-- During Nov 1986
"The Book of Mormon is the keystone of our religion... Just as the arch crumbles if the keystone is removed, so does all the Church stand or fall with the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. The enemies of the Church understand this clearly. This is why they go to such great lengths to try to disprove the Book of Mormon, for if it can be discredited, the Prophet Joseph Smith goes with it. So does our claim to priesthood keys, and revelation, and the restored Church." -- Ezra Taft Benson, "The Book of Mormon—Keystone of Our Religion," Ensign (1)
-- 4 Dec 1986
[Benson's] son Mark A. Benson [leaves board of the] National Center for Constitutional Studies. (2)
-- 22 Feb 1987
President Ezra Taft Benson speaks at a televised "Fireside for Parents." In his talk (which is later published as a pamphlet, "To the Mothers in Zion") he states, "Contrary to conventional wisdom, a mothers calling is in the home, not in the marketplace." He quotes Spencer W. Kimball: "It was never intended by the Lord that married women should compete with men in employment."
-- March 1987
"Secretary Benson was the target for more organized and sustained attacks than anyone elsein high government office," was how an article in the official LDS Church press later described Benson's controversal term. (3)
-- 12 Mar 1987
Announcement that church's Hotel Utah will be remodeled into additional office building for LDS Bureaucracy. When completed in 1991, renamed "Joseph Smith Memorial Building" has 75,000 square feet of floor space. (4)
-- March 14, 1987
President Benson, then newly President of the Church, gave great emphasis to reading and teaching from the Book of Mormon. That year nearly 450,000 of 2.9 million copies were distributed through the family-to-family program and, during 1988, 1.4 of the 6.6 million printed that year. (5)
-- 25 Apr 1987
The First Presidency announces the creation of four new areas as part of the Church's realignment of worldwide administrative areas.
-- 20 Jun 1987
In a letter sent to priesthood leaders, the First Presidency defines the organizational structure of ward Young Women presidencies and requests consistent midweek activities for Young Women.
-- 15 Aug 1987
The First Presidency announces the renaming of the Church Genealogical Department as the Family History Department.
-- August 28–30 1987
Dedicates Frankfurt Germany Temple. This is the last temple (2nd) dedicated by Benson. The remaining four temples are dedicated by his counselor Gordon B. Hinckley. Typically presidents dedicate temples as their health permits. (6)
-- 4 Sep 1987
A letter from the First Presidency announced the discontinuance of the International Mission. Responsibility for its areas reverted to the respective area presidencies of the Church. (7)
-- November, 1987
Although 565 pages long, Sheri Dew's, Ezra Taft Benson biography skirts the issue of Benson and Communism to the point where the terms "Communism," "John Birch Society," and "Robert Welch" do not appear in its index. (8)
Endnotes:
1 - LDS Quotations, http://www.advent-adam.com/jakestand.html
2 - The Constitution: The Voice of the National Center for Constitutional Studies, Nov. 1985, 4, Dec. 1986, 3 -- as referenced in D. Michael Quinn, "Ezra Taft Benson and Mormon Political Conflicts", Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought 26:2 (Summer 1992) and Quinn, The Mormon Hierarchy: Extensions of Power Salt Lake City (Signature Books, 1994), Chapter 3
3 - Derin Head Rodriguez, "Flora Amussen Benson: Handmaiden of the Lord, Helpmeet of a Prophet, Mother in Zion," Ensign , March 1987, 19. For context and full cite, see Gary James Bergera, '"Rising above Principle": Ezra Taft Benson as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, 1953-61, Part 1', Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought (Fall 2008, v 41)
4 - On This Day in Mormon History, http://onthisdayinmormonhistory.blogspot.com
5 - "Missionaries Number 33,000," Church News, March 14, 1987, 3; "The Family–to-Family Book of Mormon Program," Ensign 17 (May 1987): 101; Edward L. Carter, "Y Scholar Finds 'Explosion' in Book of Mormon Use," Deseret News, June 14, 1997, E2. In 1955 about 300,000 copies of the Book of Mormon were distributed, about 750,000 in 1977, and about 5,440,000 in 1999. Victor L. Ludlow, "Internationalization of the Church" in Out of Obscurity, 210 -- as referenced in Lengthen Your Stride: The Presidency of Spencer W. Kimball (Working Draft)
6 - http://www.ldschurchtemples.com/chronological
7 - Church News: Historical Chronology of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, http://www.ldschurchnewsarchive.com/articles/58765/Historical-chronology-of-The-Church-of-Jesus-Christ-of-Latter-day-Saints.html
8 - Gregory A. Prince and Wm. Robert Write, David O. McKay and the Rise of Modern Mormonism. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press (2005)
LDS History Chronology: Ezra Taft Benson
Mormon History Timeline: the life of Ezra Taft Benson
http://lds-church-history.blogspot.com/
