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 To learn more about the book, see www.americapublications.org DOUBTING THOMAS contains previously unpublished documents including a dozen religious letters by Jefferson and two sermons by his pastor Charles Clay.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

Jefferson’s Public Policies

We point out in “Doubting Thomas” that Jefferson would not agree with the secularist witch-hunt that is going on today in modern America in his name. One of the key questions to ask about Thomas Jefferson is about his policies themselves. What did he intend as far as religion in …

Continue reading

Jefferson and the Separation of Church and State-Part 2

It’s important to note that Jefferson did not play a direct role in the writing of the Constitution. He was in France when it was drafted in 1787. He was stateside in 1791 when the Bill of Rights (the first ten amendments to the Constitution) were being written, but he …

Continue reading

Jefferson and the Separation of Church and State-part 1

The popular notion today, which is often distorted, is “the separation of church and state.” This phrase is not found in the Constitution, but rather it comes from a letter from Thomas Jefferson to a religious group (the Baptists of Danbury, Connecticut). All of this is documented and expanded upon …

Continue reading

Creeping Unbelief Over Time

Doubting Thomas deals with the faith of Jefferson and his views of what should and what shouldn’t be allowed of religion in the public arena. We show that Jefferson went through different stages of belief to questioning to private doubts to private skepticism, etc. We document that he was not …

Continue reading