🌩️ Faith Crisis or Culture Crisis? Or Something Deeper?
🌩️ Faith Crisis or Culture Crisis? Or Something Deeper?
👔 Two Loyal Voices
Clayton Christensen, before his passing, gave us a thoughtful way to think about faith crisis.
Jeff Strong, with his massive survey, gave us a thoughtful way to think about culture crisis.
Both men are faithful, devoted members of the LDS Church. Both are loyal to the institution. And both, in their own ways, try to soften the blows for members who are struggling.
Christensen says: “It’s a disruption—painful, yes, but you’ll rebuild stronger.”
Strong says: “It’s tension between tradition and change—uncomfortable, yes, but good soil for growth.”
These are comforting words. But are they the whole truth?
📖 The Scriptural Verdict
The Book of Mormon does not describe faith or culture crises as normal “growing pains.” It warns, again and again, that when the people of God prosper and grow proud, they fall under condemnation.
2 Nephi 28 — “Wo be unto him that saith: All is well in Zion; yea, Zion prospereth, all is well—these shall perish.”
Mosiah 18 — The true church bears one another’s burdens and cares for the poor, not just appearance or tradition.
D&C 84:55–57 — “The whole church is under condemnation” for taking lightly the Book of Mormon.
The Nemenhah Records echo this:
The Peacemaker warned that the people who received the restoration would fall into pride and priestcraft, building institutions and cherishing authority over humility.
Yet, He also promised that a remnant would rise—not through cultural polish, but through broken hearts and contrite spirits.
👉 In scripture, what Christensen calls faith disruption and what Strong calls cultural tension are really signs of apostasy and condemnation.
🚫 Explaining Away the Problem
The LDS Church today tends to say: “Yes, we have struggles, but it’s okay, it’s all part of the plan. These tensions are natural. This is the soil we grow in.”
But the scriptures don’t say that.
They say repent.
They say return to the Doctrine of Christ (2 Nephi 31–32; 3 Nephi 11).
They say feed the poor, heal the sick, stop grinding the faces of the humble.
When we dress up condemnation as “growth soil,” we are soothing the conscience instead of piercing the heart.
🕊️ What the Lord Actually Wants
The Book of Mormon and the Nemenhah agree:
The true path is not about explaining tension away but about turning back to Christ.
Zion is not built on tradition vs. change arguments. Zion is built on consecration, equality, and hearing the Savior’s voice directly.
The Lord will still use the industrious and organized (as the Nemenhah say), but His work goes forward with or without institutions that harden themselves against His voice.
🌱 My Witness
I honor men like Clayton Christensen and Jeff Strong for their faithfulness. They are sincere. They love the Lord. They love His people.
But sincerity is not the same as truth.
They try to explain tension away as natural.
The scriptures call it condemnation.
They say it’s just friction between old and new.
The Lord says it’s the arm of flesh replacing His living voice.
The way forward is not to patch culture or reframe crises. The way forward is to repent, return, and receive the Peacemaker.
✨ Conclusion
We can call it “faith crisis.” We can call it “culture crisis.” We can even try to compare it to Fiddler on the Roof.
But according to the Book of Mormon and the Nemenhah Records, the truth is clearer:
👉 The Church is under condemnation.
👉 The Lord is calling His people to come out of Babylon.
👉 Zion will only be redeemed by those who truly hear His voice and walk in His way.
The question isn’t, “Can we cope with our crisis?”
The question is, “Will we repent and be healed?”
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