Brigham Young University welcomed Sheri Dew, Deseret Book’s CEO, to give the 2025 Truman G. Madsen lecture Oct. 15.
The Hinkley Center overflowed with visitors in anticipation of Dew’s arrival. In honor of his services to the Wheatley Institute, President D. Todd Christofferson, the newly appointed second counselor of the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was in attendance. Dew’s lecture was organized as a dedication to her mentor, Truman G. Madsen, followed by a brief question-and-answer session focused on the power of divine identity.
BYU President, C. Shane Reese, gave his opening remarks before Dew took the stage — paying homage to both President Christofferson and Dew’s services to the institution.
“President Christofferson is a special witness of the name of Jesus Christ in all the world … It is my absolute honor to introduce and welcome Sheri Dew,” Reese said.
After his formal introductions, Sheri Dew began her lecture by testifying about how Madsen would be spending his time if he were alive and giving the lecture himself.
“Truman spent his life testifying of prophets. If he were here tonight, he would testify of prophets,” Dew said.
Dew personally knew Madsen in her early career and spoke about how her mentor had helped her early understanding of who she was both personally and professionally. Dew described her young self as a “rookie editor” receiving an unexpected respect from Madsen because he saw her as an eternal being.
“Our identity, or how we see ourselves, affects everything,” Dew said.
The Truman G. Madsen lecture itself, an annual occurrence, was referenced as the “Eternal Man and the Power of Identity” lecture, referring to Madsen’s book "Eternal Man." Dew quoted the book repeatedly throughout the lecture, using it as a core inspiration to discuss the significance of divine identity.
When the lecture turned solely to the subject of identity, Dew asked three questions to help listeners ponder and discover their own divine identities:
- “Who is God?”
- “Who is Jesus Christ?”
- “Who are we?”
Dew referenced a plethora of general authorities, both past and present, throughout the lecture. Toward the end of her lecture, as if to drive home her central message in the face of adversity, she even referenced a widely recognizable figure.
“No wonder the adversary is using everything in his playbook to deceive us into defining ourselves as anything but children of God. This evokes that classic moment in ‘The Lion King’ when the spirit of Mufasa comes back from the dead to tutor his wayward son, Simba. ‘You have forgotten who you are because you have forgotten me,’” Dew said.
After Dew concluded her remarks, she was joined on stage by Paul Edwards, the Wheatley Institute’s director, to moderate the question and answer session of the lecture.
“This is such a treat to have us with you again,” Edwards said, referring to Dew’s prior work with the Wheatley Institute.
Audience members were given a QR code to submit their questions regarding Madsen, "Eternal Man" and the power of divine identity.
When Dew was asked about recognizing one’s divine identity while occupying a leading role in the professional world, Dew responded by drawing attention to President Christofferson’s presence in the audience.
“Can I just say, it’s pretty intimidating to answer questions with a member of the First Presidency here,” Dew said.
Dew’s remark was answered with a ripple of laughter throughout the audience. After the silence returned, Dew discussed the values of discovering Christlike leadership in individual situations.
Dew answered questions throughout the night and eventually left a final piece of wisdom about how to have confidence in one’s identity when navigating life.
“If you’re where you think the Lord has put you, then you’re gonna be ok,” Dew said.
After the lecture ended, audience members met with both Dew and President Christofferson to exchange pleasantries and take pictures. Afterwards, they convened in the Hinkley Center’s lobby for refreshments.