Today’s guest post is from an anonymous friend of the blog. When Elder Clark G. Gilbert was called an apostle on February 12, 2026, I hoped that the theological narcissism that he exhibited as president of BYU-Idaho and as commissioner of Church education, would be tempered as the humility of a call to the apostleship could soften a person.
Theological narcissism, you may ask? I thought it was something I made up, but of course others have thought about it, calling it spiritual or religious narcissism, with the idea being that the person uses religious authority to command fealty to God through them as the vessel of God. It’s something that I think many church leaders strive to avoid. But not Elder Gilbert.
Elder Gilbert famously showcased theological narcissism at church schools, explaining that dissent was not acceptable to God and he was just the messenger. And of course he got to define “dissent” and the fear it engendered is still felt among the faculty.
Now it’s only been a few months since he was called as an apostle, so there’s a lot of time to still change, but when he spoke in conference and had multiple examples of people coming back to the Church through his efforts (couching it in God’s mechanations, of course) I was dismayed.
And then I saw his recent social post yesterday, which he titles “God Loves His Children” and goes on to say “Every time I go somewhere, I think “who does the Lord want me to see? Who do I need to slow down for just a minute?” He explains that “During my recent assignment to the Europe North Area, Christine and I joined nearly 1,500 young single adults gathered in from across Europe. We could feel their strength, hope, and commitment to the gospel. More specifically, I could hear the Lord reaching through me to try to communicate just how much He loved each one of them. Those feelings were real and profound. I know that God loves His children and one of the miracles of my calling is that I repeatedly feel that love pour through me as I teach and minister to others in His name.”
Now I think he recognizes on some level, his narcissism and attempts to soothe his own ego about it as he also explains, “It’s not about me, it’s about the office I carry. And I honor that office and that calling, just like you do.” But this just adds to the problematic nature of his own self-importance.
We all know of other church leaders at all levels of the church, especially bishops and stake presidents, who are narcissists and have done so much spiritual harm to individuals. I would hate to see what it does on a general level if he is truly a narcissist who does not get help.
So I wonder if there isn’t someone who could pull him aside and get him to see a therapist, to untangle some of these narcissist tendencies or manage the narcissism itself. Or maybe he has a google search on his name, and if so “Hi Elder Gilbert!”
And please note that if one truly is truly a servant of God, one does not constantly proclaim it.
Do you all see the same red flags I do?
Wheat & Tares 
Yep.
We had a broadcast for the UK & Ireland (Europe North Area) a few weeks ago, where he was introduced as the Apostle responsible for the area (yes, we have Kevin Pearson as area president, and now Elder Gilbert replacing Elder Cook as overseer). His wife was heading back home at that point as there were family commitments to deal with.
Consulting my notes about what the said to us.. He told us the last time he was at The Hyde Park chapel In London Elder Holland had been presiding there, and had invited him up to the stand and to address the congregation calling him Elder Gilbert, although at the time he was there as part of the Pathways program and not a general Authority. One of his kids pointed out the error. Then he said he had decided to forego what he had originally planned to say, and would instead tell us about events leading up to his call. As CES commissioner he had been preparing material for Pres Oaks scheduled speech to BYU, but after the death of Pres Nelson, Pres Oaks told him that he was going to be giving a different speech, appropriate as President of the church. Whilst he was there waiting with Pres Oaks he had a strong premonition that he would be the next apostle, which was reinforced while Pres Oaks was speaking. He said he dismissed this and didn’t say anything to his wife, who was later frustrated with him. The following morning he had a meeting with Pres Oaks, where he was expecting another research assignment. But that was when Pres Oaks extended the call as an apostle. He said he felt inadequate and unworthy. He called his wife from the car, but it was a busy day with lots of family things happening so they didn’t get to talk about it until that night. There they discussed all the apostles they knew, and the witness of those apostles. He then spoke about being a witness of the name of Christ (quoting from Pres Oaks first conference address as an apostle). He then spoke about gave his testimony as a special witness of the name.
What could be selected from this. About him:
Elder Holland addressed him as Elder when he wasn’t at that time
He did research for Pres Oaks speeches
He had a premonition he would be called
He’s a great dad
He and his wife already knew apostles fairly well
Demonstrating humility:
He said Elder Cook was there to train him and make sure he didn’t mess up
Mentioning his kid saying he wasn’t an Elder
Accepting Pres Oaks discarding the research he’d done for the speech (rather compressing it to a few minutes it turned out)
Not enough confidence in the premonition to say anything to his wife
Expressing sense of inadequacy and unworthiness
Not allowing the call to derail his commitment to his kids in the moment
He managed to come over as human. He seemed to balance his comments about himself with a degree of self-deprecation. At any rate I had been anticipating much worse, given his reputation.
Elder Cook was very eager to tell us how wonderful Elder Gilbert is, and how happy he was to find that it was he who replaced Elder Holland. Elder Holland and Elder Cook having long been friends, since serving together as missionaries in England.
I believe nemo has commentary with video on his channel.
Oaks, Eyring, Bednar, and Gilbert all exude a considerable amount of hubris that makes it difficult for me to cope with.thier teachings. Nelson also. And his leadership seems to have made the problem seemingly less problematic among both them and the membership. The effects of unchecked patriarchal orders and priesthood hierarchy on display. Sad days.
Long, Slow, Deliberate Clapping. This is absolutely true! Well written and very well done. This kind of behavior is everywhere within the LDS Church; and it’s sickening – no wonder people are stepping away. Who wants to listen to the endless drumbeat of presumptive arrogance and self congratulation.
I’ve heard stories but I don’t know Clark Gilbert, I don’t have any first hand experience, and I’m not in a position to judge or characterize the man. But I will generalize that phrases like “I am just a messenger”, “I am my calling”, and “I am an instrument” are both endemic in charismatic religion and seriously off-putting. It is in my (possibly perverse) character that I automatically reject the message or command or instruction attached to those phrases.
Hedgehog,
I wasn’t there, but forgoing his remarks to talk about himself even peppered with “humility,” (which is also theological narcissism, because it’s like “look at me, I’m so humble!”) is peak theological narcissism.
Guest, I find that to be a harsh assessment.
Neurodivergence can be mistaken for narcissism, particularly in attempts to connect socially, to demonstrate connection with an audience.
Do I like Elder Gilbert’s record. No. But he seemed to me to be trying to make an authentic connection with the congregation. To introduce himself to us. It’s rare that the general membership is actually told who the Apostle responsible is, in my experience. And actually I liked that he basically introduced himself.
He is best friends with Mike Lee, and has been for decades. This says pretty much everything about Clark Gilbert you need to know.
But I do think he will mellow out in time. As the Church membership continues to contract, and prophets come and go, and the majority of Church members continue to ignore or defy his instruction, possibly having to come to terms with grandchildren leaving the Church, etc, he will come to realize how truly powerless he is.
I appreciate Hedgehog’s insight from listening to Elder Gilbert. I don’t know if I can tell the difference between narcissism or neurodivergence, and I want to be charitable, so I went to the Internet and found an article posted July 30, 2025, in Psychology Today. The title is “Empathy Deficits, Narcissism, and Neurodivergence.”
Extracts (with my emphasis)–
“Narcissism is shaped by a complex interplay of temperament, environment, and relational modeling, but it is primarily expressed as a relational strategy to manage a fragile ego by controlling others, extracting validation, inflating one’s importance, and avoiding vulnerability. . . . Simply put, narcissism is a dysfunction of the ego, not of neurology.
“This is fundamentally different from autistic individuals, who may struggle with social fluency or timing but who rarely intend to cause harm or control others. The deficits in empathy observed in some autistic individuals are often misunderstandings of social cues, not misanthropy or relational extraction. . . . By contrast, autism is a neurodevelopmental condition that involves differences in communication, social reciprocity, and sensory processing. While autistic people may struggle to interpret nonverbal cues or mirror typical emotional responses, this does not mean they lack empathy. Many autists experience heightened affective or somatic empathy; it just doesn’t always appear in ways that conform to neurotypical expectations.
“The problem arises when blunt communication, flat affect, or sensory overwhelm are read as signs of cruelty or coldness. This has led to decades of misdiagnosis and misattribution, especially for autistic people who are masking or whose empathy is spiritual, intuitive, or deeply internal. Indeed, some autistic people have narcissistic traits or even clinically significant NPD. Others are highly sensitive, codependent, or any variation in between. Autism is not a relational strategy; it’s a neurocognitive difference.”
Is it just me or do some of you also get tired of the false humility Gilbert and other Q15 members express? When someone basically tells you they are humble or modest they’ve already lost the plot. These guys have reached the peak of the Mormon universe and they know it but they pretend like they are so full of humility. I don’t see corporate officers at other organizations speak this way. I guess that’s what it means to “play church” (shout out to B Wilcox).
Hedgehog,
Again, I wasn’t there, so going off your notes may be the wrong approach. However, I will say that for some church members (not me!), calling him neurodivergent is more harsh than narcissistic.
thought problem
what do Gilbert and Uriah Heep have in common?
I never thought I’d be in the position of defending the guy, but he really didn’t come across as Uriah Heap. There was none of that unctuousness.
Edit to add: In Britain self-deprecation is the norm as a social lubricant. Anything else comes across as arrogant. He was addressing British members.
It’s common in the autistic community to hear variations of “Neurotypicals don’t think autistics feel empathy because we don’t react the way they expect. Autistics didn’t think neurotypicals feel empathy because racism, sexism and homelessness exist.”
Hedgehog: Your perspective is really interesting. Based on his actions at BYU, I can’t imagine a worse pick for apostle. Hearing he’s BFFs with Mike Lee? Woof.
vajra2, thanks for the good laugh. Your comparison of Gilbert and Uriah Heap was spot on! For those who don’t know who Uriah Heap is he an insincere flatterer who is trying to use flattery with someone(s) who is in a superior position. In other words, a yes man. He can be found in Charles Dickens’s book “David Copperfield”.
Gilbert glories in making himself look humble to the Q15 and church members while he in fact is anything but modest and humble. From colleagues and family members who have worked under or knew him as the president of BYU-I it appears that he is a very ultra hardcore TBM who feels that it’s his duty to make sure that as the leader he was/is incapable of making mistakes. His word is law, and there is absolutely no questioning anything that he says and does. Ditto for when he was the head of the church’s education system which included the seminary and Institute programs as well as the church’s universities.
BYU professors and staff have had to agree to work under a system that treats them as guilty of who knows what until they can be proven innocent. Empathy and a desire to understand the students, faculty and staff are not shown to anyone regardless of the perceived “misdeed” or inability to follow Gilbert’s rules with exactness and perfection. As it now stands getting a temple recommendation is quite a bit easier than it is to work for the church or to be a student. I personally find it shameful because the individuals who teach or attend seminary, Institute, or the church universities must continually watch their speech and behavior 24/7/365 on and off campus for fear that someone might report them to their bishop, SP or higher. Imagine what this would be like if you have an LGBTQ child or friend who you love and care about. Will you be removed from your job or expelled from the university because you have children, family members or friends who have left the church?
You can thank Gilbert in large part for these unfortunate r changes. I thought that some of the rules at BYU when I was a student were ridiculous and/or very harmful, but I now realize that Gilbert’s reign of fear as a university president, the head of CES and now as a member of the Q15 is even worse than what I put up with as a student at the end of Oaks’s own reign of terror.
No… I don’t see what you are alleging.
I watched the clip of this (before reading this commentary) – and the first thing I thought, was that it was a good example of the emotional manipulation that many current church leaders engage in. They get all teary eyed and emotional, but as a former actor – to me it just looks like a half decent acting performance.
As an aside, I can’t imagine the pope every speaking in this way…
Hawkgrrrl, yes I was really upset that he was called. Horrified actually, given his record. Viewed it (and still do) as a political choice, appeasing the maga crowd. Also not thrilled to hear he’s a friend of Mike Lee.
But, as the new guy, introducing himself to British members, most of whom will have no idea of his record and surrounding controversies, he seemed to be keeping things toned down. I don’t know what I was expecting. But he didn’t come across as a right wing Christian nationalist maga nutjob. He did no worse than any other visiting apostle addressing us, and rather better than some in recent history.
I love it when apostles talk about their own experiences–it gives the members something they can relate to.
I LOVE I love it when apostles talk about their own experiences—it happens so rarely.
According to Elder Marion D Hanks’ son, in a recent “Mormon Land” interview about his dad as a GA in the 60s and 70s, said that his dad and Elder Boyd K Packer never got along, because Packer was way too conservative and exclusionary. Apparently they went head-to-head on a few occasions. Hanks’ son quoted his father as saying Marion D Hanks “was always upset about Boyd Packer”, and that’s how I feel about Clark Gilbert.
Where to even begin….
* It is widely known that Gilbert had an LGBTQ daughter who left the Church while at BYU or shortly thereafter, and it is widely assumed that his jihad against the faculty started or was exacerbated by this happening. Of course it had to be the fault of the faculty…
* His extreme TBM beliefs and narcissism date back to his high school years. This is not anecdotal or second-hand; saw it up close and personal. He has been angling for the big red chair for at least four decades.
* Everything you have heard about Gilbert and his “relationship” with the faculty at BYU is true. If anything, it has been undersold by media and faculty reports. Unfortunately, even though he is no longer commissioner of Church education, his fingerprints and influence remain with the lackeys he put in place in Provo in the administration.
* Not only did Gilbert cause problems for faculty at BYU, his embrace of disruption undermined BYU academically to the point that it now resembles BYU-Idaho South rather than a true research university. In fact, the president of BYU recently had to remind department chairs and deans of BYU’s research mission within CES.
* His first conference talk was quintessential Gilbert–self-referential to the Nth degree, self-righteous, and self-important.
It is going to be a long four decades….
In fact, the president of BYU recently had to remind department chairs and deans of BYU’s research mission within CES.
But he did it and apparently has gotten away with it. So all is not lost.
My final comment on the topic of British self-deprecation is to provide this link to any US folks thinking of visiting us 😉:
https://debretts.com/the-pros-and-cons-of-self-deprecation/
When he and Elder Cook went to London recently and spoke at the Hyde Park Chapel, he went to great lengths to tell everyone about how he was called to be an Apostle. What a waste of time. People come to Church to be nourished and uplifted, not to adore Gilbert. His ego knows no bounds. I can’t stand the guy.
True North, they all do much the same thing. Admittedly I set the bar low to start with, so wasn’t disappointed. At least if they’re talking about themselves, their British ancestors, or when they last visited, or their missionary stories, they aren’t going off on some weird rant they expect me to agree with.. thinking Holland on the Book of Mormon, or Packer on beards, which particularly stick out in my memory.. and neither of which were uplifting.
Also I watched the broadcast from the comfort of my sofa, not being a member of Hyde Park stake. Gone are the days of hiring the NEC and members arriving by coach.