Category Archives: Jerry’s Blog
The Billy Graham of Jefferson’s Day Endorsed Jefferson
Lorenzo Dow was the Billy Graham of Thomas Jefferson’s day. Rev. Dow thought of Jefferson as a champion of religious freedom and as an active Christian. Later in life, on a private basis, Jefferson harbored some serious doubts about core Christian doctrines. Rev. Hugh White was another local minister who …
Jefferson Continued to Have Positive Interactions with Ministers of the Gospel
As Jefferson Retired from the White House, He Continued Positive Relations with the Clergy
Contrary to the myth of Thomas Jefferson, the lifelong skeptic or the believer in separation of God and state, the real Thomas Jefferson is much more nuanced in his views. Our book, DOUBTING THOMAS, co-written by Dr. Mark Beliles (a long time pastor in Jefferson’s hometown of Charlottesville, Virginia) and …
Religious Language in Jefferson’s Correspondence
The phrase “the separation of church and state” is not in the U.S. Constitution. Instead, it’s found in a private letter from Thomas Jefferson that the Supreme Court used in a 1947 decision that forever altered church/state relations in America. We are often given the impression that our third president …
Jefferson Did Not Advocate the Naked Public Square
The idea that Thomas Jefferson was a lifelong unbeliever cannot be substantiated with the facts. Later in life, because of the influence of Unitarianism, he did begin to privately question key Christian doctrines. But earlier in his life, even when he was president, he was active as a professing Christian. …
Why President Jefferson Would Not Call for a Day of Prayer—As President (but he did as Governor)
Thomas Jefferson did many things showing support, even as president, for religion in the public square. For example, he regularly the Christian church services held Sunday mornings at the U.S. Capitol during his presidency. As governor of Virginia, he had written a Prayer Proclamation. But he didn’t think the federal …
Jefferson’s Church and State Policy Defined Further
President Jefferson Corresponded with Many Christians
Repeatedly Jefferson Had Many Positive Interactions with Christians and Churches, Even as President
On December 13 Thomson, sent Jefferson a copy of his translation of the Old Testament from the Greek—providing evidence once again that our third president was a serious student of the Bible. Jefferson replied on Christmas day saying: “I have dipped into it at the few moments of leisure which my vocations permit, and …