Podcast with Mark Beliles on Separation of Church and State-Jefferson-Style

Topic: Separation of Church and State, Jefferson-Style.

The phrase “separation of church and state” is not found in the U.S. Constitution. Instead, it comes from a private letter Thomas Jefferson wrote to the Danbury Baptists in 1802. The Constitution says, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” Groups like the ACLU say this means you can’t have school prayer. You can’t have public displays of the Ten Commandments in schools, and so on. Ironically, there were many examples of Jefferson where he welcomed Christian expression in the public arena. So would it be fair to say that the ACLU’s Thomas Jefferson is not the real one of history? Dr. Mark Beliles and I wrote a book together on Jefferson’s faith or the lack thereof called “Doubting Thomas.” Soon a shorter version of this book will come out called, “Jefferson and the God Who Gave Us Liberty.” Mark Beliles joins Jerry Newcombe to discuss Separation of Church and State, Jefferson Style. www.doubtingthomasbook.com