The April 2018 General Conference confirmed a trend that some have noticed in recent years that, as they speak about various policies, practices, and teachings, Church leaders have been using the terms "revelation" and "the will of the Lord" more often than they had in the past century or more. Why might that be? Are instances of powerful revelation occurring more often, or with greater intensity than before--i.e., as some would say, the Lord truly is "hastening His work" and therefore needs to convey things with a greater sense of urgency? Is it simply a trend that has caught on, or merely greater comfort with terms like these that has made Presidents Nelson and Oaks and various apostles use them more often? Are Church leaders expanding their view of what rises to the status of "revelation" versus "inspiration," or what it means to know "the Lord's will" versus having the Spirit "confirm" something to them? And so forth? It's an interesting observation, and in this episode, frequent guest Mark Crego shares evidence for this trend and poses questions like this, while Mormon Awakenings podcast host Jack Naneek and Mormon Matters host Dan Wotherspoon ask for clarifications and react to what he offers. If we are seeing a genuine trend emerging, what good benefits can follow from this sort of increased rhetorical punch? What cautions might we want to become alerted to? And in all things, how might we be vigilant in exercising our own rights to personal revelation and our role as church members in offering a check and balance to those who may be taking cues from this increased usage to warn or try to control others in ways that violate the principles of effective spiritual leadership laid out in D&C 121?

Please listen in and then share your ideas on these subjects in the comments section!