Faith and the Presidency From George Washington to George W. Bush

This book written by a college professor from Grove City College. Excellent research and full of facts and interesting material on the presidents covered. This is part of a series on presidents in the White House. If you like history you will enjoy this series as they come out.

Great book--great job of writing-good service.

I first learned of the Faith & the Presidency book from the Christianity Today magazine. The article was well written and based on the article, I checked out the book from the public library. The book captured the essence of many of the main characters and sharing their faith and how it impacted their decisions within the presidency as well as their campaigns. The strongest chapters are on Lincoln, Carter (even though his presidency was marred by blunders he remained a strong faith based president), Reagan and George W Bush. Well worth reading even though it is a thick book. Very well written and researched. The article stated that a new book will be coming out including the Obama presidency. If purchasing, I would wait for the newer edition. Good purchase for large size church libraries.

I very much enjoyed perusing this new volume on faith and the presidency. 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 chapters on TR, FDR, and Eisenhower. The author demonstrates good sense throughout. Sound judgment is so important for a historian. This book is an excellent contribution to the fields of history, religious studies, and government. Highly recommended.

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 how his faith helped him address the crises of the civil war is the best I have read to date. Students, teachers of history, religious leaders and those with a love of presidential history need this book to complete their library. A must read for 2007!

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. A tour de force!

Even though tomes have been written on the American presidents, Dr. Smith manages to bring fresh insight as a result of painstaking research. ( It could serve as a model for any student looking to document his research) The book is not "light" reading....but the author writes with clarity and with as much impartiality as humanly possible. I found his distinction between the ways that these presidents' faith shaped their policies to be thought-provoking. This book provides a strong framework from which to examine the coming election season.

I encourage you to set aside a block of time each day as you loose yourself in the history and faith of each of these men. It is full of interesting faith facts that just a history of these presidents would never touch. I must confess it took me time to read and digest this book, but well worth the time. I look forward to reareading this book in order to grasp new facts that I did not glean from the first read. I would love to see it used in school class rooms everywhere. The research, notes and excellent writing of this work is outstanding!

This book written by a college professor from Grove City College. Excellent research and full of facts and interesting material on the presidents covered. This is part of a series on presidents in the White House. If you like history you will enjoy this series as they come out.

I first learned of the Faith & the Presidency book from the Christianity Today magazine. The article was well written and based on the article, I checked out the book from the public library. The book captured the essence of many of the main characters and sharing their faith and how it impacted their decisions within the presidency as well as their campaigns. The strongest chapters are on Lincoln, Carter (even though his presidency was marred by blunders he remained a strong faith based president), Reagan and George W Bush. Well worth reading even though it is a thick book. Very well written and researched. The article stated that a new book will be coming out including the Obama presidency. If purchasing, I would wait for the newer edition. Good purchase for large size church libraries.

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 chapters on TR, FDR, and Eisenhower.The author demonstrates good sense throughout. Sound judgment is soimportant for a historian. This book is an excellent contribution to the fields of history, religious studies, and government. Highly recommended.

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 how his faith helped him address the crises of the civil war is the best I have read to date.Students, teachers of history, religious leaders and those with a love of presidential history need this book to complete their library. A must read for 2007!

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. A tour de force!

Even though tomes have been written on the American presidents, Dr. Smith manages to bring fresh insight as a result of painstaking research. ( It could serve as a model for any student looking to document his research) The book is not "light" reading....but the author writes with clarity and with as much impartiality as humanly possible. I found his distinction between the ways that these presidents' faith shaped their policies to be thought-provoking. This book provides a strong framework from which to examine the coming election season.

I encourage you to set aside a block of time each day as you loose yourself in the history and faith of each of these men. It is full of interesting faith facts that just a history of these presidents would never touch. I must confess it took me time to read and digest this book, but well worth the time. I look forward to reareading this book in order to grasp new facts that I did not glean from the first read. I would love to see it used in school class rooms everywhere. The research, notes and excellent writing of this work is outstanding!