Founding Faith: Providence, Politics, And The Birth Of Religious Freedom In America (2008) - Plot & Excerpts
This is a solid overview of what the larger group of Founding Fathers in general and five particular founders of note - Franklin, Washington, Adams, Jefferson and Madison - had in the way of persona l beliefs and how this influenced their take on church-state issues.Per the blurb, no, the book won't satisfy either fundies or Gnu Atheists, but it is overall pretty well-reasoned and I find its conclusions agreeable.Per Madison, who had wanted all along, from the start, to "federalize" any US Constitution civil liberties and civil rights issues, anticipating the 14th Amendment, one must wonder how much differently the First Amendment would have been interpreted. (Or how much more carefully, or fully, to remove ammunition from "originalists" like Antonin Scalia.)It's clear, though, that Madison was pretty much an absolutist on this issue and did want to extend it to the state level, that many in New England in the first US Congress session under the new constitution understood this and its impact all too well, and forced him to compromise. Most believers would argue that the United States of America was founded as an intentionally and expressly Christian nation by a group of men who, for the most part, believed in God and His Word. Many secularists, on the other hand, contend that the Constitution’s general silence on matters of faith shows that the country was founded as a secular republic by Founding Fathers who were highly skeptical of organized religion.In Founding Faith, Steven Waldman attempts to show that both groups are only half-right in their assessment of the religious aspects of the nation’s founding. With thorough scholarship and an engaging style, he contends that the facts have been distorted by the polarized rhetoric of today’s culture wars and seeks to present a balanced overview of the (at the time) unheard of ideas of religious freedom that guided the founders’ plans.As he delves into the lives and motivations of the Founding Fathers (specifically Franklin, Washington, Adams, Jefferson, and Madison), Waldman uncovers in each a paradox: disdain for clergy, doctrine, and Scriptural accuracy paired with conviction of the Creator’s sovereignty, reverence for the teachings of Jesus, and value of Christianity’s impact on society. He weaves together their stories to show how the unraveling of state support of religion propelled the Revolution and ultimately allowed Christianity to flourish in ways it could never when tied to the government.While he writes from a perspective that at times seems somewhat antagonistic to orthodox Christianity, Waldman’s book succeeds admirably in disappointing conservatives and liberals by allowing the founders to speak in context. He shows that our nation was not wholly conceived in biblical Christianity or enlightenment rationalism but rather struck a balance that protected the Church by restoring it to its status an entity of believers rather than an institution of government.His implicit point is that the issues are more complex than we’d like them to be, and that the unique story of America’s beginning should teach us volumes about how to live as Christians in today’s world
What do You think about Founding Faith: Providence, Politics, And The Birth Of Religious Freedom In America (2008)?
A very good discussion on the separation of church and state - wonderful!
—EricChoo
Meh, it was okay. American Gospel by Meachem is WAY better.
—nhochanu9x
Faith of the Founding Fathers class fall of sophomore
—Winner5740
