<![CDATA[Founding Faith: Providence, Politics, and the Birth of Religious Freedom in America]]>

false <![CDATA[Founding Faith: Providence, Politics, and the Birth of Religious Freedom in America]]>

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The culture wars have distorted the dramatic story of how Americans came to worship freely. Many activists on the right maintain that the United States was founded as a “Christian nation.” Many on the left contend that the Founders were secular or Deist and that the First Amendment was designed to boldly separate church and state throughout the land. None of these claims are true, argues Beliefnet.com editor in chief Steven Waldman. With refreshing objectivity, Waldman narrates the real story of how our nation’s Founders forged a new approach to religious liberty, a revolutionary formula that promoted faith . . . by leaving it alone. This fast-paced narrative begins with earlier settlers’ stunningly unsuccessful efforts to create a Christian paradise, and concludes with the presidencies of Washington, Adams, Jefferson, and Madison, during which the men who had devised lofty principles regarding the proper relationship between church and state struggled to practice what they’d preached. We see how religion helped cause, and fuel, the Revolutionary War, and how the surprising alliance between Enlightenment philosophers such as Jefferson and Madison and evangelical Christians resulted in separation of church and state. As the drama unfolds, Founding Faith vividly describes the religious development of five Founders. Benjamin Franklin melded the morality-focused Puritan theology of his youth and the reason-based Enlightenment philosophy of his adulthood. John Adams’s pungent views on religion–hatred of the Church of England and Roman Catholics–stoked his revolutionary fervor and shaped his political strategy. George Washington came to view religious tolerance as a military necessity. Thomas Jefferson pursued a dramatic quest to “rescue” Jesus, in part by editing the Bible. Finally, it was James Madison–the tactical leader of the battle for religious freedom–who crafted an integrated vision of how to prevent tyranny while encouraging religious vibrancy. The spiritual custody battle over the Founding Fathers and the role of religion in America continues today. Waldman provocatively argues that neither side in the culture war has accurately depicted the true origins of the First Amendment. He sets the record straight, revealing the real history of religious freedom to be dramatic, unexpected, paradoxical, and inspiring. An interactive library of the key writings by the Founding Father, on separation of church and state, personal faith, and religious liberty can be found at www.beliefnet.com/foundingfaith. Advance praise for Founding Faith “There is a fierce custody battle going on out there for ownership of the Founding Fathers. Founding Faith strikes me as a major contribution to that debate, a sensible and sophisticated argument that the Founders’ religious convictions defy our current categories.” –Joseph Ellis, author of American Creation “Steven Waldman does a great job describing the nuances of the Founders’ beliefs and the balances they struck, thus rescuing them from those on both sides who would oversimplify their ideas.” –Walter Isaacson, president of the Aspen Institute and author of Benjamin Franklin: An American Life. “This is a history every American should know, and Waldman masterfully tells it.” –Jim Wallis, author of The Great Awakening “Steven Waldman recovers the founders’ true beliefs with an insightful and truly original argument. It will change the way you think about the separation of church and state.” –George Stephanopoulos, chief Washington correspondent, ABC News, and anchor of This Week “Steve Waldman makes the strong case that the culture wars have distorted how and why we have religious freedom in America. Americans can be inspired by this story–the extraordinary birth story of freedom of religion.” –William J. Bennett, author of America: The Last Best Hope “An unusually well-balanced book on an unusually controversial subject. Not every reader will agree with Waldman that, of the Founding Fathers, James Madison’s conclusions about religion and society were best. But all should be grateful for the way Waldman replaces myths with facts, clarifies the complexity in making the Founders speak to present-day problems, and allows the Founders who differed with Madison a full and sympathetic hearing. An exceptionally fair, well-researched, and insightful book.” –Mark A. Noll, University of Notre Dame, author of America’s God

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2008

Founding Faith: Providence, Politics, and the Birth of Religious Freedom in America

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Foundin...more...]]> 4 1 false false Thu Apr 30 19:47:23 -0700 2009 Thu Apr 30 20:00:14 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Apr 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Mar 26 13:51:14 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 13 06:55:41 -0700 2009 Waldman's interview with Krista Tippett, I looked forward to reading this one.

Waldman does a superbly balanced job in describing the beliefs of the major founders of America: Franklin, Washington, Jefferson, Adams and Madison. These men's beliefs, like everyone's, evol...more...]]> 5 0 false false Fri Dec 19 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Mon Jul 28 17:57:06 -0700 2008 Fri Dec 19 10:39:05 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Fri May 09 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu Apr 24 14:30:22 -0700 2008 Fri May 09 11:53:05 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Fri Apr 17 11:23:34 -0700 2009 Fri Apr 17 11:27:09 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Jan 10 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Wed Oct 08 09:34:26 -0700 2008 Sat Jan 10 12:38:44 -0800 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue Aug 05 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri Mar 14 12:21:32 -0700 2008 Thu Aug 14 09:48:47 -0700 2008
Every USian should be required to read this book. It presents a well-researched historical perspective on the founding fath...more...]]> 3 0 false false Thu Apr 03 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu Apr 03 09:30:42 -0700 2008 Thu Apr 03 09:36:46 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon May 19 08:02:31 -0700 2008 Tue Apr 01 10:15:40 -0700 2008 Mon May 19 08:02:31 -0700 2008 He tries to draw attention by centering on a few famous founding father's backgrounds and words, but I think this discussion would have been much more enlightening and interesting if a broader lens had been used.

I would have liked to hear more of the instructive successe...more...]]> 4 0 false false Tue Jan 27 09:27:13 -0800 2009 Tue Jan 27 09:27:13 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Thu May 08 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sun May 11 18:10:07 -0700 2008 Sun May 11 18:28:19 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Wed Jan 21 08:55:27 -0800 2009 Wed Jan 21 08:58:05 -0800 2009 5 0 false false Tue Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Sep 08 17:41:16 -0700 2009 Sat Sep 19 08:17:31 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Wed May 28 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue Jun 24 14:21:33 -0700 2008 Mon Dec 29 09:57:51 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Jun 22 22:36:08 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 22 22:36:39 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Sun Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Thu Jun 11 12:59:49 -0700 2009 Thu Jun 11 13:00:38 -0700 2009 2 0 false false Fri May 02 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Apr 14 21:35:49 -0700 2008 Mon May 19 22:13:51 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Jan 19 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sat Oct 18 17:43:02 -0700 2008 Mon Jan 19 14:53:45 -0800 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sat Mar 14 06:50:21 -0700 2009 Mon Nov 10 07:08:01 -0800 2008 Sat Mar 14 06:50:21 -0700 2009 more...]]>