Bibliograph

Benjamin Franklin, the religious life of a founding father, Thomas S Kidd

Type

Label

Benjamin Franklin, the religious life of a founding father, Thomas S Kidd

Language

eng

Bibliography note

Includes bibliographical references (pages 237-267) and index

resource.biographical

individual biography

Illustrations

portraitsillustrations

Index

index present

Literary Form

non fiction

Main title

Benjamin Franklin

Nature of contents

bibliography

Oclc number

961308401

Responsibility statement

Thomas S Kidd

Sub title

the religious life of a founding father

Summary

"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." -- Publisher's description

Table Of Contents

Child of the Puritans -- Exodus to Philadelphia, sojourn in London -- Philadelphia printer -- Poor Richard -- Ben Franklin's closest Evangelical friend -- Electrical man -- Tribune of the people -- Diplomat -- The pillar of fire

Classification