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One Lost Soul: Richard Nixon’s Search for Salvation (Library of Religious Biography
Impious and amoral, petty and vindictive, Richard Nixon is not the typical protagonist of a religious biography. But spiritual drama is at the heart of this former president’s tragic story.
The night before his resignation, Richard Nixon wept—and prayed. Though his demanding parents had raised him Quaker, he wasn’t a regular churchgoer, nor was he quick to express vulnerability. As Henry Kissinger witnessed Nixon’s loneliness and humiliation that night, he remarked, “Can you imagine what this man would have been had somebody loved him?”
In this provocative and riveting biography, Daniel Silliman cuts to the heart of Nixon’s Nixon wanted to be loved by God but couldn’t figure out how. This profound theological struggle underlay his successes and scandals, his turbulent political career, his history-changing victories, and his ultimate disgrace. As Silliman narrates the arc of his subject’s life and career, he connects Nixon’s character to religious influences in twentieth-century America—from Cold War Christianity to Chick tracts.
Silliman paints a nuanced spiritual portrait of the thirty-seventh president, just as he offers fresh insight into US political and religious history. Readers who lived through Watergate will discover a new perspective on an infamous controversy. A historical page-turner, One Lost Soul will surprise and absorb students, scholars, and anyone who likes a good story.
The night before his resignation, Richard Nixon wept—and prayed. Though his demanding parents had raised him Quaker, he wasn’t a regular churchgoer, nor was he quick to express vulnerability. As Henry Kissinger witnessed Nixon’s loneliness and humiliation that night, he remarked, “Can you imagine what this man would have been had somebody loved him?”
In this provocative and riveting biography, Daniel Silliman cuts to the heart of Nixon’s Nixon wanted to be loved by God but couldn’t figure out how. This profound theological struggle underlay his successes and scandals, his turbulent political career, his history-changing victories, and his ultimate disgrace. As Silliman narrates the arc of his subject’s life and career, he connects Nixon’s character to religious influences in twentieth-century America—from Cold War Christianity to Chick tracts.
Silliman paints a nuanced spiritual portrait of the thirty-seventh president, just as he offers fresh insight into US political and religious history. Readers who lived through Watergate will discover a new perspective on an infamous controversy. A historical page-turner, One Lost Soul will surprise and absorb students, scholars, and anyone who likes a good story.
336 pages, Hardcover
Published August 8, 2024
10 people are currently reading
145 people want to read
About the author
Daniel Silliman
3 books10 followersDr. Daniel Silliman is a journalist. Currently, he is a News Editor at Christianity Today.
Silliman received his doctorate in American studies from the University of Heidelberg, Germany. He has published two nonfiction books, "One Lost Soul" and "Reading Evangelicals."
Silliman received his doctorate in American studies from the University of Heidelberg, Germany. He has published two nonfiction books, "One Lost Soul" and "Reading Evangelicals."
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
August 9, 2024
Reading history is not one of my strengths, but this biography is tuned exactly to the things that do interest me about history: people and what it was like to be them.
I've been interested in Nixon for a long time—interested in the way you're interested in the giant objects Casey, IL boasts with its highway signs, interested in an "I should check that out sometime" way. I can't compare One Lost Soul to other Nixon bios because I've never read any others.
But I found this bio to be really compelling. Nixon's story is told with deceptively simple language—a simplicity that only comes when an author has absolutely metabolized their topic and knows exactly what they intend to say. Silliman writes with a rambling, easy tone that I think might imitate the cadence of Nixon's speech at least a little.
This book calls itself a religious biography, and that's fair; I might specify that it is a spiritual-psychological biography, interested at every major turn in Nixon's life in what it felt like to be in Nixons shoes, to hold Nixon's convictions and make his choices. Silliman's portrayal of Nixon makes Nixon's beliefs and behaviors plausible. You can see how he got to his ghastly conclusions from the nuances of his Quaker upbringing.
For example, in regard to the bombing campaigns he ordered in Cameroon and Vietnam:
Other highlights for me were the extensively-documented discussions of Nixon's interactions with religious leaders like Billy Graham—what they expected of him, how he resisted them and clung to a (surprising!) core of authenticity when it came to his own faith, and how they supported him almost straight to the end anyway.
I had a great time with this book! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.
I've been interested in Nixon for a long time—interested in the way you're interested in the giant objects Casey, IL boasts with its highway signs, interested in an "I should check that out sometime" way. I can't compare One Lost Soul to other Nixon bios because I've never read any others.
But I found this bio to be really compelling. Nixon's story is told with deceptively simple language—a simplicity that only comes when an author has absolutely metabolized their topic and knows exactly what they intend to say. Silliman writes with a rambling, easy tone that I think might imitate the cadence of Nixon's speech at least a little.
This book calls itself a religious biography, and that's fair; I might specify that it is a spiritual-psychological biography, interested at every major turn in Nixon's life in what it felt like to be in Nixons shoes, to hold Nixon's convictions and make his choices. Silliman's portrayal of Nixon makes Nixon's beliefs and behaviors plausible. You can see how he got to his ghastly conclusions from the nuances of his Quaker upbringing.
For example, in regard to the bombing campaigns he ordered in Cameroon and Vietnam:
The bombing paused for Christmas, and Nixon, at his vacation home in Florida, noted in his diary that he was lonely. There were fewer and fewer people he could talk to. He didn't try to give a speech about the bombing, either. Who would understand?
The air raids resumed on the twenty-sixth, with 120 bombers taking to the skies again. They dropped bomb after bomb after bomb. With each one, Nixon believed he was bringing peace. Bombs were peace. War was peace. Light was darkness. God was the devil.
Other highlights for me were the extensively-documented discussions of Nixon's interactions with religious leaders like Billy Graham—what they expected of him, how he resisted them and clung to a (surprising!) core of authenticity when it came to his own faith, and how they supported him almost straight to the end anyway.
I had a great time with this book! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.
July 16, 2025
Tillman had a tough task in writing a religious biography of one of the most enigmatic presidents in American history.
Nixon grew up in an unconventional Quaker household where his parents never told them that they loved him (though Nixon said his mom didn't have to say to show it). His parents appeared to love his two brothers that died more than Dick.
His church background was different in that his Quaker church operated more like a Methodist or Presbyterian church than a traditional Quaker meeting. As an adult, Nixon took a more dieistic view of Jesus. One thing Nixon believed was that he could work his own way to redemption.
There are many other things that one could say about Nixon but the biggest takeaway of the book is how he ultimately viewed Christianity as a political tool. He initially ignored advice from Ike and Billy Graham about engaging in Evangelical voters in the 1950s and 1960. He changed his tune in 1968. His White House services were a way that Nixon could bring church to himself and the power of his office coupled with the venue led clergy who addressed him to modify their prophetic voice.
Nixon grew up in an unconventional Quaker household where his parents never told them that they loved him (though Nixon said his mom didn't have to say to show it). His parents appeared to love his two brothers that died more than Dick.
His church background was different in that his Quaker church operated more like a Methodist or Presbyterian church than a traditional Quaker meeting. As an adult, Nixon took a more dieistic view of Jesus. One thing Nixon believed was that he could work his own way to redemption.
There are many other things that one could say about Nixon but the biggest takeaway of the book is how he ultimately viewed Christianity as a political tool. He initially ignored advice from Ike and Billy Graham about engaging in Evangelical voters in the 1950s and 1960. He changed his tune in 1968. His White House services were a way that Nixon could bring church to himself and the power of his office coupled with the venue led clergy who addressed him to modify their prophetic voice.
September 4, 2024
I never thought I would read a book about Nixon, much less enjoy it and recommend it to others, but here we are. Daniel Silliman knocked this one out of the park. It’s a surprising page turner, a brilliant combination of history and journalistic flair. Definitely a recommended read!
August 20, 2024
The Richard Nixon story is a Shakespearean tragedy…a man who was close to greatness and maybe even goodness, but could not overcome his fears, doubts, paranoia, and inherent distrust and disdain for other people. If he had only truly known and believed that God loved him, how different his life would have been…
September 16, 2024
I was just ten years old when I stood alongside the highway along with a larger group, with my "Nixon's the One" sash, ready to welcome Richard Nixon's motorcade as they headed for a rally in Klamath Falls, Oregon. Four years later, at the age of fourteen, I took on a larger role in the Nixon campaign, which won in a landslide. I went door to door in my neighborhood, polling residents on whether they were ready to re-elect the President. Not long after the election, we learned that the President had gotten caught up in a coverup of some political dirty tricks. That led to his resignation, the only presidential resignation in American history. Richard Nixon was and is an enigma. He was both a conservative Republican politician and forward-thinking. He ordered the bombing of Cambodia and made a historic trip to China, opening up relations with that budding power. In the 1950s he was the point person for the Eisenhower White House on civil rights, and then in 1968 pursued a Southern Strategy that sought to bring segregationists into the part of Lincoln, setting up the political realignment that exists to this day. It's been fifty years since Nixon resigned, and he still remains an enigma.
In "One Lost Soul" Daniel Silliman explores Nixon's life and career with an eye to his religious orientation. Thus, what might seem to be a strange addition to the Eerdmans "Library of Religious Biography," is addressed. Nixon was by birth and formation a Quaker, which is a historic peace tradition. That formation would seem to run counter to the Nixon who emerged in adulthood, a person who enlisted in the Navy during World War II and pursued the war in Vietnam as President. He was also friends with Billy Graham and Norman Vincent Peale, who served as informal advisors. In later years Graham would rue the nature of that relationship, but they formed an important partnership that sought to connect the evangelical world with Republican politics.
Silliman's title reveals something important about Nixon that carries through the biography. Nixon was raised in a rather stern Quaker household, with an angry father and a cold and distant mother, such that Nixon never felt he measured up. This was a religious family that attended church with great regularity, but there was no grace as part of this formation. Thus, with a family and faith tradition that demanded perfection, Nixon grew up believing that the only way for him to succeed in life was to work harder than anyone else because he never felt he measured up to expectations. Thus, we read about a person who sought salvation but was unable or unwilling to receive God's grace.
If you are looking for an in-depth biography that covers the entirety of Nixon's life, you will need to look elsewhere. Silliman takes an interesting pathway. He spends a significant amount of space on Nixon's early years, from birth to college (1913-1933). He titles this chapter "Salvation by Work." Silliman writes of Nixon, that he believed he possessed an "iron butt." This was his "core truth about himself." Therefore, "he was a strive. He had a work ethic and drive and everything he ever got, he worked for. Nothing came easy to him, nothing freely given, nothing bestowed by grace. But that didn't matter" (p. 33). This core truth had religious roots.
From 1933, we jump to 1948, with a few flashbacks to Nixon's service in the Navy. It was in 1948 that the California Republican Party recruited him to run for Congress. This chapter, titled "Cold War Christian," reveals how this nominal Quaker became an anti-Communist fighter. He believed this was a holy venture to which he was called. As for his theology, Silliman points out that like many Mainline Protestants, he embraced a theology that "sought to remove the supernatural and mythological elements of the Christian faith, putting their emphasis on morality and good works." While he could have joined any number of Mainline churches, he maintained his connection with his hometown Quaker church in East Whittier, California. Otherwise, he essentially ignored religious things. What mattered was fighting communism, which involved serving on the House Unamerican Activities Committee and the prosecution of Alger Hiss. Before long he was able to translate his political efforts into his election as a US Senator from California in 1950.
Chapter 3 is titled "The Checkers Speech," the speech he gave in 1952 as his vice presidential candidacy hung in the balance due to the revelation of a fund that was used to support his political activities as a senator. A scandal broke out and Eisenhower left Nixon hanging in the wind. It was a speech about a dog given to the family that turned the tide and led to Nixon's political salvation. We learn that the relationship with Eisenhower was never close and that the President may have preferred someone else. Nevertheless, Nixon, true to his core truth, worked hard on behalf of the administration, including serving as the point man on the administration's civil rights efforts, which led to a partnership with Martin Luther King.
The next key moment was the 1960 election that pitted the Vice President against the popular senator from Massachusetts, John F. Kennedy. In Chapter 4, Silliman focuses on one of the key elements of the election (not the televised debate, but religion). Thus, the chapter titled "The Religion Issue," focuses on Nixon's aversion to focusing on religion, especially Kennedy's Catholicism, which ended up costing him as Kennedy focused on religious tolerance, something Nixon embraced but chose not to address, and then built on Catholic loyalty to achieve enough of a margin to win.
After Nixon's defeat in the 1962 California gubernatorial election, he gave up, at least for a moment political ambitions, moved to New York, and joined a law firm. During his New York days, he attended fairly regularly the Marble Collegiate Church, where Norman Vincent Peale was the minister, preaching his message about the power of positive thinking. However, by 1968, the political bug hit again, and he jumped into the presidential race. 1968 was a time of turmoil, with the Vietnam War raging, and President Johnson having chosen to drop out of the presidential race on the Democratic side. Of course, Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy were both assassinated. Nixon who had a solid Civil Rights record and reputation, chose to pursue a law and order campaign, together with an embrace of the Southern Strategy that sought to appeal to southern segregationists, a policy that changed the Republican party to this day. He won.
Chapter 6 is an important contribution to the question of how religion functions in the White House. President Eisenhower, who grew up Jehovah's Witness, decided to join the Presbyterian Church. Kennedy was Catholic, and John was Disciples of Christ. Nixon could have joined a Quaker church in Washington or attended any number of local churches including the Episcopal Church that stood near the White House, the so-called Church of the Presidents. Nixon chose none of those options, but instead opted to create a church in the White House. This is a fascinating story that may not be well known to contemporary audiences. One reason he chose this route is that he didn't want to put himself in a position where he might be the target of a sermon from a preacher eager to criticize him, as had happened with President Johnson when he attended National City Christian Church. Besides, Nixon was something of a control freak and by creating a church in the White House he could control the service. He did. He chose the preachers, in consultation with Graham and others, the hymns, and those who attended. By and large, the preachers left him alone, as he hoped. It wasn't just a Christian service, he invited Rabbis as well. Though the Rabbi had to lead the congregation in the doxology.
Chapter 7 is titled "Peace, Peace, But There is No Peace." It covers the period 1969 to 1973, the years of the Nixon presidency. Here Silliman takes up the primary issues of the day, especially the war in Vietnam and Nixon's decision to bomb Cambodia, where the North Vietnamese and Vietcong had created bases, though Cambodia was not part of the war, as well as bombing Hanoi. This led to problems with his Quaker church relationships. While his home church stood by him, many Quakers were unhappy and sought to have him excommunicated (so to speak). They failed because of the loose connectionalism of his faith tradition, but Nixon was faced with the challenge of his own faith tradition. Interestingly, he tried to portray himself as a pacifist seeking to bring peace to the world by winning the war in Vietnam.
Besides the war, however, Silliman speaks to Nixon's desire "To Be a Great Man" (Chapter 8). The key element of Nixon's presidency was his groundbreaking trip to China. China had closed itself off and yet an opportunity arose for Nixon, the anti-Communist, to make history by going to China and opening up relations with China. When we add this to other aspects of Nixon's presidency, we find that he was fairly progressive, especially in contrast to the contemporary Republican Party. He established the EPA, sought to control inflation through price controls (Kamala Harris has been called a communist for advocating something less than that), and even pursued a health care plan that would have gone further than the Affordable Care Act.
Perhaps Richard Nixon could have ranked among the greatest of American Presidents, but there was a dark side to his personality. It was rooted in his insecurities and fears of how others perceived him. So, in 1974, he was forced to resign from the presidency because he had authorized a coverup of a failed attempt to bug the Democratic Party Headquarters. Chapter 9, "The Final Judgment" explores the downfall of the President, a downfall that was abetted by his desire to record his life for posterity. That need to keep a record involved bugging his own White House, such that conversations with his aids about the need to cover up the burglary were present on tapes that Congress got a hold of. He would resign after learning that he had lost the Senate and would be impeached and removed from office. The chapter ends with Nixon asking Henry Kissenger to kneel with him in the Lincoln Bedroom to pray.
The final chapter (Chapter 10) is titled "Redeeming Himself." It tells the story of Nixon's life after Watergate and resignation, which ran from 1974 to his death in 1994. Having to resign in disgrace threw Nixon into a state of depression. He even contemplated suicide. Given time, however, Nixon pursued redemption, but not with God, with the nation. Silliman writes: "Losing everything can lead some people to finally, fully throw themselves on divine mercy. When there's nothing left that you can claim as merit, nothing to cite as convincing evidence of your worth, you just have to ask God to love you." That is not the path Nixon chose. Silliman writes "In the days after his resignation, he dwelled in self-pity and despair. The humiliation seemed as if it would crush him. Then, deep inside, he found a reservoir of anger and resentment. It gave him strength. He would go on, he said, out of spite." He would show his enemies who he truly was and tell them to go to hell (p. 275). True to his core, he went to work. He wrote books, gave speeches, and sought to reenter the political sphere even if he would never again hold office. he could become a senior statesman. As for God, he wasn't going to ask God to accept him without one plea."He would do it on his own."
Silliman ends the book with this description of Nixon's death: " A little after 9 p.m. on April 22, 1994, Richard Nixon, the boy from Yorba Linda, the man who disgraced the presidency, passed from this life into the arms of the God who loved him, even though he never really believed that was true." (p. 292).
It's been thirty years since Richard Nixon passed from this world. He left behind a rather mixed legacy. He accomplished great things, and overcame great odds, including having to deal with cold and distant parents, while being formed by a religious tradition that emphasized the need for hard work, something he embraced. He believed in religious tolerance and at least early on embraced the Civil Rights Movement. Yet, in pursuit of victory, he aligned himself with segregationists. He saw himself as a pacifist but pursued a war with fury (all in the name of making peace in the world). He was friends with Billy Graham but could be vulgar and spiteful. His Quaker origins helped form him as a person and yet religion played a very small part in his own life story. If he was going to be redeemed he would have to do it himself because he didn't believe God truly loved him. All in all, this makes for a rather interesting religious biography!
In "One Lost Soul" Daniel Silliman explores Nixon's life and career with an eye to his religious orientation. Thus, what might seem to be a strange addition to the Eerdmans "Library of Religious Biography," is addressed. Nixon was by birth and formation a Quaker, which is a historic peace tradition. That formation would seem to run counter to the Nixon who emerged in adulthood, a person who enlisted in the Navy during World War II and pursued the war in Vietnam as President. He was also friends with Billy Graham and Norman Vincent Peale, who served as informal advisors. In later years Graham would rue the nature of that relationship, but they formed an important partnership that sought to connect the evangelical world with Republican politics.
Silliman's title reveals something important about Nixon that carries through the biography. Nixon was raised in a rather stern Quaker household, with an angry father and a cold and distant mother, such that Nixon never felt he measured up. This was a religious family that attended church with great regularity, but there was no grace as part of this formation. Thus, with a family and faith tradition that demanded perfection, Nixon grew up believing that the only way for him to succeed in life was to work harder than anyone else because he never felt he measured up to expectations. Thus, we read about a person who sought salvation but was unable or unwilling to receive God's grace.
If you are looking for an in-depth biography that covers the entirety of Nixon's life, you will need to look elsewhere. Silliman takes an interesting pathway. He spends a significant amount of space on Nixon's early years, from birth to college (1913-1933). He titles this chapter "Salvation by Work." Silliman writes of Nixon, that he believed he possessed an "iron butt." This was his "core truth about himself." Therefore, "he was a strive. He had a work ethic and drive and everything he ever got, he worked for. Nothing came easy to him, nothing freely given, nothing bestowed by grace. But that didn't matter" (p. 33). This core truth had religious roots.
From 1933, we jump to 1948, with a few flashbacks to Nixon's service in the Navy. It was in 1948 that the California Republican Party recruited him to run for Congress. This chapter, titled "Cold War Christian," reveals how this nominal Quaker became an anti-Communist fighter. He believed this was a holy venture to which he was called. As for his theology, Silliman points out that like many Mainline Protestants, he embraced a theology that "sought to remove the supernatural and mythological elements of the Christian faith, putting their emphasis on morality and good works." While he could have joined any number of Mainline churches, he maintained his connection with his hometown Quaker church in East Whittier, California. Otherwise, he essentially ignored religious things. What mattered was fighting communism, which involved serving on the House Unamerican Activities Committee and the prosecution of Alger Hiss. Before long he was able to translate his political efforts into his election as a US Senator from California in 1950.
Chapter 3 is titled "The Checkers Speech," the speech he gave in 1952 as his vice presidential candidacy hung in the balance due to the revelation of a fund that was used to support his political activities as a senator. A scandal broke out and Eisenhower left Nixon hanging in the wind. It was a speech about a dog given to the family that turned the tide and led to Nixon's political salvation. We learn that the relationship with Eisenhower was never close and that the President may have preferred someone else. Nevertheless, Nixon, true to his core truth, worked hard on behalf of the administration, including serving as the point man on the administration's civil rights efforts, which led to a partnership with Martin Luther King.
The next key moment was the 1960 election that pitted the Vice President against the popular senator from Massachusetts, John F. Kennedy. In Chapter 4, Silliman focuses on one of the key elements of the election (not the televised debate, but religion). Thus, the chapter titled "The Religion Issue," focuses on Nixon's aversion to focusing on religion, especially Kennedy's Catholicism, which ended up costing him as Kennedy focused on religious tolerance, something Nixon embraced but chose not to address, and then built on Catholic loyalty to achieve enough of a margin to win.
After Nixon's defeat in the 1962 California gubernatorial election, he gave up, at least for a moment political ambitions, moved to New York, and joined a law firm. During his New York days, he attended fairly regularly the Marble Collegiate Church, where Norman Vincent Peale was the minister, preaching his message about the power of positive thinking. However, by 1968, the political bug hit again, and he jumped into the presidential race. 1968 was a time of turmoil, with the Vietnam War raging, and President Johnson having chosen to drop out of the presidential race on the Democratic side. Of course, Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy were both assassinated. Nixon who had a solid Civil Rights record and reputation, chose to pursue a law and order campaign, together with an embrace of the Southern Strategy that sought to appeal to southern segregationists, a policy that changed the Republican party to this day. He won.
Chapter 6 is an important contribution to the question of how religion functions in the White House. President Eisenhower, who grew up Jehovah's Witness, decided to join the Presbyterian Church. Kennedy was Catholic, and John was Disciples of Christ. Nixon could have joined a Quaker church in Washington or attended any number of local churches including the Episcopal Church that stood near the White House, the so-called Church of the Presidents. Nixon chose none of those options, but instead opted to create a church in the White House. This is a fascinating story that may not be well known to contemporary audiences. One reason he chose this route is that he didn't want to put himself in a position where he might be the target of a sermon from a preacher eager to criticize him, as had happened with President Johnson when he attended National City Christian Church. Besides, Nixon was something of a control freak and by creating a church in the White House he could control the service. He did. He chose the preachers, in consultation with Graham and others, the hymns, and those who attended. By and large, the preachers left him alone, as he hoped. It wasn't just a Christian service, he invited Rabbis as well. Though the Rabbi had to lead the congregation in the doxology.
Chapter 7 is titled "Peace, Peace, But There is No Peace." It covers the period 1969 to 1973, the years of the Nixon presidency. Here Silliman takes up the primary issues of the day, especially the war in Vietnam and Nixon's decision to bomb Cambodia, where the North Vietnamese and Vietcong had created bases, though Cambodia was not part of the war, as well as bombing Hanoi. This led to problems with his Quaker church relationships. While his home church stood by him, many Quakers were unhappy and sought to have him excommunicated (so to speak). They failed because of the loose connectionalism of his faith tradition, but Nixon was faced with the challenge of his own faith tradition. Interestingly, he tried to portray himself as a pacifist seeking to bring peace to the world by winning the war in Vietnam.
Besides the war, however, Silliman speaks to Nixon's desire "To Be a Great Man" (Chapter 8). The key element of Nixon's presidency was his groundbreaking trip to China. China had closed itself off and yet an opportunity arose for Nixon, the anti-Communist, to make history by going to China and opening up relations with China. When we add this to other aspects of Nixon's presidency, we find that he was fairly progressive, especially in contrast to the contemporary Republican Party. He established the EPA, sought to control inflation through price controls (Kamala Harris has been called a communist for advocating something less than that), and even pursued a health care plan that would have gone further than the Affordable Care Act.
Perhaps Richard Nixon could have ranked among the greatest of American Presidents, but there was a dark side to his personality. It was rooted in his insecurities and fears of how others perceived him. So, in 1974, he was forced to resign from the presidency because he had authorized a coverup of a failed attempt to bug the Democratic Party Headquarters. Chapter 9, "The Final Judgment" explores the downfall of the President, a downfall that was abetted by his desire to record his life for posterity. That need to keep a record involved bugging his own White House, such that conversations with his aids about the need to cover up the burglary were present on tapes that Congress got a hold of. He would resign after learning that he had lost the Senate and would be impeached and removed from office. The chapter ends with Nixon asking Henry Kissenger to kneel with him in the Lincoln Bedroom to pray.
The final chapter (Chapter 10) is titled "Redeeming Himself." It tells the story of Nixon's life after Watergate and resignation, which ran from 1974 to his death in 1994. Having to resign in disgrace threw Nixon into a state of depression. He even contemplated suicide. Given time, however, Nixon pursued redemption, but not with God, with the nation. Silliman writes: "Losing everything can lead some people to finally, fully throw themselves on divine mercy. When there's nothing left that you can claim as merit, nothing to cite as convincing evidence of your worth, you just have to ask God to love you." That is not the path Nixon chose. Silliman writes "In the days after his resignation, he dwelled in self-pity and despair. The humiliation seemed as if it would crush him. Then, deep inside, he found a reservoir of anger and resentment. It gave him strength. He would go on, he said, out of spite." He would show his enemies who he truly was and tell them to go to hell (p. 275). True to his core, he went to work. He wrote books, gave speeches, and sought to reenter the political sphere even if he would never again hold office. he could become a senior statesman. As for God, he wasn't going to ask God to accept him without one plea."He would do it on his own."
Silliman ends the book with this description of Nixon's death: " A little after 9 p.m. on April 22, 1994, Richard Nixon, the boy from Yorba Linda, the man who disgraced the presidency, passed from this life into the arms of the God who loved him, even though he never really believed that was true." (p. 292).
It's been thirty years since Richard Nixon passed from this world. He left behind a rather mixed legacy. He accomplished great things, and overcame great odds, including having to deal with cold and distant parents, while being formed by a religious tradition that emphasized the need for hard work, something he embraced. He believed in religious tolerance and at least early on embraced the Civil Rights Movement. Yet, in pursuit of victory, he aligned himself with segregationists. He saw himself as a pacifist but pursued a war with fury (all in the name of making peace in the world). He was friends with Billy Graham but could be vulgar and spiteful. His Quaker origins helped form him as a person and yet religion played a very small part in his own life story. If he was going to be redeemed he would have to do it himself because he didn't believe God truly loved him. All in all, this makes for a rather interesting religious biography!
February 4, 2026
Richard Nixon is often seen through a simplistic lens. The only President ever to resign in office, the man at the center of a scandal that changed the way our nation thinks about its leaders, many Americans view him today as "Tricky Dick," defined by his flaws alone. But, like all humans, Nixon was a blend of both good and bad. And as a President, he was a complicated, even fascinating figure: An avid foe of Communism who ironically became the first President to visit China, helping open that country to the world stage. A conservative who started the Environmental Protection Agency.
Daniel Silliman seeks to understand Nixon by examining his religious faith. His thesis is that Nixon craved the love he never truly received at home. His demanding father preferred Richard's two brothers, both of whom died young, while his saintly mother believed in showing love, but not verbalizing it. The Nixons were practicing Quakers, and so as a Christian, I would hope that Nixon would find the acceptance he desired in the embrace of God's love, as seen in the Gospel. But the Nixons' church in Whittier, CA was unorthodox in its teaching, focusing more on doing good than on receiving God's grace. Then, in his college years, Nixon rejected the very idea of a personal God.
Upon entering politics, Nixon seemed in many ways to be the great American success story; a man who rose from poverty and tragedy to overcome better-credentialed, better funded opponents. He did it because he was smarter, and because he was willing to outwork them. But all along, his yearning for acceptance haunted him, shaping many of his decisions, leaving him dissatisfied.
Later, as President, Nixon broke with Presidential tradition by not attending a local church, instead hosting worship services in the White House itself. Silliman presents this as a decision borne of his desire for acceptance as well. With a curated worship service, he could choose the preacher and guests, ensuring that the sermon would not be targeted at his need for repentance, and that congregants would be grateful to be invited instead of judging the President sitting in a pew.
Silliman does a great job of backing-up his hypothesis, using the accounts of people who knew Nixon throughout his life, including his boyhood, as well as the former President's own words.
In addition, Silliman is a terrific writer, and there is no wasted space in his narrative. He is fair with Nixon, pointing out his many achievements, and making his insecurities relatable. I have read biographies of many presidents (including Nixon), but this is the first that helped me understand how the faith of a President shapes the way they govern.
Daniel Silliman seeks to understand Nixon by examining his religious faith. His thesis is that Nixon craved the love he never truly received at home. His demanding father preferred Richard's two brothers, both of whom died young, while his saintly mother believed in showing love, but not verbalizing it. The Nixons were practicing Quakers, and so as a Christian, I would hope that Nixon would find the acceptance he desired in the embrace of God's love, as seen in the Gospel. But the Nixons' church in Whittier, CA was unorthodox in its teaching, focusing more on doing good than on receiving God's grace. Then, in his college years, Nixon rejected the very idea of a personal God.
Upon entering politics, Nixon seemed in many ways to be the great American success story; a man who rose from poverty and tragedy to overcome better-credentialed, better funded opponents. He did it because he was smarter, and because he was willing to outwork them. But all along, his yearning for acceptance haunted him, shaping many of his decisions, leaving him dissatisfied.
Later, as President, Nixon broke with Presidential tradition by not attending a local church, instead hosting worship services in the White House itself. Silliman presents this as a decision borne of his desire for acceptance as well. With a curated worship service, he could choose the preacher and guests, ensuring that the sermon would not be targeted at his need for repentance, and that congregants would be grateful to be invited instead of judging the President sitting in a pew.
Silliman does a great job of backing-up his hypothesis, using the accounts of people who knew Nixon throughout his life, including his boyhood, as well as the former President's own words.
In addition, Silliman is a terrific writer, and there is no wasted space in his narrative. He is fair with Nixon, pointing out his many achievements, and making his insecurities relatable. I have read biographies of many presidents (including Nixon), but this is the first that helped me understand how the faith of a President shapes the way they govern.
December 21, 2024
Friends don’t allow friends to read 2- star rated books, right? But it is my recommendation that you read this book. I make this recommendation for two primary reasons. First, this book contains a fascinating overview of the life of Richard M. Nixon. Second, this book illustrates the foggy thinking of left leaning evangelicals in the modern age.
One of the reasons that you should read this book is because it is a fascinating account of the life of Richard Nixon. President Nixon was a brooding, brilliant, politically adroit, and deeply flawed human being. He was an extremely hard worker who was driven to succeed at all costs. Much of this can probably be attributed to his harsh upbringing , where he never lived up to his father‘s expectations, and his mother never expressed her love or affection for him. Yet, Nixon became the Vice President of the United States, the President of the United States, and a world statesman. But all these accomplishments, of course, are overshadowed by the crimes committed in the Watergate scandal. It is as if Richard Nixon existed to be the main character in a Shakespearean tragedy.
Second, one should also read this book because it says a lot about the state of mind of certain evangelicals in the United States, who seem to hang onto cultural Christianity without a full orbed gospel. This book was ostensibly to be about the religious life of Richard Nixon. Spoiler alert, it appears that Richard Nixon‘s limited spiritual life involved holding carefully planned church services at the White House during his presidency for political purposes. Of course, the deep flaws of President Nixon were discussed at length in this book and either psychologized or spiritualized. It seemed clear, however, even to the author of the book, that Richard Nixon, an ostensible quaker, was at best a hypocrite and at least a thoroughgoing pagan.
Notwithstanding this stark portrait of Nixon, the author concludes that upon Nixon’s death, he was ushered into the arms of his Savior. Such a conclusion is a massive non sequitur premised on incomplete information and informed by a woefully inadequate soteriology. Thus, following the trend of modern man, the author seems to dismiss Nixon’s sins as deep, psychological flaws, and yet believes without any cited evidence, that Nixon was a follower of Christ. It makes one wonder what the Eerdman‘s Publishing Company was thinking when it agreed to publish this book.
So, yes, read this book, but read it skeptically. Happy reading!
One of the reasons that you should read this book is because it is a fascinating account of the life of Richard Nixon. President Nixon was a brooding, brilliant, politically adroit, and deeply flawed human being. He was an extremely hard worker who was driven to succeed at all costs. Much of this can probably be attributed to his harsh upbringing , where he never lived up to his father‘s expectations, and his mother never expressed her love or affection for him. Yet, Nixon became the Vice President of the United States, the President of the United States, and a world statesman. But all these accomplishments, of course, are overshadowed by the crimes committed in the Watergate scandal. It is as if Richard Nixon existed to be the main character in a Shakespearean tragedy.
Second, one should also read this book because it says a lot about the state of mind of certain evangelicals in the United States, who seem to hang onto cultural Christianity without a full orbed gospel. This book was ostensibly to be about the religious life of Richard Nixon. Spoiler alert, it appears that Richard Nixon‘s limited spiritual life involved holding carefully planned church services at the White House during his presidency for political purposes. Of course, the deep flaws of President Nixon were discussed at length in this book and either psychologized or spiritualized. It seemed clear, however, even to the author of the book, that Richard Nixon, an ostensible quaker, was at best a hypocrite and at least a thoroughgoing pagan.
Notwithstanding this stark portrait of Nixon, the author concludes that upon Nixon’s death, he was ushered into the arms of his Savior. Such a conclusion is a massive non sequitur premised on incomplete information and informed by a woefully inadequate soteriology. Thus, following the trend of modern man, the author seems to dismiss Nixon’s sins as deep, psychological flaws, and yet believes without any cited evidence, that Nixon was a follower of Christ. It makes one wonder what the Eerdman‘s Publishing Company was thinking when it agreed to publish this book.
So, yes, read this book, but read it skeptically. Happy reading!
January 12, 2025
Just finished Daniel Silliman's *One Lost Soul: Richard Nixon’s Search for Salvation*. Not sure how such a sad book can be so beautifully written. But somehow this nicely paced, sensitive, bracing spiritual biography of a pitiful, sometimes repugnant, president come alive. Highly recommended.
So many money quotes:
“No one gets out of childhood unscathed, but Nixon was more scathed than most. His childhood was marked by poverty, disease, the fear of death, and death. It was made up of aches and sweat, anger and silence, boiled sheets, coughing, work, homework, and prayer.”
“If there were glimpses of grace in this theology, and occasional messages about God’s unconditional love, Nixon didn’t see them. . . . Nixon went to church like it was his job. The work ethic and emphasis on performance that he learned at home were reinforced by the preaching, Sunday school, and Christian Endeavor. His sense of belonging and his sense of value, at home, at school, at church, and at work, were always measured by his labor.”
“’You won’t have Nixon to kick around anymore.’ [after losing the 1960s presidential election] It was a spectacular, self-destructive performance. . . . And he did it so dramatically, so petulantly, that he seemed to show the world his true wounded self. Look at me, he practically screamed to the stunned room of reporters. I am a loser. And everyone agreed that he was.”
“One night as dusk settled, a line of protesters marched past the White House carrying candles . . . They carried signs with the names of soldiers killed. . . . Nixon couldn’t look at the marchers. He went down to the basement of the White House and bowled alone.”
“Then Nixon was alone, in the dark hotel room, looking at the few lights that burned in the night in Shanghai.”
So many money quotes:
“No one gets out of childhood unscathed, but Nixon was more scathed than most. His childhood was marked by poverty, disease, the fear of death, and death. It was made up of aches and sweat, anger and silence, boiled sheets, coughing, work, homework, and prayer.”
“If there were glimpses of grace in this theology, and occasional messages about God’s unconditional love, Nixon didn’t see them. . . . Nixon went to church like it was his job. The work ethic and emphasis on performance that he learned at home were reinforced by the preaching, Sunday school, and Christian Endeavor. His sense of belonging and his sense of value, at home, at school, at church, and at work, were always measured by his labor.”
“’You won’t have Nixon to kick around anymore.’ [after losing the 1960s presidential election] It was a spectacular, self-destructive performance. . . . And he did it so dramatically, so petulantly, that he seemed to show the world his true wounded self. Look at me, he practically screamed to the stunned room of reporters. I am a loser. And everyone agreed that he was.”
“One night as dusk settled, a line of protesters marched past the White House carrying candles . . . They carried signs with the names of soldiers killed. . . . Nixon couldn’t look at the marchers. He went down to the basement of the White House and bowled alone.”
“Then Nixon was alone, in the dark hotel room, looking at the few lights that burned in the night in Shanghai.”
November 24, 2024
You tend to become aware of world affairs and politics in your early teens. At least I did. And, at that time, the biggest events were the Vietnam War, the Cold War, the Yom-Kippur War and Nixon, especially Watergate and his resignation.
And so it was with interest that I read this biography on Nixon - with its focus is on Nixon's complex personality and his religious attitudes. It is a fascinating if incredibly sad story of a man who never felt loved, was insecure, even when he achieved great things like becoming a senator and president. The book's title is apt.
Nixon worked tirelessly, and was always scheming. A lot of that allowed him to achieve significant things as president. But he was also foul-mouthed and willing to make questionable ethical decisions to achieve his goals. The Watergate cover-up, in one sense, is not a surprise.
In the end, his story is a very sad one. Not just because of the scandal of Watergate and his ensuing resignation, but more because he could not accept the beliefs of his Quaker mother, and seemed incapable of understanding grace. He accepted some of the ideals of a resurrected Jesus, but not the facts or the personal implications.
Nixon famously said, in the early 1960s, "But as I leave you, I want you to know—just think how much you're going to be missing. You don't have Nixon to kick around anymore." The book makes me wonder if no-one kicked him around more than he did himself. When you discount grace, all that you are left with is trying harder.
And so it was with interest that I read this biography on Nixon - with its focus is on Nixon's complex personality and his religious attitudes. It is a fascinating if incredibly sad story of a man who never felt loved, was insecure, even when he achieved great things like becoming a senator and president. The book's title is apt.
Nixon worked tirelessly, and was always scheming. A lot of that allowed him to achieve significant things as president. But he was also foul-mouthed and willing to make questionable ethical decisions to achieve his goals. The Watergate cover-up, in one sense, is not a surprise.
In the end, his story is a very sad one. Not just because of the scandal of Watergate and his ensuing resignation, but more because he could not accept the beliefs of his Quaker mother, and seemed incapable of understanding grace. He accepted some of the ideals of a resurrected Jesus, but not the facts or the personal implications.
Nixon famously said, in the early 1960s, "But as I leave you, I want you to know—just think how much you're going to be missing. You don't have Nixon to kick around anymore." The book makes me wonder if no-one kicked him around more than he did himself. When you discount grace, all that you are left with is trying harder.
April 27, 2025
I made a promise to myself that I would read biographies on each US President. I had postponed reading Mr. Nixon’s biography because I believed it would be depressing and I was right. I’m not sure there’s an author out there who might be able to portray this man’s life in a more positive light or not. This is not to say there weren’t any highlights in Nixon’s life but the man himself never seemed happy or relaxed. I suppose politicians are alike in that they are always pursuing votes and none of them ever relax…not really. Overall, a very sad story.
April 1, 2025
A fantastic history that is a must read for anyone interested in Richard Nixon his presidency.
At under 300 pages it is much shorter and more narrow in scope than most presidential biographies. The author starts from the point of view that there is too much material for any historian to fully cover every aspect of a president’s life. Instead this author brilliantly focuses on Nixon’s religious life and how that contributed to his peculiar, paranoid, and vindictive psyche.
At under 300 pages it is much shorter and more narrow in scope than most presidential biographies. The author starts from the point of view that there is too much material for any historian to fully cover every aspect of a president’s life. Instead this author brilliantly focuses on Nixon’s religious life and how that contributed to his peculiar, paranoid, and vindictive psyche.
October 6, 2024
This is fascinating, well researched and well-written. It follows Nixon's life from his first memory to his death. It delves into his Quaker upbringing and his parents' expectations. His White House Church was fascinating as was a lot of his political life. I was most interested in his life after his resignation. The ending was perfect. It could have been fiction - but it wasn't.
November 12, 2024
Heard Daniel speak about the book. To hear about the spiritual life or lack there of of Nixon helps to understand the man. The need for forgiveness is a lesson for us all as we seek to transform ourselves and our society.
February 13, 2025
My friend, Daniel, wrote this book (and I am mentioned in the acknowledgements), but I would have loved it no matter what. Nixon is a fascinating person. This is not a full biography. Daniel focuses on particular times in Nixon's life that reflect on his spiritual life. Excellent!
October 9, 2024
Super interesting and very engaging. I fascinating look at such an important historical figure.
Full video review here: https://youtu.be/taZ2fOE3FAI
Full video review here: https://youtu.be/taZ2fOE3FAI
January 27, 2026
Really great book, though sad. I was particularly fascinated by the chapter on the services held in the White House during his presidency. I had first heard of these in Colson's Born Again (unless I had read about them in the biographies of Billy Graham and had forgotten). So sad that so many Christians were willing to play along, and pastors to forfeit a prophetic voice. Notably throughout, Billy Graham seemed convinced beyond reason of the candidate/president's deep faith. But saddest of all was Nixon's inability to accept grace, to find unqualified love. Silliman is an excellent writer. Highly recommended.
November 20, 2024
Overall, this is a very enjoyable and engaging read. I appreciated the exploration of the worship services at the White House, that was especially interesting. Felt maybe a tad rushed in the final chapter, covering so much of his final years. I also don’t know if it was intended, but to insinuate that Nixon went into the arms of a God in the final sentence, as if he were a Christian, is misleading, for there is nothing to indicate that Nixon was regenerate and truly knew Christ. Overall though a job well done here.
January 6, 2025
What a book. Great writing. Vividly shows how miserable life is when you try to find your justification in anything other than the work of Jesus.
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