Bruce C. Hafen

Bruce C. Hafen
First Quorum of the Seventy
April 6, 1996 (1996-04-06) – October 2, 2010 (2010-10-02)
Called by	Gordon B. Hinckley
End reason	Granted general authority emeritus status
Emeritus General Authority
October 2, 2010 (2010-10-02) – incumbent
Called by	Thomas S. Monson
Personal details
Born	Bruce Clark Hafen October 30, 1940 (1940-10-30) St. George, Utah, United States

Bruce Clark Hafen (born October 30, 1940, St. George, Utah) is an American attorney, academic and religious leader. He was a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy of the LDS Church from 1996 to 2010. During that time he served in several assignments. He served as Area President in Australia/New Zealand, as well as the Europe Central Area of the church. He is a strong advocate of the continued presence of religious thought in higher education.

Biography

Hafen served as president of Ricks College in Rexburg, Idaho from 1978 to 1985. From 1985 to 1989 he served as the dean of the J. Reuben Clark Law School at Brigham Young University (BYU). From 1989 to 1996, he was the Provost of BYU. While in this position he was noted as an advocate of religion in higher education, and specifically for his strong belief that it was the duty of BYU to have faculty who strongly supported its religious principles.

Hafen has written a biography of Neal A. Maxwell, a former member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the LDS Church. Hafen has also written insightful pieces on Latter-day Saint doctrine.^{[citation needed]}

Hafen was raised in southern Utah. He served as an LDS Church missionary in the West German Mission. In 1964, Hafen married Marie Kartchner and they now have seven children.

Hafen received a bachelor's degree in political science and humanities from BYU and his juris doctorate from the University of Utah.

Hafen then worked at Strong, Poelman and Fox. In 1971 to 1976 Hafen worked as an assistant to the president of BYU. He also was a professor at the J. Reuben Clark Law School starting in 1973. From 1976 to 1978 Hafen worked for the Church's correlation department.

On June 4, 2006 Hafen organized an LDS Stake in Hungary, the first stake in that nation. It was the second stake organized in the former Eastern Bloc, although there had also been two stakes organized in East Germany when it was a communist country.

Hafen was a professor of law at BYU from 1973 to 1996. A sample of his scholarly articles includes publications in the Harvard Law Review, Harvard International Law Journal, Michigan Law Review, Duke Law Journal, Ohio State Law Journal, and the American Bar Association Journal. Two of his articles were cited in opinions of the U.S. Supreme Court.

In 2009 Hafen spoke at an Evergreen International conference. He acknowledged that Church leaders and members reach out in love to those with unwanted same-gender attractions. In the context of describing the universal fatherhood of God, Hafen stated, "Having same-gender attraction is NOT in your DNA, but being a child of God clearly IS in your spiritual DNA." Hafen also remarked, "You are not simply a child of God. You are a son or a daughter of God, with all the masculine or feminine connotations of those words."

Hafen said the decision of the American Psychological Association to remove homosexuality from its list of mental disorders was “politically motivated.” He further stated “society and laws have long endorsed marriage between a man and a woman with an honored priority as a significant institution. The result is children...thriving best in a formal family with their own father and mother in a setting befitting society's long-term interests and well-being.”

On October 2, 2010, Hafen was released from the First Quorum of the Seventy and given general authority emeritus status at the LDS Church's semi-annual general conference. He became president of the St. George Utah Temple in November 2010.

Published works

• Hafen, Bruce C. (1986). The Believing Heart: Four Essays on Faith. Salt Lake City, Utah: Bookcraft. 
• —— (1989). The Broken Heart: Applying the Atonement to Life's Experiences. Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book. 
• ——; Hafen, Marie (1994). The Belonging Heart: The Atonement and Relationships with God and Family. Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book. 
• —— (2002). A Disciple's Life: The Biography of Neal A. Maxwell. Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book. 
• —— (2005). Covenant Hearts: Marriage and the Joy of Human Love. Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book. 
• —— (2008). Broken Hearts: Applying the Atonement to Life's Experiences. Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book. 

External links

• The Presidents and First Ladies of Ricks College
• Bruce C. Hafen on Neal A Maxwell Institute.
• Grampa Bill's G.A. Pages: Bruce C. Hafen

Preceded by Henry B. Eyring

President of Ricks College 1978–1985

Succeeded by Joe J. Christensen