Benjamin Franklin
The Religious Life of a Founding Father
A major new biography, illuminating the great mystery of Benjamin Franklin's faith.
Renowned as a printer, scientist, and diplomat, Benjamin Franklin also published more works on religious topics than any other eighteenth-century American layperson. Born to Boston Puritans, by his teenage years Franklin had abandoned the exclusive Christian faith of his family and embraced deism. But Franklin, as a man of faith, was far more complex than the "thorough deist" who emerges in his autobiography. As Thomas Kidd reveals, deist writers influenced Franklin's beliefs, to be sure, but devout Christians in his life – including George Whitefield, the era's greatest evangelical preacher; his parents; and his beloved sister Jane – kept him tethered to the Calvinist creed of his Puritan upbringing. Based on rigorous research into Franklin's voluminous correspondence, essays, and almanacs, this fresh assessment of a well-known figure unpacks the contradictions and conundrums faith presented in Franklin's life.
About the Author
Thomas S. Kidd is distinguished professor of history at Baylor University and the author of numerous books, including "God of Liberty: A Religious History of the American Revolution" and "The Great Awakening: The Roots of Evangelical Christianity in Colonial America". He lives in Waco, Texas.
Reviews
"A convincing portrait of Franklin's religion as ambiguous, elusive, enigmatic, and whimsical. He appears in the pages of this welcome book as a forerunner of many later Americans who believe in God, trust in providence, but cannot embrace any particular Christian creed" – Mark A. Noll, author of "In the Beginning Was the Word"
"Was Benjamin Franklin a Christian? A polytheist? A skeptic? A Deist? This lucid, engaging book offers a compelling new interpretation of Franklin's faith. A must read for anyone interested in the beliefs of the Founders" – Catherine A. Brekus, author of "Sarah Osborn's World"
"This illuminating and absorbing biography of Benjamin Franklin is the work of a perceptive historian and master storyteller. Thomas Kidd argues compellingly that Franklin's religious experiences, from his Calvinist upbringing to adult relationships with Christians, are essential to understanding this man of science and reason" – Daniel L. Dreisbach, author of "Reading the Bible with the Founding Fathers"
"Thomas Kidd has been quietly but impressively redrawing our map of early American intellectual and religious history. In this book, he turns to one of that history's central, and yet most elusive figures to demonstrate the under-appreciated role religion played in Franklin's thinking" – Wilfred M. McClay, University of Oklahoma
"Five weeks before his death, Benjamin Franklin wrote a letter which seemingly answered questions about his religious faith. But his supposed openness was enigmatic. Thomas S. Kidd's excellently written exploration of Franklin's faith delves deeper into this mystery" – George Goodwin, author of "Benjamin Franklin in London: The British Life of America's Founding Father"
"This important book tells the story of religion's impact on Benjamin Franklin. As a fellow Philadelphian, I learned so much in Kidd's book that I never knew, including fascinating details of relationship of this Founding Father and the great evangelist George Whitefield" – Former Congressman Frank Wolf
