Founding faith : providence, politics, and the birth of religious freedom in America
The culture wars have distorted the dramatic story of how Americans came to worship freely. Author Waldman, cofounder of Beliefnet.com, argues that the United States was not founded as a "Christian nation," nor were the Founding Fathers uniformly secular or Deist. Rather, the Founders forged a new approach to religious liberty, a revolutionary formula that promoted faith--by leaving it alone. His narrative begins with early 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.--From publisher description
History
1 online resource (xvi, 277 pages)
9781588366740, 158836674X
232108694
Print version:
Christian America : settlers try to plant Protestantism as the official faith, and fail
Benjamin Franklin : the Puritan new ager
The evangelical revolution : a cross-eyed preacher fuels the drive for independence and religious freedom
John Adams : the angry Unitarian
The godly roots of rebellion : fear of Anglicans and Catholics helps cause the American Revolution
George Washington : protected by God
Holy war : George Washington uses religious tolerance, and appeals to God, to win the War of Independence
Thomas Jefferson : the pious infidel
Nature's God meets the supreme judge : the Declaration of Independence and the God compromise
James Madison : the radical pluralist
"A diabolical persecution" : a wave of bigotry in Madison's backyard changes history
The mighty current of freedom : after independence, the states begin wrenching themselves from the old church-state models
Forgetting the "powerful friend" : the founders reject 150 years of history
The First Amendment compromise : building a wall that looks good from all sides
Practicing what they preached : the first presidencies bring inspiring rhetoric, dirty politics, and sharp disagreement among the founders
Friends in heaven : the founders end their spiritual journeys and prepare to continue the conversation in the next life
They were right
Electronic reproduction, [Place of publication not identified], HathiTrust Digital Library, 2011