LDS apostle Gong discusses technology, gospel at BYU devotional
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- Elder Gerrit W. Gong, of the quorum of the twelve apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, speaks during a devotional at Brigham Young University in Provo on Tuesday, April 11, 2023.
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- Elder Gerrit W. Gong, of the quorum of the twelve apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, speaks during a devotional at Brigham Young University in Provo on Tuesday, April 11, 2023.
Joey Garrison, BYU Photo
Elder Gerrit W. Gong, of the quorum of the twelve apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, speaks during a devotional at Brigham Young University in Provo on Tuesday, April 11, 2023.
For the last Brigham Young University devotional of the academic year, held Tuesday in Brigham young University’s Marriott Center, Elder Gerrit W. Gong, of the quorum of the twelve apostles with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, focused on the past, present and future.
Specifically, Gong shared his experiences with the evolution of technology and compared it to the unchanging principles and promises found within LDS teachings.
“Over the years, I’ve been intrigued by connections that transform our physical world. For each of us, connection and transformation are also at the heart of our own best story. Covenant belonging connects us with our most transformative relationships, including with God, each other and our best selves,” Gong said.
He told the audience of his family’s experiences with ChatGPT, hang gliding at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, where the Wright brothers invented the airplane and seeing the Panama Canal. It was only 66 years, he told the audience, between the first airplane’s flight and man walking on the moon. Less than a lifetime for some, Gong invited the audience to ponder what kind of technology would develop in their lifetimes.
“What do these three examples have in common? For me, (they) dramatically illustrate how physical or digital connection can transform our external environment. Yet, however much our external physical environment may change, that which matters most spiritually, does not change,” Gong said.
Joey Garrison, BYU Photo
Elder Gerrit W. Gong, of the quorum of the twelve apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, speaks during a devotional at Brigham Young University in Provo on Tuesday, April 11, 2023.
He went on to testify about examples of this principle in scriptures from Lehi, Joseph Smith and Jesus Christ, among others.
Gong earned his bachelor’s degree from BYU after serving a mission to Taiwan and his master’s and doctorate degrees from Oxford University in International Relations. He worked in various positions with the U.S. State Department before being called as an apostle for the church in 2018.
