Robert Millet's duties will expand with his new position as Richard L. Evans Professor of Religious Understanding at BYU. His responsibilities now include manager of Outreach and Interfaith for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints public affairs office.

"He's opening up the eyes of members of our own faith as well as others," said Lori Soza, Millet's secretary since 1990. "He's a person who practices what he teaches."

Traveling around the United States from one meeting to the next, Millet meets with religious leaders to discuss the topic of Mormonism.

"People just don't know what to do with us," Millet said. "Are we Christian? They don't know which category to put us in."

Recently, he went to the Harvard Institute of Religion to discuss doctrine and create understanding. Upcoming trips include California, Oregon, Indiana and Idaho.

Millet plans meetings and conferences with leaders of other faiths that will not even happen until 2005. He expects to be doing some work outside of the country.

At times, he is faced with difficult questions that he does not know the answer to.

Millet related an experience where the Rev. Greg Johnson, evangelical director of Standing Together and Millet's close friend, asked him a doctrinally deep question about grace and temple ordinances that he didn't have an answer to. He asked Johnson to give him a day or two to respond.

"I wrestled with that question ... I was forced to say, what does that mean? Why do we believe in temple work?"

Millet was able to find the answer through studying, pondering and prayer and had the opportunity to explain the answer to Johnson.

"We've just had a type of discovery experience over and over," Millet said. "It's an ongoing process. I've understood more about Christianity and I've understood more about my own faith."

Millet said that he and Johnson have gone beyond religious tolerance to build a relationship of trust and friendship that they use to share their message with other religious leaders.

One of the many accomplishments of the two men is a peaceful religious debate, or dialogue titled, "A Mormon and Evangelical in Conversation." Millet and Johnson recite it to audiences seeking to learn about religious understanding, at which places people do not always understand how they do not get mad at one another.

"I think it's a landmark presentation," Johnson said. "What makes it so valuable and well received is that it's so candid. It can have a great influence on members of both traditions because it's a model of how Christ would have us act."

When asked by co-workers if he thought meeting with people like the Rev. Johnson and reading Christian books was a good use of his time, Millet said he strongly believes that his time is well spent.

"What we're doing is building friendships," Millet said. "Truman Madsen was the master of this. Truman built relationships with religious leaders all over the world, and the church has been blessed by that ... we're building relationships for the church."



Copyright Brigham Young University 5 Jan 2004