On Monday the Church will release the full text of Volume 1 of Saints: The Story of the Church of Jesus Christ in the Latter Days.[ref]At this moment, the Church History page leads with links to Saints content, as well as videos and articles.[/ref]
The initial few chapters have been rolling out in the Ensign and Liahona since February this year, and those with the Gospel Library app have been able to download these chapters under the “Church History” heading.
Elder Snow has championed this effort to make an accurate narrative history available. Saints is accessible, but the content reflects history rather than faith-promoting folklore (apologies to all the well-intentioned but inadequate storytellers of the past).
For those who desire solid history that won’t destroy your faith, I strongly recommend you read Saints.
I obviously haven’t had a chance to read all of Saints yet, but the opening chapters have clarified points that critics twist to try to destroy faith.
Volume 1 covers the history of matters affecting the Church from 1815 through 1846. This is a fascinating timeframe, where all modern beliefs and practices of the Church were introduced. I look forward to seeing how this volume discusses the events leading up to Joseph Smith’s death and the flight of most Church members from Nauvoo.
Until Monday, I challenge you to read the first seven chapter of Saints and share what “A Ha!” moment you experienced.
For me, the part that was “Wow – Cool!” was the discussion of the great awakening, explaining that there was a redux around the time of Joseph’s Vision.
[Added 5 Sep 2018]
Below are two videos related to the release of Saints:
