Washington's God: Religion, Liberty, and the Father of Our Country

by Michael Novak

Paper Book, 2007

Status

Available

Publication

Basic Books (2007), Edition: 1st, 304 pages

Description

Washington has long been viewed as the patron saint of secular government, but in Washington's God , Michael Novak and his daughter, Jana, reveal that it was Washington's strong faith in divine Providence that gave meaning and force to his monumental life. Narrowly escaping a British trap during the Battle of Brooklyn, Washington didn't credit his survival to courage or tactical expertise; he blamed himself for marching his men into certain doom and marveled at the Providence that delivered them. Throughout his career, Washington held fast to the conviction that America's liberty was dependent on our faithfulness to God's will and our trust in Providence. Washington's God , shows Washington not only as a man of resource, strength, and virtue, but also as a man with deeply held religious values. This new presentation of Washington-as a man whose religion guided his governance-will bring him into today's debates about the role of faith in government and will challenge everything we thought we knew about the inner life of the father of our country.… (more)

ISBN

0465051278 / 9780465051274

Local notes

purchased at Mt Vernon, 2018

Rating

½ (9 ratings; 3.8)

User reviews

LibraryThing member SCRH

This book is getting mixed reviews, but I am among those who think it is good. There are 419 footnotes in this 282 page book, and most (the vast majority) are from Washington himself or persons who knew him well.

I believe that the Novaks made the case that Washington was a Christian (at least "well

within the mainstream of one vein of Anglicanism for his time") and not a diest(god is a watchmaker). They took the time to define terms, parse documents of support, and provide example after example to prove their points. They also took "head on" those who argue that Washington was a diest or at best, merely a Stoic.

The book includes a selected bibliography and is indexed.

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LibraryThing member Jarratt

When you read a biography, it'd be nice to believe that what you read is as factual (and unbiased) as possible. Especially when these biographies are from well-respected authors and historians. But "Washington's God" proves that these experts are as biased as today's "objective" journalists and

often as wrong as meteorologists and politicians.

"Washington's God" refutes point-by-point the often alleged idea that Washington was a deist or, at best, a tepid Christian. I felt like authors Michael Novak and his daughter Jana did an excellent job refuting what many respected historians claim Washington's beliefs were. At the same time, they clearly admit that rarely one finds "Jesus," "Christ," or "Christian" in any of Washington's public or private writings. But given the context of religion in the late 18th and 19th century, they explain why this might be. For example, prior to this period, most Anglicans (including Washington) went about their religious duties and ceremonies with little pomp. But around the turn of the century, evangelical denominations like Baptists and Methodists became more prevalent in the colonies/US. Also, Washington was acutely aware that he served ALL Americans and worked hard to never insult or impune others' religious beliefs all-the-while never repressing his.

If you want a rather short, well researched book on Washington's beliefs, I think you'll enjoy "Washington's God."

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