Photograph by Brandon Mowinkel via Unsplash

I did my doctoral work on the theologies of the American presidency, so while the Super Bowl may have just ended, this is my big game. This year, February 17 is Presidents’ Day. This federal holiday was first celebrated in 1879. The day corresponds with President George Washington’s birthday on February 22, 1732, and President Abraham Lincoln’s birthday on February 12, 1809.[i] These two men are widely considered to be two of the greatest presidents of the United States this nation has ever witnessed, yet the holiday celebrates the office and the 45 officeholders[ii] who have held the title. Though the Church in the United States has celebrated and cherished its separation from the government that enacts laws and governs our land, all of the United States presidents were churchgoers to some extent or another, and each wielded their bully pulpit as a preacher might utilize their church pulpit. Today I share some interesting – and often obscure – facts about some of our nation’s leaders in the hopes that we might see them for the people they were while they were in office.

Dwight D. Eisenhower may be best known for commanding the Allied Forces in World War II, and for his service to the country during the 1950s as our nation’s 34th President. Though his parents were originally Mennonites, his mother would later become a Jehovah’s Witness. Because of this faith experience, young Dwight Eisenhower would not be baptized into the faith. He would not be baptized until February 1, 1953, a mere 10 days after assuming the presidency. His baptism, which occurred at National Presbyterian Church in Washington, was a fiercely private affair under the Rev. Edward Elson. This was in large part due to Eisenhower’s insistence that his faith should have no sway on any citizen. He would avoid National Presbyterian if the press got wind of his attendance that Sunday morning. For him, his faith was deeply personal rather than a pious sentiment to be expressed for political gain.

Then there is the story of William McKinley. He was our nation’s 25th President and served at the turn of the 20th century. At the end of the Spanish-American War one of the spoils of war was the annexation of the Philippines to United States control. Sensing an opportunity for evangelism, Methodist missionaries advocated for a seat at the table with the military and bureaucrats making plans for the conglomerate of islands. McKinley, being a faithful and fervent Methodist, agreed with his missionary callers and sent them with his blessing to help colonize the Philippines. While this is a story of colonial rule and annexation, it is interesting that today the largest group of United Methodists outside of the United States remains in the Philippines.

While we’ve only had two Roman Catholic presidents (John F. Kennedy and Joe Biden), there have been plenty of Anglican/Episcopal presidents. Thomas Jefferson famously cut out portions of the Bible he thought unbelievable, and you can even order your own copy of the Jefferson Bible to this day. Herbert Hoover and Richard Nixon were Quakers, but some Quakers officially chastised President Nixon for combining a justification of his administration’s war strategy in Southeast Asia with allusions to his Quaker ancestry. Franklin Roosevelt famously used the radio to pray for the troops as they stormed the beaches of Normandy and to announce the Allied invasion of France. Grover Cleveland and Woodrow Wilson, the only two Democratic presidents who served in an almost thirty-year period between 1885 and 1913, were both sons of Presbyterian ministers. Wilson is buried at Washington National Cathedral, making him one of three presidents that have been buried in churches. (Three others are buried in church-owned cemeteries.) The other two are our second President John Adams and his son, our sixth President, John Quincy Adams, who are both interred inside a church in Quincy, Massachusetts.

While it is imperative that we remember that faith cannot be wielded as a weapon by the state, it is impossible to deny that those who have held the office of President have sought guidance from God or attempted to avoid the notion of the Divine entirely. Indeed, one day with the shifting demographics of our country, a President of the United States might not be Christian, but of a different faith – and Christians ought to welcome that president with open arms. It is important to state this, given that one need not be too old to remember how many Christians treated then-Senator Barack Obama because he was (falsely) perceived as a Muslim man.

We have so much work to do in our understanding of this position in our government. Gallons of ink are being spilled on the efficacy of our current political discourse, but we say without question that the men who have held this high office are as complicated as the fabric of this nation – and their lives of faith are not immune to those complexities. Many of the above-mentioned figures issued orders of war, violence, and bloodshed. Many of the officeholders of the presidency were less than reputable. It is imperative that we seek to understand them. Because while history may not always repeat itself exactly, it often rhymes. This country would be wise to study their work and morals, attend to their memory and legacy with honest and frank assessments as to their failings and faults, and seek a more perfect union in our time. This indeed, is holy and prophetic work in the public square as we parcel out truth from untruth. This is important and nuanced work as we fight for the soul of our democracy.