Difference between revisions of "Truman G. Madsen"

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Truman Madsen (Ph.D., Harvard) Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at Brigham Young University and former director of the Brigham Young University Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies. He was the Richard L. Evans Chair of Christian Understanding. He was appointed to the National Endowment for the Humanities. For more information, visit his Web site: [http://www.TrumanMadsen.com TrumanMadsen.com]
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[[Truman G. Madsen]] (born in 1926, died in 2009) was a philosopher, essayist, teacher, biographer, and a faithful member of [http://comeuntochrist.org The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints], sometimes called the ([http://www.understandingmormonism.org Mormon Church]). He was married to [[Ann Madsen|Ann Nicholls Madsen]] in 1953, and they had three children and a Navajo foster son. He was emeritus professor of Philosophy at [[Brigham Young University]], and was director of the Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies in Jerusalem. He held the [[Richard L. Evans]] Chair in Religious Studies at BYU. He has been guest professor at Northeastern University, Haifa, and Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. He sponsored several symposia on comparative religion published as ''Reflections on Mormonism, The Temple in Antiquity,'' and ''Chosenness and Covenant in Judaism and Mormonism.''
  
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[[Image:TrumanGMadsen_bio160x205.jpg |thumb| Truman G. Madsen]]
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[[Image:TrumanGMadsen_bio160x205.jpg |thumb|alt=Truman G. Madsen was a leading scholar in the Church of Jesus Christ.]]
  
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Truman G. Madsen is a philosopher, essayist, teacher and biographer. He is emeritus Professor of Philosophy at Brigham Young University, and was Director of the Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies in Jerusalem. He held the Richard L. Evans Chair in Religious Studies at B.Y.U. He has been guest professor at Northeastern University, Haifa, and Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. He sponsored several symposia on comparative religion published as Reflections on Mormonism, The Temple in Antiquity, and Chosenness and Covenant in Judaism and Mormonism. Among his volumes on Mormon thought are: Eternal Man, Christ and the Inner Life, Four Essays on Love, The Highest in Us, The Radiant Life. Five Classics, Joseph Smith, the Prophet., Defender of the Faith, a biography of B. H. Roberts and On Human Nature. He is one of the editors and a contributor to the five-volume Macmillan Encyclopedia of Mormonism. He is married to Ann Nicholls Madsen. The couple has three children and a Navajo foster son.
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Truman G. Madsen wrote and spoke on an astonishingly wide range of topics about the [[First Principles of the Gospel | Restored Gospel]]. Born in Salt Lake City, he was a grandson of [[Heber J. Grant]]. In his youth he served in the New England Mission under Elder [[S. Dilworth Young]]. Later, at the age of 35, he was called to preside over the same mission where he had earlier served as a young missionary.  
  
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Truman G. Madsen has had a lifelong appeal to both the scholarly and popular sectors of the Church, and has been similarly appreciated outside of the Church. He has written and spoken on an astonishingly wide range of topics about the Restored Gospel. Born in Salt Lake City, a grandson of Heber J. Grant, he early on evinced a fascination for his heritage as a member of the Church and for the world of concepts. Much of his attraction has been his ability to compare and contrast the gospel with the live alternatives in the world.
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His academic studies in the history of ideas, and particularly of philosophy, took place at the University of Utah, University of Southern California, and Harvard University. Throughout his adult life he studied the life and teachings of the Prophet [[Joseph Smith]], and thrilled countless audiences as he shared many of the insights gained from the Prophet’s teaching.
  
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In his youth he served in the New England Mission under Elder S. Dilworth Young, of the First Council of the Seventy. The mission included the six New England states and several part of Eastern Canada. His mission president required the missionaries to labor in their assigned areas, like the disciples in the primitive church, without purse or scrip. This daunting challenge planted in the young missionary a robust faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Rather early in his career, at the age of 35, he was called to preside over the same mission where he had earlier served. He and his wife Ann were told by President Henry D. Moyle that the brethren had great optimism for the success of missionary work in New England, and under his leadership a dramatic growth in converts began. Brother Madsen has always had an invigorating interest in missionary work, both for the scholar and for the every day person. Yet he has always been respectful of friends with divergent opinions.
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During his life Madsen served in many positions in the Church of Jesus Christ, such as counselor in the Ensign Stake genealogical committee, counselor in the Atlantic district presidency, [[bishop]] of the BYU 11th Ward, a member of the Deseret [[Sunday School]] general board, BYU 5th Stake President, and most currently [[patriarch]] in his [[stake]].
  
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One of his first church assignments after the release of his first mission was to be a counselor in the Ensign Stake genealogical committee. It was a crucial turning point in his life. Although he had experienced a welcome first experience receiving his endowment before his mission, he nevertheless had reservations about the nature of temple ritual. He initially considered the assignment in his new calling to attend the Salt Lake Temple once each week to be a drudgery. But in time attending the temple became his joy. He studied and pondered the spiritual nourishment gained in the House of the Lord, and became thereafter a prominent exponent of temple spirituality. He and the other two members of the genealogical committee gave a series of firesides in the stake, and the speeches were met with an enthusiasm unexpected by the stake leaders. He has often informed LDS audiences that he and Ann Nicholes experienced a temple courtship as they prepared for their marriage.
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Much of his success was due to his personal appeal. Though as a boy he and his two brothers were vigorously grilled by his father in the arts of language and presentation, he was blessed with an ideal speaking voice and a "sparkling personality." He had a nimble mind and a capacity to grasp profound issues and yet convey them to the comprehension on layperson levels.  
  
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His academic studies in the history of ideas, and particularly of philosophy, took place at the University of Utah, University of Southern California, and Harvard University. At each place he was alert to the views of many top-notch thinkers in the Western world, with emphasis in the Christian tradition, and he constantly checked out the renowned propositions against the scriptures and the teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith. Throughout his adult life he has studied the life and teachings of the Prophet, and has thrilled countless audiences as he has shared many of the insights gained from the Prophet’s staggering outpour.
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Virtually all of his presentations were extemporaneous, and he was a master of this dying art, which is now yielding to the teleprompter and PowerPoint. It will probably never be known how many people he touched and moved in areas ranging from casual to profound, but the number is large. His demand as a speaker began early in his career and remained intense through his life. He traveled all over the world to inform and inspire audiences about the exhilarating experiences associated with the gospel of Christ that invite our embrace.
  
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While at Harvard he cherished at least three things to keep him focused on a commitment to his heritage. One was to have a picture of the Salt Lake Temple on his wall, another was to balance his academic studies with the literature of the Restoration, and the third was to accept and fulfill whatever calling in the Church his local leaders might assign. Since that time, in the midst of his constant speaking and teaching invitations he has maintained leadership positions. In addition to those already mentioned, he was counselor in the Altantic district presidency, a young bishop of the BYU 11th Ward, a member of the Deseret Sunday School general board, BYU 5th Stake President, and he is currently a patriarch in his stake.
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Some of [http://www.trumanmadsen.com/publications.php Truman Madsen's publications] are: ''Eternal Man, Christ and the Inner Life, Four Essays on Love, The Highest in Us, The Radiant Life, Five Classics, Joseph Smith: the Prophet, Defender of the Faith,'' a biography of [[B. H. Roberts]], and ''On Human Nature.'' He is one of the editors and a contributor to the five-volume Macmillan ''Encyclopedia of Mormonism.''
  
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Much of his success has been due to his personal appeal. Though as a boy he and his two brothers were vigorously grilled by his father in the arts of language and presentation, he was blessed with an ideal speaking voice and what a young Cuban convert called a “sparkling personality.” He has a nimble mind and a capacity to grasp profound issues and yet convey them to the comprehension on layperson levels. He has a corps a top-level scholar friends, to whom he can communicate the insights of Joseph Smith on their own level. Virtually all of his presentations are exptemporaneous, and he is a master of this dying art, which is now yielding to the teleprompter and power point. It will probably never be known how many people he has touched and moved in areas ranging from casual to profound, but the number is large. His demand as a speaker began early in his career and has remained intense to the present time. He still travels all over the world to inform and inspire audiences about the exhilarating experiences associated with the gospel of Christ that invite our embrace.
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'''This information has been adapted from Truman G. Madsen's site. For more information, visit [http://www.TrumanMadsen.com TrumanMadsen.com]'''
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'''Truman Madsen passed away in May of 2009'''. The following are excerpts from obituaries.
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Deseret News, May 29, 2009:
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:The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints lost one of its great orators and scholars with the passing of Truman G. Madsen on Thursday.
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:The emeritus professor of philosophy at Brigham Young University and former director of the Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies died at his Provo home after a yearlong battle with cancer. He was 82.
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:Madsen was considered a philosopher, essayist, teacher and biographer. He was also a grandson of Heber J. Grant, seventh president of the LDS Church. He taught at BYU for 37 years.
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:"I think Truman Madsen was one of the true pioneers in bringing intellectuals of other faiths into dialogue with Mormon thought even as he probed the philosophical richness of Joseph Smith's contributions for an LDS audience," said [[Terryl Givens]], a University of Richmond professor of literature and religion.
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:"At a time when Mormonism was still either ignored or considered too odd to take seriously, because of Madsen's personal relationships and the respect in which he was held by his colleagues he was able to really bring Mormonism into the orbit of a lot of religious and intellectual discussions at higher levels than it had been before."
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:Madsen had a keen interest in Joseph Smith and helping "millions (to) know Brother Joseph again."
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:In fact, his obituary begins with the words "Oh, Joseph!"
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:"Truman Madsen was one of a kind," [[Sheri L. Dew]], president and CEO of Deseret Book Company, said. "He not only spoke the language of the scholar, but he had the rare capacity to teach even the most complex concepts in a way that meant something to the rest of us."
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:"Madsen's lectures were also a wonderful link back to an earlier, more oral Mormonism, one that placed a real premium on powerful preaching," Nathan B. Oman, assistant professor at the Marshall-Wythe School of Law at The College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Va., posted on the Web site timesandseasons.org following Madsen's passing.
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:Oman said Madsen provided "two or three generations of BYU students with a role model of a man who remained absolutely committed to the restored Gospel while at the same time willing to grapple with the hard questions of philosophy."
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:Madsen was the patriarch in Provo's Sharon East Stake at his passing and even the younger generation, who may not have been aware of his scholarly accomplishments, were impressed with his charity.
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:[[Kevin Worthen]], president of the Sharon East Stake, described him as a spiritual giant who loved people greatly.
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:"He was just so loving and kind," Worthen said, stressing that many young people in his stake knew nothing of his career and simply knew him as a loving patriarch.
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Daily Herald, May 29, 2009:
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:Perhaps less well known, he was a master at Frisbee, an avid lifelong BYU football fan, and made the best scrambled eggs, popcorn, and lemon ice cream on the planet. He was a hopeless romantic and loved Rachmaninoff, Gershwin, and Grieg as well as Cyrano de Bergerac, "Random Harvest", and "An Affair To Remember." He loved relaxing at the cabin the family built at Brighton, eating at Cardullo's deli in Harvard Square, and walking the shores of the Sea of Galilee. He owned every recording jazz band leader Stan Kenton ever made and his youngest daughter's first sentence was, "Turn it down!"
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:He is survived by his devoted wife, Ann Nicholls, and their three children: daughters Emily Reynolds (Mark), Mindy Davis (the late Grant Davis), and son Barnard (Cindy); a Navajo foster son, Larry Watchman; 9 grandsons, and 5 granddaughters; 2 great-grandsons and 10 great- granddaughters.
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A memorial service was held on Tuesday, June 2, noon, at the [[Provo City Center Temple|Provo Tabernacle]], 90 S. University Ave., Provo.
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*[http://www.mormontimes.com/people_news/newsmakers/?id=8026 '''Watch a video about Truman Madsen's life'''.]
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*[http://www.ldsliving.com/article/199992/Truman-Madsen’s-Final-Project-Releasing-for-Easter Read about the 2010 release of Truman Madsen's final project]
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[[Category:Famous Mormons]]
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[[Category:Brigham Young University faculty]]
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Madsen, Truman G.}}

Latest revision as of 17:26, 2 August 2021

Truman G. Madsen (born in 1926, died in 2009) was a philosopher, essayist, teacher, biographer, and a faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, sometimes called the (Mormon Church). He was married to Ann Nicholls Madsen in 1953, and they had three children and a Navajo foster son. He was emeritus professor of Philosophy at Brigham Young University, and was director of the Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies in Jerusalem. He held the Richard L. Evans Chair in Religious Studies at BYU. He has been guest professor at Northeastern University, Haifa, and Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. He sponsored several symposia on comparative religion published as Reflections on Mormonism, The Temple in Antiquity, and Chosenness and Covenant in Judaism and Mormonism.

Truman G. Madsen was a leading scholar in the Church of Jesus Christ.

Truman G. Madsen wrote and spoke on an astonishingly wide range of topics about the Restored Gospel. Born in Salt Lake City, he was a grandson of Heber J. Grant. In his youth he served in the New England Mission under Elder S. Dilworth Young. Later, at the age of 35, he was called to preside over the same mission where he had earlier served as a young missionary.

His academic studies in the history of ideas, and particularly of philosophy, took place at the University of Utah, University of Southern California, and Harvard University. Throughout his adult life he studied the life and teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, and thrilled countless audiences as he shared many of the insights gained from the Prophet’s teaching.

During his life Madsen served in many positions in the Church of Jesus Christ, such as counselor in the Ensign Stake genealogical committee, counselor in the Atlantic district presidency, bishop of the BYU 11th Ward, a member of the Deseret Sunday School general board, BYU 5th Stake President, and most currently patriarch in his stake.

Much of his success was due to his personal appeal. Though as a boy he and his two brothers were vigorously grilled by his father in the arts of language and presentation, he was blessed with an ideal speaking voice and a "sparkling personality." He had a nimble mind and a capacity to grasp profound issues and yet convey them to the comprehension on layperson levels.

Virtually all of his presentations were extemporaneous, and he was a master of this dying art, which is now yielding to the teleprompter and PowerPoint. It will probably never be known how many people he touched and moved in areas ranging from casual to profound, but the number is large. His demand as a speaker began early in his career and remained intense through his life. He traveled all over the world to inform and inspire audiences about the exhilarating experiences associated with the gospel of Christ that invite our embrace.

Some of Truman Madsen's publications are: Eternal Man, Christ and the Inner Life, Four Essays on Love, The Highest in Us, The Radiant Life, Five Classics, Joseph Smith: the Prophet, Defender of the Faith, a biography of B. H. Roberts, and On Human Nature. He is one of the editors and a contributor to the five-volume Macmillan Encyclopedia of Mormonism.

This information has been adapted from Truman G. Madsen's site. For more information, visit TrumanMadsen.com

Truman Madsen passed away in May of 2009. The following are excerpts from obituaries. Deseret News, May 29, 2009:

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints lost one of its great orators and scholars with the passing of Truman G. Madsen on Thursday.
The emeritus professor of philosophy at Brigham Young University and former director of the Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies died at his Provo home after a yearlong battle with cancer. He was 82.
Madsen was considered a philosopher, essayist, teacher and biographer. He was also a grandson of Heber J. Grant, seventh president of the LDS Church. He taught at BYU for 37 years.
"I think Truman Madsen was one of the true pioneers in bringing intellectuals of other faiths into dialogue with Mormon thought even as he probed the philosophical richness of Joseph Smith's contributions for an LDS audience," said Terryl Givens, a University of Richmond professor of literature and religion.
"At a time when Mormonism was still either ignored or considered too odd to take seriously, because of Madsen's personal relationships and the respect in which he was held by his colleagues he was able to really bring Mormonism into the orbit of a lot of religious and intellectual discussions at higher levels than it had been before."
Madsen had a keen interest in Joseph Smith and helping "millions (to) know Brother Joseph again."
In fact, his obituary begins with the words "Oh, Joseph!"
"Truman Madsen was one of a kind," Sheri L. Dew, president and CEO of Deseret Book Company, said. "He not only spoke the language of the scholar, but he had the rare capacity to teach even the most complex concepts in a way that meant something to the rest of us."
"Madsen's lectures were also a wonderful link back to an earlier, more oral Mormonism, one that placed a real premium on powerful preaching," Nathan B. Oman, assistant professor at the Marshall-Wythe School of Law at The College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Va., posted on the Web site timesandseasons.org following Madsen's passing.
Oman said Madsen provided "two or three generations of BYU students with a role model of a man who remained absolutely committed to the restored Gospel while at the same time willing to grapple with the hard questions of philosophy."
Madsen was the patriarch in Provo's Sharon East Stake at his passing and even the younger generation, who may not have been aware of his scholarly accomplishments, were impressed with his charity.
Kevin Worthen, president of the Sharon East Stake, described him as a spiritual giant who loved people greatly.
"He was just so loving and kind," Worthen said, stressing that many young people in his stake knew nothing of his career and simply knew him as a loving patriarch.

Daily Herald, May 29, 2009:

Perhaps less well known, he was a master at Frisbee, an avid lifelong BYU football fan, and made the best scrambled eggs, popcorn, and lemon ice cream on the planet. He was a hopeless romantic and loved Rachmaninoff, Gershwin, and Grieg as well as Cyrano de Bergerac, "Random Harvest", and "An Affair To Remember." He loved relaxing at the cabin the family built at Brighton, eating at Cardullo's deli in Harvard Square, and walking the shores of the Sea of Galilee. He owned every recording jazz band leader Stan Kenton ever made and his youngest daughter's first sentence was, "Turn it down!"
He is survived by his devoted wife, Ann Nicholls, and their three children: daughters Emily Reynolds (Mark), Mindy Davis (the late Grant Davis), and son Barnard (Cindy); a Navajo foster son, Larry Watchman; 9 grandsons, and 5 granddaughters; 2 great-grandsons and 10 great- granddaughters.


A memorial service was held on Tuesday, June 2, noon, at the Provo Tabernacle, 90 S. University Ave., Provo.


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