'Ye Will Say I Am No Christian': Thomas Jefferson / John Adams Correspondence

Title: “Ye Will Say I Am No Christian”: The Thomas Jefferson/John Adams Correspondence on Religion, Morals, and Values
Author: Bruce Braden
Publisher: Prometheus Books
ISBN: 1591023564

Pro:
• Provides original material from Jefferson and Adams on issues important today
• Includes footnotes about people referenced in the letters

Con:
• More letters from Adams than from Jefferson
• No discussion about why these letters in particular were chosen

Description:
• Edited collection of correspondence between Thomas Jefferson and John Adams
• Reveals their opinions on religion, Christianity, and government

Book Review

Thomas Jefferson’s role in the creation of America’s political philosophy and political structures can hardly be overstated. He wrote the Declaration of Independence. He was not present for the writing of the Constitution, but he was in constant contact with James Madison who, heavily influenced by Jefferson, played a major role in the Constitution’s formulation. Thomas Jefferson also served as president during some of America’s earliest and formative years. Jefferson’s views on the relationship between religion and government — and specifically between Christianity and government — must be taken into account in any discussion of American politics.

Few proponents of the “America is a Christian Nation” thesis actually do this, but a recent book from Bruce Braden may help. “Ye Will Say I Am No Christian” is a collection of letters between Thomas Jefferson and John Adams and it contains extended discussions about things like the nature of Jesus (human or divine?), the existence of an afterlife, religious morality, and of course what role religion has in relationship to the government.

Adams and Jefferson often disagreed — Jefferson was a freethinker while Adams held more traditional beliefs — and their theological disagreements became an issue in the 1800 presidential campaign when they faced off against each other. The accusation that Jefferson was an atheist became an important issue, but even Adams was accused of not really being a Christian by some. The truth is that both considered themselves Christians, but their understanding of Christianity was different from that of most orthodox Christians — and even more different from the perspective of conservative evangelicals in contemporary America.

"Ye Will Say I Am No Christian": The Thomas Jefferson/John Adams Correspondence on Religion, Morals, and Values, edited by Bruce Braden

It’s unfortunate that there are more letters here from Adams than Jefferson. I was certainly happy to read Adams’ thoughts, since in most other sources Jefferson is given more attention, but in a book like this I think that a more balanced treatment would have been appropriate. There certainly shouldn’t have been a lack of possible material to choose from. And that raises another issue, which is the absence of any discussion about why these particular letters were chosen. It’s good for the editor not to get between the reader and these two men, but some explanation about the reasons behind the choices would have been welcome.

Despite such shortcomings, though, the book is strong overall and should make a welcome addition to the library of anyone interested in early American history or the importance of church/state separation.

Note: Turns out I was wrong in what I said above: there is a "lack of possible material to choose from" for Jefferson because he simply didn't write as much as Adams in their exchanges. The editor, Bruce Braden, has written to let me know that Adams would write about 3 letters for every one of Jefferson's. So this book isn't leaving out valuable material at all.