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Washington's God: Religion, Liberty, and the Father of Our Country
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.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published March 6, 2006
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166 people want to read
About the author
Michael Novak
195 books35 followersMichael Novak is an American Catholic philosopher, journalist, novelist, and diplomat. He is George Frederick Jewett Scholar in Religion, Philosophy, and Public Policy at the American Enterprise Institute
Novak served as United States Ambassador to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in 1981 and 1982 and led the U.S. delegation to the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe in 1986.
In 1993 Novak was honored with an honorary doctorate degree at Universidad Francisco Marroquín] due to his commitment to the idea of liberty. In 1994 he was awarded the Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion.
Novak served as United States Ambassador to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in 1981 and 1982 and led the U.S. delegation to the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe in 1986.
In 1993 Novak was honored with an honorary doctorate degree at Universidad Francisco Marroquín] due to his commitment to the idea of liberty. In 1994 he was awarded the Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
March 23, 2009
The review on Goodreads that comes with this book starts off "
A leading conservative thinker offers the first in-depth look at the religious life of our country's greatest founding father, George Washington ...' I hope using the word conservative isn't a warning ...
because I thought the book was terrific, though it took some discipline to stay with a fairly exhaustive look at Washington's life of public religious statements, prayers, and letters. Apparently a private man, he and his wife Martha disposed of nearly all their private correspondence, which in turn deprived us many generations later of a private look at our nation's first President and First lady, as we have had of John and Abigail Adams.
Novak (and somewhere in this his daughter Jana Novak) asks the book-theme question, "what is the evidence that Washington was a deist, as he is often portrayed." To do so, he took a thorough plunge into each of Washington's public utterances about Divine Providence, unearthed what friends and rivals had to say about his character and private life, and what Washington himself wrote to many around him over a variety of life issues, often the loss of children or other loved ones. Those were private letters that were often saved by the recipients.
Before the observances themselves, I admired more and more as I read on, how Novak carefully and openly circled round and round Washington, taking his words at face value, not interpreting for Novak's own point of view. Novak did state that he felt he could do this, because one characteristic that others virtually unanimously wrote of Washington was that he was the same person in public and private...
Novak rather thoroughly challenges the notion that Washington's god was the impersonal force that deism embraces, or that he was lukewarm or ambiguous regarding his own convictions. Throughout Washington's utterances, he portrays Divine Providence as one that intercedes, with clear preferences for freedom, responsibility,though regularly admitting that Providence was inscrutable, not easily understood. As Novak points out, while the nouns used by Washington could be construed as deist, the verbs were most certainly regarding a personal God who takes an active interest in the affairs of humankind.
Just one quote as to Washington's view of God and the nation that was coming into being, "Washington held firm to the belief that one of the reasons God created the world is to make free creatures capable of recognizing him, thanking him, and entering into conversation with him.Washington believed that God could not help but be on the side of liberty, and that liberty was the American cause, the just cause, the right cause. Washington did not believe that history always comes out right, but he did believe that Americans did have a chance ..."
Novak writes in an enlightening way about why Washington might not have wished to speak openly of Christ or God in the Christian terms of today: Our Father, the Savior, the Redeemer, etc. He reviewed the rather stoic language of Anglicans of the time, certainly of their concealment of emotion, in direct contrast to the new wave of "Awakened believers" (the great evangelical awakening in the mid 1700s), where Baptists and Methodists led the way with new calls for an intimate language revolving around Jesus. Apparently this was new religious language and somewhat tense for the older approaches, so perhaps Washington deliberately chose to use a broad inclusive set of terms that would leave no one out.
So that's what the book chews through, about Washington's prayers during setbacks and victories during the Revolutionary War and the first years of the nation. Novak concludes the book on a personal scale, talking of Washington's view of Providence as he aged, counseled others in a capacity as elder friend, not the public statesman, and finally his resignation to the happy future awaiting him, when he suddenly fell ill and died within just two days.
I liked the research approach, Novak's clear explanations of his conclusions, as well as the context of the times (Ie. the great awakening and its impact on national language). Most of all, he had a non-strident tone throughout, a conversation really with the reader, though with an identified perspective of his own.
A leading conservative thinker offers the first in-depth look at the religious life of our country's greatest founding father, George Washington ...' I hope using the word conservative isn't a warning ...
because I thought the book was terrific, though it took some discipline to stay with a fairly exhaustive look at Washington's life of public religious statements, prayers, and letters. Apparently a private man, he and his wife Martha disposed of nearly all their private correspondence, which in turn deprived us many generations later of a private look at our nation's first President and First lady, as we have had of John and Abigail Adams.
Novak (and somewhere in this his daughter Jana Novak) asks the book-theme question, "what is the evidence that Washington was a deist, as he is often portrayed." To do so, he took a thorough plunge into each of Washington's public utterances about Divine Providence, unearthed what friends and rivals had to say about his character and private life, and what Washington himself wrote to many around him over a variety of life issues, often the loss of children or other loved ones. Those were private letters that were often saved by the recipients.
Before the observances themselves, I admired more and more as I read on, how Novak carefully and openly circled round and round Washington, taking his words at face value, not interpreting for Novak's own point of view. Novak did state that he felt he could do this, because one characteristic that others virtually unanimously wrote of Washington was that he was the same person in public and private...
Novak rather thoroughly challenges the notion that Washington's god was the impersonal force that deism embraces, or that he was lukewarm or ambiguous regarding his own convictions. Throughout Washington's utterances, he portrays Divine Providence as one that intercedes, with clear preferences for freedom, responsibility,though regularly admitting that Providence was inscrutable, not easily understood. As Novak points out, while the nouns used by Washington could be construed as deist, the verbs were most certainly regarding a personal God who takes an active interest in the affairs of humankind.
Just one quote as to Washington's view of God and the nation that was coming into being, "Washington held firm to the belief that one of the reasons God created the world is to make free creatures capable of recognizing him, thanking him, and entering into conversation with him.Washington believed that God could not help but be on the side of liberty, and that liberty was the American cause, the just cause, the right cause. Washington did not believe that history always comes out right, but he did believe that Americans did have a chance ..."
Novak writes in an enlightening way about why Washington might not have wished to speak openly of Christ or God in the Christian terms of today: Our Father, the Savior, the Redeemer, etc. He reviewed the rather stoic language of Anglicans of the time, certainly of their concealment of emotion, in direct contrast to the new wave of "Awakened believers" (the great evangelical awakening in the mid 1700s), where Baptists and Methodists led the way with new calls for an intimate language revolving around Jesus. Apparently this was new religious language and somewhat tense for the older approaches, so perhaps Washington deliberately chose to use a broad inclusive set of terms that would leave no one out.
So that's what the book chews through, about Washington's prayers during setbacks and victories during the Revolutionary War and the first years of the nation. Novak concludes the book on a personal scale, talking of Washington's view of Providence as he aged, counseled others in a capacity as elder friend, not the public statesman, and finally his resignation to the happy future awaiting him, when he suddenly fell ill and died within just two days.
I liked the research approach, Novak's clear explanations of his conclusions, as well as the context of the times (Ie. the great awakening and its impact on national language). Most of all, he had a non-strident tone throughout, a conversation really with the reader, though with an identified perspective of his own.
May 9, 2014
This father/daughter author team did an immense amount of research into the religious life of George Washington. I found this book extremely well written and full of facts I had never seen before about Washington.
Whether or not George Washington was a Christian in the truest sense (trusting in Christ alone for his salvation), it is clear that he was not a deist and had an abiding faith in God, whom He often referred to as Providence. The authors surmise that since Washington was a faithful Anglican and having been exposed to all the truth of the gospel through the church and his Christian wife, that he may indeed have been a true believer. He was unquestionably a man of integrity and would not have faked a faith that he did not have. He was such a private person, however, that an open declaration of faith in Christ alone cannot be found.
This book about the father of our country was well worth reading.
Whether or not George Washington was a Christian in the truest sense (trusting in Christ alone for his salvation), it is clear that he was not a deist and had an abiding faith in God, whom He often referred to as Providence. The authors surmise that since Washington was a faithful Anglican and having been exposed to all the truth of the gospel through the church and his Christian wife, that he may indeed have been a true believer. He was unquestionably a man of integrity and would not have faked a faith that he did not have. He was such a private person, however, that an open declaration of faith in Christ alone cannot be found.
This book about the father of our country was well worth reading.
May 20, 2019
No new scholarship is really revealed in this book but if you are looking for a succinct overview of the religious views of George Washington this is a good place to start. The Novaks are forceful in their arguments and obviously hold very strong views on the religiosity of the Father of Our Country. They don't get in the way of the book but they are very clear nonetheless. Still, one of the few books out there that provides a large amount of information on Washington's religion in one place and for that reason it is worth the read.
May 7, 2024
Phew! This was an academic endeavor and a slog to get through. Still, it seemed to be well researched and written. Definitely not your lite summer beach read.
March 26, 2009
The idea of this book was excellent, and it delivered in the sense that I learned more about Washington's character and moral compass. It made me appreciate Washington the man and Washington the Christian as being one consistent character. However, the book didn't deliver in that its vocabulary was pompous and pretentious, it was very disorganized and illogical in how it presented arguments, and it was repetitive and overall unimpressive. I would recommend it if one wanted a new persepective about Washington or the religion of the founding fathers.
February 13, 2014
Very enjoyable. A theological and philosophical look at George Washington. I greatly appreciated this. Clearly the writers have studied Washington in depth. Not only frequent references to the other leaders and writers of the time, which is typical and expected, the writers clearly studied those books, writings and bios to share how these shaped his religious thoughts and beliefs. I learned a great deal more of Washington than I had expected. Worthwhile read for those that enjoy studying our first President.
July 23, 2014
George Washington was an incredibly amazing man. This book was very fair at looking at the evidence of whether Washington was a true Christian or not. His character and life experiences were nearly unbelievable. I truly enjoyed exploring Washington's faith and how it shaped this nation. Easy and fast read.
March 7, 2008
I recently read a quick history about George Washington and loved it! This is a wonderful book that reveals how much religion was a part of George Washington's life. He was a true Christian in every sense on the word!
September 19, 2010
This book was okay. Some interesting info, but it seemed like the author just kind of kept saying the same things over and over. I agree that Washington was probably a true Christian and not just a deist - but the book got old after the first few chapters.
November 30, 2014
I loved the history in this book. Author certainly did his research and debunks much of the myth about Washington's religious beliefs. Have read many of Washington's biographies and this is near the top of the list of my favorites.
November 9, 2007
Completely biased! This guy needs to quit listening to the religious right's take on the Founding Fathers and actually read what the Founding Fathers said! A crappy book on a very important topic.
February 4, 2011
An enlightening examination of how our first president thought of the divine and his relationship to the higher power.
June 4, 2013
The best book I've read on Washington. Do yourself a favor and read this book.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews