Get the Summary of Rod Gragg's Forged in Faith in 20 minutes. Please note: This is a summary & not the original book. "Forge in Faith" by Rod Gragg provides a comprehensive look at the religious underpinnings of America's founding and the role of faith in the establishment of the nation. The book begins with the First Continental Congress in 1774, where delegates, despite their differences, found unity through a shared Christian faith, leading to the selection of Jacob Duché to lead the first prayer. It traces back to the Jamestown settlement in 1607, where Robert Hunt's leadership and faith were instrumental in the colony's survival...

The true drama of how faith motivated America’s Founding Fathers, influenced the Declaration of Independence and inspired the birth of the nation. This fascinating history, based on meticulous research into the correspondence and documentation of the founding fathers leading up to and encompassing the crafting of the Declaration of Independence, sheds light on how the Judeo-Christian worldview motivated America’s founding fathers, influenced national independence, inspired our foundational documents, and established the American nation. Written with the pacing and drama of an enticing drama, Forged in Faith is crafted for popular appeal with a compelling mix of dramatized story and action-driven narrative, yet with the authenticity and academic verity of historian Rod Gragg.

All Americans are familiar with the story of the Pilgrims—persecuted for their religion in the Old World, they crossed the ocean to settle in a wild and dangerous land. But for most of us, the story ends after their brutal first winter at Plymouth with a supposedly peaceful encounter with the Native Americans and a happy Thanksgiving. Now, through the vivid memoirs, letters, and personal accounts in The Pilgrim Chronicles, you will discover the full, compelling story of their anguished journey and heroic strength. Award-winning historian Rod Gragg brings the Pilgrims to life in this lavishly illustrated guide, filled with moving, eyewitness narratives. From their persecution in England and painful exile in Holland to their voyage across the Atlantic and their struggle to survive among the Indians in an untamed wilderness, Gragg takes you on the harrowing and inspiring journey of a people seeking religious freedom.

This book uses plain, easy to understand logic to answer some of lifes big questions: Does God exist? Does He have a physical body? Is the Godhead one or three individuals? What is the purpose of life? Why do bad things happen to good people? Do we have free will, or does destiny determine our lives? The author has spent a lifetime searching for these answers in both secular and scriptural sources. Although one cannot prove, for instance, that God does or does not exist, this text will make it easier for you to formulate your own conclusions using circumstantial evidence and logical reasoning. Please set aside passions, hearsay, and assumptions to engage your mind in contemplating these questions with me. I do not believe that you will find an easier path to finding answers than this book provides.

Seer Stone v. Urim and Thummim places the Book of Mormon translation on trial, presenting the latest research in one of the most comprehensive treatments of the translation process to date providing encouragement for Latter-day Saints who fear they have been “betrayed” by the translation history taught by the Church for over 190 years. Did Joseph Smith study and master the Nephite language? Did the Prophet tutor some of the early Brethren in ancient Nephite characters? Did Joseph Smith translate the Book of Mormon using a dark seer stone in a hat? Why are progressive historians creating a new history using sources from a man who vowed to wash his hands in the blood of Joseph Smith, while boasting that he had deceived the Prophet and his God? Has The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints covered up its history for nearly 200 years? Was Joseph Smith a treasure digger? During his life, did the Prophet artfully suppress his alleged treasure digging past? Did Joseph Smith cover up his use of a seer stone during the translation, feigning use of the Urim and Thummim? What new information has The Joseph Smith Papers Project uncovered that challenges our understanding of the translation process? Is David Whitmer a credible witness of the Book of Mormon translation? Did you know that David Whitmer consulted a witch and occultic seer stones, denounced Joseph Smith as a false prophet and aided the mob in the persecution of the Missouri Saints? Was Joseph Smith involved in sorcery, astrology and ritual magic? “Seer Stone v. Urim and Thummim makes a great case for simply going ‘back to the basics’! That is, accepting the translation of the Book of Mormon as Joseph said it was done, as opposed to how others claim it was done. It is well researched and very enlightening and a must read for those who are willing to accept the words of Joseph and other prophets at face value.” —Kay M Godfrey, Author, Joseph Smith Epoch Historian “As you read this book, it will validate your knowledge that the Book of Mormon is a real history of a real people. The Stoddards have once again born witness that Joseph Smith was and is truly our Prophet, Seer, and Revelator. You will love this book.” —Rian Nelson, Author and speaker, FIRM Foundation “The Stoddards present a thorough and careful analysis of the numerous errors and sometimes outright falsehoods that have crept into many of the translation narratives, even some by respected scholars, who relied on changing accounts from both fallible acquaintances and also outright enemies.” —Leslie Pearson Rees, Author, “Ye Have Been Hid: Finding the Lost Tribes of Israel”

The true drama of how faith motivated America’s Founding Fathers, from the Declaration of Independence to the signing of Britain’s peace treaty. From the author of Forged in Faith comes the remarkable untold history of how the faith of our fathers critically influenced the outcome of the American Revolution and the birth of the United States of America. “A page-turner that reads like a novel!” Here, in the fascinating follow-up to his popular work Forged in Faith, award-winning historian Rod Gragg reveals how the American Revolution was fired and fueled by America’s founding faith—the Judeo-Christian worldview. Based on meticulous research and propelled by a fast-paced style, By the Hand of Providence uncovers the extraordinary, almost-forgotten history of the faith-based Revolution that secured American liberty and nationhood. From the American people’s first resistance to attacks on their God-given or “inalienable” rights, through the dramatic battlefield events of the Revolution and General George Washington’s pivotal faith-based leadership, to the climactic surrender of Cornwallis’s British army at Yorktown, By the Hand of Providence exposes the long-overlooked but critical element that kept alive the American War for Independence and motivated the ultimate victory that established the United States of America. In the words of George Washington: “The Hand of Providence has been so conspicuous in all this, that he must be worse than an infidel that lacks faith. . . .” Graced by a fast-paced narrative and based on the extensive research Gragg has so notably applied to other events in American history, By the Hand of Providence is an insightful and fascinating account of the faith-based Revolution that secured American independence and nationhood.

In this stirring biography, Samuel Adams joins the first tier of founding fathers, a rank he has long deserved. With eloquence equal to that of Thomas Jefferson and Tom Paine, and with a passionate love of God, Adams helped ignite the flame of liberty and made sure it glowed even during the Revolution's darkest hours. He was, as Jefferson later observed, "truly the man of the Revolution." In a role that many Americans have not fully appreciated until now, Adams played a pivotal role in the events leading up to the bloody confrontation with the British. Believing that God had willed a free American nation, he was among the first patriot leaders to call for independence from England. He was ever the man of action: He saw the opportunity to stir things up after the Boston Massacre and helped plan and instigate the Boston Tea Party, though he did not actually participate in it. A fiery newspaper editor, he railed ceaselessly against "taxation without representation." In a relentless blizzard of articles and speeches, Adams, a man of New England, argued the urgency of revolution. When the top British general in America, Thomas Gage, offered a general amnesty in June 1775 to all revolutionaries who would lay down their arms, he excepted only two men, John Hancock and Samuel Adams: These two were destined for the gallows. It was this pair, author Ira Stoll argues, whom the British were pursuing in their fateful march on Lexington and Concord. In the tradition of David McCullough's John Adams, Joseph Ellis's The Founding Brothers, and Walter Isaacson's Benjamin Franklin, Ira Stoll's Samuel Adams vividly re-creates a world of ideas and action, reminding us that none of these men of courage knew what we know today: that they would prevail and make history anew. The idea that especially inspired Adams was religious in nature: He believed that God had intervened on behalf of the United States and would do so as long asits citizens maintained civic virtue. "We shall never be abandoned by Heaven while we act worthy of its aid and protection," Adams insisted. A central thesis of this biography is that religion in large part motivated the founding of America. A gifted young historian and newspaperman, Ira Stoll has written a gripping story about the man who was the revolution's moral conscience. Sure to be discussed widely, this book reminds us who Samuel Adams was, why he has been slighted by history, and why he must be remembered.