“American Gospel: God, the Founding Fathers, and the Making of a Nation” was written by a former magazine and book editor. However, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jon Meacham is best known as a historian, having written more than a dozen history books as well as served as a trustee for such institutions as the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. Thus, his books delve deeply into the events, writings, and characters that have shaped the United States.
“American Gospel” sets forth a belief that biblical doctrines are the bricks and stones of this country’s foundation.
Meacham jumps right in, reminding readers of one of the greatest historical “coincidences”: Thomas Jefferson’s death on the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. (John Adams died the same day.) The Founders continually recognized providence at work in the establishment of America and in their individual lives. “The Founders believed themselves at work in the service of both God and man, not just one or the other.” And the Founders were, as Meacham asserts, “driven by a sense of providence and an acute appreciation of the fallibility of humankind.”…