The First Amendment Religion Clause: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…” This book takes an in-depth look at the religion clause portion of the First Amendment using historical documents and letters. In chapter one examples are given of the historical reasons for why the Framers of the First Amendment (the Founding Fathers) thought it was necessary to list religion as part of the Bill of Rights in the manner that they did. In chapter two documentation is presented showing how they applied it during their times of service in government. The application of the 14th Amendment is examined along with whether or not it should be applied to the 1st Amendment based on the history of both. In chapter three a complete analysis is made of Thomas Jefferson’s “wall of separation” letter, and in chapter four an in-depth investigation is taken into Jefferson’s Virginian Act for Establishing Religious Freedom, James Madison’s Memorial and Remonstrance Against Religious Assessments, and Madison’s Detached Memoranda essay on religion and government interaction. These documents, along with others examined in this book, display the Founding Fathers’ views as to why there is a religious clause, and what its proper application should be between church (that is, religion) and state. This book also contains present day solutions for how the government could act legally and constitutionally regarding religion (and related religious books) and toward those who claim religious reasons as their motivation to physically harm others. History reveals the continued purpose and need for the Religion Clause in the Bill of Rights.

In this original and illuminating book, Denise A. Spellberg reveals a little-known but crucial dimension of the story of American religious freedom—a drama in which Islam played a surprising role. In 1765, eleven years before composing the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson bought a Qur’an. This marked only the beginning of his lifelong interest in Islam, and he would go on to acquire numerous books on Middle Eastern languages, history, and travel, taking extensive notes on Islam as it relates to English common law. Jefferson sought to understand Islam notwithstanding his personal disdain for the faith, a sentiment prevalent among his Protestant contemporaries in England and America. But unlike most of them, by 1776 Jefferson could imagine Muslims as future citizens of his new country. Based on groundbreaking research, Spellberg compellingly recounts how a handful of the Founders, Jefferson foremost among them, drew upon Enlightenment ideas about the toleration of Muslims (then deemed the ultimate outsiders in Western society) to fashion out of what had been a purely speculative debate a practical foundation for governance in America. In this way, Muslims, who were not even known to exist in the colonies, became the imaginary outer limit for an unprecedented, uniquely American religious pluralism that would also encompass the actual despised minorities of Jews and Catholics. The rancorous public dispute concerning the inclusion of Muslims, for which principle Jefferson’s political foes would vilify him to the end of his life, thus became decisive in the Founders’ ultimate judgment not to establish a Protestant nation, as they might well have done. As popular suspicions about Islam persist and the numbers of American Muslim citizenry grow into the millions, Spellberg’s revelatory understanding of this radical notion of the Founders is more urgent than ever. Thomas Jefferson’s Qur’an is a timely look at the ideals that existed at our country’s creation, and their fundamental implications for our present and future.

The authors of the papers published here come from a dozen different countries and represent different expressions of Baptist life. The papers were delivered at the third International Conference on Baptist Studies, held at the International Baptist Theological Seminary in Prague in July 2003, with the theme Baptist Identities. Those who gave presentations explored what factors have contributed to the nature of Baptist distinctiveness in different countries and at different times. In some cases the authors have written about their own contexts, using specific case studies that relate to particular periods, whereas in other cases they range more widely, covering several countries and/or longer periods of time. Topics examined in this volume include theological education, women in leadership, issues of ethnicity, Baptist identity and national consciousness, and creeds. The regional scope of the Baptist stories that are analyzed includes Africa, Asia, Australia, Eastern and Western Europe, and North America. At a time when there is considerable discussion throughout the world Baptist community about the nature of Baptist identity, this collection of papers by significant historians of Baptist life is an important contribution.