As we document in our book, DOUBTING THOMAS, Thomas Jefferson had many friends that were clergymen. He was a hero to evangelicals of his day, particularly, the Baptists. Two men representing Cheshire, Massachusetts, Rev. John Leland and Rev. Darius Brown, met with Jefferson in person on January 1, 1802, at …
In 1801, as seen in a recent blog, a group of Baptists from Danbury Connecticut wrote to President Thomas Jefferson and related how pleased they were that he was president. They expressed concern that the government never take away their religious liberties. He wrote them back on Jan. 1, 1802, …
Perhaps the most well-known religious event and correspondence in Jefferson’s presidency took place in early 1802 connected to the issue of church and state relations. It involves Jefferson’s letter to the Danbury Baptist Association in Connecticut—a group of 26 churches in the western part of the state and eastern New …
Contrary to the mythical anti-Christian, anti-clerical Thomas Jefferson, our third president had many positive relationships with various clergymen of different Christian denominations. He did not view the FEDERAL government at the national level (as opposed to at the STATE level) as having any right to do anything religious per se. …
The idea that Thomas Jefferson was a total skeptic is not accurate. He was often a regular church-goer when it was available to him. Here are some things we wrote in DOUBTING THOMAS about our third president’s active church life. On December 28, 1801, James Jackson wrote Thomas Jefferson, saying …
Our third president was very generous in the support of church activities. Thomas Jefferson was not a lifelong skeptic, as some try to make him out to be. Our book, DOUBTING THOMAS, documents this point. It also shows that Jefferson was friendly toward church and religious leaders. In his account …
Thomas Jefferson was not a lifelong skeptic. When Episcopal worship was available to him, he attended church regularly, faithfully. He also donated generously. Meanwhile, in his neck of the woods there were many revivals. Dr. Mark Beliles thinks that perhaps some of Jefferson’s later-in-life doubts of core Christian doctrines, e.g., …
These letters are important evidence to understand Jefferson’s religious life for it shows that Jefferson clearly heard preachers outside of his own Anglican/Episcopal tradition prior to going to Washington. Before looking at more of Jefferson’s relationship with clergymen and religious groups while president in Washington, the previous reference to Presbyterian minister John Glendy’s preaching …
Our book, DOUBTING THOMAS, shows that Thomas Jefferson had a much more nuanced view on Christianity than is often thought. He was not a lifelong atheist or closet skeptic. Earlier in life, he was a professing Christian. Later in life, he quietly questioned some core Christian doctrines. Then, in the …
Our book, DOUBTING THOMAS, covers the religious life and legacy of our third president. We believe the evidence is overwhelming that Thomas Jefferson was not a lifelong skeptic—that said, he apparently doubted some major Christian doctrines later in life, at least on a private basis. Here we talk about some …