The idea that Thomas Jefferson was a lifelong skeptic is not accurate. Later in life, he privately harbored some serious doubts of core Christian doctrines. Meanwhile, while he was president, he did support morally, financially, and often with his presence, various Christian meetings and Christian leaders. Here is what we …
Thomas Jefferson’s Louisiana Purchase sparked some correspondence on religious matters. As chief executive over the new federal Louisiana Territory Jefferson received a letter from the federally appointed Governor of Louisiana, William Claiborne, on June 15, 1804. It included a letter from Rev. Soeur Therese de St. Xavier Farjon, and 11 …
One of the big objections to the idea that Jefferson was a Christian was that he supposedly edited the Bible—and he did it to remove the miracles. It is true that on two occasions, he edited down portions of the sayings of Jesus in the Gospels. Here is a description …
Rev. William Pryce, of the Protestant Episcopal Church in Wilmington, Delaware, wrote to Jefferson asking for his subscription for his very orthodox book about the life of Jesus, and Jefferson replied from Washington on October 15, 1803: “Your favor of the 10 is duly recieved, and I subscribe with great pleasure to the work …
Recently, I had the privilege to appear as a guest on Dr. James Dobson’s Family Talk Radio program. Much of the content dealt with the Doubting Thomas book I co-wrote with Dr. Mark Beliles. You can hear the broadcast here. The book makes the point that our third president was …
To make Thomas Jefferson into a born again Christian is a misrepresentation. But it’s also wrong to present our third president as a lifelong skeptic. From all outward appearances, he was a Christian early in life, who later came to privately doubt some core Christian documents. In either event, he …
[Jerry Newcombe at the Jefferson Memorial.] Contrary to the notion that Thomas Jefferson was a lifelong skeptic of Christianity, he claimed to be a Christian. However, not all professors of Christianity are possessors of true faith. Only God is the judge. Meanwhile, Jefferson claimed to be a Christian, but in …
Thomas Jefferson gave money to Christian ministries and churches all his life. He was very generous in this regard. And he kept meticulous notes in his account book. On March 2, 1803, Thomas Jefferson’s account book shows: “Gave in charity to the Revd. Mr. chambers of Alexandria for his church…50 Dollars.” …
It’s a common modern myth that Thomas Jefferson lived and acted like an atheist all his life. He was a regular church-goer for most of his life. The times he did not attend were during those periods when the local branch of the Episcopal Church, of which he was a …
Contrary to the notion that Thomas Jefferson was a lifelong skeptic, the reality is that our third president had many interactions with Christians and Christian leaders. He was a hero in his day among the evangelicals in Virginia because he championed religious freedom. Later in life, he developed some doubts …