The doctrine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is intertwined with its history. Our history shapes our collective identity as members of the Lord's restored Church. It gives us examples of past disciples that can inspire us to move forward with faith, even in difficult times. Yet many Church members sometimes feel wary of talking about the past, worried that studying history will somehow lead to a faith crisis. These worries usually center on challenging subjects such as plural marriage or the racial priesthood and temple restriction.

In this book, Matthew J. Grow, historian and managing director of the Church History Department, draws on his expertise and personal experiences to address these concerns and explore the close relationship between faith and history. He first addresses the sacred purposes of history and then presents nine principles that can help Latter-day Saints more wisely and faithfully study the past, particularly difficult topics. After providing these insights, Grown then presents some stories from the past that highlight low history is not something to fear but to embrace—something that can teach us of God's love and how to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.

Grow writes, "Working closely with Church history has built my faith in Jesus Christ, that He restores His Church and that He continues to lead His work on the earth." The hope of this book is that Latter-day Saints can have the same experience—that we will become more confident in studying Church history and have a greater desire to look to our sacred past to bolster our faith and enhance our discipleship of Jesus Christ.