Issue: Exaltation or Bust — Why Teddy Bear Jesus Won't Get You There

cwic week doctrine exaltation teddy bear jesus Jul 07, 2025

The Vanishing Doctrine: Exaltation

Let’s talk about something big. Everyone’s talking about the Big, Beautiful Bill; let’s talk instead about the “Big, Beautiful Doctrine,” something often missing these days – Exaltation.

I've had some great conversations lately about this, including one with Bruce Porter, who offered some powerful insights on what we're losing. Here’s the core issue: we are not talking about exaltation nearly enough especially at the local level. And when you stop talking about

something, you stop thinking about it. And when you stop thinking about it, you stop reaching for it.

Exaltation isn't just some bonus doctrine for the deep divers of the gospel. It's the whole point. It is the Plan of Salvation in full bloom. It is the revelation of our divine identity and potential. It is the reason behind every ordinance, every covenant, every commandment, every moment of grace and repentance. Without it, everything else is just good advice. And, according to President Oaks, it is the whole purpose of the Church, to bring us to Exaltation.

"But I Hear About It in My Ward!"

I hope you do. Sincerely. If you're hearing about exaltation in your meetings and lessons, then praise God and thank your bishopric. But I'm not just pulling this out of thin air. I travel. I read emails. I hear from saints across the globe. And what I’m hearing is that the message of exaltation is being reduced, softened, and in many cases replaced altogether.

We're not seeing it completely vanish, but we are witnessing its demotion. And in its place? A more digestible gospel. One that doesn't ask so much. One that fits neatly into social media snippets and modern therapeutic language. One that soothes, but doesn’t stretch.

From Temple to Therapy Gospel

This isn’t a new problem. Look at the pattern. In the Old Testament, early doctrines are lost almost immediately. In the New Testament, sacred temple teachings vanish post-resurrection. In the Great Apostasy, doctrines like exaltation, priesthood authority, and ordinances are erased, misinterpreted, or buried under centuries of tradition.

Yet remnants remain. Temple symbols in medieval art. Coronation ceremonies that echo eternal progression. Glimpses of glory in Eastern Orthodoxy. It's all there, like spiritual fossils. But it fades. It always fades.

And today, the fading happens not through fire and sword but through dilution. The adversary isn't always a tyrant; sometimes he's a warm blanket giving you exactly what you want "Jesus loves you just the way you are" and asking nothing more.

Enter: Teddy Bear Jesus

The image of Jesus is being domesticated. Softened. Turned into something snuggly rather than sovereign. Sometimes His portrayal is no longer the King of Kings, the High Priest of the Order of Melchizedek, the Author of Eternal Salvation. Instead, he's a life coach with really good hugs.

This version of Christ asks nothing but your affirmation. No repentance. No sacrifice. No striving for godhood. Just be nice and believe in yourself. That’s not Christianity. That’s self-help in a tunic.

Self-Focus vs. Charity

Here’s where it hits home. As exaltation leaves the stage, something else takes its place: self-focus. The gospel becomes about my anxiety, my healing, my wholeness. Again—these things matter. People suffer. People break. Healing is vital. But it’s not the destination. It’s the triage room on the way to Zion.

Charity is the antidote to self-absorption. It pulls you out of your own head and heart and thrusts you into love and service. It is not just a virtue—it's the engine of exaltation. If you stay buried in

your own wounds, you’ll never have the strength to lift anyone else. And that, my friends, is what God is trying to shape us into—healers, builders, saviors on Mount Zion.

The Descent: From Eternal Laws to Bumper Stickers

Bruce Porter gave a brilliant hierarchy of doctrine:

1.Eternal Laws & Truths – Immutable. Cosmic. Things like "No unclean thing can dwell

with God."

2.Doctrines – Exaltation. Priesthood. Eternal family.

3.Commandments – Don't lie. Keep the Sabbath. Tithe.

4.Principles – Be kind. Be honest. Be helpful.

5.Policies – Dress codes. Meeting formats. Budgeting.

The problem is we often preach and live from the bottom up. We camp out in the realm of principles and policies because it's safer. It's less offensive. It sounds good on a bumper sticker. But the gospel is designed to flow from the top down. The eternal truths must inform everything beneath them, or we risk losing the fire.

The Doctrine of Christ: The Other Missing Link

Exaltation is married to the Doctrine of Christ. You can’t separate them. The Doctrine of Christ is not merely believing in Jesus. It's repenting, being baptized, receiving the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end unto exaltation. It’s the ladder Jacob saw in his dream, leading heavenward. And Christ is the gatekeeper and guide.

Lose the Doctrine of Christ, and exaltation becomes just a motivational idea. Keep it, and everything sharpens. Everything deepens. Everything matters.

What’s Really Under Attack

Let’s not mince words. The real cultural attacks today? They're not random. They are focused. They are doctrinal. And they go straight for the foundations of exaltation:

∙The temple

∙Marriage between a man and a woman

∙The law of chastity

∙Parenthood

∙Gender roles

These aren’t mere traditions. These are eternal components of divine identity and destiny. When they’re undermined, exaltation itself is undermined.

Final Thought: Don’t Lose Focus Of The Ideal

The Covenant Path isn’t a treadmill. It’s a mountain path—sometimes steep, sometimes brutal,

but always upward. The goal isn't survival. It’s to become joint heirs with Christ. Not just better humans.

Don’t trade that vision for comfort. Don’t substitute exaltation for emotional equilibrium. Seek healing, yes. But then rise. Rise to build. Rise to bless. Rise to become.

Because anything less than exaltation isn't just incomplete. It's a missed invitation to become what you were born to be.

Remember: Jesus didn’t bleed from every pore just so you could feel a little better. He did it so you could become like Him.