The rising generation faces all kinds of challenges
and dangers that are different than those experienced by other generations.
“Gone are the days when students were protected from people who attacked
the Church. Today, students have instant access to virtually everything
about the Church from every possible point of view.
Today what they see on their mobile devices is likely to be faith
challenging as much as faith promoting.
Not all of your students have the faith necessary to face
the challenges ahead. In light of these challenges,
the Board of Education approved an initiative called ‘Doctrinal Mastery.’
This initiative will focus on building
and strengthening our students’ faith in Jesus Christ and fortifying them with
increased ability to live and apply the gospel in their lives.”
As we seek to build our foundation on Jesus Christ,
we develop doctrinal mastery in two ways: by acquiring spiritual knowledge,
and by mastering the doctrine of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Spiritual knowledge comes from Heavenly Father to our minds and hearts by
the power of the Holy Ghost.
To acquire spiritual knowledge, we must act in faith.
We do this by trusting in God,
keeping His commandments, and relying on the truth
and testimony He has already given us. When we have challenging questions
and concerns, it helps to view them with an eternal perspective.
The Savior's teachings and
the plan of happiness can help us understand concepts and questions in
a new light. And because there is
a lot of information out there that is misleading,
it is important to seek for truth in divinely appointed sources, such as
the scriptures and the teachings of the prophets.
We know we can trust these sources because they are accurate
and inspired. In connection with acquiring spiritual knowledge,
we seek to master the doctrine of Jesus Christ.
We study the doctrine contained in doctrinal mastery scripture passages.
We then practice explaining the doctrine using these passages.
We also memorize the scripture reference and key scripture phrases
for each of the doctrinal mastery passages. With a knowledge of
the Savior’s doctrine, we are better prepared to apply the doctrine and
the principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge to real life situations.
Doctrinal mastery will help us build our foundation on Jesus Christ. As
the Lord’s doctrine is rooted deep within us,
we can help dispel the confusion around us and influence those we love.
Doctrinal mastery will allow us to confidently help others to find answers
to their questions and gain strength to continue living the Savior's teachings.
Heavenly Father will help us in this effort.
The Holy Ghost can give us personal guidance as we respond to doctrinal,
social, and historical questions and issues throughout our lives.
As Elder Ballard taught, doctrinal mastery is inspired and timely.
It will have a wonderful influence on our young people.