After the War of 1812, a series of revolutionary changes reshaped the Western world—changes we’re still living with today. For the first time in centuries, man was liberated from the authority of kings, the Bible was freed from state control, and faith no longer required forced allegiance. Religion, at last, became a matter of conscience, not conquest.

During this period, the Second Great Awakening surged across the American frontier. It came before, during, and after America’s “second independence” from monarchy. In its wake, revival fires swept through the countryside, capitalism stirred, the industrial revolution surged, and the average citizen began asking bigger questions—not just about society, but about truth.

With Christianity no longer bound to imperial creeds or hierarchical dogma, many believers felt pulled away from denominational reform and toward something deeper—a biblical faith that matched the pattern of the New Testament Church.

And in 1830, from a rural town in upstate New York, a movement emerged—radical in its claims, yet ancient in its structure: a church with apostles and prophets, the gifts of the Spirit, and Christ—not a king, not a pope—as its true leader.

That church was The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Unlike other restorationist attempts, this one didn’t just reform—it claimed divine authority had returned. It declared that angels had ministered, that ancient scripture had come forth, and that God had called a prophet once again.

In less than two centuries, that bold claim—a Restoration of original Christianity—has grown into a global faith of more than 16 million members, with over 70,000 missionaries sent each year to the ends of the earth.

Whatever your background, that story deserves a second look.

And maybe… a first real consideration.

Scott Thormaehlen received his Master’s in History in 2016 and taught U.S. History in the Lone Star College system in Houston, Texas and for Alvin Community College. His writings have appeared in Accuracy in Academia, the Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies at Sam Houston State University, LDS Living, Meridian Magazine, and East Texas History – a project by Sam Houston State University.