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The Faith of George W. Bush: The Personal, Practical, and Political

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Religion and the American Presidency

Part of the book series: The Evolving American Presidency ((EAP))

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Abstract

When historians and political scientists reinterpret the religious beliefs and practices of long-dead presidents, and attempt to ascertain the impact of a president’s faith on his politics , they are often limited to a handful of original documents, and a finite amount of historical records. Often the depiction turns on interpretations of a few key facts—whether a president regularly attended church or mentioned God in his personal letters. Often historians wish for a richer source of information.

One of my core beliefs is that there is an almighty God, and that every man, woman and child on the face of this Earth bears his image. … I know many of the leaders gathered in this assembly have been influenced by faith as well. We may profess different creeds and worship in different places, but our faith leads us to common values.

President George W. Bush at a United Nations conference promoting interfaith dialogue in 2008.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. American Government, Georgetown University, Washington, USA

    Carin Robinson & Clyde Wilcox

Authors
  1. Carin Robinson
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  2. Clyde Wilcox
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. George Mason University, Arlington, Virginia, USA

    Mark J. Rozell

  2. Grand Valley State University, Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA

    Gleaves Whitney

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Robinson, C., Wilcox, C. (2018). The Faith of George W. Bush: The Personal, Practical, and Political. In: Rozell, M., Whitney, G. (eds) Religion and the American Presidency. The Evolving American Presidency. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62175-3_12

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