“The gospel of Jesus Christ encompasses much more than avoiding, overcoming, and being cleansed from sin and the bad influences in our lives; it also essentially entails doing good, being good, and becoming better. Repenting of our sins and seeking forgiveness are spiritually necessary, and we must always do so.”

American religious leader and educator

David Allan Bednar is an American religious leader and former educator, known for serving in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was president of Brigham Young University-Idaho from 1997 to 2004. His public work is tied to leadership in the Latter-day Saint church and to higher education. Before becoming an apostle, he led BYU-Idaho as its president, and his words often reflect the concerns of religious teaching, discipleship, and academic life.