Harry Potter And Wilford Woodruff: Using Popular Culture In Teaching In The LDS Church In an October 1999 general conference address, Elder Dallin H. Oaks challenged teachers in the Church to become more effective, yet there has been no official follow-up in helping teachers enliven their classes. As the lingua franca for much of society today, and especially young people, popular culture is uniquely suited to add interest and immediacy to sometimes esoteric Church teachings. This session focuses on practical advice about ways to incorporate into gospel contexts everything from Harry Potter and the “sorting hat,” to Indiana Jones’s leap of faith, to items from the New York Times bestseller lists and today’s television shows.

Cheryl L. Bruno