Have you ever wondered about the faith of our American Presidents? The Pew Forum has just released an analysis of the Christian affiliations of each on the forty-four men who have held our highest elected office. Nearly half of the nation’s chief executives have been Episcopalian (11 of them, going back to George Washington) or Presbyterian (including Ronald Reagan and Dwight Eisenhower).
Andrew Jackson was a Presbyterian, and I’m convinced that his conversion, which occurred after he left the White House, is one of the most sincere and dramatic testimonies you’ll find in American presidential history.
There have been four Baptist Presidents (Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter, Harry Truman, and Warren Harding), and four Methodist Presidents (including George W. Bush). John F. Kennedy is the nation’s only Roman Catholic President.
Three American Presidents were not members of any church — Andrew Johnson, Abraham Lincoln, and Thomas Jefferson. The latter famously created his own copy of the Bible by cutting out everything having to do with God’s miraculous powers.
Barack Obama is without any denominational affiliation. He was a member of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago until he resigned during the campaign. He and his family are reportedly searching for a new church in the Washington area.
For the full report by the Pew Forum, go to http://pewforum.org/docs/?DocID=386.