Faiths of the Postwar Presidents from Truman to Obama

Holmes, professor of religious studies at the College of William and Mary (The Faiths of the Founding Fathers) examines the backgrounds of our presidentssince WWII by delving into their families, the people who influenced their religious beliefs, and their patterns of attending Sunday worship. Through the last six decades, evangelist Billy Graham was a prominent, and with certain presidents frequent, visitor to the White House; Holmes examines those different relationships, including Graham’s well-known relationship with Richard Nixon and less well-known influence on Lyndon Johnson. He traces the footsteps of presidents as they campaign for office and as they serve the country. Because he uses so many sources that differ in their opinions about the spiritual hearts of these men, he never reaches a conclusion about most of their religious faiths. He concludes by counting how frequently each president went to church. Holmes writes more of a history book than a religious studies book; it is well-researched reading for the reader who wants to know about the presidency. (Mar. 1)