The Faith of George W. Bush
by Stephen Mansfield
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Book Reviews of The Faith of George W. Bush
Book Review: I support George W. Bush
Summary: 4 Stars
My dad got this book for Christmas last year and due to election time having been recently upon us, I decided to borrow the book and read about our re-elected President.
One thing I seemed to sense when reading this book was the author's tone of how he had the utmost respect and admiration for the George W. Bush, yet he seemed to lack agreement with the Faith the President possesses. This was a simple feeling I had about the author, it may be totally unfounded, but I noticed several instances where he said that George W. worshiped "his God" and prayed to the God of "his faith". It was almost like he was on the outside, looking in, and while Mr. Mansfield certainly uplifted and admonished the current President, he never did quite "agree" with George W. Bush's placement of Faith. At least not in directly quoted words.
Out of the seven chapters in this book, I would have to say that the final chapter is what made the book worth reading. The first six deal with the President's former life of growing up, becoming a successful businessman and baseball team owner, being elected to the Governor's chair in Texas, and moving into the Presidency in 2000. The first six chapters were a great history lesson and I enjoyed them, but the last chapter is what really did it for me.
This may be going back to what I said in the second paragraph, as in the last chapter the author claims Bush to be an "enigma" or a mystery to the faithful. Mr. Mansfield recalls times when the President invited Ozzy Osborne to a Presidential luncheon at the White House. How he appointed an openly [...] man to a prestigious position under his administration. How the President's administration itself is THE most diversified, nationality wise, in the history of US Presidents, having more "minority" groups under his regime than ever recorded before. The author goes on to talk about how President Bush is often at odds with his religious advisors and supporters, who he well-respects. This really got me to thinking about how much I truly admired our President.
Are we not called to love one another? Is it not the second greatest commandment? Does that mean that we are only to love one another, if we agree with one another? If we are in the same political group...the same church denomination...the same Bible translation? Is scripture not being quoted as to "love the sinner, but hate the sin"? Does this mean that we should not tolerate certain people until they become believers and agree with us on every issue? Perhaps if this were true, there would be no more "New Christians".
I believe that President Bush has succeeded where many "Christians" have failed. This is our highest calling, and the real mystery is why more of us are not acting in the same manner. Jesus did not spend his time with the Pharisees, Governors and religious leaders of his time. He surrounded Himself with beggars, thieves, and prostitutes. And while those may be extreme circumstances that only our perfect Lord could control himself in, I think that President Bush understood the message.
Acceptance of one another shows God greatest love for his people. President Bush doesn't need everyone to agree with his views; he simply needs to show God's love to those around him. This is his true calling.
I can see more clearly now why so many people are derogatory towards our current Commander-in-Chief. Why there are websites, apologizing to the world that we re-elected this "tyrant", as if it was any of the rest of the world's business. Apparently our founding fathers forgot to include French, English, and other European citizens on the US voter registration table. I guess it simply slipped their minds how important those peoples' opinions were.
The Word of God quotes Jesus, saying, "The world has hated you because it first hated me, but fear not, I have overcome the world!" Of course the world hates George W. Bush. He is a lighthouse for Christ and truth and that irritates people. The world hates the truth, and they hate President Bush because of it.
That may, in fact, be another one of the President's accomplishments. He found the best possible reason to be hated by this world in which we do not belong.
Book Review: Christians rushing to chain themselves to Caesar's chariot
Summary: 3 Stars
There is something tragically wrong with this book. I do not impugn the veracity or sincerity of either the author or his subject, but the idea that a person should vote for a candidate because he proclaims himself a Christian strikes me as a serious abuse of religion.
Mr. Bush's successful struggle against alcoholism (a scourge in my own family) with the help of his new-found faith is not to be sneered at, nor is his devotion to his family; but this book seems to avoid the crux of the matter: Is is truly better to be misruled by devout Christians rather than be tolerably governed by sinners?
Despite some demurrers here and there, the author mostly reports Mr. Bush's own valuation of his actions without any probing questions of his own. Christians from Saint Augustine to Reinhold Niebuhr have struggled with the intersection between Christianity and politics. For all too many Christians today, there is no struggle--Mr. Bush is God's annointed, and there is only one Christian way to vote. Since the author avoids searching questions, then I am compelled to ask some:
--Does it manifest the sin of pride when a leader initiates war while ignoring warnings from most veteran military officers and area specialists that there is extreme risk, not only of being trapped in a bottomless morass, but also of multiplying enemies a thousandfold by driving ordinary folk throughout the Muslim world into the arms of fanatics.
--And what of starting such a war under false pretenses? Anyone reviewing the writings of many of the President's advisors will note that most of them advocated attacking Iraq long before joining the Bush administration. In other words, the idea of lauching the war came first, the elaborately worked out justification (itself mistaken to say the least) later.
--As Governor of Texas, Mr. Bush's policies have demonstrably harmed the least of our brethren. The mentally-ill, the mentally retarded, the chronically ill and the aged have been seriously harmed by cutbacks in social services. We're not talking about lazybones collecting a government check. In spite of having an economy larger than most nations, Texas ranks at the bottom along with Mississipi in measures of deprivation, ranging from child mortality to the percentage of citizens living in extreme poverty. As for the prison system, it can proudly stand comparison with Soviet labor camps for it's brutality. Finally, "treatment" for the seriously mentally ill consists of jailing them--just as British used to do in London's Bedlam hundreds of years ago. Do modern Christians think that mistreatment will drive out unclean spirits? One would think so.
On the national level, the complete bill for Mr. Bush's policies has yet to come due. When it does, there will be regret on the part of many Christians--or perhaps not.
Book Review: "A good man stays committed to his faith."
Summary: 5 Stars
As a Canadian I had not paid much attention to President Bush.I guess the long episode over Lewinsky,the lead up to the election and relative calm of 2001 got our focus off politics.However; 9/11 changed all that.As these horrible events occurred, we were to learn of the outstanding leadership of the new President.One of my most lasting images is of Bush with his arm around the shoulder of retired fireman Bill Beckwith,standing atop the remains of a destroyed fire truck :
"Well I can hear you."
"The rest of the world hears you.And the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon"
This spontaneous remark came straight from the heart and soul of the great leader that the new President was.
Mansfield has written a marvelous book showing Bush's development from his childhhd days to the President.Bush is a man of faith and character and this is where he gets the moral compass that guides him.He knows he has "A Charge to Keep" and above all else intends to keep it.He does not believe in physobabble and navel gazing and credits his faith for "getting him out of the Texas bars and into the Oval Office.
The image portrayed by the leftist influenced Media could not be further from the truth.He learned a long time ago that the best way to fight back against the hatred and misrepresentation hurled at him is with conviction and kindness.
What his faith tells him is that "Evil will pass,but good is eternal."
A lot of what we hear today is that there is no place for God in government or other institutions.This is as leftest as was the concept of dialectic materialism on which communism was based.It seems to me that when you look at the great leaders,thinkers and scientists ,almost without exception you find people of faith.Many say that Bush carries it too far.
Let me give a quote from this book:
"I have the feeling that God has created us and brought us to
our present position of power and strength for some great
purpose and up to now we have been shirking it."
This is not a quote from Bush or the religious right but
President Harry S Truman.
I am extremely glad I read this book as it gives me a much greater understanding of what motivates the President.Would
that we had a leader of such moral convictions in Canada.
The imps may be on the run in the US;but they are still holding court here!
Book Review: Bush in 2004! Giuliani in 2008!
Summary: 5 Stars
Is it better to preach abstinence or is it better to concede that high school kids are going to have sex no matter what and teach them about condoms?
Is marriage between two gay people okay or is sticking to the traditional definition of the word (which is a union between a man and a woman only) better for today's society?
Should there be a strict separation between Church and state or should it be perfectly acceptable for politicians to incorporate their faith into their speeches? Should other inclusions such as prayer in the classroom, along with displays of The Ten Commandments in courthouses, and the phrase "one nation under God" to name a few, also be acceptable?
Are you against abortion or do you openly protest (or agree with those who protest) at rallies about how it's a "woman's right to choose"?
Do you believe in euthanasia and "dying with dignity" or do you believe that God wants us to do everything in our power to keep a human being alive and that only He has the ability to judge your "quality of life"?
Do you believe in legalizing marijuana, either for recreational or medical purposes or do you believe that marijuana is equally as harmful as heroin or any other illegal narcotic?
Do you believe in "needle exchange" programs for drug users where they can be given fresh needles to shoot their drugs with so they don't spread diseases? Furthermore, do you believe in counseling for drug offenders or should users be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law?
Are you against capital punishment even for convicted murderers or do you feel that the death penalty is a necessary means of punishment for criminals?
Are you against aggressive military action (wars) no matter what the justification or do you think that wars are certainly needed at times?
Are you against the practice of private gun ownership or do you think that every law-abiding adult should have the right to protect themselves by owning a registered weapon?
Do you believe that welfare and collecting unemployment is better than being a capitalist?
Do you believe that environmental issues should be one of the most important 3 issues for any politician or do you believe that while it is an important issue, in reality, it should be a bottom-tier issue?
Book Review: Solid overview of president's faith
Summary: 4 Stars
This is not a long read; I read it in one plane flight. It's a solid summary of the president's faith.The book has a realistic, middle of the road viewpoint, neither hero-worshipping nor denigrating the president. Mansfield doesn't balk at showing Bush led far from a spotless life -- and he doesn't rub his nose in it, either. For a quick-hit, relatively superficial book, this is surprisingly good. Better than I expected. This is not a homily to Bush and yet at the same time it managed to erase some of my recent doubts about the president.
What I've liked about Bush since the first presidential campaign is precisely that he's a flawed human that I can relate to. He doesn't speak well (Mansfield suggests, interestingly, that he might be dyslexic). He's made mistakes. He is probably an alcoholic. He was not a picture of success at age 40. Yet he's turned all of this around and was president less than two decades after that midlife low point. Clearly part of the turnaround is confronting his alcoholism and finding a higher power. What Bush pulled off -- and the faith behind it -- is inspiring. DESPITE his family and wealth, he's a reminder that anyone can be president.
The president's faith is not a scarey thing: One gets the impression of a flawed real person who probably has the same doubts many do even as he pursues a humble walk. It seems a deeply personal faith, not one he's trying to bash people over the head with. And Bush seems very far from trying to play the saint. It doesn't seem a scarey politicized facist sort of faith at all. It's not POLITICAL faith -- it's PERSONAL faith.
Overall, this is inspiring and reassuring. And it's nice to have the details of the president's Methodism and his daily reading of Chambers.
What's so fascinating in 2004 is the perspective that the president may very well be a bold leader who is facing a storm of criticism and passion precisely because he's a strong leader who does not slavishly turn with each subtlety of the opinion polls in a desperate effort to be all things to all people. He clearly doesn't care to please every critic.
I suspect history will judge Bush more kindly than contemporaries, unlike say Clinton, who was clearly better liked by his contemporaries than he will be (or is already) by historians.