Mark A. Beliles, historian and teacher of American religious culture, founded the Providence Foundation in 1983 through which he has organized several scholarly symposiums on Jefferson and religion held at the University of Virginia. He is the editor of The Selected Religious Letters and Papers of Thomas Jefferson (America Publications, 2013). He earned his PhD from Whitefield Theological Seminary with his dissertation entitled Churches and Politics in Jefferson's Virginia (America Publications, 2000). Other books co-authored by Beliles for popular audiences include�America's Providential History�and�Contending for the Constitution: Recalling the Christian Influence on the Writing of… the Constitution and the Biblical Basis of American Law and Liberty. Beliles, an ordained minister, has served as a senior pastor for 36 years and has spoken in over 40 countries and many cities across America. He resides in Jefferson's hometown where he served for many years as Chairman of the Charlottesville Historic Resources Committee and co-chairman of the city's 250th Anniversary in 2012.