Just as temple worship fortifies us to accomplish spiritual tasks, the academic “temples” of BYU campus give us light and power to serve others through knowledge, taught BYU plant and wildlife sciences professor Rick Jellen in the Distinguished Faculty Lecture at Tuesday’s forum.
“I can testify by my own experience that our diligent pursuit of knowledge ‘by study and also by faith’ will enrich our lives, enhance our happiness, glorify God and magnify our talents and abilities to provide consecrated service to the blessing of His children and the edification of His Kingdom,” Jellen said.
Jellen shared the vision of BYU’s first president, Karl G. Maeser, from almost 150 years ago. In his mind, Maeser saw Temple Hill, the future BYU campus, filled with “great temples of learning.” Referencing D&C 93:36, Jellen observed that temples are places that glorify God through intelligence.
“We should therefore view BYU campus learning spaces as sacred precincts where the BYU community engages in the discovery and transmission of light and knowledge. In other words, the good works that we do within these sacred buildings is of divine nature, to God’s glorification, and is, or is meant to be, consecrated.”
The truths unearthed on BYU campus, whether spiritual or secular, and from whatever discipline, come from God, Jellen said, and everyone — students, faculty, staff and administrators — participates in using that knowledge in humanity’s service.
In the sciences where Jellen studies, for example, researchers work with God to discover how the natural world operates and to use that knowledge to better the world. Jellen recalled how early in his BYU career, he made a commitment to dedicate his scientific work to God’s purposes.
"I can testify by my own experience that our diligent pursuit of knowledge ‘by study and also by faith’ will enrich our lives, enhance our happiness, glorify God and magnify our talents and abilities to provide consecrated service to the blessing of His children and the edification of His Kingdom."
As he was teaching a Book of Mormon class on campus, he reviewed and took to heart the admonition in 2 Nephi 32:9 to “pray always, and not faint” and to “not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul.”
Thinking of his work, to that scripture Jellen said he would add, “For the building up of thy kingdom, the blessing of my students and in some small way for the blessing of thy children in other parts of the world.”
Embracing this scripture led to a “fundamental transformation” in Jellen’s approach to being a BYU faculty member. “I saw doors for international research collaborations begin to open,” he said, “and had a flood of ideas about how I could direct my research in ways that would have more impact.”
Over many years, Jellen has formed collaborations and experienced breakthroughs that allowed him to use his research on plant evolution, genome structure and crop breeding to bless others around the world.
For example, he and his colleagues discovered ways to turn a neodomesticated high-protein oat into a crop that could thrive in protein-starved regions of Africa. He has also participated in major discoveries about the quinoa genome and the crop’s potential to grow in developing nations with challenging climates.
“As I have consciously sought to consecrate my efforts for God’s kingdom and for blessing His children, I have encountered, and been sought out by, a host of people — now friends — who share not only research interests but also values,” Jellen said, noting that his collaborators come from many faiths and hold many different worldviews.
“This experience has minimized the temptation to seek individual fame and glory and, instead, provided greater opportunities for me to share my faith in Jesus Christ in professionally appropriate ways and a desire to glorify God and serve humanity. Hopefully, this is a small example of the metaphoric light President Karl G. Maeser envisioned emanating from Temple Hill,” he concluded.
