Faith and the Presidency From George Washington to George W. BushOxford University Press, 2006 M10 12 - 680 pages In the wake of the 2004 election, pundits were shocked at exit polling that showed that 22% of voters thought 'moral values' was the most important issue at stake. People on both sides of the political divide believed this was the key to victory for George W. Bush, who professes a deep and abiding faith in God. While some fervent Bush supporters see him as a man chosen by God for the White House, opponents see his overt commitment to Christianity as a dangerous and unprecedented bridging of the gap between church and state. In fact, Gary Scott Smith shows, none of this is new. Religion has been a major part of the presidency since George Washington's first inaugural address. Despite the mounting interest in the role of religion in American public life, we actually know remarkably little about the faith of our presidents. Was Thomas Jefferson an atheist, as his political opponents charged? What role did Lincoln's religious views play in his handling of slavery and the Civil War? How did born-again Southern Baptist Jimmy Carter lose the support of many evangelicals? Was George W. Bush, as his critics often claimed, a captive of the religious right? In this fascinating book, Smith answers these questions and many more. He takes a sweeping look at the role religion has played in presidential politics and policies. Drawing on extensive archival research, Smith paints compelling portraits of the religious lives and presidencies of eleven chief executives for whom religion was particularly important. Faith and the Presidency meticulously examines what each of its subjects believed and how those beliefs shaped their presidencies and, in turn, the course of our history. |
From inside the book
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Page vi
... issues. Recent years have witnessed a spirited debate between those who argue that the United States' founding and history until the 1960s was infused with Christian principles and directed by godly leaders and those who see its ...
... issues. Recent years have witnessed a spirited debate between those who argue that the United States' founding and history until the 1960s was infused with Christian principles and directed by godly leaders and those who see its ...
Page 5
... issue because of their own beliefs, the issues they confronted, the elections they participated in, and/or the times in which they lived. Religion and politics have been deeply intertwined throughout American history. Interaction ...
... issue because of their own beliefs, the issues they confronted, the elections they participated in, and/or the times in which they lived. Religion and politics have been deeply intertwined throughout American history. Interaction ...
Page 7
... issues in his public addresses, wrote about his personal faith in hundreds of letters, and spent a significant amount of time with Protestant and Catholic religious leaders. Nevertheless, biographers, historians, and political ...
... issues in his public addresses, wrote about his personal faith in hundreds of letters, and spent a significant amount of time with Protestant and Catholic religious leaders. Nevertheless, biographers, historians, and political ...
Page 9
... issues (Jefferson, Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Kennedy, Reagan, and Bush).29 Each chapter examines the religious beliefs, commitments, affiliation, and practices (church attendance, prayer, Bible reading, and personal morality) of one ...
... issues (Jefferson, Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Kennedy, Reagan, and Bush).29 Each chapter examines the religious beliefs, commitments, affiliation, and practices (church attendance, prayer, Bible reading, and personal morality) of one ...
Page 10
... issues, including the ultimate source of knowledge, moral standards, conception of God and human nature, the basis of salvation, the locus of government power, the role of government, how justice is achieved, economic perspective, and ...
... issues, including the ultimate source of knowledge, moral standards, conception of God and human nature, the basis of salvation, the locus of government power, the role of government, how justice is achieved, economic perspective, and ...
Contents
3 | |
21 | |
53 | |
Saving the Last Best Hope of Earth | 91 |
4 Theodore Roosevelt and the Bully Pulpit | 129 |
Presbyterian Statesman | 159 |
6 Franklin Delano Roosevelt and the Quest to Achieve an Abundant Life | 191 |
7 Dwight David Eisenhower Dynamic Conservatism and the Religious Revival of the 1950s | 221 |
The First Catholic President | 259 |
First Servant of the Nation | 293 |
Making America Gods Shining City on a Hill | 325 |
A FaithBased Presidency | 365 |
Conclusion | 415 |
Notes | 431 |
Index | 635 |
Other editions - View all
Faith and the Presidency From George Washington to George W. Bush Gary Scott Smith Limited preview - 2006 |
Faith and the Presidency From George Washington to George W. Bush Gary Scott Smith Limited preview - 2006 |
Faith and the Presidency From George Washington to George W. Bush Gary Scott Smith Limited preview - 2006 |
Common terms and phrases
abortion Abraham Lincoln administration American argued Baptist believed Bible biblical Billy Graham Bush Bush’s campaign Catholic Christ Christian church Civil Religion claimed Clergy Letters Congress conservative contended David declared Democratic divine Eisenhower Eisenhower’s election evangelical faith faith-based federal foreign policy Franklin Franklin Roosevelt freedom George W George Washington God’s Graham human ibid Inaugural Address insisted Iraq issues James Jesus Jewish Jews Jimmy Carter John July June justice Kennedy Kennedy’s leaders liberty Methodist ministers moral National National Religious Broadcasters pastor peace political PPF 21A pray Prayer Breakfast Presbyterian president Presidential Protestant quotation Quoted relationship Republican Robert role Ronald Reagan separation of church Sept sermons slavery social Soviet speeches spiritual Theodore Roosevelt theological Thomas Jefferson United University Press urged vote White House William Woodrow Wilson wrote York