E. Dale LeBaron
Encyclopedia
Elwin Dale LeBaron was a Canadian scholar of the Latter Day Saint movement
and a professor of Church History and Doctrine at Brigham Young University
(BYU). He is known for his work on the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) in Africa
, where he also served as Mission president
during the 1978 Revelation on Priesthood
.
, Alberta
, Canada
and grew up in Barnwell
, Alberta
, Canada
. As a young man he served as an LDS missionary in South Africa
and Zimbabwe
.
Receiving his B.A., M.S., and Ed.D. from BYU, LeBaron worked as a teacher and administrator for the Church Educational System
in Alberta
, Wyoming
, and Utah
. In 1972 he returned to South Africa to organize LDS Seminaries and Institutes of Religion. Following that assignment he was called as president
of the South Africa Johannesburg
Mission
from 1976 to 1979. When the LDS Church announced the 1978 Revelation on Priesthood
, which extended the priesthood
to black people
, the missionary work under LeBaron expanded dramatically.
Influenced by his experiences in Africa, LeBaron worked to collect, publish, and speak on the history of Africans in the LDS Church. He has collected oral history interviews in about ten countries in Africa to preserve knowledge of the beginnings of the LDS Church there. After his work in Africa, LeBaron returned to Utah as a professor of religion at BYU from 1986 to 2001.
LeBaron died 3 December 2009, after being struck by an automobile not far from his home.
. He also edited a biography of Glen G. Fisher.
Latter Day Saint movement
The Latter Day Saint movement is a group of independent churches tracing their origin to a Christian primitivist movement founded by Joseph Smith, Jr. in the late 1820s. Collectively, these churches have over 14 million members...
and a professor of Church History and Doctrine at Brigham Young University
Brigham 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...
(BYU). He is known for his work on the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, where he also served as 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...
during the 1978 Revelation on Priesthood
1978 Revelation on Priesthood
The 1978 Revelation on Priesthood was a revelation to the leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints which reversed a long-standing policy excluding men of black African descent from the priesthood.-Background:...
.
Biography
LeBaron was born in TaberTaber, Alberta
Taber is a town in southern Alberta, Canada in the Municipal District of Taber. Taber was established in the late 1890s by European settlers on the banks of the lower Oldman River. It is an agricultural town of 7,821 famous for its corn due to the large amounts of sunshine the town and area receive...
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and grew up in Barnwell
Barnwell, Alberta
Barnwell is a village in southern Alberta, Canada. It is located west of Taber and east of Lethbridge along the Crowsnest Highway, in the Municipal District of Taber.-History:...
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. As a young man he served as an LDS missionary in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
.
Receiving his B.A., M.S., and Ed.D. from BYU, LeBaron worked as a teacher and administrator for the Church Educational System
Church Educational System
The Church Educational System of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints consists of several institutions that provide religious and secular education for both Latter-day Saint and non-Latter-day Saint elementary, secondary, and post-secondary students and adult learners...
in Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
, and Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
. In 1972 he returned to South Africa to organize LDS Seminaries and Institutes of Religion. Following that assignment he was called as 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...
of the South Africa Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
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...
from 1976 to 1979. When the LDS Church announced the 1978 Revelation on Priesthood
1978 Revelation on Priesthood
The 1978 Revelation on Priesthood was a revelation to the leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints which reversed a long-standing policy excluding men of black African descent from the priesthood.-Background:...
, which extended the priesthood
Priesthood (LDS Church)
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , the priesthood is the power and authority to act in the name of God for the salvation of humankind...
to black people
Black people
The term black people is used in systems of racial classification for humans of a dark skinned phenotype, relative to other racial groups.Different societies apply different criteria regarding who is classified as "black", and often social variables such as class, socio-economic status also plays a...
, the missionary work under LeBaron expanded dramatically.
Influenced by his experiences in Africa, LeBaron worked to collect, publish, and speak on the history of Africans in the LDS Church. He has collected oral history interviews in about ten countries in Africa to preserve knowledge of the beginnings of the LDS Church there. After his work in Africa, LeBaron returned to Utah as a professor of religion at BYU from 1986 to 2001.
LeBaron died 3 December 2009, after being struck by an automobile not far from his home.
Writings
Besides various publications relating to the LDS Church in Africa, LeBaron has also written a biography of Benjamin F. JohnsonBenjamin F. Johnson
Benjamin Franklin Johnson was an early member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and a member of the Council of Fifty....
. He also edited a biography of Glen G. Fisher.