Presidential Churches

Churches in Washington DC are reportedly surfeiting the First Family with appeals to attend their services. President Obama may want to go to some Christian church, in part to dispel rumors from the campaign that he is a Muslim. Polls show most Americans want a churchgoer in the Oval Office. Still, the picture is mixed. Billy Graham told Dwight Eisenhower that Americans would not be happy with a President who did belong to or attend a church, so Eisenhower started going. Franklin Roosevelt understood the goldfish bowl of the presidency, but said he would not say his prayers in that bowl. So he attended church only about once a month. Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan seldom went, preferring to hold occasional services in the White House. Jimmy Carter taught Sunday School at First Baptist Church of Washington.

Bill Clinton just showed up one Sunday in March 1993 at Foundry UMC, not even letting Pastor Philip Wogaman know in advance. Rev. Wogaman had planned to preach on the serenity prayer that day, equally noting things that we can change and things we cannot. With the President's surprise visit, he gave more attention to having the courage to change the things we can.

[Daniel Burke, Religion News Service, January 2009.]