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Did you know that shortly before his death in 1877, Brigham Young made significant changes to the structure of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints? He organized the church into geographically based congregations and called a bishop to safeguard the spiritual and temporal welfare of the people in that area.
It’s an example of an event in LDS Church history that likely few know about, yet it played a role in shaping the worldwide faith as it is today.
The pivotal event is featured in a new book, “What You Don’t Know About the 100 Most Important Events in Church History” (Deseret Book, $22.99) by Casey Paul Griffiths, Susan Easton Black and Mary Jane Woodger, three church history professors at Brigham Young University.
“We hope this book starts a conversation about some of the lesser-known things from church history, crucial events that have shaped us as a people,” Griffiths said.
The 321-page volume consists of 100 vignettes written by the authors that highlight well-known events such as the First Vision and the pioneer trek West, as well as lesser-known events such as then-Elder Heber J. Grant’s mission to Japan, the founding of seminaries and institutes, and the statement of the First Presidency on war. Each event draws from the most current scholarship and resources available and they are listed in chronological order. Historic images and interesting facts supplement each short essay.
“The number 100 felt like a nice round number that gives us a chance to cover the classics and include new ones people might not be aware of,” Griffiths said. “It forced us to look back at events in church history and say, ‘Boy, that is amazing but it didn’t really have a lasting impact,’ or, ‘This is something hardly anybody really knows about and it changed the way we look at things.'”
To read the full article on the Deseret News, click here.
