Ross T. Christensen
Encyclopedia
Biography
Christensen was born in Preston, IdahoPreston, Idaho
Preston is a city in Franklin County, Idaho, United States. The population was 4,682 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Franklin County. It is part of the Logan, Utah-Idaho Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
to Henry Oswald Christensen and Nettie Lavina Taylor Christensen. His father was a teacher at what is today Brigham Young University-Idaho
Brigham Young University-Idaho
Brigham Young University–Idaho is a private university located in Rexburg, Idaho. Founded in 1888, the university is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and transitioned from a junior college to a four-year institution in 2001, known for the greater part of its...
. From 1939-1942 Christensen served as a missionary
Missionary (LDS Church)
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 Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. He later served in the United States military in the European Theatre of World War II
European Theatre of World War II
The European Theatre of World War II was a huge area of heavy fighting across Europe from Germany's invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939 until the end of the war with the German unconditional surrender on May 8, 1945...
. In 1947 he married Ruth Richardson Morris in the Mesa LDS Temple
Mesa Arizona Temple
The Mesa Arizona Temple is the seventh operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Located in the city of Mesa, Arizona, it is the first of five LDS temples built or planned in the state.-History:...
. They had two sons and seven daughters.
Christensen received his bachelors degree in archeology from 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 also received a masters degree from BYU and studied for two years towards a Ph.D. at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, but then transferred to the University of Arizona
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
where he completed his Ph.D.
From 1952-1979 Christensen was a professor of archeology at BYU. He was a popular teacher and BYU Education Week speaker. He was also closely connected with the Society for Early Historic Archaeology
Society for Early Historic Archaeology
The Society for Early Historic Archaeology was an organization based at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah which sought to disseminate information related to Hebrew-Christian and Latter-day Saint scriptures and archaeology throughout the world of the earliest historical time...
, which he headed after his retirement from BYU. Among Christensen's assistants while in this position was Michael T. Griffith
Michael T. Griffith
Michael T. Griffith is a Mormon apologist who has written several books defending The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the authenticity of the Book of Mormon. He is also an advocate of the multiple-shooters theory in the John F. Kennnedy assassination.Griffith joined the LDS...
.
In 1985 Christensen wrote a long paper with John A. Tvedtnes entitled "Ur of the Chaldeans: Increasing Evidence on the Birthplace of Abraham and the Original Homeland of the Hebrews".
Among his callings in the LDS Church, Christensen was a counselor to a Bishop in Orem, Utah
Orem, Utah
Orem is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States, in the north-central part of the state. It is adjacent to Provo, Lindon, and Vineyard and is about south of Salt Lake City. Orem is one of the principal cities of the Provo-Orem, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Utah and...
.