However, much discussion among leading historians of Mormonism has so far failed to turn up any examples of an interracial marriage in the Twelve. Cynthia, thanks for sharing. But its a relief to know that the oil companies dont have to suck so hard. Ours is a worldwide Church, said Elder Gong. He is also ranked in the richest person list from United States. It is heartbreaking when we are asked questions about religion, but cannot respond. The church desperately needed someone who represented Latin and South American saints symbolically and with experience in the 12. Even though there are many things we dont understand, we know in Gods plan theres a place for every person in [the church].. Fairbanks. Otherwise it would be hard for that person to win the confidence of the senior leadership. His father joined the Church after attending Stanford University, where his parents met and dated. Im sorry for that feeling in the pit of your stomachI know it all too well. After Joseph's baptism, the Young brothers taught their family and friends in Canada and baptized over 150 individuals and established four branches of the church, including ones in Kingston and Sydenham. The strongest marriages are based on mutual core values, and church leaders seem to believe that marrying in the faith takes care of that. As a missionary in Taiwan. [9] The Gongs married in the Salt Lake Temple on January 4, 1980. Hales. Yes, I have the most beautiful grandchildren. No accent here! Elder and Sister Gong's presentation will be broadcast on Saturday . On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. (Sometimes the emphasis is on achieving a picture-perfect family which involves inflated egos, exclusiveness, feelings of superiority or inferiority, and other unChrist-like behaviors both inside and outside the family. Christ Church, Oxford; Edit. If the supposed universal differences between men and women are assets in a marriage, why not differences in race? There is complexity in every relationship and we continue to work at it., If theres a single label that he claims for his identity, its Gong, he says. Arent we missing that All are alike unto God? Elder Gong said, "On my mother's side . Because my story is happening publicly at the highest levels of the church, people ascribe extra meaning to it, he says in the interview, but from within the story, it feels like a typical narrative., The apostle and the queer son are just family, Gong repeats. Latter-day Saint apostle Gerrit W. Gong speaks to members of the media in Salt Lake City in June 2018. Gong reflects on September 11th and reviews perspectives on war. Our cultural biases are a factor, as well. The authors presentation assumes an intellectual supremacy that we all should come to the same interpretations.though I guess thats what opinions are. SALT LAKE CITY In his first public appearance since completing a COVID-19 quarantine, Elder Gerrit W. Gong, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of . A Rhodes Scholar who worked for the U.S. State Department and for the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C., Elder Gongs travels have taken him to all seven continents, including living in Asia for more than a decade. [5] Gerrit was named after Gerrit de Jong because his mother had lived with de Jong and his family while she was a student at BYU. They hadnt earned my forgiveness, but I had.. Also I agree with Jason K. If the word of Wisdom initiated with Emma, then it appears the Lord expects His prophets to look in every direction when seeking inspiration. Then whatever is revealed is always so outside a lot of peoples realm of what, who, or how things should be that murmuring is inevitable. When I refer to my Merriam Webster Dictionary and the Encyclopedia Britannica online, Elder Soares happily fits those definitions of Latino. His mother met the missionaries as a teenager in Honolulu, Hawaii. Im sorry youve had to deal with this racism, you are a beautiful couple!! (Trent Nelson | Tribune file photo) [36], During the church's general conference in October 2020, it was announced that Gong and his wife had been exposed to COVID-19, and that his address had been pre-recorded as he quarantined at home. As I said at the last time new apostles were chosenI would have preferred to have seen three Caucasian apostles from outside North America than three apostles of color who were born and raised in Utah. the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, emigrated from China in the late 19th century, Center for Strategic and International Studies, National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity, Church Board of Education and Boards of Trustees, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Mormon church names new seventies, Primary presidency", "Elder Gerrit W. Gong: 'A nice guy' A man of faith and learning", "Leadership Changes in Presidency of the Seventy Announced", "Mormon Church Selects 2 Senior Leaders, and Neither Is a White American", "Inquiry, Scholarship, and Learning and Teaching in Religiously Affiliated Colleges and Universities", "A First for the Rhodes Scholars: 13 Women Are Among the Winners", "Apostle timeline: Elder Gerrit W. Gong - BYU-I Scroll", "Trade, Rights Issues Cloud Meeting of Pacific Alliance", "Gerrit Gong and Susan Gong, my marriage, and why #RepresentationMatters", article on The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Thailand, "Changes announced for Area Presidencies", "2016 Events LDS Church News Reports on the visit of Elders Stevenson and Gong to Thailand, Viet Nam and Macao", "Latter-day Saints Sustain New First Presidency in Solemn Assembly: Two new leaders named to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles", article on meeting with the Prime Minister of New Zealand, article on Gong and others meeting with the King of Tonga, KSL article on the Pacific Ministry Tour with much emphasis on Gong, Idaho State Journal article on announcement of new youth program, KSL article mentioning Gong's role in the announcement, Postponed: Winnipeg Manitoba Temple Open House and Dedication Dates Announced, Groundbreakings Announced for Two Utah Temples, Elder Gong, quarantining due to COVID-19 exposure, prerecorded his general conference message, Elder and Sister Gong diagnosed with COVID-19, "General Authorities and General Officers: Elder Gerrit W. Gong", The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints titles, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gerrit_W._Gong&oldid=1131500756, Members of the First Quorum of the Seventy (LDS Church), American general authorities (LDS Church), Latter Day Saint biography Infobox with missing parameters, Articles containing Chinese-language text, Articles needing additional references from July 2020, All articles needing additional references, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, "Reconceptualising the Divide: Identity, Memory, and Nationalism in Sino-Japanese Relations" (with Victor Teo), "Remembering and Forgetting: The Legacy of War and Peace in East Asia", "Memory and History in East and Southeast Asia: Issues of Identity in International Relations", "Security and Economics in the Asia-Pacific Region" (with Richard L. Grant), "Taiwan Strait Dilemmas: China-Taiwan-U.S. Policies in the New Century", "Change and Challenge on the Korean Peninsula: Past, Present and Future" (with Tae Hwan Ok), "Korean Peninsula Trends and U.S.-Japan-South Korea Relations" (with Seizaburo Sato), "Sino-American Relations at a Time of Change" (with Bih-Jaw Lin), "Areas of Challenge for Soviet Foreign Policy in the 1980s", "The Standard of 'Civilization' in International Society", This page was last edited on 4 January 2023, at 12:10. Discover Gerrit W. Gong's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. [23] Among his assignments while in the Presidency of the Seventy, Gong served on the Church Board of Education and Boards of Trustees, where he also served as a member of its executive committee. Never a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Johnif all are alike unto God, then you should expect that there are people worthy to be apostles from all racial backgrounds, not just one. (Rick Egan | Tribune file photo) Cynthia you make a great couple. It was my biggest hope for the conference. There are both benefits and penalties to being racially mixed. for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.. 2003 Apr 1;101(7):2850-7. During a press conference related to the open house for the rededication of the Washington D.C. Temple, Gong shared that one of his first memories was of being sealed to his parents in a temple of the LDS Church. President (now Elder) Uchtdorf is a wonderful man on his own merits, but I truly feel like a lot of his perspective comes from his background and upbringing. Sane liberals in the church dont have any illusions about their influence.). Yet in this case and always the Lord calls his Apostles. Y Magazine is published four times a year by Brigham Young University for graduates and friends. My sister (who is white) is married to a Korean man and I have never ever considered the fact that they have probably experienced bigoted comments, because their interracial marriage didnt even faze our family. [9][10], In 1985, Gong became a special assistant to the U.S. Secretary of State. Citation Campus Research People Faith Family Past Issues. I argued my doubts to a standstill and reclaimed my beliefs from where they lay.. They will speak at Family . Below are three statements Elder Gong made about stories and some ideas about how you can rediscover your own. However Im not excited about the call because of his increasing the racial diversity in the Quorum of the Twelve (which he doesnt) but rather because he brings a -cultural- diversity that is very welcomed. Perhaps our Father in Heaven waits for enough of his children to be ready for changes to the norm before He inspires our leaders of His will in order that there will be enough people to support and sustain the changes. My heart ached also for Elder Gong and Elder Soares as I realized that they too probably wonder if their call came from God or if they are token minorities in a corporation that has to factor in the opinions and philosophies of the world in its decision making. And Fred, it is interesting to me your physiological response to their call. His Chinese American family was also highly academic both parents have advanced degrees and had wide-ranging conversations, even heated debates. And thus he came to see his gay self as a weed in the Latter-day Saint garden. Was he Mexican? Bright colors and vivid images filled the once-blank cinder block wall of the soup kitchen in Phnom Pehn, Cambodia. Bensen, recounting your personal experience with a few interracial marriages in [your] own family and supposing you can generalize from those experiences with those few particular people to arrive at broad statements about how race functions in marriage is, at the very least, a trifle naive. Its also more than a trifle condescending, considering that youre trying to correct someone who has actual first-hand experience of the potential issues youre describing. Now as a newly sustained member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles he will share a different kind of light with Gods children throughout the world. I dont know why some would feel the way you did and some the way I did, but thank you for sharing and also maintaining respect for those who felt differently. Submitted on July 23, 2013. Thanks, New Iconoclast. [1] [Updated x2] There were early, polygamous members of church leadership who had Native or indigenous wives. In your own life story, you are the main character! He also has responsibility in the Quorum of the Twelve for the church's Asia and Asia North areas. He had a close almost familial relationship with de Jong and would refer to him as "Grandpa de Jong." Da de descubrimiento familiar: lder y hermana Gong. He and Ulisses Soares filled the vacancies created from the deaths of Thomas S. Monson and Robert D. We were grateful others were excited for children to have creative opportunities.. Coming out, though, wasnt the happily-ever-after he had hoped it would be. RootsTech 2023, a global gathering of family history enthusiasts, will be in-person at the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City and virtually at rootstech.org. I had won the war in coming out but was left as broken as the battlefield.. If I were to see him on the street, I would definitely think, (sorry for the non-PC stereotype) white-guy. Oh Lord, hasten the healing of our unbelief. Discover Gerrit W. Gong's Wiki Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. He was born in Redwood City, California. Gong is married to Susan Lindsay, a daughter of Richard P. Lindsay. Learn more about guidelines and necessary forms. Mormons across the globe cheered the /">appointment in March of two apostles who seemed to represent the faith's growing diversity</a> Gerrit W. Gong, a Chinese-American, and Ulisses Soares . I felt like the church that I have always thought was lead by God had caved in to the relentless pressure from those in the Mormon blogoshphere who are obsessed with promoting political correctness and diversity. They understand that diversity is out there, but they havent lived it, and there is no substitute for living it. People dont know their own blind spots until theyre pointed out to them. Family Discovery Day is a free event and will begin Saturday, March 4 at 1:30 PM, MDT. For, say, a company whose mission is to suck oil out of the earth wherever possible, super-centralized leadership is not much of a problem; an organization like that just has to know how to focus its financial and political power like a laser, and acting at times like a steamroller is part of the game. We need to learn to love so unconditionally that we do not see race anymore, nor genders, nor other marginalization great and small. There is a misconception that Asians and Asian-Americans do not experience racism in the US, because their model minority status casts them as the ideal scholars and citizens. Blessed be the name of the Lord. In the April 2022 General Conference, Elder Gerrit W. Gong said, " [W]e each have a story. But getting to this place of peace with his trifold identity, says Gong, an artificial intelligence engineer in Seattle, has required hard work. It may also be that I have read todays conversations about it incorrectly and that Latino is ok? But you probably didnt know how cool it was. Well, my point was that the churchs mission requires deep, sensitive and reciprocal engagement with all of the worlds cultures in a way that most commercial organizations do not. I agree that people should go into an interracial marriage being mindful of the challenges. Maybe well get rid of those now. Photo courtesy of the Gong family. Elder Gerrit W. Gong and his wife, Sister Susan Lindsay Gong. Elder Gerrit W. Gong, newly sustained as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and his wife, Sister Susan Gong, in Salt Lake City. Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Sister Susan Gong, will also be featured at the conference as keynote speakers on Family Discovery Day the last day of the conference focused on making connections and celebrating family heritage. Reading the D&C, it seems that revelation is often (indeed, almost always) responsive to external realities. 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