What did the founding fathers believe about God and the Bible? Unitarian Universalist minister Kowalski (The Souls of Animals) joins the chorus of answers with this elegantly written book, which clearly situates the founders in an Enlightenment tradition that privileged reason. Charting a middle ground between those who claim the founders either as orthodox Christians or total skeptics, Kowalski argues that they were "religious liberals" who believed in a Creator and in moral law. Benjamin Franklin was more interested in solving scientific riddles than in "otherworldly mysteries"; nonetheless, he became friendly with revivalist George Whitefield. For George Washington, who harbored some doubts about Christian doctrine, Christianity was more about right behavior than belief. Thomas Jefferson believed in Providence and remained an Episcopalian all his life, but was more at home with classical learning than faith. James Madison, Thomas Paine and John Adams receive similarly nuanced treatments. Kowalski illustrates his arguments with just the right quotations from the founders themselves, and his economy of prose is to be commended: he never belabors his points. This slim volume will sit nicely on the shelf with similar offerings by Forrest Church, Jon Meacham and David Holmes. (Feb.)
Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information
"An interesting and valuable contribution to the growing literature of the Founders and their precious legacy of freedom of religion." —Willard Sterne Randall, author, Thomas Jefferson: A Life
“Imaginatively conceived and very well-written.” —Jon Roberts, author, Darwinism and the Divine in America
"A masterful synthesis of the founding fathers' spiritual inclinations." —James E. McWilliams, author, A Revolution in Eating: How the Quest for Food Shaped America
"To the ongoing debate over the place of religion in the early Republic, Gary Kowalski has made a vigorous, thoughtful, and eminently readable contribution." —Forrest Church, author, So Help Me God: The Founding Fathers and the First Great Battle over Church and State
"Should be read for the sheer joy of the read, certainly; but more to the point, it should be required reading for every voting American." —Phyllis Tickle, author, The Shaping of a Life
"A well written look at the beliefs held by America's founding fathers, this readable book will appeal to anyone interested in learning what drove the authors of the Constitution." —MonstersandCritics.com
