The Story of the Latter-day Saints
Encyclopedia
The Story of the Latter-day Saints is a single-volume history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) by James B. Allen
and Glen M. Leonard
, first published in 1976.
Although seen as well-written and comprehensive, the book was intended for a Latter-day Saint audience, because it detailed minutiae like organizational changes, but didn't focus on issues of interest to new readers on Mormonism. Unlike most earlier Mormon histories, this book focused on casting the church in a broader context, addressed controversial historical issues, and covered the events of the twentieth century.
The following list of the book's chapters also describe its historical scope:
In the 1992 second edition, the last chapter was changed to "Toward a Universal Church, 1974-1990".
's Essentials in Church History was issued as a popular single-volume history of the LDS Church. After Smith's death in 1973, LDS Church and Deseret Book
officials asked the church's Historical Department to write a new single-volume history to replace Essentials in Church History and cover more recent events, while using new sources available in the Church Archives. With the First Presidency
's approval, the department assigned the project to James B. Allen, an Assistant Church Historian, and Glen M. Leonard, a Senior Historical Associate. The Story of the Latter-day Saints was published in 1976, the one-hundredth anniversary of Joseph Fielding Smith's birth.
The book took a non-partisan, factually-sound approach to LDS Church history
and was the first time the entire history of Mormonism was professionally surveyed in one book. It was also one of the first institutionally-sponsored publications to deal frankly with many controversial issues such as the complexities of Nauvoo
, and the church's political, economic, social and doctrinal developments. As professional historians, the authors cast their subject in its historic context, with connections made to larger Restoration
and American movements. The product revealed the challenges and progress of the new Mormon history
in confronting controversy and reevaluating setting and tone.
The book was initially received favorably. It was called a "significant" and "pathbreaking" history of Mormonism. Historian Richard Poll recommended it "to every serious student of Mormonism and every library interested in history, religion or Americana
." Its extensive bibliography
was also respected and seen as noteworthy.
The book was commended for its modern scholarship and dispassionate tone, while representing a faithful LDS perspective. One review noted the authors' "remarkable blend of the scholarly approach and the religious story… They do not feel constrained to bear testimony, and yet they demonstrate an empathy toward Mormonism that could only emanate from devoted members. It is a pleasant balance."
However, this balance risked displeasing both religious and academic readers. Believers in the divinity of all church actions disliked seeing events cast against the influences in their historical setting. History purists wanted discussion of more issues and problems, and felt significant events and details were missing in this concentration of all Mormon history. Allen and Leonard's history was praised and criticized by both Mormon and non-Mormon readers.
Ezra Taft Benson
, he requested a thorough reading by his executive assistant. This produced a critique that asserted the book wasn't spiritual enough to be a "true" LDS history and that the Historical Department's activities should be controlled.
In a speech, Benson publicly worried the book may spiritually harm young church members. He condemned the portrayal of the Word of Wisdom health code and Joseph Smith's visions as being influenced by parallel movements in American history. Benson warned that the terms "experimental systems," "communal life," "primitivists," and "prophet alleged," were offensive and did not promote faith in the church. He advised against purchasing work by "liberal sources," because it would "help sustain their cause."
In a meeting with the First Presidency and Church Historian Leonard J. Arrington
, Benson and Apostle Mark E. Petersen
argued the book was faith-damaging and should have presented more prophetic evidences. Arrington defended it, but agreed to allow future department manuscripts to be reviewed by an Apostle before publication, even though they already passed through a reading committee
of accomplished historians.
While other church leaders agreed that the book was too "secular," several continued to support it, including Howard W. Hunter
and LDS Church President Spencer W. Kimball
. Kimball felt it was a great work and was unhappy with "unchristian" treatment of James B. Allen by some religion faculty at Brigham Young University
(BYU) who were upset by it. Kimball thought Allen had performed honorably in this approved assignment, and "that Benson and Petersen did not have the authority or the right to interfere with the sale of the book." However, such support remained private, to preserve the public unity of the Apostles.
Despite its quick sell-out, The Story of the Latter-day Saints was not reprinted for years, and some doubted it would ever be. It was rumored to be uncitable in publications by Deseret Book and the Church Educational System
.
Eventually, a second printing was approved for 1986. Later, Allen and Leonard prepared a revised and updated manuscript, which was published as a second edition in 1992. After the controversy dissipated, the book was still seen as an influential and notable accomplishment in its field. It is appreciated as respectful and faithful in its approach and "a model example of the new Mormon history… It remains the best one-volume treatment of the Mormon past and the place where the beginning student of LDS history should turn first." Curt Bench, a dealer in fine and rare Mormon books, listed it as one of the 50 most important Mormon books.
James B. Allen (historian)
James Brown "Jim" Allen is an American historian of Mormonism and was an official Assistant Church Historian of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1972–1979.-Biography:...
and Glen M. Leonard
Glen M. Leonard
Glen Milton Leonard is an American historian specializing in Mormon history.- Background :Leonard is a native of Farmington, Utah. He received his Ph.D. in history from the University of Utah. For a time he was managing editor of Utah Historical Quarterly. He has taught at both Brigham Young...
, first published in 1976.
Overview
The authors summarized the tone of their work by identifying four recurring themes that emerged throughout The Story of the Latter-day Saints:- The Latter-day Saints were primarily religiously motivated.
- The church was always influenced by its environment, to some degree.
- The church started small and American, but would grow into an international organization.
- The church has been flexible with some issues, yet committed to certain central teachings.
Although seen as well-written and comprehensive, the book was intended for a Latter-day Saint audience, because it detailed minutiae like organizational changes, but didn't focus on issues of interest to new readers on Mormonism. Unlike most earlier Mormon histories, this book focused on casting the church in a broader context, addressed controversial historical issues, and covered the events of the twentieth century.
The following list of the book's chapters also describe its historical scope:
- The Religious Setting for the Restoration
- The Restoration Commences, 1820-1831
- Unfolding Latter-day Zion, 1831-1836
- The Saints Move On, 1836-1839
- Building the City Beautiful, 1839-1842
- Difficult Days: Nauvoo, 1842-1845
- Exodus to a New Zion, 1846-1850
- Establishing an Ensign, 1851-1856
- In the National Spotlight, 1856-1863
- Challenges and Cooperatives, 1864-1872
- Close of a Career, 1872-1877
- A Turbulent Decade, 1877-1887
- The End of an Era, 1887-1896
- A Time of Transition, 1897-1907
- Consolidating for Growth, 1908-1918
- Change and Continuity in the Postwar Decade, 1919-1930
- The Church and the Great Depression, 1930-1938
- The Church in World War II, 1939-1950
- Foundations for Expansion, 1951-1959
- Correlating the Worldwide Church, 1960-1973
- "Lengthening Our Stride," 1973-1976
In the 1992 second edition, the last chapter was changed to "Toward a Universal Church, 1974-1990".
Impetus
For over 50 years, Joseph Fielding SmithJoseph Fielding Smith
Joseph Fielding Smith, Jr. was the tenth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1970 until his death. He was the son of Joseph F. Smith, who was the sixth president of the LDS Church...
's Essentials in Church History was issued as a popular single-volume history of the LDS Church. After Smith's death in 1973, LDS Church and Deseret Book
Deseret Book
Deseret Book is the largest Latter-day Saint book publisher and also owns a chain of LDS bookstores in the western United States. Over 150 people work in its Salt Lake City headquarters...
officials asked the church's Historical Department to write a new single-volume history to replace Essentials in Church History and cover more recent events, while using new sources available in the Church Archives. With the First Presidency
First Presidency (LDS Church)
The First Presidency is the presiding or governing body of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . It is composed of the President of the Church and his counselors. The First Presidency currently consists of President Thomas S. Monson and his two counselors, Henry B...
's approval, the department assigned the project to James B. Allen, an Assistant Church Historian, and Glen M. Leonard, a Senior Historical Associate. The Story of the Latter-day Saints was published in 1976, the one-hundredth anniversary of Joseph Fielding Smith's birth.
The book took a non-partisan, factually-sound approach to LDS Church history
History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is typically divided into three broad time periods: the early history during the lifetime of Joseph Smith, Jr...
and was the first time the entire history of Mormonism was professionally surveyed in one book. It was also one of the first institutionally-sponsored publications to deal frankly with many controversial issues such as the complexities of Nauvoo
Nauvoo, Illinois
Nauvoo is a small city in Hancock County, Illinois, United States. Although the population was just 1,063 at the 2000 census, and despite being difficult to reach due to its location in a remote corner of Illinois, Nauvoo attracts large numbers of visitors for its historic importance and its...
, and the church's political, economic, social and doctrinal developments. As professional historians, the authors cast their subject in its historic context, with connections made to larger Restoration
Restoration Movement
The Restoration Movement is a Christian movement that began on the American frontier during the Second Great Awakening of the early 19th century...
and American movements. The product revealed the challenges and progress of the new Mormon history
New Mormon history
New Mormon history refers to a style of reporting the history of Mormonism by both Mormon and non-Mormon scholars which departs from earlier more polemical styles of history...
in confronting controversy and reevaluating setting and tone.
Reception
Anticipating high demand, Deseret Book prepared a very large first printing of 35,000. It sold quickly with 10,000 copies in the first month, including 5,000 to the LDS Church's Public Communications department to place in U.S. libraries. Nearly 20,000 copies sold in the first year and the entire original printing was sold out within three years.The book was initially received favorably. It was called a "significant" and "pathbreaking" history of Mormonism. Historian Richard Poll recommended it "to every serious student of Mormonism and every library interested in history, religion or Americana
Americana
Americana refers to artifacts, or a collection of artifacts, related to the history, geography, folklore and cultural heritage of the United States. Many kinds of material fall within the definition of Americana: paintings, prints and drawings; license plates or entire vehicles, household objects,...
." Its extensive bibliography
Bibliography
Bibliography , as a practice, is the academic study of books as physical, cultural objects; in this sense, it is also known as bibliology...
was also respected and seen as noteworthy.
The book was commended for its modern scholarship and dispassionate tone, while representing a faithful LDS perspective. One review noted the authors' "remarkable blend of the scholarly approach and the religious story… They do not feel constrained to bear testimony, and yet they demonstrate an empathy toward Mormonism that could only emanate from devoted members. It is a pleasant balance."
However, this balance risked displeasing both religious and academic readers. Believers in the divinity of all church actions disliked seeing events cast against the influences in their historical setting. History purists wanted discussion of more issues and problems, and felt significant events and details were missing in this concentration of all Mormon history. Allen and Leonard's history was praised and criticized by both Mormon and non-Mormon readers.
Controversy
In 1976, some members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles had concerns that the book wasn't faith-promoting. When they approached quorum presidentPresident of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles is a priesthood calling in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . In general, the President of the Quorum of the Twelve is the most senior Apostle in the church, aside from the President of the Church...
Ezra Taft Benson
Ezra Taft Benson
Ezra Taft Benson was the thirteenth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1985 until his death and was United States Secretary of Agriculture for both terms of the presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower.-Biography:Born on a farm in Whitney, Idaho, Benson was the oldest of...
, he requested a thorough reading by his executive assistant. This produced a critique that asserted the book wasn't spiritual enough to be a "true" LDS history and that the Historical Department's activities should be controlled.
In a speech, Benson publicly worried the book may spiritually harm young church members. He condemned the portrayal of the Word of Wisdom health code and Joseph Smith's visions as being influenced by parallel movements in American history. Benson warned that the terms "experimental systems," "communal life," "primitivists," and "prophet alleged," were offensive and did not promote faith in the church. He advised against purchasing work by "liberal sources," because it would "help sustain their cause."
In a meeting with the First Presidency and Church Historian Leonard J. Arrington
Leonard J. Arrington
Leonard James Arrington was an author, academic and the founder of the Mormon History Association. He is known as the "Dean of Mormon History" and "the Father of Mormon History" because of his many influential contributions to the field.-Biographical background:Arrington was born in Twin Falls,...
, Benson and Apostle Mark E. Petersen
Mark E. Petersen
Mark Edward Petersen was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1944 until his death. Born in Salt Lake City, Utah, he filled the vacancy caused by the excommunication of Richard R. Lyman...
argued the book was faith-damaging and should have presented more prophetic evidences. Arrington defended it, but agreed to allow future department manuscripts to be reviewed by an Apostle before publication, even though they already passed through a reading committee
Peer review
Peer review is a process of self-regulation by a profession or a process of evaluation involving qualified individuals within the relevant field. Peer review methods are employed to maintain standards, improve performance and provide credibility...
of accomplished historians.
While other church leaders agreed that the book was too "secular," several continued to support it, including Howard W. Hunter
Howard W. Hunter
Howard William Hunter was the fourteenth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1994 to 1995. His nine month presidential tenure is the shortest in the history of the Church...
and LDS Church President Spencer W. Kimball
Spencer W. Kimball
Spencer Woolley Kimball was the twelfth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1973 until his death in 1985.-Ancestry:...
. Kimball felt it was a great work and was unhappy with "unchristian" treatment of James B. Allen by some religion faculty at Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
(BYU) who were upset by it. Kimball thought Allen had performed honorably in this approved assignment, and "that Benson and Petersen did not have the authority or the right to interfere with the sale of the book." However, such support remained private, to preserve the public unity of the Apostles.
Despite its quick sell-out, The Story of the Latter-day Saints was not reprinted for years, and some doubted it would ever be. It was rumored to be uncitable in publications by Deseret Book and the Church Educational System
Church Educational System
The Church Educational System of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints consists of several institutions that provide religious and secular education for both Latter-day Saint and non-Latter-day Saint elementary, secondary, and post-secondary students and adult learners...
.
Aftermath
The book fueled growing suspicion and disfavor with the Historical Department's activities, which lead to the History Division's turning point. Plans were canceled for a 16 volume comprehensive history series in honor of the church's sesquicentennial. Division staff were downsized, bureaucratized and eventually transferred to BYU, where they could publish under academic rather than ecclesiastical sponsorship.Eventually, a second printing was approved for 1986. Later, Allen and Leonard prepared a revised and updated manuscript, which was published as a second edition in 1992. After the controversy dissipated, the book was still seen as an influential and notable accomplishment in its field. It is appreciated as respectful and faithful in its approach and "a model example of the new Mormon history… It remains the best one-volume treatment of the Mormon past and the place where the beginning student of LDS history should turn first." Curt Bench, a dealer in fine and rare Mormon books, listed it as one of the 50 most important Mormon books.
Reviews
The following are published reviews of The Story of the Latter-day Saints- Drayton, John N. (Fall 1976). SunstoneSunstone MagazineSunstone is a magazine published by the Sunstone Education Foundation, Inc., a 501 nonprofit corporation, that discusses Mormonism through scholarship, art, short fiction, and poetry. The foundation began the publication in 1974 and considers it a vehicle for free and frank exchange in The Church...
1 (4): 86–88 - Ellsworth, S. George (Winter 1977). BYU StudiesBYU StudiesBYU Studies is a multidisciplinary journal dedicated to publishing articles on a broad array of topics related to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
17 (2): 241–46 - Paul, Rodman W. (July 1977). Western Historical Quarterly 8: 351–53
- Lythgoe, Dennis L. (Autumn 1977). Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon ThoughtDialogue: A Journal of Mormon ThoughtDialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought is an independent quarterly journal of "Mormon thought" that addresses a wide range of issues on Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint Movement....
10 (4): 134–37 - MacKinnon, William P. (Autumn 1977). Arizona and the West 19: 272–74
- Foster, Lawrence (September 1977). Church History 46: 403–04
- Hansen, Klaus J. (Winter 1978). Utah Historical Quarterly 46 (1): 82–86
- Peterson, Charles S. (Winter 1978). Idaho Yesterdays 21 (4): 31–32
- Cannon, Donald Q.Donald Q. CannonDonald Quayle Cannon is a retired professor at Brigham Young University who specializes in Mormon history, particularly early Mormon history and international Mormon history....
(1993). BYU StudiesBYU StudiesBYU Studies is a multidisciplinary journal dedicated to publishing articles on a broad array of topics related to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
33 (3): 618–23 - Bennett, Richard E.Richard E. BennettRichard Edmond Bennett is a professor of Church History and Doctrine at Brigham Young University . Prior to joining the faculty of BYU Bennett was the head of the Department of Archives and Special Collections at the University of Manitoba from 1978-1997.Bennett is a native of Sudbury, Ontario,...
(Spring 1994). Journal of Mormon History 20 (1): 153–56