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Government | Leadership | Literature
The Soul of an American President: The Untold Story of Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Faith
Tuesday, June 18, 2019
6:00 pm EDT - 8:00 pm EDT
Description
While there have been many biographies of Dwight D. Eisenhower that focus on his military career or the time of his presidency, none clearly explores the important role faith played both in his personal life and in his public policy. This despite the fact that he is the only US president to be baptized as a Christian while in office.
The book invites you on a journey that is unique in American history and is essential to understanding one of the most consequential, admired, and complex Americans of the 20th Century. The story begins in abject poverty in rural Texas, then travels through Kansas, West Point, two World Wars, and down Pennsylvania Avenue. This is the untold story of a man whose growing faith sustained him through the loss of a young son, marital difficulties, depression, career disappointments, and being witness to some of the worst atrocities humankind has devised. A man whose faith was based in his own sincere personal conviction, not out of a sense of political expediency or social obligation.
You’ve met Dwight Eisenhower the soldier and Dwight Eisenhower the president. Now meet Dwight Eisenhower the man of faith.
Reception and book signing to follow the event.
What people are saying
In The Soul of an American President, Alan Sears and Craig Osten reveal the fascinating spiritual history of a man who had to overcome daunting challenges, tragedy, and personal crises to ultimately become one of the nation’s most admired presidents. This inspiring and compelling book provides a new and more complete understanding of the inspiration and fundamental beliefs that led Eisenhower from a humble beginning to true greatness.
Edwin Meese III
75th Attorney General of the United States, former counselor to the president, and chief of staff for Governor Ronald Reagan
The best leaders are those who recognize that they’re not self-sufficient. The bigger the decision, the more we must rely on God for wisdom. Dwight Eisenhower learned that as a general and applied it as a president, quietly seeking insight through prayer, Bible reading, and godly counsel. That’s a recipe for success at any level.
Jim Daly
President of Focus on the Family
Dwight Eisenhower is remembered as a man skilled in the arts of both war and peace, a leader whose instinctive civility is sorely missed in an age of bitter political acrimony. Biographers have captured many of Ike’s finest qualities, but they often overlook one of the cornerstones of his character: his guiding faith in a provident God. Alan Sears and Craig Osten have added that final, essential element to our understanding of the man in their superb and engaging book.
Charles J. Chaput
OFMCap, archbishop of Philadelphia
There are several fine biographies of Dwight D. Eisenhower. But until now, we lacked a biography zeroing in on the president and great war leader’s spiritual life. Kudos to Alan Sears, Craig Osten, and Ryan Cole for filling that gap. In The Soul of an American President, they provide a window into Ike’s life as a man of faith and explore the manifold ways his Christian convictions shaped the conduct of his presidency.
Robert P. George
McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence and director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions, Princeton University
About the Speaker
Alan Sears serves as Founder of Alliance Defending Freedom. As the first president, CEO, and general counsel of Alliance Defending Freedom, Sears led all strategic initiatives from 1993-2017. He built an international team committed to a comprehensive legal strategy that includes training, funding, and legal advocacy—resulting in important roles in 52 landmark victories at the U.S. Supreme Court.
