Truman G. Madsen
Encyclopedia
Truman Grant Madsen was an emeritus professor of religion and philosophy at Brigham Young University
and director of the Brigham Young University Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies. He was a prolific author, a recognized authority on Joseph Smith, and a popular lecturer among Latter-day Saints. At one point Madsen was an instructor at the LDS Institute of Religion
in Berkeley, California
.
. He was a grandson of Heber J. Grant
.
Madsen served as a missionary
in the New England
Mission
with S. Dilworth Young
as his mission president. After his marriage and the start of his academic career, he was called in 1961 to serve as president
of the New England Mission.. He served in this position until he was replaced by Boyd K. Packer
in 1965.
Madsen received his Ph.D. from Harvard University
. He also studied at the University of Utah
and the University of Southern California
.
Madsen wrote several philosophical theses, including Four Essays on Love. He also wrote a paper Are Christians Mormon?, as well as a biography of B. H. Roberts.
While at Brigham Young University, Madsen held the Richard L. Evans Chair of Religious Understanding for over 20 years. He also for a time served as the director of the BYU Jerusalem Center.
Madsen most recently served in the LDS Church as the patriarch of the Provo
Utah
Sharon East Stake.
He died at his home on the morning of 28 May 2009 from bone cancer.
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...
and director of the Brigham Young University Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies. He was a prolific author, a recognized authority on Joseph Smith, and a popular lecturer among Latter-day Saints. At one point Madsen was an instructor at the LDS Institute of Religion
Institute of Religion
Institutes of Religion provide religious educational classes for young single adult and university students who belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
in Berkeley, California
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
.
Biography
Madsen was born in Salt Lake City, UtahUtah
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...
. He was a grandson of Heber J. Grant
Heber J. Grant
Heber Jeddy Grant was the seventh president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . He was ordained an apostle on October 16, 1882, on the same day as George Teasdale...
.
Madsen 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...
in the New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
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...
with S. Dilworth Young
S. Dilworth Young
Seymour Dilworth Young was a general authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for 36 years, from 1945 until his death....
as his mission president. After his marriage and the start of his academic career, he was called in 1961 to serve 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 New England Mission.. He served in this position until he was replaced by Boyd K. Packer
Boyd K. Packer
Boyd Kenneth Packer is an American educator and religious leader, and the current president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . He served as Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve from 1994 to 2008, and has been an apostle and member of...
in 1965.
Madsen received his Ph.D. from 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...
. He also studied at the University of Utah
University of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
and the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
.
Madsen wrote several philosophical theses, including Four Essays on Love. He also wrote a paper Are Christians Mormon?, as well as a biography of B. H. Roberts.
While at Brigham Young University, Madsen held the Richard L. Evans Chair of Religious Understanding for over 20 years. He also for a time served as the director of the BYU Jerusalem Center.
Madsen most recently served in the LDS Church as the patriarch of the Provo
Provo, Utah
Provo is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Utah, located about south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front. Provo is the county seat of Utah County and lies between the cities of Orem to the north and Springville to the south...
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...
Sharon East Stake.
He died at his home on the morning of 28 May 2009 from bone cancer.
External links
- Author's website
- Madsen's BYU speeches
- Madsen's publications at Deseret Book
- Madsen's publications from FARMS
- Articles mentioning Madsen at Meridian Magazine
- "Video: Truman Madsen - his life and thought," from the Mormon TimesMormon TimesMormon Times was a website and newspaper insert containing news and information for and about members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . According to mormontimes.com, it has moved back to Deseret News....
- Donald W. Parry, Daniel C. Peterson, and Stephen D. Ricks (Editors): Revelation, Reason, and Faith: Essays in Honor of Truman G. Madsen