Book Review - Reviewing John Eidsmoe, Christianity and the Constitution: The Faith of Our Founding Fathers (1987)
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Book Review Extract: Judging by its title, John Eidsmoe's Christianity and the Constitution: The Faith of Our Founding Fathers, appears to promise an historical look at the religious beliefs and backgrounds of America's founders. It does that - and more-with mixed results. To be sure, there is some good in this book: to the extent that it sticks to its nominal purpose and attempts to document the religious beliefs of some of this nation's founding fathers, Eidsmoe's work is useful. Unfortunately, both the author's scholarship and his motives in writing this book are questionable. His scholarship suffers from his tendency to rely on secondary sources, rather than primary ones, for his citations to the words of the founders. As a result, the context of those original words is called into doubt.
