidents and had served as missionary companions in the immediate postwar period in what became communist East Germany. Kindt and Poecker had both been arrested a number of times by Soviet authorities because of their missionary activities, and Poecker especially had used his time in Russian incarceration to learn the Russian language
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
and tried to teach the doctrines of the church to any Russians he happened upon. The stories that these two men frequently related to the missionaries under their supervision inspired Porter to change his university major to Russian Affairs.
Porter married the former Susan Elizabeth Holland on February 2, 1977 in the Washington D.C. Temple
Washington D.C. Temple
The Washington D.C. Temple is the 18th constructed and 16th operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is located in Kensington, Maryland, USA, near the Capital Beltway just north of Washington, D.C...
, and they are the parents of four children.
Before attending Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, where he received a doctoral degree in political science emphasizing Russian affairs, Porter spent a summer in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
as an exchange student. He has worked for the federal government on the United States Senate Armed Services Committee
United States Senate Committee on Armed Services
The Committee on Armed Services is a committee of the United States Senate empowered with legislative oversight of the nation's military, including the Department of Defense, military research and development, nuclear energy , benefits for members of the military, the Selective Service System and...
and as executive director of the U.S. Board for International Broadcasting. He also worked for two years for the Northrop Corporation. Before accepting a professorship at Brigham Young University, he served for three years (1990–93) as the Bradley Senior Research Fellow at the Olin Institute for Strategic Studies at Harvard University. During this period he authored War and the Rise of the State (Simon and Schuster, 1994.)
Porter's church service after his full-time mission and before his call as a general authority included increasingly more responsible callings. In the 1980s, during a period of residence in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, West Germany, where he worked for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty as a foreign policy specialist, Porter served as the president
Branch President
A branch president is a leader of a "branch" congregation of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.The calling of branch president is very similar to the calling of bishop, except that instead of presiding over a ward, the branch president presides over a branch...
of the Munich Servicemen's Branch of the LDS Church. He later served as a bishop in Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, and after he accepted a position of Associate Professor at Brigham Young University he was also called to serve as a counselor in a student stake presidency at BYU. He was a counselor to Noel B. Reynolds
Noel B. Reynolds
Noel Beldon Reynolds is a political science professor at Brigham Young University where he has also served as an associate academic vice president and as a director for the Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies .- Biography :Reynolds grew up in Cody, Wyoming and served as a missionary...
.
Porter was initially called to serve as a Seventy in the Second Quorum in 1995, but in 2003 was released from that responsibility and called to serve on a more permanent basis in the First Quorum of the Seventy.
Books
Porter is the author of several books dealing with politics and religion.- USSR in Third World Conflicts: Soviet Arms and Diplomacy in Local Wars 1945-1980 (1984)
- Red Armies in Crisis (Csis Significant Issues Series) (1992)
- War and the Rise of the State (1994)
- The King of Kings (2007)