Friday, May 8, 2020

Wagner's "Unconfirmed" George Washington Quotation



That image is of one Dr. Bo Wagner who is a pastor in a Protestant evangelical-fundamentalist church. Normally I don't post pics with my posts, but I decided to post his because I find his style to be neato (seriously, that's a sharp looking man). But anyway, back in 2013, he wrote an article entitled "George Washington’s view of God."

Let me start off with a conclusion: According to the theology of Pastor Wagner's Church on what it means to be a "Christian," George Washington probably wouldn't make the cut. Books have been written on why this is so. But in brief, while Washington constantly talked about God or "Providence" in his recorded public and private words, he rarely talked about Jesus. In fact the words "Jesus Christ" are recorded only once, in a public address to Indians and one other time by example, but not named in the 1783 Circular to the States. Both of these were written by aides, but given under Washington's imprimatur.

In Washington's recorded, private words, to deafening silence, Jesus Christ is never mentioned. And as Brad Hart has pointed out, even though Washington prayed often and used a variety of terms for God, not once was Washington recorded praying in Jesus' name.

But that's not the impression Dr. Wagner's article leaves. Quote:
... The very father of our country was not afraid to recognize and speak of Jesus Christ. Here are the first and last lines of a prayer that he wrote, and had framed so that America would never forget: “Almighty God, we make our earnest prayer that Thou wilt keep the United States in Thy Holy protection... Grant our supplication, we beseech Thee, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.”
The problem with Dr. Wagner's claim is that George Washington didn't say it. The quotation actually originated sometime in the 19th century, long after Washington had passed. For detailed information on how this came to be, Snopes has the 411; see also Michael Meyerson; and Chris Rodda.

Though the context of Dr. Wagner's claim is interesting. Given Washington didn't say these words, would we then conclude that he was "afraid to recognize and speak of Jesus Christ"? I don't draw that conclusion because one of Washington's virtues was courage; he didn't seem to "fear" much if anything. Rather I conclude Washington simply didn't share Dr. Wagner's faith.

Washington was no strict deist or atheist. The appropriate term to categorize his creed is debatable. But he was not Dr. Wagner's kind of Christian.

5 comments:

Brad Hart said...

Great stuff, Jon!

Jonathan Rowe said...

Thanks. Good to see you back and hopefully we can make this blog as dynamic as it was in its glory days.

Tom Van Dyke said...

Jon, I won't disagree with the main thrust, that the quote is fake.

However, I would not build a thesis on this:

But in brief, while Washington constantly talked about God or "Providence" in his recorded public and private words, he rarely talked about Jesus. In fact the words "Jesus Christ" are recorded only once, in a public address to Indians and one other time by example, but not named in the 1783 Circular to the States.


Mary V. Thompson, resident historian at Mount Vernon, cautions:

There are many Washington references in his letters to “Providence” and the like, but few specific references to Jesus Christ. Is that unusual or telling?


There are many historians who feel that the dearth of references to Jesus is a sign that George Washington was not a Christian (a follower of Jesus)—or at least not an orthodox Christian. I’ve spent most of my adult life working on George Washington, but not so much on Washington’s contemporaries. Ideally, to come to a meaningful answer, I think we’d have to look at all the statements by both Washington and his contemporaries and see how his uses of the name Jesus compare with those of others of his class in 18th century America.

Having pulled together both George and Martha Washington’s writings relating to religion, I can say that Martha Washington, who is generally considered a very devout, orthodox Christian, refers most often to “God,” occasionally to “Providence,” and never to Jesus.

On this question, as well as on so many others, the critics seem to expect Washington to sound like a modern, evangelical Christian, when he was an 18th century Virginia Anglican.

Tom Van Dyke said...

BTW, Thompson also floats my own [speculative] pet theory, that Washington ceased taking communion because of his shame at being a slaveholder, and thus unworthy of the Lord's Supper. We shall never know.

https://www.mountvernon.org/george-washington/religion/george-washington-and-religion/

Jonathan Rowe said...

Mary is a treasure.