The Religious Life of Thomas Jefferson [Paperback]

Charles B. Sanford (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1984

In this new study we have a comprehensive account of Jefferson's religious thought, one that provides information about his beliefs and practices that will help remove any misconceptions about his religious life.

Jefferson has long been recognized as a creative thinker ahead of his time. As this book makes clear, he was deeply interested in religious questions that the passing years have made more important. Beyond such obvious issues as war and peace, social justice, and racism, he confronted religious and theological problems that have increasingly concerned later religious thinkers.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Charles B. Sanford, M.Div., M.A., has been a United Methodist minister in Wisconsin since 1964.

Product Details

• Paperback: 246 pages
• Publisher: University of Virginia Press; 4th edition (May 1, 1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0813911311
• ISBN-13: 978-0813911311
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #182,703 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #44 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( J ) > Jefferson, Thomas

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars In-depth Look at Jefferson's Religious Ideas, March 31, 2002

By 

Jill Mayfield (San Antonio, Texas United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Religious Life of Thomas Jefferson (Paperback)

Sanford writes a well-documented but accessible account of Jefferson's religious ideas. Other books on Jefferson's religion extract his ideas from his letters, papers, and speeches, but Sanford goes deeper, tracing the roots of Jefferson's ideas and the influence Enlightenment philosophers played in shaping his thinking. Sanford's book reveals how Jefferson's ideas about liberty, rights, and democracy sprang from his profound belief in God. Sanford's book also shows the contradictions and complexities of Jefferson's beliefs: that he loved Jesus's teachings even while doubting his divinity, that Jefferson attacked immaterialism in religion while believing in the afterlife, and that he contributed to and regularly attended churches while blasting the corruptions of the church and clergy on the Christian faith. I highly recommend this book to understand Jefferson's religious ideas, but to get historical context for the development of this ideas, I recommend as a companion book. "Sworn on the Altar of God" by Edwin Gaustad. Together the two books give a complete potrait of Jefferson's religious life.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Introduction into Jeffersonian Philosophy, July 27, 2005

By 

The Mad Captain - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Religious Life of Thomas Jefferson (Paperback)

One of my favorite books that has helped challenge and shape my spiritual and philosophical outlooks on life. Sanford goes to great length explaining and detailing Thomas Jefferson's views on controversial topics such as the right and nature of Man, nature of God, separation of church and state, religious freedom, deism, Christianity, materialism, morality, and the afterlife. Sanford provides many citations, including Jefferson's personal letters, diaries, personal Jeffersonian Bible, and other primary sources. Sanford carefully places Jefferson's views in historical and cultural context, but yet there's no sugarcoating anything here. It's a great read and I recommend it for any open-minded and mature individual interested in learning about the beliefs that motivated Jefferson and our founding Fathers to create the US Constitituion and a free society.

20 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Religious Life of Thomas Jefferson - profound insight, August 17, 2000

By 

A Customer - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Religious Life of Thomas Jefferson (Paperback)

This book is an excellent look at the deep roots of spirituality, not religion, of one of America's most important founders, Thomas Jefferson.

The book is both informative and very interesting. It's a great book to keep for future reference as well.

It points out that Jefferson, like many of America's key founders, was not a Christian, but was a Deist. That is, he believed in God based on reason and nature, not on the Bible, Torah or Koran or any other man made book.

This is a book that will stimulate your brain and cause you to expand your mind!

Robert L. Johnson