Delicately Balanced on the Covenant Path: General Conference Rhetoric under LDS President Russell M. Nelson (2018-2025)

Christian N. K. Anderson, Cross Stream Bioanalytics

Abstract. This article presents a stylometric analysis of rhetorical change in Latter-day Saint General Conference addresses under the last three church presidents. During the four decades in which most current apostles have served in senior leadership, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has moved from growth trajectories consistent with emergence as a global religion to near-zero net growth—though notably without the absolute decline seen in many other American denominations. This period coincides with multiple external pressures: the erosion of confidence in traditional apologetic arguments (e.g., Book of Mormon genetics), rising cultural commitments to egalitarianism amid persistent church positions on gender and sexuality, public scrutiny following revelations of vast institutional wealth coupled with limited charitable expenditure, and struggles to adapt to international membership.

Against this backdrop, quantitative linguistic evidence reveals a marked rhetorical reorientation. Leadership discourse increasingly emphasizes distinctive yet affirmative features of LDS religious life (living prophets, temple worship, covenantal belonging, divine love, and psychological/spiritual benefits) while simultaneously reducing overtly authoritarian, juridical, and judgment-focused language (hierarchical titles, specific sins, and patriarchy). These findings suggest a strategic softening of tone without an explicit doctrinal reversal. The durability of this rhetorical posture remains uncertain, particularly as leadership transitions toward figures associated with more legalistic interpretive frameworks.

Anderson, Christian N. K. 2026. “Delicately Balanced on the Covenant Path: General Conference Rhetoric under LDS President Russell M. Nelson (2018–2025),” Journal of the Mormon Social Science Association 4, no. 1: 17–75. https://doi.org/10.54587/JMSSA.0402