Rex's Analysis of "Why the Church is As True as the Gospel"

Rex McArthur
Professor Kerry Spencer
Writing 150H
September 20, 2011
Sum of Perfection

Aristotle said that, “The whole is more than the sum of its parts,” Meaning that a body of imperfect parts can achieve something by working together that even all the parts working alone couldn’t accomplish. This is an idea that Eugene England stresses in his article, “Why the Church is as True as the Gospel,” which was a preface to a book written under the same title. It is a common catch phrase among members of the the Church to say things like, “the Church is true, but the people aren’t,” or “the Gospel is perfect, but the Church is human, and therefore prone to mistakes.” The Church is made of imperfect parts, but England argues the Church is entirely true, not just the gospel doctrines and principles, but the actual, physical embodiment of the Church. He makes this point very effectively to his audience of Mormon readers by first appealing to logos and their sense of logic by applying analogies. He also appeals to their pathos by sharing personal stories we can sympathize with, and their ethos by quoting from figures we recognize. The combination of these effectively relay his point to the Mormon audience that would be the main readers of this article.

The first way he makes his point is by making simple analogies that would appeal to the readers sense of logos. The use of something of more simplicity leads to a logical agreement with his argument about the church. Michael Novak made a comparison how bonds in marriage can help us grow. Marriage is the assault against our “lonely egos,” and we don’t only need marriage to be imperfect for us to achieve perfection, but we desperately want it as well. Novak states, “My bonds to [my family] hold me back... from many sorts of opportunities. And yet these do not feel like bonds. They are, I know, my liberation. They force me to be a different sort of human being, in a way in which I want and need to be forced.” England applies this to the Gospel by making the point that the church can push us to be better because of its bonds and restrictions. These bonds that are made to hold us back really do force us to be better people. We become the kind of people that we want to be, but are incapable because of our own lack of self discipline. In the Church, we are often taught that the Gospel is the only way to achieve true happiness. By following in Christ’s footsteps, and accepting these restrictions and bonds, we become something else entirely. We are, as Novak puts it, liberated.
England continues the analogy to appeal to logos. He points out that, “In the life of the true Church, as in a good marriage, there are constant opportunities for all to serve.” And it is because of the imperfections that we are allowed to serve. Imagine a church where everyone is perfect. You wouldn’t be able to serve in leadership positions because of your imperfection, and would not be able to learn near as much as you could. Instead, the Church allows imperfections in the leadership because imperfections can help both parties in understanding each other, and grow together towards the ultimate goal of perfection. This helps the Church achieve its ultimate goal, salvation for everyone. One sided marriages and imbalanced religions can cripple the quest for perfection. This appeal to logos by England effectively relays the message to his target audience.

Another way the author makes his point by appealing to the emotion of the audience is by sharing very personal stories.These stories are a blatant appeal to the audiences’ sense of pathos. He shares with us a story about his time as a Branch President in Minnesota. He speaks about the imperfections of the Church, and how they helped the ward grow closer together. He talks of a man they had to bring back into the fold of activity, a woman who was abused by her husband, and a family whose son died in a drunk driving accident. “The Church blessed us all by bringing us together” (225). He is definitely appealing to the emotion of the audience. The audience will be very receptive and sympathize with the people in these stories. The people struggled and were helped through the Church. The members, though not perfect, extended a hand of help in this time of need. The comforting of those that stand in need of comfort is a large mission of the Church, and not only the perfect are allowed to comfort. In fact, the imperfect are needed to comfort. This helps the imperfect on both ends grow. Helping and receiving help from imperfect people is not just a side benefit of the church, but an intended consequence of the perfect gospel being run by imperfect people.

Showing a sense of authority is a great way to get an audience to agree with you.
England employs this to sway his audience by simply quoting a Prophet and President of the Church. He says, “Finally, as President McKay put it...” He then proceeds to give the quote which sums up his point quite well. The power of this specific quote lies in the authority behind it, not just the substance of the quote. Members of the Church are going to be much more receptive to council when they know it was spoken over the pulpit by a prophet. As a Mormon, writing to a Mormon audience, England knows this, and he uses authority figures to effectively communicate his point. That makes this an extremely effective example of appealing to the ethos of the target audience.

Eugene England does a great job of getting his point across by identifying his audience, and then speaking in a way that will appeal to them. He makes the point that the entire church is true, and that the organization is set up in a way that it is the ideal way for all of the saints to achieve salvation. England does so by directly appealing to the logos, pathos and ethos of his audience. First, he uses logic by sharing analogies. He also appeals to the emotion by sharing his personal experiences while a Branch President. Last of all, he appeals to the Ethos of the audience, by showing an example of a prophet making his point to the whole church in a conference address. The article is effectively structured to make his point, and the sum of the parts do add up to be more than the parts could ever be. In fact, the sum is perfection.