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 To learn more about the book, see www.americapublications.org DOUBTING THOMAS contains previously unpublished documents including a dozen religious letters by Jefferson and two sermons by his pastor Charles Clay.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

More on the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom

This is a blog that will make more sense if you check the previous entry. The bottom line is, as Governor of Virginia, Thomas Jefferson pushed for a plethora of bills related to religion. Rather than prove him to be an anti-Christian zealot, many of these bills showed a respect …

Continue reading

Jefferson as Virginia Governor Did Not Separate God and State

As we noted in a recent blog, Dr. Daniel Dreisbach, professor at American University, wrote that in 1779, Thomas Jefferson, then serving as governor of Virginia, was the “chair of the Virginia Committee of Revisors,” and as such “he was chief architect” of the set of religious bills that were …

Continue reading

Rewriting Laws for Religious Freedom in Post-Colonial Virginia

A general revision of all laws in Virginia was necessary once America was independent of England. Virginia’s leaders needed to decide how much of the English legal system they would keep as is, and what they would modify to more accurately represent them as independent Virginia Americans. Thomas Jefferson and his …

Continue reading

Thomas Jefferson Donated Money to a Christian School, Later Known as Washington and Lee

Thomas Jefferson was not a lifelong skeptic. But he was a lifelong donor to Christian causes. He took meticulous notes of his gifts to various Christian causes. For example, in November 1777, he donated some of his money to a Christian school—we know it today as Washington and Lee University. …

Continue reading