Howard W. Hunter

AUTHOR PROFILE

Howard W. Hunter

Howard W. Hunter became the fourteenth President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1994. Although his presidency lasted less than a year, his decades as an apostle included extensive teaching about Jesus Christ, scripture, and temple worship. His own words point readers toward steady, often quiet discipleship.

FEATURED QUOTE

“This Christmas, mend a quarrel. Seek out a forgotten friend. Dismiss suspicion and replace it with trust. Write a letter. Give a soft answer. Encourage youth. Manifest your loyalty in word and deed. Keep a promise. Forgo a grudge. Forgive an enemy. Apologize. Try to understand. Examine your demands on others. Think first of someone else. Be kind. Be gentle. Laugh a little more. Express your gratitude. Welcome a stranger. Gladden the heart of a child. Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth. Speak your love and then speak it again. “Christmas is a celebration, and there is no celebration that compares with the realization of its true meaning — with the sudden stirring of the heart that has extended itself unselfishly in the things that matter most.”

— Howard W. Hunter

Biography at a glance

Raised: Boise, Idaho
Church service: Apostle from 1959; President of the Church from June 1994 to March 1995
Recurring themes: The Savior, temples, scripture study, and service

Learning faith at home

Hunter’s mother taught him to pray in childhood. As a young adult in California, he came to value more deliberate gospel study. His life later included work in law and many years of apostolic service. The Church’s timeline traces those chapters, while a chapter on faith and testimony preserves some of his own reflections.

Temple-centered counsel

As Church president, Hunter invited members to make the temple a meaningful part of their lives. That emphasis was part of a larger ministry centered on Christ and the daily work of following Him. He died in March 1995, and Gordon B. Hinckley succeeded him.

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Sources and further reading

Quotes by Howard W. Hunter

34 quotes

Now, may we refer specifically to vocational work or employment. The employment we choose should be honorable and challenging. Ideally, we need to seek that work to which we are suited by interest, by aptitude, and by training. A man’s work should do more than provide adequate income; it should provide him with a sense of self-worth and be a pleasure—something he looks forward to each day.

Prepare for Honorable Employment

— Howard W. Hunter

Elder Howard W. Hunter proclaimed that “the doctrine of the Resurrection is the single most fundamental and crucial doctrine in the Christian religion. It cannot be overemphasized, nor can it be disregarded. Without the Resurrection, the gospel of Jesus Christ becomes a litany of wise sayings and seemingly unexplainable miracles – but savings and miracles with no ultimate triumph. No, the ultimate triumph is in the ultimate miracle: for the first time in the history of mankind, one who was dead raised himself into living immortality.”

Conference Report, April 1986, p. 18

— Howard W. Hunter

“Whenever we tackle a gospel imperative, immediate goals will help us master it. …We should set up long-range and eternal goals, to be sure—they will be the guides and inspiration of a lifetime.” Baptismal covenants fit this description. They parallel what the world calls ‘values,’ or high-level principles that govern our lives… But we should not forget the countless little immediate objectives to be won tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow. To win and pass these objectives marks our progress toward the greater goals and ensures happiness and the feelings of success along the way.”

“Gospel Imperatives,” Improvement Era, June 1967, 103

— Howard W. Hunter

“To fully understand this gift of agency and its inestimable worth, it is imperative that we understand that God’s chief way of acting is by persuasion and patience and long-suffering, not by coercion and stark confrontation. He acts by gentle solicitation and by sweet enticement. He always acts with unfailing respect for the freedom and independence that we possess. He wants to help us and pleads for the chance to assist us, but he will not do so in violation of our agency. He loves us too much to do that, and doing so would run counter to his divine character. . . .To countermand and ultimately forbid our choices was Satan’s way, not God’s, and the Father of us all simply never will do that. He will, however, stand by us forever to help us see the right path, find the right choice, respond to the true voice, and feel the influence of his undeniable Spirit. His gentle, peaceful, powerful persuasion to do right and find joy will be with us ‘so long as time shall last, or the earth shall stand, or there shall be one man upon the face thereof to be saved’ (Moroni 7:36).”

“The Golden Thread of Choice,” Ensign, Nov. 1989, p. 18

— Howard W. Hunter

“Keep yourselves above any domineering or unworthy behavior in the tender, intimate relationship between husband and wife. Because marriage is ordained of God, the intimate relationship between husbands and wives is good and honorable in the eyes of God. He has commanded that they be one flesh and that they multiply and replenish the earth.”

— Howard W. Hunter

“Tenderness and respect—never selfishness—must be the guiding principles in the intimate relationship between husband and wife. Each partner must be considerate and sensitive to the other’s needs and desires. Any domineering, indecent, or uncontrolled behavior in the intimate relationship between husband and wife is condemned by the Lord”

Conference Report, Oct. 1994, 68; or Ensign, Nov. 1994, 51

— Howard W. Hunter

“When we follow the counsel of our leaders to read and study the scriptures, benefits and blessings of many kinds come to us. This is the most profitable of all study in which we could engage”

in Conference Report, Oct. 1979, 91; or Ensign, Nov. 1979, 64

— Howard W. Hunter

“How is Christmas regarded today? The legend of Santa Claus, the Christmas tree, the decorations of tinsel and mistletoe, and the giving of gifts all express to us the spirit of the day we celebrate; but the true spirit of Christmas lies much deeper than these. It is found in the life of the Savior, in the principles He taught, in His atoning sacrifice–which become our great heritage.”

"The Real Christmas", Ensign, Dec. 2005, 24

— Howard W. Hunter

One “biography of faith” Howard W. Hunter mentioned was that of Nephi. “With his parents, he left prosperous circumstances in Jerusalem and then for eight years, in great affliction, journeyed in the wilderness. The family then cross uncharted seas to a new land. During this period, Nephi was assailed, ridiculed, and persecuted by members of his household. Following the death of his father, Nephi and other family members had to separate themselves from his older brothers because they sought his life. Out of his despair, he declared, ‘My God hath been my support; he hath led me through mine afflictions in the wilderness; and he hath preserved me upon the waters of the great deep.’ (2 Ne. 4:20) Today other biographies of faith are being written – Saints who, like Job, suffer physical pain, emotional sorrow, and even disloyalty from friends – yet remain faithful; Saints who, like Jacob, see sons and daughters not so valiant as they should be, but who bless them for their potential; Saints who, like Paul, endure great ridicule and endure to the end; Saints who, like Nephi, must separate themselves from family because of their commitment to the gospel. There are those who know pain and sorrow because of loss of loved ones; who know spiritual sorrow because children go astray; who experience loss of health, financial reverses, and emotional distress, and yet, like Job, resolve, “When he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold” (Job 23:10). We recently celebrated the birthday of President Spencer W. Kimball. Most of us are familiar with the fact that great adversity has been his companion for a great portion of his eighty-five years. He spoke from experience when he wrote these words: “Being human, we would expel from our lives physical pain and mental anguish and assure ourselves of continual ease and comfort, but if we were to close the doors upon sorrow and distress, we might be excluding our greatest friends and benefactors. Suffering can make saints of people as they learn patience, long-suffering, and self-mastery” (Faith Precedes the Miracle, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 1972, p. 98).

“God Will Have a Tried People,” Ensign, May 1980, p. 24

— Howard W. Hunter

“Dating has become the accepted form of social recreation for the purpose of getting acquainted before young people can safely have a serious interest in each other. Because the selection of a mate in life is so extremely important, we should intelligently seek the experiences which will help us to make that great decision”

Youth of the Noble Birthright, pp. 101-109. Salt Lake City, 1960

— Howard W. Hunter