About the Author

Chris Beneke is Assistant Professor of History at Bentley College in Waltham, MA. He received his Bachelors degree from Cornell University and his PhD from Northwestern University.

Reviews

I know of no book that traces the historical transition from toleration to religious liberty in America as well as this one. This highly readable and well-documented text is sure to enjoy a wide readership. Derek H Davis, author of Religion and the Continental Congress, 1774-1789: Contributions to Original Intent Written in a sparkling style, this book exhibits a comprehensiveness - both in the text and in the notes - that wins immediate confidence. Moreover, the theme of the development of religious liberty in America is one whose significance can hardly be exaggerated. Readers will be richly informed by this wise and perceptive book. Edwin S Gaustad, author of Roger Williams and Benjamin Franklin In this well-written book, Chris Beneke argues that American colonials, even before the American revolution, had moved beyond the legal 'toleration' of religious dissenters to create a pluralist culture that made the category of 'religous dissenter' irrelavent. Several centuries later Americans still wrestle with the meaning of cultural pluralism, but Beneke correctly insists that men and women of ardent faith first made the concept central to the concept of liberty. R. Laurence Moore, author of Touchdown Jesus: The Mixing of Sacred and Secular in American History