The Faiths of the Founding Fathers

by David L. Holmes

Book Overview

It is not uncommon to hear Christians argue that America was founded as a Christian nation. But how true is this claim?
In this compact book, David L. Holmes offers a clear, concise and illuminating look at the spiritual beliefs of our founding fathers. He begins with an informative account of the religious culture of the late colonial era, surveying the religious groups in each colony. In particular, he sheds light on the various forms of Deism...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195300920
• ISBN13: 9780195300925
• Release Date: May 2006
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.89 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.0" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Important information about the Founding Fathers

First of all, I should point out that I am an Evangelical Christian. I suppose that some Fundamentalists might get upset over a book like this because Holmes calls a spade a spade. He comes across as not having an agenda, either from a Christian or secular humanist point of view. As he points out, many of the Founding Fathers were Deist/Unitarian. At the same time, there were important Founding Fathers whom Holmes proves should be considered Evangelical Christian (i.e. Samuel Adams, John Jay) along with a number of the Fathers' wives. Whether or not these Founding Fathers were Evangelicals, what I think is important is that this country was founded on religious principles, even if they were not conservative in their theology. What I liked about this book is that Holmes made individual examinations of some of the most important founders, including the first five presidents and Benjamin Franklin. I'm not going to say that I'm a huge history buff of the 18th century, but the stories told by Holmes easily kept my attention. His writing style is very scholarly yet very easy to read. The layperson is not going to have to spend large amounts of time with a dictionary in hand because Holmes is not that kind of a writer. Finally, I'd like to explain how I bought this book in the first place. I was at Monticello and saw this in the bookstore. I spent several minutes looking through it, paying special attention to the section on Jefferson. Less than a week later, I was in Williamsburg, VA (where Holmes is currently employed) standing in the Episcopal church near The College of William and Mary where Jefferson had a church box toward the front of the church. I asked the female volunteers of this liberal church about Jefferson. When they told me that Jefferson was a Christian, I used some of Holmes' information to show how Jefferson was probably a Deist or possibly a Unitarian. They denied this information and proceeded to give me a letter to the editor of a local newspaper explaining that Jefferson claimed to be a Christian. According to them, Jefferson should therefore be considered a Christian. This made no sense, I explained, because anyone can claim to be a "Christian," but the proof is in the pudding. Thus, I decided I needed to purchase this book and read it so that, if the situation ever came up again, I could point to a book published by Oxford University Press that would show the truth.

Simply the best book that I have read in years

'The Faiths of the Founding Fathers' by David Holmes is simply the best book that I have read in years. It fully complements works by the famed historians Joseph Ellis and David McCullough. Holmes' book begins by surveying the religious landscape in the mid- and late 18th century. He then takes a closer look at the personal theology of the men most instrumental in the founding of the US: Jefferson, Washington, Franklin, Madison, Monroe, etc. What is more, he also writes about their daughters and wives. These short biopics serve to remind us that leading politicians were not merely influenced by wars and rulers and philosophy and literature, but also by their personal religious beliefs. Historians will appreciate Holmes' use of primary source material (eg, Franklin's epitaph) and detailed endnotes. In sum, this book is well-researched, well written, engaging, and comprehensive. I highly recommend it to all reader audiences.

A must read !!!! 10 stars !!

I bought The Faiths of the Founding Fathers by David L. Holmes along with American Gospel : God, the Founding Fathers, and the Making of a Nation by Jon Meacham and found The Faiths of the Founding Fathers by David L. Holmes to be superior as far as learning the most about the founding fathers and what they believed along with what their wives believed and how they reared their children. What makes this book a book you hate to set down is the indepth and interesting history of not only what they believed but how their beliefs evolved as they grew and matured. The first chapter deals mainly with the varies sects in the American colonies in the late 1770's, and how it varied from New England to the Middle Colonies and the Southern Colonies. Chapter 3 is awesome as the author discusses The Enlightenment Religion of Deism. In fact I believe that if most Americans were to read this chapter they may well call themselves Deists. Then in Chapters 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, the authors specifically writes indepth about the Religious Views of Franklin, Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Madison and Monroe. He also writes about Paine whom I have grown to admire even more! In chapter 11 the author writes about the wives and children of the founding fathers and why Christian orthodoxy was so appealing to the women. As on page 111 where the author notes 'Third, any religion a woman embraced had to address suffering. In early America women constantly faces the specter of suffering, both physical and emotional,' and 'Fourth, Deism may not have accounted for the abundant mystery of life satisfactory enough to persuade women.' On page 110 he had noted 'Second, women were barred from another institution that propagated Deism: college. Young men would enter such institutions as Harvard or William and Mary, read and discuss such authors as Paine, Voltaire, Rousseau, Allen and Palmer, and often change their views of Christianity.' Cannot recommend this book highly enough!!

A first-rate, beautifully written account of an important and timely subject

After reading this book quite carefully, I had to scratch my head in bemused wonder when I encountered the reviewer's words "the desiccating tone is one of technical scholarship that may turn off casual readers looking for a narrative history of this hot-button issue." The tone is not one of "technical scholarship" at all. Nor is the prose at all dry. More accurate, I think, to say that this book is well informed by a lifetime of reading in American religious history and is hence as judicious and balanced in its judgments as anyone could possibly hope for; in its tone, then, it is not "technical" but well informed. And the style is not desiccated (!) but instead warm and welcoming. The book is written in clear, well-crafted sentences devoid of academic jargon and pretentiousness: prose that consistently keeps the reader in mind, indeed welcomes them. For example, The Faiths of the Founding Fathers begins with a chapter called "Religion in the American Colonies in 1770": a topic that could seem dry but which, in Holmes's hands, becomes a richly appealing account, a well-narrated story of what a visitor to this country would have encountered in 1770 up and down the Atlantic Seaboard--a surprisingly variegated landscape of religions. The succeeding chapters provide all that the beginning inquirer would want to know about the religious beliefs not only of Washington, Jefferson, Madison, et al., but also of the wives and daughters of the Founding Fathers. There are surprises here as well. Holmes carefully and clearly delineates the differences between a Deist and an orthodox Christian--and the gradations between these two religious stances. Beyond everything else, this book is a terrific introduction to American religion. The fact that it leaves one wishing to explore further the relationship between religious belief and American statesmanship is all to the good. This study also fills in a gap created by the hyper-attention paid of late to the religious beliefs of the enigmatic "Re-founding" Father Abraham Lincoln. Highly recommended!