Overview

During the 250th anniversary of American independence, questions have resurfaced about the original principles of the nation's Founding Fathers alongside modern worries regarding ""Christian Nationalism."" The Religious Life and Legacy of Thomas Jefferson goes to the core of these questions with evidence never seen before. Drawing from their larger work, Doubting Thomas?, the authors present a powerful but cogent study of Thomas Jefferson, the author of America's birth certificate-the Declaration of Independence. Through a chronological record of Jefferson's writings and actions on religion-including newly uncovered letters-this insightful resource reveals a man privately questioning some beliefs yet boldly affirming himself as a Christian, as well as being an advocate of nondenominational state support of religion. The authors then trace Jefferson's enduring religious legacy, from his role in securing religious freedom to founding the University of Virginia. Here the modern view of a strict separation of church and state is overwhelmingly proven to be contrary to the thinking and intentions of Jefferson and America's founders. Every American patriot should get reacquainted with America's founding principles and especially with the iconic figure of Thomas Jefferson. This volume is an essential reference for a new generation of patriots, scholars, and especially American Christians seeking to recover from historical amnesia and reconnect with the foundations of the greatest nation on earth.

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9781636989716

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Mark A. Beliles, historian and teacher of American religious culture, founded the Providence Foundation in 1983 through which he has organized several symposiums on Jefferson and religion held at the University of Virginia. He is coauthor of Doubting Thomas? (Morgan James Faith, 2014) and the editor of The Selected Religious Letters and Papers of Thomas Jefferson (America Publications, 2013). He earned his PhD from Whitefield Theological Seminary with his dissertation entitled Churches and Politics in Jefferson’s Virginia (America Publications, 2000). Other books coauthored by Beliles for popular audiences include America’s Providential History and Contending for the Constitution. Beliles, an ordained minister, has served as a senior pastor for 36 years and has spoken in over 60 countries and many cities across America. He resides in Jefferson’s hometown, where he served for many years as chairman of the Charlottesville Historic Resources Committee and cochairman of the city’s 250th anniversary in 2012.

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