God and the Oval Office: The Religious Faith of Our 43 Presidents

by John McCollister and Dashka Slater

Book Overview

"We need to remember that the separation of church and state must never mean the separation of religious values from the lives of public servants." ?Lyndon B. Johnson

"So help me God." Goerge Washington added those words to the presidential oath, and every president since has followed suit. Whether their faith was devout or doubted, heartfelt of pragmatic, John McCollister plumbs America's strong and deep spiritual heritage, showing the fascinating...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0849904056
• ISBN13: 9780849904059
• Release Date: April 2005
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.4" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Well-reseached spiritual profiles of the US presidents

Religion and politics made odd bedfellows during the 2004 presidential election, and a lot of rhetoric was tossed around about the place of faith in the White House and the Christianity of our early presidents. Just what was the faith of our founding fathers? John McCollister, a specialist in presidential history and the author of 21 books, sets out to discover just that in GOD AND THE OVAL OFFICE: The Religious Faith of Our 43 Presidents. Through research and interviews, he compiles a succinct spiritual profile of each of our nation's leaders. McCollister lays out his book in chronological order, from first president George Washington to George W. Bush. Each chapter begins with a black and white photo and a notation on his date of birth and death, birth state, party affiliation, occupation, and religion. Several pages about how a president's faith (or lack of it) affected his time as president follow. The chapter ends with historical highlights of that president's administration. Readers will discover a few surprises. The denomination of choice for presidents over the years has been Episcopalian (eight) and Presbyterian (six), with eight presidents claiming no affiliation. The first four presidents (Washington, Jefferson, Madison, and Adams) were either deist or Unitarian. In a time when denominations were distrustful of each other and there was little ecumenical spirit, "The essential unity necessary for the survival of this infant nation would have never been realized had an ardent Baptist, Presbyterian, Methodist, or Dutch Reformed believer been elected as chief executive," writes McCollister. Even nominal Christian presidents went to God in prayer or read the Bible on a regular basis, he shows. James Madison, who was "not a staunch, churchgoing Christian," read books on theology for relaxation, and short-term president William Henry Harrison, who occasionally warmed a pew, still had for 20 years a "fixed habit" of reading the Bible. Pragmatist Harry Truman read his family Bible through three times by the age of fourteen. When reading how many presidents experienced the death of several children or their wives, it further explains the need for some sort of spiritual help. And as Lyndon Johnson observed, "No man could live in the house where I live, and work at the desk where I work, without needing and seeking the support of earnest and frequent prayer." There are many interesting snippets of spiritual trivia. Readers will be struck by the nation's fear of Catholicism (John F. Kennedy was our only Roman Catholic president) and the close ties many presidents had with the ministry (Chester Arthur, Grover Cleveland, and Woodrow Wilson's fathers were all ministers, and James Garfield and Benjamin Harrison were both lay pastors). Dwight Eisenhower founded the Presidential Prayer Breakfast. Lyndon Johnson, who had an overpowering desire to please everyone, attended more different churches than any other president. Jimmy Carter, perhaps our most

Enormously informative

This is a terrific book with quick reads on each of the 43 presidents and their religious faith (or lack thereof). Enormously informative and a fun read.