Reading: "Washington's God"

My reading selection for January is "Washington's God: Religion, Liberty, and the Father of Our Country" by Michael and Jana Novak, about the religious faith of our most well-known Founding Father. The authors' central thesis is that George Washington, contrary to the popular perception that he was a deist and one of the more secular-minded Founders, was a Bible-believing Christian and sincere Episcopalian throughout his life, as evidenced by both his public proclamations and speeches and the consistency of these with his private words and actions.

In keeping with how I normally write my book reviews, I will run through some thoughts on the book, and its thesis and message.

1) Probably the best thing about this book was the combination of my two favorite subjects: history and theology. To illustrate the intersection between the two fields, Part I of the book, entitled "The Man," went through Washington's life, and the specific trials he faced along the way to becoming our first president. The first section that stood out to me was "The Protection of Providence: Heroism on the Monongahela," detailing Washington's survival as a young officer in the Virginia militia during the French and Indian War.

Although I had read about Washington's experiences in the war while in school, and in other accounts of his life, the authors did a superb job of relating Washington's experiences to that with which he would be faced later in life. For example, as the colonel of the Virginia militia, Washington attacked a French column in the area around the Monongahela valley (today the area around Pittsburgh), killing ten men, including Sieur de Jumonville, a French diplomat. The French later took their revenge, attacking "Fort Necessity," Washington's hastily-erected fortification, and decimating his small force. However, under banner of truce, the French offered to let Washington go if he and his men surrendered, which is surprising, considering they could easily have executed Washington and his men in retaliation for Jumonville's death.

Another example from Washington's experiences on the frontier comes from his later expedition to the area with General Edward Braddock, the British commander. Washington wrote that at least four bullets pierced his coat, two horses were shot out from under him, and one Indian chief later recalled that he had at least "seventeen fair fires" at the young officer, none of which (thankfully) found its mark. One could attribute this to extraordinary good fortune or blind chance, but the authors note that with the accuracy with which the attackers' bullets found their marks that day (Braddock and virtually all other officers on horseback were killed), it appears that God had greater things in store for Washington.

Part II of the book, entitled "The Faith," delves more directly into the tenets of Washington's faith, and shows, at least based on his personal words, actions, and writings, that his beliefs appear to have been incompatible with the "deist" school of thought pervasive in many Enlightenment circles at the time. For example, even though Washington often eschewed any public proclamation of his personal beliefs, the authors point to evidence that this was not unusual for someone of Washington's Anglican faith.

As the authors point out, it is important to put Washington's words and actions into their historical context. The eighteenth century was a time in which a divide was growing between newer evangelical churches (such as Baptists and Methodists) and the more traditional Puritan and Episcopalian churches of New England and many areas of the South, including Virginia. Evangelicals of the time tended toward a "warmer," more emotional view of the Lord, stressing a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and the intense feelings following worship and conversion. On the other hand, as Novak and Novak point out, Washington belonged to the Anglican faith, which tended toward less explicit mentions of Jesus Christ, and one's personal relationship with the Savior, in favor of an increased role of reason, drawing upon a long-standing classical and theological tradition. It is too complex to do justice in a blog post, but I would recommend this section of the book for its background into the complex cultural and religious factors that influenced Washington as a man and national leader.

Overall, the book does a wonderful job of providing a historical background that helps explain why Washington may have been less open about his faith than many today would find necessary or comfortable.

2) Aside from the binding together of the theological and historical connotations of the debate over Washington's God, I was struck by the lessons for Christian living in Part III, entitled "The Fruit." Here, the authors present, through his writings and public prayers and proclamations, the lessons learned from Washington's life and travails as a soldier, statesman, and follower of Christ. These are timeless truths, still as relevant today as they were over two hundred years ago, told from the point of view of a man who had lived, and at times suffered greatly, in his role in history. A Christian at any stage of his or her walk with the Lord, or anyone seeking to know more about Christian life and theology, can benefit from these readings from the father of our country.

One of these that stood out as relevant to my life was the notion that God acts through, not in spite of, our strengths and weaknesses as human beings. Beginning in college, and especially in law school, I have been troubled by the idea that somehow, what I say or do will stand in the way of God's plan for my life. But while reading this book, I remembered that God often works not through miracles, or in contravention of free will, but through it-and that this is a sign of the artistry and intelligence He brings to a universe that is at all times under His control. Of course, it is easy to misread this as a license to fail and decrease one's efforts, but God expects our best, and in return, His plan for our lives will be accomplished. This passage underlined for me the importance of faith. I shouldn't panic in the face of a rejection letter or a grade that was lower than I expected, but instead should rejoice that God is using these apparent shortcomings to augment His glory. This is the most important lesson I face in law school, more so than anything found in a casebook.

The other main point I found relevant to my life at this juncture was Washington's firm belief that God's ways are "inscrutable," beyond human knowledge or interpretation. What I came to realize after reading this is that the inscrutability of God's will is something which I still struggle to accept, even after witnessing and going through events that don't fit into some logical framework. Early in high school, like many people my age, I developed a basic schema for how my life was supposed to turn out. Even though many of my ambitions so far have come to pass, I am just now beginning to see that God "winks" in my direction, and may take me in a direction I never anticipated, something grander, more exciting, and far beyond the limits of my capacity to devise or even imagine.

In the end, it comes back to whether I am willing to surrender my dreams, my ambitions, and my life to accomplish God's purpose for putting me on this earth. I am not so naive as to think that this is a passing phase, and that I will "get over it" and completely overcome my pride by age 30, but I am starting to realize that spiritual growth is an ongoing struggle against the forces of darkness in my own heart. This book served for me as a reminder to continue to work to trust God and place Him first in directing my life.

Overall, I recommend this book for its insights into the contrasts between Christianity and deism, as the authors spend a great deal of time explaining the differences, and why Washington belongs to the former. Also, it is an insightful look into the spiritual lessons and growth encountered throughout Washington's lifetime.