199. Integrity and Institutions — A Conversation with George Handley on Lowell Bennion
Jan 13, 2024
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George Handley, a professor at BYU, discusses the life of Lowell Bennion, an inspiring figure in our faith tradition. They explore Bennion's commitment to intellectual integrity and prioritizing people over ideas. They discuss Bennion's projects, such as founding the Institute of Religion and the Bennion Teton Boys Ranch. They also talk about the forgotten teachings of Bennion and the importance of blending secular learning with gospel principles.
Lowell Benion exemplified a dual commitment to intellectual integrity and prioritizing people over ideas.
Benion believed in blending the gospel with secular learning and embracing all truth, emphasizing the moral relevance of the gospel in our contemporary context.
Benion advocated for integrating faith and secular knowledge, viewing revelation as a dialogue between human thinking and divine response, enabling the application of ideas to change lives.
Deep dives
Lowell Benion's Dual Commitment
Lowell Benion was a figure who exemplified a dual commitment to both intellectual integrity and prioritizing people over ideas. He believed in the importance of blending the gospel with secular learning and embracing all truth. This commitment led him to a heart-led vocation that refused to compartmentalize the gospel, separating it from intellectual inquiry or practical everyday needs of society. Despite facing challenges and disagreements, Benion sustained leaders by speaking up when he saw something wrong and navigated difficult relationships with love and integrity. His focus on service and the well-being of humanity encouraged a broader view of the gospel beyond correct beliefs.
The Impact of Lowell Benion
Lowell Benion was an educator, humanitarian, and practical philosopher who had an outsized impact on the Church in the 20th century. His projects included the founding of the Institute of Religion next to the University of Utah and the Benion Teton Boys Ranch in Idaho. He prioritized human dignity and believed in the expansive potential of the restored gospel to embrace all truth. Benion emphasized the importance of applying gospel principles to real-world situations and working towards the betterment of individuals and society. His teachings continue to inspire and challenge us to consider the moral relevance of the gospel in our contemporary context.
Benion's Approach to Intellectualism and Religion
Lowell Benion navigated the tension between intellectualism and religious belief by emphasizing the integration of faith and secular knowledge. He believed in the value of blending these two realms rather than separating them. Benion saw the danger of overemphasizing the distinctions between spiritual and secular knowledge, as it could contradict empirical reality and lived experience. He advocated for an expansive view of revelation, understanding it as dialogue and response to human thinking and language. Benion encouraged his students to find ways to connect their faith and doctrine with the ideas and values they encountered in their academic studies, emphasizing the application and enabling power of ideas to change lives.
Why Lowell Benion's Teachings are Underappreciated
Lowell Benion's teachings have been somewhat overlooked in recent years, but they offer valuable insights for our contemporary circumstances. One possible reason for this is a shift towards professionalization in academia, particularly in the realm of Mormon thought. There may have been a tendency to view local thinkers as provincial and limited in their perspectives. However, there is now a growing recognition and appreciation for thinkers like Benion, as more people reevaluate their contributions in light of our current context. Benion's emphasis on practical Christianity and the integration of faith and learning remains relevant and has the potential to enrich our understanding of gospel principles.
Lowell Benion's Understanding of Repentance
Lowell Benion offered a refreshing perspective on repentance, viewing it as expanding and taking greater advantage of the freedom of the soul to attach itself to things of value. Rather than merely focusing on greater obedience or trying harder to be good, Benion emphasized the importance of filling one's life with goodness, beauty, and truth. He believed that by lusting after the fine things of life and nourishing the soul with uplifting experiences, individuals could better resist temptations and develop a greater sense of wholeness. Benion's perspective on repentance highlights the transformative power of embracing and actively pursuing good in one's life.
We’re excited to share with you this interview with George Handley, a professor of humanities at BYU. George recently published a fascinating and moving intellectual biography of Lowell Bennion. As we’ve learned more about Bennion, he’s begun to loom large for us as a truly inspiring figure who models some of the best of what our faith tradition has to offer. He was an educator, humanitarian, and practical philosopher who had an outsized impact on the Church in the 20th century, even if few might recognize his name today.
Lowell Bennion was both committed to intellectual integrity and to prioritizing people over ideas. In the interview, George walked us through how this dual commitment led Lowell to a heart-led vocation that refused to compartmentalize the gospel—to separate it from either intellectual inquiry or from the practical, everyday needs of society. It also allowed Bennion to navigate the tricky, bumpy moments in relationship with other thinkers and educators in the Church with love and integrity.
His list of projects is truly extensive, but among the most memorable are his founding of the Institute of Religion next to the University of Utah, and of a boys ranch in Idaho—the Bennion Teton Boys Ranch—where George spent time as a boy. As an educator, Bennion took an expansive view of the gospel that sought to blend itself with secular learning and embrace all truth. Even on the occasions when those who disagreed with his approach made decisions that cost him professionally, Bennion was committed to seeing these events as part of the adventure of life.
The topics that came up in this episode really struck home with us. Lowell Bennion’s life invites us to consider not just what the right ideas are, but what ideas are for, and how they can be turned to the service of humanity. We’re thankful to George for taking the time to bring this impactful, if understated, thinker to our attention through this book.
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