Here's what I wrote May 9, 2008 on FR AFTER reading McConkie's son's account:
Any critical assessments or putdowns of republished books of "Mormon Doctrine" since then is an outright slam against the entire First Presidency & General Authorities & the editors & publishers of the book. Many authors make as you reference it mistakes--but when a book is republished, those are fixed. I know many such "mistakes" in McConkie's '58 version were "fixed." But if mistakes continue in the 1966 & 1978 revisions--and you imply that you acknowledge that's the case--then it's not just a one-man doctrinal show.
According to Deseret Book Publishing, owned by the LDS Church, (see The Bruce R. McConkie Story: Reflections of a Son, a biography written by his son, Joseph Fielding McConkie (Deseret, 2003):
On July 5, 1966, President McKay invited Elder McConkie into his office and gave approval for the book to be reprinted if appropriate changes were made and approved. Elder [Spencer W.] Kimball [of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles] was assigned to be Elder McConkie’s mentor in making those changes....My father told me that President McKay had so directed him. In addition to that, I am in possession of handwritten papers by my father affirming that direction.
There ya have it. McConkie acted on his own with no review committee in the late 1950s. Marion Romney, a member of the First Presidency, reviewed the initial work and reported on “errors” in the book. McConkie wanted to fix his 1958 errors and re-publish the book in the early 1960s. Members of The First Presidency told him “no.”
A future LDS “prophet” Spencer Kimball, was assigned as McConkie’s “mentor” leading up to the ’66 revision. McKay and the First Presidency changed their mind…otherwise, McConkie would have been told in the mid-1960s what he was told in the early 1960s, “No, you can’t republish."
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So I said Harold B. Lee in a previous post, but 'twas actually McKay.
So you actually had 3 of the top Lds hierarchists (McKay, Kimball, Romney) overseeing the revision -- along with the "apostle"-author himself -- revising it.
And you, a grassroots Mormon, label it all as just mere man-made "opinion?" Hmmm...Isn't that the accusation Joseph Smith gave in his first vision about all the OTHER sects? That they taught man-made opinions in place of God's commandments?
So what? YOU have some authority to "trump" two Lds "prophets," a first counselor President, & an "apostle" to declare what he PUBLICLY disseminated with official church branding (Deseret Book) as mere "opinion?" (Mormon Doctrine was republished by Deseret)...
And the above citation of this process was published by Deseret.
Finally, why is it then when I read THOUSANDS of Lds curricula pages -- some hard copy, some online -- I find McConkie quoted/references HUNDREDS of times?
That was true for stuff published in the 1970s...the 1980s...the 1990s...well into 2000.
McConkie shows up cited in numerous -- perhaps even almost every -- priesthood manual for several decades!
And he shows up in D&C study manuals & other curricula.
Certainly, they don't quote the most controversial comments. But they DO cite Mormon Doctrine -- and his Millennial Messiah -- and his New Testament Doctrinal Commentary...and a few other of his most controversial works.
The church officially sanctions the document when they reference it for purposes of teaching curricula!