Faith and the Presidency From George Washington to George W. Bush
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.27 (815 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0195395964 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 680 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2013-04-30 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
Raymond I. Hylton said A must read for "A must read for 2007" according to Raymond I. Hylton. If you are looking for fresh information about the role of faith and religion in the lives of some of America's greatest presidents then I highly recommend purchasing Faith and the Presidency.The author, Gary Smith has done his homework. His research is very thorough and his style of writing is clear and free of technical jargon.I thought the book presented a balanced view of democrat and republican presidents; and the author covers each president's religious affiliation without bias. After reading this book I finally understand why religion is such a hot topic during every presidential election.Reading about Abraham Lincoln and ho. 007. If you are looking for fresh information about the role of faith and religion in the lives of some of America's greatest presidents then I highly recommend purchasing Faith and the Presidency.The author, Gary Smith has done his homework. His research is very thorough and his style of writing is clear and free of technical jargon.I thought the book presented a balanced view of democrat and republican presidents; and the author covers each president's religious affiliation without bias. After reading this book I finally understand why religion is such a hot topic during every presidential election.Reading about Abraham Lincoln and ho. "An excellent review and analysis of an important and timely subject" according to Hoodlum. I very much enjoyed perusing this new volume on faith and thepresidency. I happen to know the most about Lincoln's faith, and I thought the author did a great job with the elusive subject of Lincoln's religious beliefs.Also, in an era in which many books are overpriced--$150 for a hardcover from some presses--it is good to find a book with so much valuable material offered at such a low price.This book is thorough, well balanced, and reliable. Many books go into the making of one book, as Samuel Johnson said, and Gary Smith has clearly read virtually everything on these various presidents (regarding faith). I especially liked the c. Outstanding Gary Scott Smith's Faith and the Presidency is fascinating to read and weighty in substance. Full of personal details drawn from the lives of various presidents as well as important observations about public policy and religious impulses, Smith hits the sweet spot between bold, exciting claims and strong supporting evidence.I was particularly persuaded by the book's observation that the foreign policy of presidents more readily reveals their philosophical commitments because the U.S. presidency has greater latitude abroad than at home.This is a book worth reading from cover to cover. Smith hits a home run with this exceptional book
Religion has been a major part of the presidency since George Washington's first inaugural address. Bush, as his critics often claimed, a captive of the religious right? In this fascinating book, Smith answers these questions and many more. 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. 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. Faith and the Presidency meticulously examines what each of its subjects believed a
Gary Scott Smith chairs the History Department and coordinates the Humanities Core at Grove City College where he has taught since 1978. He is the author or editor of six books, including God and Politics: Four Views on the Reformation of Civil Government (1989) and The Search for Social Salvation: Social Christianity and America, 1880-1925 (2000).
But he does such a fantastic job of explicating the Presidents' career trajectories by means of their religious convictions that the book is in fact far more than this." --Journal of American Studies"At a time when presses (and readers) groan under the weight of panicky punditry on religion and the presidency, it is a welcome relief to possess Smith's well-researched, balanced and fair-minded study of a perennially interesting topic." --Christian Century. "Wonderfully informedone could do far worse than approach his text as an a