Church History in the Fullness of Times: Religion 341-343: the History of the Church of Jesus Christ by Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Sai

by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Church History in the Fullness of Religion 341-343: the History of the Church of Jesus Christ

Genres: Religion, Lds, History, Nonfiction, Church, Historical, Reference

693 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

Reviews

[Matthew Carlson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although lacking in detail on specifics this manual is chocked full of the basic details of LDS Church history. For one who is not seriously interested in history but would nevetheless like to have a good working knowledge of the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints this is would be an excellent choice. Of course, if you want more detail you will have to supplement this volume with other materials.

[Semi-Academic Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

I find interesting, especially, the focus on education, the methods of that education and the effects of that education on/with the early members of the restored Church of Jesus Christ. One can read of how most, but not all, lived the true principles of the gospel. This can be helpful to see how these principles have been applied to real life and have not just remained theory or caught up in debate. I am grateful for the honesty of those who have also shared minor and major failures at trying to live the gospel. These are also helpful for an honest seeker of truth to understand those who have tried to live the gospel, what worked and what may need to be still learned.

[Heidi-Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read about 1/3 of this in my Nauvoo LDS history class. Never got around to the other 2 courses at BYU, but was grateful when my Institute class in VA finished (at top speed) the other 2/3 I hadn't read. I was raised on Church History, and the love for it set early on in me. So I love this book. If I could only keep one of my Institute manuals, this would be it. Of course, it's marked so heavily I don't think anyone else would want it!

I will need an up-to-date version at some point, since this covers up to the Conference Center dedication, and that was over 10 years ago now.

[Gregg B. Jensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has great information about the Prophet, Joseph Smith, and the trials he faced in his extraordinary life. It led to my testimony of him and then of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

[Tanya · Rating 5 out of 5]

While certainly written to shine a positive light upon the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, this account does not whitewash the darker moments of the church's history. I especially enjoyed the chapters covering the last 50 years, largely because those decades are not generally studied. My only complaint is that the manual is current only up to 2000; I would love to read a history of the last nine years, as well.

[Kaylynn Johnsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A comprehensive account of the LDS church. It's all here, anyone can read it. After reading what the pioneers and early members of the church went through I have a deeper appreciation for their sacrifices and their faith.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Church History in the Fulness of Times, by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 643 pages.

Published in 1989, this institute/BYU religion manual is a comprehensive history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints through the beginning of the tenure of President Ezra Taft Benson. This was a year long read for me, in conjunction with reading the Doctrine and Covenants and studying other Church history sources this year. Having already read the Church's recent publications Saints, Vols. 1 and 2, a lot of what was presented in this history textbook was not new to me. It was delivered in a more pedantic, yet thorough style than Saints, and I much preferred the narrative quality to those volumes over this text. Regardless, this is an invaluable resource for those wanting an overview of the origins and growth of this worldwide religion, including its leaders, membership, structure, programs, and changes made over the years as the Church has adapted to growth and expansion. It also covers the impact on historical events outside of the Church and their impact on the Church in general. The manual is quite heavy and more detailed in the earlier years of the church, including through about its first century of existence. While I would not say it's a must-read, I would recommend it for anyone wanting to know more about the Church's history.

[Kay Noble · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book even though it is incomplete! To me it looks like the Saints series will help fill in more recent Church History in it’s series! I love how the Church does educate and inspire people to help us learn to read, write and to do work for others who can’t do it for themselves. There have many false rumors and myths that have been made up but through the Journals that have been kept that have been made known to help clarify and clear up those myths. Also the gift of technology has helped to clear up those myths as well, and to help come unto Christ as united and strong people!

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite classes

[Debbie Lukas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though I'm no longer an active Latter Day Saint, I do still enjoy the history and doctrine, this book is a recommended read for any Christian based mind.

[Leslie Snell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful!

This is a must read.. historical events I had not known.. reading this book gave me a better insight to the church history.

[Alan Casper · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent review of Church history from primary and secondary sources. Faith building and inspiring how the last dispensation began.

[Jeff Crosby]

Official publication.

[Paul Dwigans · Rating 5 out of 5]

“By Their Fruits Ye Shall Know Them”. Logic and the Holy Ghost testify that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is led by the Lord Jesus Christ.

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book; I really did. I wanted to read church history from the church's official perspective and feel like I had obtained a "faithful" view of our sometimes troubling history. This book almost accomplishes that, but not quite. I think if I had not read church history from so many other sources before reading this, I might have liked this more. But because I know there are issues with how JS translated the Book of Mormon or with whether the church sanctioned the Danites, I was disappointed when this book recognized those issues, but then glossed over them with language that doesn't contradict historical fact, but definitely leaves the reader with the wrong impression. I was impressed, however, that the book did not give into historical folklore that is not true but still is often passed on. For example, the book discusses the Willie and Martin handcart companies but does not perpetuate the false account of the three young men carrying everyone in the company across the river and then dying from the effects of their time in the cold river.

The primary problem with the book, I believe, is that it is derived primarily from only two other secondary sources: The Story of the Latter-day Saints, by James B. Allen and Glen M. Leonard, which was published in 1976, and The Church in the Twentieth Century, by Richard O. Cowan, published in 1985. When you review the footnotes for each chapter, you see that more than half of them cite to one of those two books. In fact, entire chapters of this book apparently came verbatim from The Church in the Twentieth Century. I'm sure both books are great ones. In fact, Dr. Cowan was one of my professors at BYU; he taught me the first half of the D&C. He was a great teacher and practically had the D&C memorized. He was also totally blind, but you could hardly tell. I was very impressed by him. But when you derive a history book from other history books, rather than from the primary sources, I think you miss an opportunity to give nuanced explanations of events. I also think such an approach tends to create a more bland history that is harder to read because it does not seem as immediate and close. Moreover, both books were published before more recent findings of historical church documents have improved the accuracy of our view of those early days. This book would definitely benefit from an update based on the Joseph Smith Papers Project.

[Korance · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book solidified much of my understanding about the divine origins and importance of the restored Church. If you can get through the stats and facts there are some really amazing miraculous stories of divine intervention. Reading the history makes me so grateful the church survived, and acknowledge how the world has benefited from the continued outpouring of light and truth since.
What was most surprising to me was how unlikely it was that the organization would survive at all. The fierce opposition to the early church, for me, is one of the strongest testimonies of its importance. It just doesn't seem like normal people would kill and persecute the way they did unless there were some other forces at work. The story always reminds me of Revelation 12:1-4 where the dragon is waiting to devour the child as soon as it is born.

[Jessie · Rating 4 out of 5]

My parents were called on an LDS mission to Palmyra which inspired me to delve in further to early church history. Luckily we owned this manuel and I read it allmost cover to cover. The details it gives are some that I had both heard and not heard before. It is well put together and the reading feels less like a manuel and more like a book. I enjoyed reading this immensly and learned a great deal.

[Breonne · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a good book overall. Since it is over 600 pages it takes awhile to read and at times I found myself thinking about other things as I read it because it has a ton of facts, definately a manual. I would recommend it to anyone interested in church history and those who want to know a little bit about each prophet.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am glad that I read this book, but sometimes I would find my mind wondering as I read things that were often more statistical then entertaining, I'm certain this is the longest it has ever taken me to finish a book. With all that being said I also recognize I didn't read this book for entertainment value, but rather to further understand the roots and progress of my church.

[Faithful · Rating 3 out of 5]

I taught a religious institute class and used this as my syllabus. It has excellent references and topics to explore, particularly with post 19th Century church history. There are, of course, some events and topics that are skimmed over, meaning the book is not 100% comprehensive, but certainly enough.

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished reading this Church History manuel for the third time, and I'm still impressed with it. You can dip into it anywhere, and come out with new insight into people, places, and events. I highly recommend it.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book in addition to the Doctrine and Covenants when I taught this subject in Gospel Doctrine. It was a great help and gave insight as to what was going on during the time of each revelation.

[Addie · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I didn't finish this book (life became extremely busy) I have learned so much from it, and was reminded of a lot of the history that I learned while taking the institute class when I was a teen.

[Cws]

799

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous book for Church history. There isn't one out there that can match it.

[Dr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The definitive accurate source for Church History.

[Jeniann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book because it gives such a great overall history of the Church

[Savanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

It has been fun so far reading the history of our Church. Now the challange will be if I will remember it all when I am done! ;)

[Anna Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous review on everything! Highly recommended for a quick refresher course.

[Albert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommended for anyone and everyone.