Brad Wilcox’s Real Sin Was Not Being Insensitive, It Was Not Echoing Woke Criticism of Brigham Young

By now you have probably heard at least something about Brad Wilcox’s fireside in Alpine Utah on Feb 7th. It immediately created a firestorm among progressive members of the Church. The outrage poured in. They claimed he was insensitive, that he ignored the “lived experiences” of those affected by the Priesthood restriction, or that he was simply racist. Even the official BYU Twitter account denounced his actions!

But anyone spending more than 5 minutes of outrage on social media and listening to his words steps back and says, “Wait, wait, wait, what is really going on here?” I could dive into his comments and how he is 100% historically accurate, but that is not the point of this article (and I already wrote about it here).

I want to dive into the real sin that Brad Wilcox committed in the eyes of the Woke Promos (Progressive Mormons) because what he did in their eyes is FAR more unacceptable than providing history and context in response to a question. So what did he do? He refused to call Brigham and the Priesthood restriction racist.

Promos DEMAND that we must denounce the Priesthood Restriction (And Brigham Young) as racist.

Brad Wilcox’s real sin was not answering the question of the Priesthood restriction with anything other than a full denouncing of Brigham Young as a racist, and the Priesthood restriction as racism. After all, that is what the talking heads of Progressive Mormon Social Media and Promo professors at BYU have been repeatedly declaring. It was racism, he (Brigham) was a racist, and if you are unwilling to parrot the line, you are a racist too. Brother Wilcox’s offense was to cross the cancerous promo cancel culture within the Church.

Not only do the Promos believe that Brigham Young is a racist and that is the reason for the Priesthood restriction, but they believe that the current leadership is homophobic and transphobic and once they die we will get a ‘revelation’ on gay marriage just like there was with Priesthood restriction (I also wrote about that here Why there will not be a ‘revelation on gay marriage’ like there was with blacks and the Priesthood). The problem with their theories? They are completely flawed and the ONLY way to define them is the doctrines of men mingled with scripture.

Promos Believe Racism was the reason for the Priesthood Restriction.

Promos coming from a white fragility and historically ignorant mindsets look at the Priesthood restriction and can only see one thing RACISM! Despite the fact that the Church has rejected ALL THEORIES for the origin of the Priesthood restriction, Promos push the theory that it was simply Brigham’s racism.

Make Brigham Young a racist, therefore the restriction was merely his racism and then BOOM you don’t need to worry about it anymore! Just the American history or anything you don’t like, simply blame racism. But there is a problem, it is the same that Promos often have, facts and logic. Let’s just pull this “Brigham Young was a racist and so was his racist restriction” argument to its logical conclusions…

If the restriction was not inspired and simply a racist restriction enacted by Brigham Young, who was also a racist, then he must be a fallen prophet, yes? I mean he LITERALLY led the Church astray and denied people Temple Blessings due to his racism! And then acted like it was from God! All the hallmarks of a fallen prophet.

So they throw Brigham away and think they solved the issue. But then one has to ask, what about John Taylor, was he a racist and a fallen prophet too? I mean, as soon as Brigham died Elijah Able asked John Taylor for authorization to receive his temple blessings but he was denied by President Taylor… He too must’ve been a racist as he upheld the restriction.

Then one has to ask, “What about the other prophets? Wilford Woodruff, Lorenzo Snow, Joseph F. Smith, Heber J. Grant, George Albert Smith, David O. McKay, Joseph Fielding Smith, Harold B. Lee, and Spencer W. Kimball? Where they racist and fallen too?” They were not merely passive at the wheel, they all rejected requests that the blessings of the Temple and Priesthood be extended to all people. They all upheld the restriction. Using the same logic from earlier, they also must be racists or fallen prophets.

Quickly, you will realize that the Promo train of thought will not only cause you to break your temple covenants #SpeakingIllOfTheLordsAnointed but it will also cause you to reject 11 of the 17 prophets of the restoration! And that number spikes to 15/17 if you include the fact that Ezra Taft Benson, Howard W. Hunter, Gordon B. Hinckley, and Thomas S. Monson were all apostles during the time of the restriction, and if they were real apostles then they would’ve fought against the allegedly racist practice.

Above and beyond having to forsake 15 of the 17 prophets, you will also need to denounce (and they do) the repeated promise that the Prophet won’t lead the Church astray. (For citations of this promise see 25+ Times we Have Been Promised That The Prophet Will Not Lead us Astray). In an attempt to fit the gospel into their ideology of white privilege and white fragility, they end up throwing away every part of the gospel and Church that does not fit into their ideology, which is really their Church. Do people really wonder why so many who advocate this FALSE THEORY OF MEN end up leaving the Church and leading their followers astray too?

If not racism, then how do you explain the Priesthood Restriction??

Bringing us back to what Brother Wilcox was trying to address with the Priesthood restriction; if it is not racism, then what is it? How do we explain the Priesthood restriction? Instead of trying to fit God into the ideological box that you’ve created as the Promos do, you can, in an act of faith and humility, do what Nephi, Brother Wilcox, and millions of Latter-day Saints have done (Including hundreds of thousands of faithful Black Latter-day Saints). You can simply say, “I don’t know.” I don’t know why there was a Priesthood restriction in the Old Testament under the Law of Moses, I don’t know why there was a restriction in preaching the gospel in the New Testament, and I don’t know why there was a Priesthood and Temple restriction in the Latter-days! But I do know that God loves His children and leads and guides and guards His Church.

Let’s be straightforward here. Those speaking ill of the Lord’s anointed (Brigham Young included) on the Great and Spacious building that is in the sky (Social Media via wifi) are the very people we have been warned about. Ignore them, come to the tree and enjoy the fruit. We don’t know everything, but we know enough. But, harken to them and you will regret it for eternity. I think this video puts it perfectly: (If the video does not work, click HERE for a link to it)

THEREFORE WHAT?? Let us follow the example of Anthony Obinna and other faithful black saints.

Is Church history hard? Yes, men have acted beneath their duty many times. People have said and done awful things. But I think we can all take a lesson from Anthony Obinna. Of all the members who get upset or struggle with this aspect of Church history, none have greater reason to be bitter than Anthony Obinna.

After having a vision of the Salt Lake Temple where an angel showed him every room, he wrote to Salt Lake City asking for baptism, and his requests for missionaries to be sent were denied by David O. McKay. He tried repeatedly for almost a decade, each time he was denied. Did he become bitter, call David O. McKay, Brigham Young, and the restriction racist? No! Did he start a movement against the Church, come up with theories justifying his ideology, and rally opposition to challenge the prophet? No! He trusted the Lord and knew the Prophet was called of God. Not only did he NOT become bitter over the denial of blessings, he actively shared the gospel!

Imagine Anthony Obinna, a black man who was denied the Priesthood, sharing the gospel with his friends, who too would be denied the Priesthood, and being able to testify with such power that when the missionaries finally did arrive they were met with long lines of people waiting to be baptized. Anthony Obinna is not the only man who did this, others like, Joseph William Billy Johnson, were also denied the Priesthood but acted in faith and opened the doors of the gospel to Africa. Now Africa has more members of the Church than Europe! (For their stories and more see 7 of the most amazing international pioneer stories that you have never heard!)

Oh that we all could look at the 1978 revelation extending the Priesthood the way that Brother Anthony Obinna did, he wrote to the Prophet and said:

“We are happy for the many hours in the Upper Room of the Temple you spent supplicating the Lord to bring us into the fold. We thank our Heavenly Father for hearing your prayers and ours and by revelation has confirmed the long promised day, and has granted the holy priesthood to us, with the power to exercise its divine authority and enjoy every blessings of the temple.”

Anthony U. Obinna, Francis I. Obinna, and Raymond I. Obinna letter to “Dear Brethren,” Dec. 1, 1978, Edwin Q. Cannon collection, Church History Library, Salt Lake City.

If you liked this article, you’ll love this article about how we are missing the mark with Elder Holland’s BYU address and how it was a rebuking apostate BYU professors teaching things like gender is a spectrum or that the family proclamation is outdated and wrong! See “Three Ways Everyone is Missing the Mark With Elder Holland’s Talk at BYU”

Three Ways Everyone is Missing the Mark With Elder Holland’s Talk at BYU