God of Our Fathers: Advice and Prayers of Our Nation's Founders
The sale of nearly 5,000 copies ofGod of Our Fathers: Advice and Prayers of Our Nation's Foundersin the bookstores of Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia, where the research for this book was conducted, may be more persuasive than the comments of professional reviewers.Begun as a project of historical inquiry and completed with enthusiasm for informing Americans about the spiritual nature of our nation's founders,God of Our Fathersis being offered for sale beyond Independence Park for the first time. As a means of benefiting the birthplace of the United States, retail sales were previously restricted to a single venue. However, privatization of the visitors' center bookstore during 2007 has diminished the incentive to maintain that exclusive relationship.The publisher, Reading Books, has never relied on professional reviews ofGod of Our Fathersas a means of generating interest. Sales in the Independence Park bookstores, together with additional orders from individuals and organizations who have purchased the book there, sustain this work. The enthusiastic response from readers has also encouraged research for a companion volume (to be released later this year) examining the origins of religious freedom in the United States.We have received many notes of appreciation from around the country. Most are not formal reviews, just letters of thanks for making the religious statements of our nation's founders available to the public.Occasionally, we receive a comment on official stationery. A former member of the United States Senate wrote: Your splendid book,God of Our Fathers: Advice and Prayers of Our Nation's Founders, is not merely another notable literary and historical undertaking; it is a handbook for the survival of America.This recognition came from a retired Congressman: I am delighted that someone with the scholarship and persistence of the author, Mr. Richards, took on this labor of love.The publisher regards the personal notes from readers as the best reviews. --Compilation of comments received by the publisherThis compendium of reflections and prayers from such men as John Adams, George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton and others would serve as a useful supplement to any school's American History course or in debates on the place of religion in public policy and discourse. There is a surprising array of thoughts from men like Franklin on the acknowledgement of God as the seed of human happiness to Adams' thoughts on the necessity of religion in informing social order to Washington's and Madison's reckoning of liberty as a divine blessing. This is the fruit of someone who was concerned over the paucity of references in current history books to the religious convictions of these men. In many ways, it exists as a helpful corrective to that lapse of scholarship. My thanks to Josiah Richards for this volume. --James Goodmann, The Council for Religion in Independent Schools