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Truth Restored
A short history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
158 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1947
About the author
Gordon B. Hinckley
97 books350 followersPresident Hinckley was known, even at the age of 95, as a tireless leader who always put in a full day at the office and traveled extensively around the world to mix with Church members, now numbering nearly 13 million in 171 nations.
His quick wit and humor, combined with an eloquent style at the pulpit, made him one of the most loved of modern Church leaders. A profoundly spiritual man, he had a great fondness for history and often peppered his sermons with stories from the Church’s pioneer past.
He was a popular interview subject with journalists, appearing on 60 Minutes with Mike Wallace and on CNN’s Larry King Live, as well as being quoted and featured in hundreds of newspapers and magazines over the years. During the Salt Lake Olympics of 2002, his request that the Church refrain from proselytizing visitors was credited by media with generating much of the goodwill that flowed to the Church from the international event.
In recent years, a number of major developments in the Church reflected President Hinckley’s personal drive and direction. In calling for 100 temples to be in operation before the end of the year 2000, the Church president committed the Church to a massive temple-building program.
In 1999 — 169 years after the Church was organized by its founder, Joseph Smith — the Church had 56 operating temples. Three years later that number had doubled, largely because of a smaller, highly practical temple architectural plan that delivered these sacred buildings to Church members in far-flung parts of the world. Many more Church members can now experience the sacred ceremonies that occur only in temples, including marriages for eternity and the sealing of families in eternal units.
President Hinckley was the most traveled president in the Church’s history. His duties took him around the world many times to meet with Latter-day Saints in more than 60 countries. He was the first Church president to travel to Spain, where in 1996 he broke ground for a temple in Madrid; and to the African nations of Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Zimbabwe and Cape Verde, where he met with thousands of Latter-day Saints in 1998. In 2005, he traveled nearly 25,000 miles on a seven-nation, nine-day tour to Russia, South Korea, China, Taiwan, India, Kenya, and Nigeria.
At a general conference of Church members in April 2001, President Hinckley initiated the Perpetual Education Fund — an ambitious program to help young members of the Church (mainly returning missionaries from developing countries) receive higher education and work-related training that they would otherwise likely never receive.
Closer to his Salt Lake City home, President Hinckley announced the construction of a new Conference Center in 1996 and dedicated it four years later. Seating 21,000 people, it is believed to be the largest religious and theater auditorium in the world and has become the hub for the Church’s general conference messages to the world, broadcast in 54 languages.
Even before his term as president, President Hinckley’s extensive Church service included 14 years as a counselor in the First Presidency, the highest presiding body in the government of the Church, and 20 years before that as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
President Hinckley was born 23 June 1910 in Salt Lake City, a son of Bryant Stringham and Ada Bitner Hinckley. One of his forebears, Stephen Hopkins, came to America on the Mayflower. Another, Thomas Hinckley, served as governor of the Plymouth Colony from 1680 to 1692.
President Hinckley’s first job was as a newspaper carrier for the Deseret News, a Salt Lake City daily. After attending public schools in Salt Lake City, he earned a bachelor of arts degree at the University of Utah and then served two years as a full-time missionary for the Church in Great Britain. He served with distinction and ultimately was appointed as an assistant to the Church apostle who presided over all the Europe
His quick wit and humor, combined with an eloquent style at the pulpit, made him one of the most loved of modern Church leaders. A profoundly spiritual man, he had a great fondness for history and often peppered his sermons with stories from the Church’s pioneer past.
He was a popular interview subject with journalists, appearing on 60 Minutes with Mike Wallace and on CNN’s Larry King Live, as well as being quoted and featured in hundreds of newspapers and magazines over the years. During the Salt Lake Olympics of 2002, his request that the Church refrain from proselytizing visitors was credited by media with generating much of the goodwill that flowed to the Church from the international event.
In recent years, a number of major developments in the Church reflected President Hinckley’s personal drive and direction. In calling for 100 temples to be in operation before the end of the year 2000, the Church president committed the Church to a massive temple-building program.
In 1999 — 169 years after the Church was organized by its founder, Joseph Smith — the Church had 56 operating temples. Three years later that number had doubled, largely because of a smaller, highly practical temple architectural plan that delivered these sacred buildings to Church members in far-flung parts of the world. Many more Church members can now experience the sacred ceremonies that occur only in temples, including marriages for eternity and the sealing of families in eternal units.
President Hinckley was the most traveled president in the Church’s history. His duties took him around the world many times to meet with Latter-day Saints in more than 60 countries. He was the first Church president to travel to Spain, where in 1996 he broke ground for a temple in Madrid; and to the African nations of Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Zimbabwe and Cape Verde, where he met with thousands of Latter-day Saints in 1998. In 2005, he traveled nearly 25,000 miles on a seven-nation, nine-day tour to Russia, South Korea, China, Taiwan, India, Kenya, and Nigeria.
At a general conference of Church members in April 2001, President Hinckley initiated the Perpetual Education Fund — an ambitious program to help young members of the Church (mainly returning missionaries from developing countries) receive higher education and work-related training that they would otherwise likely never receive.
Closer to his Salt Lake City home, President Hinckley announced the construction of a new Conference Center in 1996 and dedicated it four years later. Seating 21,000 people, it is believed to be the largest religious and theater auditorium in the world and has become the hub for the Church’s general conference messages to the world, broadcast in 54 languages.
Even before his term as president, President Hinckley’s extensive Church service included 14 years as a counselor in the First Presidency, the highest presiding body in the government of the Church, and 20 years before that as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
President Hinckley was born 23 June 1910 in Salt Lake City, a son of Bryant Stringham and Ada Bitner Hinckley. One of his forebears, Stephen Hopkins, came to America on the Mayflower. Another, Thomas Hinckley, served as governor of the Plymouth Colony from 1680 to 1692.
President Hinckley’s first job was as a newspaper carrier for the Deseret News, a Salt Lake City daily. After attending public schools in Salt Lake City, he earned a bachelor of arts degree at the University of Utah and then served two years as a full-time missionary for the Church in Great Britain. He served with distinction and ultimately was appointed as an assistant to the Church apostle who presided over all the Europe
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
December 20, 2015
The LDS church gives people a very sanitized version of its true history.
July 24, 2009
I’m giving this book two stars because I’m grading on an academic/historical curve. As such it is a soft piece, glossy and simplistic with a Sunday School approach. It is testimonial, not objective or comphrehensive.For instance, you won't find a forthright discussion of Joseph Smith's extensive forays into polygamy. As such, I would not recommend it for those wanting to make an academic study of Mormon history.
That being said, this book can be viewed as a useful primer to LDS beliefs. It is readable and accessible. It sits in the same family as other semi-canonized books like A Marvelous Work And a Wonder.
That being said, this book can be viewed as a useful primer to LDS beliefs. It is readable and accessible. It sits in the same family as other semi-canonized books like A Marvelous Work And a Wonder.
February 10, 2016
Love this little book. It contains a sweet story from Church History of my fourth Great-grandfather, Elijah Fordham, being raised from the dead by God's Prophet of the Restoration, Joseph Smith. A modern-day miracle.
April 5, 2010
As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I found this to be a spiritually uplifting book as well as a quick read. I read it on my mission. It tells of important events in church history, and as the title indicates, focuses on events of the Restoration.
For those not aware, restoration refers to our belief that Jesus's church was restored to the earth after a period of "falling away" or apostasy... when the gospel and prophets were no longer on earth in response to their being rejected and killed. It was a time in which false practices became a part of what some still believed to be His church... for example some of the very things which caused Martin Luther to protest, like the selling of indulgences. My understanding of the restoration has lead me to revere people like Martin Luther and William Tyndale... people who made great sacrifices to help people come closer to knowing Jesus Christ and His ways.
For those not aware, restoration refers to our belief that Jesus's church was restored to the earth after a period of "falling away" or apostasy... when the gospel and prophets were no longer on earth in response to their being rejected and killed. It was a time in which false practices became a part of what some still believed to be His church... for example some of the very things which caused Martin Luther to protest, like the selling of indulgences. My understanding of the restoration has lead me to revere people like Martin Luther and William Tyndale... people who made great sacrifices to help people come closer to knowing Jesus Christ and His ways.
January 12, 2019
This was such a great book and learning more about History of my Church The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and how much it’s grown and keeps growing all thanks to Prophet Joseph Smith who restored it and translated the Book of Mormon, but also the many other Prophets after him that are truly servants of God and hold the keys to Heaven and receive revelation to make change and to change people’s lives and heal people all over the World and loves us all along with their counselors even if they don’t know any of us they still love us and pray for us and are amazing people that have gone and are going through so much🙏🏻 I highly recommend this book it’s a must😊
January 15, 2009
Believe it or not, I found that I was bored one night (not that I didn't have anything to do, just that I didn't want to do any of it), so I headed to the bookshelf and "Truth Restored" caught my eye. I hadn't realized it was written by President Hinckley. It was wonderful to read about the history of the Church, and it kind of started me on a Church history kick. It is really fascinating. Although I already new much of the information, there were many bits of information that were new to me. I really enjoyed it.
January 2, 2018
This is a great short history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As a member of the LDS faith, in just a few pages I covered a years worth of Sunday school lessons and the format was great. Often we talk about many of these events as isolated discussions, but it is valuable to go back and put them in context with a brief history such as this. I picked up a number of tidbits, and am glad I added this to my end of year blitz to hit my book reading goal for 2017.
February 17, 2008
I read this when I was either investigating the LDS Church or shortly after I joined, I don't remember which. It was my real introduction to Church History. I found it very interesting. At the time I didn't know much about Gordon B. Hinckley. Little did I know at the time that he would go on to lead the Church as one of it's greatest leaders of the century...
July 14, 2008
Now that I have listened to the Bio of President Gordon B. Hinckley and realized what an integral part he played in bringing the Church out of obscurity, I have an even greater sense of just how enlightened this account is of the Restoration of the Gospel by a backwoods farmboy chosen to be a prophet.
May 4, 2016
I have read this book numerous times. It is one of my go to books as I read my scriptures. Every year I try to read about various aspects of the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine of Covenants. While reading these, I find myself falling back trying to form a more cohesive understanding of the scriptures and the doctrine of the LDS religion.
October 20, 2017
This is a good book for people that are either new to the LDS faith are people who are just curious and want to learn a little more about the LDS faith. This book does covers the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the history of the beginning of the LDS religion. It does not go into much depth on the subject matter are really is just laying the foundational knowledge.
July 3, 2013
This is nearly all familiar history, though there were some things I didn't know, but President Hinckley has such a way with words. This is very much worth reading, and remembering what a remarkable time this was (and still is!). Makes me miss his Conference talks :)
October 18, 2017
Poco puedo agregar de esta obra magnifica sobre la historia de la Iglesia. El libro del Pdte. Hinckley es un clasico de la literatura mormona. Una obra breve y poderosa sobre la restauracion. Con mucho enfasis en los primeros años y en la experiencia de los pioneros.
February 7, 2008
one time growing up, my family read this as scripture study
February 23, 2008
This was a great book to read as a new convert and to learn more about the gospel.
March 3, 2008
great book to edify the soul.
March 27, 2008
This is a great book. It was required reading for my mission.
April 12, 2008
Historically accurate depiction of the restoration of God's authority on earth.
June 11, 2008
That is true!
June 15, 2008
I love the gospel, it is amazing reading books like this on my mission only confirmed my faith in it.
Read
June 18, 2008Special book if you want to know the story of the restoration. The challenges from the beggining, etc.
July 8, 2008
A quick read. Good stuff.
September 19, 2008
One of the major reasons I joined the church I'm in now.
October 23, 2008
It's been a while since I read this book, but I really liked it.
April 10, 2009
I didn't know Pres. Hinckley wrote this book! Do they have it listed right? In any case, I read this on my mission and loved it, of course! It gives very detailed accounts of the Restoration.
July 1, 2016
a basic church history
September 15, 2009
Easy to read. Short and sweet
July 29, 2009
It was not as detailed as I was expecting.
August 18, 2009
Good, basic history of the Latter-day saint movement.
October 9, 2009
This book is a companion book for those studying church history.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews