DOUBTING THOMAS by Mark Beliles and Jerry Newcombe

When Jefferson was a young man he acted as a professing Trinitarian Christian

In 1777. Jefferson helped found an evangelical church

Now in print---for the first time ever---many religious letters and 2 sermons from the church that Jefferson funded and attended

Jefferson encouraged non-coercive religion in public life and the right of state governments to decide religious policy

DOUBTING THOMAS by Mark Beliles and Jerry Newcombe

This new book presents new evidence that calls into question the view that Jefferson was a lifelong skeptic and that he believed in the "naked public square"

When Jefferson was a young man he acted as a professing Trinitarian Christian

Later in life Jefferson changed in his views, privately, to a more unorthodox position. But the point here is that he was not a lifelong skeptic.

In 1777. Jefferson helped found an evangelical church

The same year he wrote the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, Thomas Jefferson helped create the Calvinistical Reformed Church of Charlottesville.

Now in print---for the first time ever---many religious letters and 2 sermons from the church that Jefferson funded and attended

DOUBTING THOMAS contains in the Appendix about a dozen religious letters of Jefferson that have never been in print before now, plus two sermons by Rev. Charles Clay, whose ministry Jefferson supported.

Jefferson encouraged non-coercive religion in public life and the right of state governments to decide religious policy

Jefferson approved and attended regularly the Christian worship services held Sundays at the US Capitol building and in his local courthouse. He refrained from issuing national religious proclamations but had no objection to state proclamations.

Fresh Insights About Jefferson's Religious Views Based on NEW Evidence

"DOUBTING THOMAS? The Religious Life and Legacy of Thomas Jefferson" by MARK A. BELILES and JERRY NEWCOMBE deals with the faith---or the lack thereof---of one of our most important founding fathers. But this volume provides NEW information, some of which has not been in print before. To learn more about the book, see www.americapublications.org DOUBTING THOMAS contains previously unpublished documents including a dozen religious letters by Jefferson and two sermons by his pastor Charles Clay. Jefferson voluntarily joined and donated to Clay’s Calvinistical Reformed Church of Charlottesville.

“A Sect of One”

Doubting Thomas deals with the issue of Jefferson’s faith and actually provides some new material in it never before published, ever. The book shows that he was not a lifelong skeptic. Near the end of his life, he had some private unorthodox views. I like to say: Jefferson was a …

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Avoiding Extremes

[File photo by Jerry Newcombe, in New Orleans at the Ursuline Convent, highlighting a pro-religious freedom letter that our third president wrote to that group of nuns, assuring them of continued religious freedom] In our book, Doubting Thomas, we show a nuanced picture of the faith of Thomas Jefferson. We …

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Was Jefferson a “Confirmed Deist”?

Some people today like to think that Jefferson was basically just an atheistic-type product of the Enlightenment. Doubting Thomas shows that that is not true—nor was he orthodox in his private writing later in life. Having concluded that a secular Enlightenment or Deism were not the origin of many things …

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Conclusion of a Sermon Supported by Thomas Jefferson

The gist of the message by Jefferson’s pastor is that before a holy God, sinful man is in trouble. That’s why Jesus came to be our Savior. Rev. Charles Clay God, The Adversary of the Sinner [continued] Matthew 5:25,26 Agree with thine adversary quickly whiles thou art in the …

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