“Seek Learning by Faith” Address Now Available Online “As we look to the future and anticipate the ever more confused and turbulent world in which we will live, I believe it will be essential for all of us to increase our capacity to seek learning by faith,” said Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in an address to Church Educational System (CES) personnel in February. The talk is now available online at www.lds.org on the Recent Addresses page of the Gospel Library, in PDF and MP3 format. Originally broadcast only to CES personnel worldwide, it is the first CES training fireside to be made available in this way. In his address, Elder Bednar thanked CES religious educators for blessing and strengthening the rising generation, then continued on the topic of seeking learning by faith. While he counseled the teachers to teach by the Spirit, he also said that no matter how well a message is taught, it can only be received if the learner's heart is open. “Faith opens the pathway to the heart,” he said. Using examples from the scriptures, Elder Bednar illustrated faith as a principle of action. Learning by faith requires spiritual, mental, and physical exertion—not just passive reception—and it reaches far beyond the mere retaining and recalling of information, Elder Bednar said. Learning by faith requires both “the heart and a willing mind” (D&C 64:34). Pointing to the example of Joseph Smith in his quest to learn which church was right, Elder Bednar discussed how the boy Joseph intuitively went into the grove with questions already formulated in his mind and felt in his heart—clearly prepared to “ask in faith” (James 1:6). He read excerpts of these questions from Joseph Smith-History: “In the midst of this war of words and tumult of opinions, I often said to myself: What is to be done? Who of all these parties are right; or, are they all wrong together? If any one of them be right, which is it, and how shall I know it? …” (1:10, see also v. 18). “Notice that Joseph's questions focused not just on what he needed to know but also on what he needed to do,” Elder Bednar said. “And his very first question centered on action and what was to be done!” The implications for teachers, Elder Bednar said, is to incorporate these principles into their classrooms by reminding them to be worthy conduits through which the Lord can operate, to encourage class members to bear their testimonies frequently, and to challenge students to find answers on their own. Doing so will simultaneously strengthen the instructor's faith, Elder Bednar said. The talk can be found at http:www.lds.org/library/display/1,4945,5344-1-2783-5,FF.html. It was originally delivered on February 3, 2006, at an event entitled An Evening with a General Authority.