"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 To learn more about the book, see www.americapublications.org DOUBTING THOMAS contains previously unpublished documents including a dozen religious letters by Jefferson and two sermons by his pastor Charles Clay.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.
The picture is of Harvard, because of the reference below to Dr. Alan Heimert of Harvard. In the book, Doubting Thomas, we show that Jefferson had a lot more Christian influence than people realize. He lived in a hotbed of revivalism. After the Second Great Awakening, religious communities in …
[The photo, by Jerry Newcombe, shows James Madison—who is mentioned in this article] The Central Virginia Piedmont was strongly influenced by religious awakenings almost continuously between 1743 and 1806. Evangelicalism came to dominate the culture, even among Anglican churches. It strongly influenced the personal religious beliefs and activities of men …
In Jefferson’s Albemarle County, there was a great deal of influence—more than realized today—of Presbyterians. Much of the education, including that which Jefferson received and that he was to provide for his children and grandchildren—was positively impacted by Presbyterians. In Albemarle County and environs different denominational groups grew up side …