Richard Bushman is an American historian and author of Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling
Question: President Nelson has encouraged us to study the restoration in light of the upcoming General Conference. What are you studying? Where are you placing your focus?
Bushman Replied:
Well, I’ll tell you frankly, what most interests me now is how do we construct the kingdom of God?
How do we prepare some kind of organization or set of social structures that can be handed over to Christ when He comes, it will help him to rule.
There’s the wave, the magic-wand theory of the Second Coming, everything will be made right in the twinkling of an eye, but the Mormon style is not. If it’s going to be done. We do it.
We have to make it work ourselves.
So I think we have to think about how a little tiny church, just a speck, less than one half of 1% of the world’s population is going to become influential in many use. And I don’t think we can do it just with church members, we have to find some way of enlarging our influence so people trust us. They trust that we have their best interests at heart. So we say we’re going to help you in this time of stress when the world is falling apart they’ll trust us, you have to have their best interests at heart. And we have to be competent. We have to be good at what we do. If we’re a psychiatrist, we have to be a good psychiatrist, social worker, we have to be good at what we do. So somehow we have to radiate our influence.
So it’s more than just church members that we’re interested in.
So I’m very used to the idea of restoration, which is on President Nelson’s mind is, as you know, right now, what is the restoration? How do we continue the restoration, and for me, it’s building the kingdom.
Maybe you use the word Zion, but right now I’m thinking more of the kingdom of God and how that works.