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 To learn more about the book, see www.americapublications.org DOUBTING THOMAS contains previously unpublished documents including a dozen religious letters by Jefferson and two sermons by his pastor Charles Clay.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.

Baptists Loved Thomas Jefferson

Contrary to the view often popular today that Thomas Jefferson was an atheist or skeptic who was disliked by the Christians of his day, there were many evangelicals, particularly Baptists, that were grateful when Thomas Jefferson became president. In our book, DOUBTING THOMAS, on the religious life and legacy of …

Continue reading

Jefferson Was a Hero to Evangelicals of His Day—Especially Baptists

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 …

Continue reading

The Danbury Baptists Appreciated Jefferson’s Letter

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, …

Continue reading

Jefferson’s Letter to the Danbury Baptists

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 …

Continue reading