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 To learn more about the book, see www.americapublications.org DOUBTING THOMAS contains previously unpublished documents including a dozen religious letters by Jefferson and two sermons by his pastor Charles Clay.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 Continued to Have Positive Interactions with Ministers of the Gospel

Contrary to the myth that Thomas Jefferson was a lifelong skeptic of the Christian faith, our third president was more like this: a lifelong professing Christian, who early in life apparently believed. In 1777, a year after he wrote the first draft of the Declaration of Independence and the same …

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As Jefferson Retired from the White House, He Continued Positive Relations with the Clergy

Contrary to the myth of Thomas Jefferson, the lifelong skeptic or the believer in separation of God and state, the real Thomas Jefferson is much more nuanced in his views. Our book, DOUBTING THOMAS, co-written by Dr. Mark Beliles (a long time pastor in Jefferson’s hometown of Charlottesville, Virginia) and …

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Religious Language in Jefferson’s Correspondence

The phrase “the separation of church and state” is not in the U.S. Constitution. Instead, it’s found in a private letter from Thomas Jefferson that the Supreme Court used in a 1947 decision that forever altered church/state relations in America. We are often given the impression that our third president …

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Jefferson Did Not Advocate the Naked Public Square

The idea that Thomas Jefferson was a lifelong unbeliever cannot be substantiated with the facts. Later in life, because of the influence of Unitarianism, he did begin to privately question key Christian doctrines. But earlier in his life, even when he was president, he was active as a professing Christian. …

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