George Washington's Sacred Fire »

PETER A. LILLBACK, PH.D., is the president of The Providence Forum, senior pastor at Proclamation Presbyterian Church in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, and president of Westminster Theological Seminary, where he is also Professor of Historical Theology. He is the voice of Proclaiming The Word, a daily syndicated radio program, as well as The Proclamation Worship Hour. Dr. Lillback received a Ph.D. from Westminster Theological Seminary, a Th.M. from Dallas Theological Seminary, and a B.A. from Cedarville University in Ohio. He is the author of several titles including the bestselling George Washington s Sacred Fire (Providence Forum Press), and The Binding of God: Calvin’s Role in the Development of Covenant Theology (Baker).
 

Published by Providence Forum Press   

Dr. Peter Lillback's exhaustive fifteen years of research set’s George Washington's Sacred Fire apart from all previous works Washington’s faith. It presents a man driven by the highest of ideals using Washington's own writings, journals, letters, manuscripts, and those of his closest family and confidants to reveal the truth of this awe-inspiring role model for all generations. Dr. Lillback convincingly shows how when faced with unprecedented challenges and circumstances, Washington ultimately drew upon his persistent qualities of character - honesty, justice, equity, perseverence, piety, forgiveness, humility, and servant leadership, to become one of the most revered figures in world history. George Washington set the cornerstone for what would become one of the most prosperous, free nations in the history of civilization.

Acknowledgements     13
Foreword     17
Introduction     21
The Controversy
Introduction: The Controversy     25
Deism Defined: Shades of Meaning, Shading the Truth     37
Did Washington Avoid the Name of Jesus Christ?: Addressing a Fundamental Argument     51
The Historical Background of George Washington
Washington's Virginia and The Anglican Mission to the Indians     63
George Washington's Virginian Ancestors     83
The Life of George Washington
The Childhood of George Washington     95
The Christian Education of George Washington     111
The Personality of George Washington     135
George Washington the Soldier     157
George Washington on Character and Honor     191
The Sacred Fire of Liberty: Was George Washington a Godly Leader?     207
George Washington's Family Life     233
George Washington the Churchman
George Washington: The Parishioner     259
George Washington: The Vestryman     271
George Washington: The Low Churchman     287
George Washington and the Bible     305
The Spirituality of George Washington     335
George Washington and Prayer     351
Valley Forge: The Crucible ofWashington's "Sacred Cause"     377
The Debate over George Washington and Communion
George Washington and Communion: Did Washington Take Communion?     405
Shadow or Substance?: Putting Professor Boller's Evidence for Washington's Deism on Trial     437
The Struggle for the Episcopal Church: Washington's Non-Communication and Non-Communion in Philadelphia     449
George Washington the Deist?
George Washington and The Enlightenment     469
George Washington and Religious Liberty: A Christian or Deist Idea?     485
George Washington, Member of the Masonic Order     501
More Objections to Washington the Christian: Slaves, Slander, Passion, and Tripoli     511
"Minds of Peculiar Structure:" George Washington Vs. Deism     531
George Washington the Christian
George Washington's God: Religion, Reason, and Philosophy     555
Washington and the Doctrine of Providence     573
George Washington's Christian Worldview     589
The Gospel According to George Washington     611
George Washington and Forgiveness: A Consideration of the Historicity of Two Classic Washington Anecdotes on Forgiveness     627
George Washington's Clergy and Their Sermons     639
George Washington on Heaven and Eternal Life     663
The Revenge of Parson Weems: Washington's Unparalleled Praise for an Unexpected Person     691
Conclusion
Conclusion: George Washington's Sacred Fire     711
Appendices
The Rules of Civility and Decent Behaviour in Company and Conversion     729
Representative Biblical Quotations and Allusions Used by George Washington     739
George Washington's Written Prayers     761
George Washington's "Daily Sacrifice Prayers" or "The Spurious Prayers"     801
A Summary of Washington's Most Important Sermons     815
Abiel Leonard's Prayer     831
Sermon by the Reverend Bryan Lord Fairfax     835
The Wisdom of George Washington     845
George Washington and the Anglican Theology of Latitudinarianism     907
Tributes to Washington by his Contemporaries: His Christian Faith, Striking Appearance, and Moral Character     919
Endnotes     959
Bibliography     1159
Index     1171
About the Authors     1185