David L. Holmes (1)

Effectively pokes dozens of holes in the concept that the founding fathers somehow intended the United States to be a Christian nation. Although a handful of the framers were orthodox Christians, the tendency of most was toward Deism, Unitarianism or simply non-religious philosophy. While many of the teachings of Jesus and Christianity were broadly respected, and the founding documents contain some of that language and spirit, there's little support for the claim that the earliest Americans somehow intended this to be a uniquely Christian nation. Sadly, this meme seems to be gaining traction in the political sphere.… (more)

At first, I thought the author was joking about his title since his discussion of the history of the Episcopal Church appeared fairly extensive to me. However, when I reflected on what I read, the book did comprise only a brief overview of this Christian denomination since it separated from the Church of England. However, for most interested in this subject it is sufficient. There is an extensive bibliography for those who desire more depth in particular aspects of the Episcopal Church.

The book begins with a brief chapter on the Anglican Reformation and how it differed from the Protestant Reformation. This chapter is followed by a discussion how the Episcopal Church developed separate from the Church of England. Further chapters detailed how the church grew and disseminated through out the United States and how church life changed during the next two and half centuries.

This book should be of interest to clergy and lay alike.… (more)

This is a very interesting take on the faith of our founding fathers, their wives and the faiths of 20th century presidents. After reading this book, I am still confident that the majority of our founders were indeed religious and mostly Christian in their leanings at some point in their lives. I'm not saying they were angels or great Christians, but, I do think their belief systems were of a religious nature. Remember that the times were very different and religious traditions were very different from the traditions of today. Additionally, I am still convinced that America has been under the protection of a real God, without whom I don't think we could have won the Revolution. Still, the information contained in this historical reference has been very helpful and enlightening.… (more)