1. The argument of this speech or conference talk is that members of the Church should choose not to be offended or ashamed of the Lord, because it will help us to be able to feel of His love and approval.
2. The audience of this talk is all Latter-day Saints throughout the world who are both active in the gospel, and those who are beginning to feel ashamed or offended by the gospel.
3. The goal of this talk is to persuade Latter-day Saints to stay strong in the gospel and to never leave the gospel or stop being active in it.
4. Elder Andersen attempts to persuade his audience of his argument through several elements of rhetoric:
Ethos- Elder Anderson gives the example from the Bible of when Christ was in Capernaum and he had several followers who could not accept that He was the son of God, and so they "walked no more with him". By giving an example from the New Testament about Christ and his disciples, Elder Anderson gains authority for his argument by revealing how this problem of leaving Christ was a problem with even His closest followers. By using respectable figures such as Christ and His disciples, Elder Anderson's argument gains immediate credibility and respect.
Pathos-Elder Anderson also uses pathos to persuade his audience in behalf of his argument. He gives the statement that " If we are not watchful, our injured, childlike spirit will retreat back into the cold, dark crust of our former bloated ego, leaving behind the warm, healing light of the Savior." The imagery and word choice he uses here evokes emotions of pain, fear and loneliness if we choose to be offended or ashamed. In contrast, he evokes the emotions of warmth, happiness, and peace if we choose to follow the Lord's commandments. These emotions of pain versus happiness are very effective in persuading people to never leave the gospel.
Accurate- Elder Anderson does a good job of being accurate in his argument, and not setting up weak counterarguments. He is realistic in the counterarguments he presents, such as living the commandments of the Lord or the gospel is not easy. He addresses the concerns that members will feel different, isolated, persecuted and they will not understand everything. He understands the problems and concerns people have with keeping the commandments. However, he argues that it is still important not to become offended or ashamed because the blessings will outweigh the hardships.
Sufficient- Elder Anderson does a good job of giving sufficient evidence for his argument. He quotes several examples from the New Testament and Church History of times when members chose to fall away or not. One such example is Fredrick Williams who could have easily left the Church after committing sins; however, he chose to repent and come back to the Lord. Elder Anderson describes the many generations after him who have benefited from his decision to not become ashamed or offended.
5. Due to his use of ethos, pathos, sufficient and accurate evidence, Elder Andersen is successful in persuading his audience to not become ashamed or offended. He understands the concerns and challenges the members face, and any counterarguments they may present. However, he evokes the emotions of peace, happiness and joy with following the Lord's commandments, which is extremely effective for his audience.
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