Window of Faith: Latter-day Saint Perspectives on World History

Book Examines Providence in World Events

How has God shaped world history for the accomplishment of His purposes? Why does He not intervene to prevent natural disasters, disease, war, massacres and other forms of human suffering? These questions are considered in a new book published by Brigham Young University’s Religious Studies Center.

Window of Faith: Latter-day Saint Perspectives on World History, edited by Roy A. Prete, considers the role of divine providence in world events. This volume—the collaboration of many Latter-day Saint scholars—is the culmination of a project that was sparked in Prete’s mind during a historiography class at BYU in 1968. Class discussions led him to explore the question, “How does God intervene in the historical process?” After many years, Prete, returning to BYU on sabbatical, raised a team to rewrite the history of the modern world from a Latter-day Saint perspective.

“This book,” Dr. Prete states, “represents an approach to world history for Latter-day Saints that recognizes the hand of God in the historical process” (ix). The statements of modern prophets and apostles and texts of scripture, ancient and modern, have served as the basis for interpretation. The overall theme of the work is that God, working through human agents, has directed world history for the accomplishment of His purposes. 

The keynote address by Elder Alexander B. Morrison of the Seventy outlines six basic principles, including moral agency, liberty, and the love of God, that guide our understanding of the role of God in history. The book discusses pivotal moments in earth’s history such as the Renaissance, the discovery of America, the Reformation, the formation of parliamentary government in Britain, and the rise of freedom in the United States—events leading the way for the Restoration.

In addition to these themes, the spread of religious freedom elsewhere during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries is identified as a crucial factor that has allowed for the preaching of gospel throughout world, and the technological and scientific developments of the twentieth century are viewed as necessary factors that make possible the accomplishment of the Church’s mission to take the gospel to the world.
 
“All told,” states Ronald Walker, professor of history at BYU, “these essays are a persistent demand and a welcome reminder . . . that Mormons—Mormon historians in particular—need to think seriously about faith as well as scholarship when writing history. [Dr. Prete] and his coauthors ask good questions: Does a postmodern mind make room for a Jehovah to accomplish His purposes? Is there a divine purpose in history? Does the Restoration bring a special knowledge and a special duty? Where does an author’s personal revelation fit in?”

“This book,” Dr. Walker adds, “will interest gospel readers—not just historians. Those seeking to understand how the Restoration message might shape an understanding of the past will be drawn to it. Those with faith that God is at the helm will appreciate the book’s many insights.”

On October 31, Dr. Prete will deliver a guest lecture titled “Providential History: A Latter-day Saint Perspective" in the HBLL Auditorium, 3:00 to 3:50 p.m. Media interviews are welcome.

Media contact:
Roy A. Prete
Phone: (613) 541-6000, x6238
E-mail: prete-r@rmc.ca

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