Feature
One President, Under God
The Measure of Dwight D. Eisenhower's Christian Faith by Alan Sears & Ryan L. Cole
The forecast for June 6, 1944, offered a small window of opportunity, a break in the relentlessly bad weather. The decision was made: at 6:30 that morning the Allied forces would cross the English Channel and begin the long-planned invasion of Normandy.
Shortly before the convoys departed, an Order of the Day was issued in which General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Supreme Allied Commander, reminded his men of the stakes at issue as well as the goal of ultimate victory, and closed with a telling exhortation: "Let us all beseech the blessings of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking."
It's hardly surprising that Eisenhower should have turned to God before sending thousands of men into the line of fire, but the line offers a glimpse into a little-documented side of the man whom Americans are increasingly coming to regard not only as one of their greatest generals but as one of their finest presidents.
Faith Overlooked
Though he is rarely remembered as such, Dwight Eisenhower was a man of faith. While this hardly makes him unique among our chief executives, it is notable that his religious beliefs were not formalized until late in his life—he is the only president to be baptized after taking office. Moreover, his faith not only played a crucial role in his presidency but also coincided with and influenced a burst of religious activity among Americans during the 1950s.
During his time in the Oval Office, Eisenhower grappled with issues having significant moral and spiritual dimensions: the Cold war, with its stark contrast between liberty and totalitarianism; the blossoming Civil Rights movement, with its efforts to desegregate America's south and the nation's capital; and an arms race that seemed to threaten the very existence of humanity.
Though never worn on his sleeve and often connected to a larger civic theme, the strength and impact of Eisenhower's faith was essential to his leadership of the nation, as was his belief that in a time of great peril and inhumanity, America's strength rested in her "spiritual weapons." But this fact has somehow eluded the numerous historians who have favorably revaluated his legacy, and its omission makes the revised history, as warranted as it is, incomplete. The material is not scarce: Eisenhower's religious beliefs were no secret, and a review of his speeches, correspondence, and schedule of public events reveals how often he incorporated his faith into his conception of America and its place in the world.
The Faith of Eisenhower's Parents
Visitors to Eisenhower's homes in Abilene, Kansas, where he grew up, and Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, where he retired, will not see much in the way of overtly religious displays or other indications of his religious beliefs or the part they played in his life. But there are a few clues. In the front parlor of his boyhood home in Abilene, on the eastern plains of Kansas, for example, the family Bible is still on display. The religious belief of his parents, however, is a matter of some confusion.
At the Eisenhower Presidential Museum in Abilene a small display states that his parents, David and Ida, were "deeply religious and belonged to the River Brethren." This is not entirely correct. The Eisenhowers were indeed associated with that revival movement, which was a branch of the Mennonite and Brethren faiths practiced by German and Swiss settlers in Pennsylvania. However, as pointed out by Jerry Bergman, an Ohio-based scholar at Northwest State College who has done extensive research on the family's religious background, they were eventually drawn to what was then known as the Bible Student Movement, the name applied to the religion taught by Charles Taze Russell, which would later become known as the Jehovah's Witnesses.
Alan Sears is the President, CEO, and General Counsel of Alliance Defending Freedom, an alliance-building, non-profit legal organization that advocates for the right of people to freely live out their faith. He has previously served in the U.S. Department of Justice under Attorneys General William French Smith and Edwin Meese III, including service as an Assistant U.S. Attorney and Chief of the Criminal Section.
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