Secularism and the American Republic: Revisiting Thomas Jefferson on Church and State

Is the United States founded on a legal foundation of secularism? What were the founders' intentions regarding the church-state relationship in the public square and public institutions? In Secularism and the American Republic, F. Leroy Forlines considers these important questions about our nation. In the end, he argues against the secular notion of strict church-state separation. Instead, he promotes the view of the reasonable accommodation of church and state, holding that the founders intended that the state accommodate religion as a middle way between legal separation and legal establishment. Forlines establishes this position through use of historical and legal analyses. Key to Forlines's contention is his interaction with the writings of Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, chief architects of the American vision for church-state relations. He also examines the origins and growth of secularism and analyzes key court cases, including Everson v. Board of Education (1947) and McCollum v. Board of Education (1948). Not only does he show that the founders were not secularists, but he also traces the history of secularism as a movement. Forlines demonstrates the contrast between America's founding and the origins and growth of secularism. Understanding this contrast, and supporting the intentions of America's founders, profoundly impacts the interpretation of the First Amendment and the future of religious liberty.