A few days ago there was a meet and greet for Ben out in Draper. "Big deal," you might say, "there have been a hundred just like it, with more to come."
"Ummm, not so quick" I'd reply, "This particular meet and greet had a curious detail that set it apart. For there, in attendance, was Elder Christofferson.
For my fellow gentiles who speak only broken Mormon this might not seem particularly important. After all, there are a million RM's out there still worried about dates and pimples, and they're all called "elder this," or "elder that."
Well actually, Elder Christofferson is sort of an "elder elder." In fact, he's what the LDS church calls an Apostle, of which there are only fifteen. If these folk were Catholic, he'd be a Cardinal. So for him the title "elder" has the same reverse prestige that "Mr." would have before the word "President."
Him being there was a very big deal. For me, it would be like the Pope coming to my birthday party. If that were to happen, which is as likely as grass growing on the moon, what could you assume from that event?
- George is a very good Catholic
- George is popular with very important Catholics
- At least one important Catholic, and probably his dearest friends, all wish George well
Those are appropriate assumptions. However, one thing is dead certain. If I went to mass next Sunday and sat next to George, I'd be looking at him in an entirely different way. Which, in fact, was probably the point.
Ask the higher up muckity mucks in Ben's campaign about this extraordinary event and what do you hear? First there's a look of humble gratitude, followed by, "Ben's family and the Christoffersons are old family friends. Elder Christofferson was there only in a very private way, and to express personal friendship, not a political endorsement."
Hmmmm, the McAdam's clan from West Bountiful, and the Christoffersons of American Fork, old family friends. Sure, without a doubt.
......
Before I leave the subject of Elder Christofferson, let me offer a few interesting details gleaned from Google.
Here are some video links featuring D. Todd Chistofferson. Regardless of your faith, or lack thereof, he's a great public speaker with a fine mind. You'll be impressed.
Guess who Elder Christofferson clerked for after he graduated from law school at Duke? It was none other than Richard Nixon's nemesis: Federal Judge John J. Sirica of Watergate fame.
During his secular career Elder Christofferson was volunteer chairman of Affordable Housing for Nashville. So he was a part-time community organizer, not unlike someone else I once heard of.
Perhaps the famous promotional campaign showing off Mormons as politically and intellectually diverse is not entirely marketing hype. After all, there is a Ben, and that fact is not lost on Elder Christofferson.
No comments:
Post a Comment