A new book examines George HW Bush’s faith in God – Deseret News

According to Baptist News, a new book about former President George HW Bush examines his views on faith and morals.

Bush had a long career in public service, including serving as the 41st president of the United States from 1989 to 1993, according to his White House biography, where he promised to make the country a “kinder and gentler nation” and a “force for good.”

“Character Matters: And Other Life Lessons from George HW Bush” contains 150 essays on the former president’s beliefs.

The author Jean Becker, Bush’s long-time chief of staff, reports on her own experiences and those of Bush’s relatives and political colleagues.

Book by George HW Bush

“Character Matters” brings together a diverse group of people, including former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, members of the Bush family and other friends, allies and former opponents of Bush, according to Baptist News.

But the book is based on the experiences of Becker, who worked with Bush after his presidency until his death in 2018. She has 25 years of insight into his personal and professional life.

“I wrote to his friends, his colleagues, his former staff members and of course family members and asked, ‘Can you tell me a story? Can you write an essay that describes either President Bush’s character or something you learned from him?'” Becker said, according to Baptist News. “It’s everyone from some of his counterparts, men like John Major of Great Britain, to former Secretary of Defense Bob Gates, to Secretary James Baker, who wrote the foreword. Dan Quayle wrote the afterword. It also included Democrats like former President Clinton, Nancy Pelosi and the young man who mowed the lawn at Walker’s Point.”

The authors detail their memories of Bush’s views on faith, morality and equality, from his efforts to champion Rice before Mikhail Gorbachev to his oft-shared favorite quote, believed to have been first spoken by St. Francis of Assisi: “Preach the Gospel at all times. If necessary, use words.”

How Bush used faith in his career

According to Religion News Service, Bush was a devout Christian who incorporated his Episcopalian faith into his political career.

He supported many policy positions dear to more conservative Christians, including restrictions on abortion access and voluntary prayer in schools. His stance earned him the support of many religious leaders and their congregations, according to Religion News Service.

“No other head of government has argued as often as Bush that the United States is ‘one nation under God’ and accountable to him,” wrote historian Gary Scott Smith, author of “Religion in the Oval Office: The Religious Lives of American Presidents.”

Bush not only drew on his faith but also practiced it in his free time.

“His faith was amazing,” Becker said, according to Baptist News. “This won’t surprise you, but it was very touching. He wasn’t afraid of death. I called the last chapter ‘A New Beginning.’ And that’s the chapter subtitled ‘Faith.’ I called it ‘A New Beginning’ because that’s really how (George and Barbara) viewed dying. They had such a deep faith in God and a deep faith in heaven. Towards the end they were both ready to go and they talked about it very openly.”