At BYU devotional, he warns about the danger of “speculation and false information” in podcasts and on social media.
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) President Dallin H. Oaks speaks in his first public address as president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints during the BYU devotional in Provo on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026.
Provo • In his first major address as president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Dallin H. Oaks urged members across the globe Tuesday to draw closer to Christ to help them overcome any doubts they have about their faith.
“You live in a season where the adversary has become so effective at disguising truth that if you don’t have the Holy Ghost, you will be deceived,” he warned in a devotional at a packed Marriott Center at Brigham Young University. “Many obstacles lie ahead. The distractions will be many. Even active members may sometimes have concerns about some historical, doctrinal or social issues connected with the church.”
The 93-year-old Oaks, a former BYU president, thanked the multitudes of members who have prayed for him as he took the helm of the 17.5 million-member church in October.
This “mantle” of prophet, Oaks said, settled in soon after the Sept. 27 death of his immediate predecessor, President Russell M. Nelson, as did the full weight of his new office.
“Within a few minutes after learning of our president’s death,” he said, “I felt the heaviness of responsibility settle upon me, along with important impressions of what I was required to do now.”
One of Oaks’ goals, he said, is to “help all our members overcome present or future doubts” about the church. The way for them to do so, he added, was to:
• Strengthen their faith in Jesus.
• Increase their humility.
• Seek help from other believers.
• Practice patience.
Beware of social media, podcasts
Oaks cautioned about the danger of “speculation and false information” in podcasts and on social media. He said some individuals protest or question church doctrines without fully understanding them.
“Don’t be persuaded by false or inaccurate information,” Oaks advised. “Discuss your concerns with faithful well-informed friends, and always take those concerns to the Lord.”
Oaks also encouraged Latter-day Saints to remain humble, a “master virtue” that will enable them to grow “closer to Jesus Christ.”
A former Utah Supreme Court justice, he shared a story from his time as a first year professor at The University of Chicago Law School.
A well-known faculty member had died and Oaks was asked to teach his classes until a substitute teacher could be provided.
Oaks fulfilled this assignment — despite the classes being on a legal subject with which he was unfamiliar — and congratulated himself on completing the task. Afterward, one of his students approached Oaks and offered what he expected would be a compliment.
“Mr. Oaks,” the student said. “I was in that class you taught for Professor So-and-So, and I must tell you I was really impressed. You will make a good teacher, some day.”
This sentiment humbled Oaks. “I was overly confident in my abilities as a teacher,” he conceded, “and that student provided a perspective that has blessed me to this day.”
The church’s 18th president, who was joined by wife Kristen at the devotional, said “those of diminishing faith and activity in the restored church are a major source of concern” to the faith’s top leaders.
“The Lord loves all of his children and longs for their return, but we all know examples of returned missionaries who have interrupted their spiritual growth by periods of inactivity,” he said. “We know of youth who have jeopardized their spiritual growth by separating themselves from church teaching, such as those who are expressing little desire to be married or have children.”
In one of his two interviews since rising to church president and in previous sermons, Oaks has raised concerns about young members delaying marriage and childbearing.
This story is developing.