Was George Washington a Christian, or Not? Conclusive Evidence!

We can debate all day about whether or not 
founding fathers such as George WashingtonThe pietists include stories about Washington's
were evangelical Christians. Rather than judgerigorous devotional life and his partiality for taking
their hearts, we are on safer ground bycommunion in their particular denomination. In one
examining what they actually gave us.account George Washington drew his pistol and
 fired on a subordinate who interrupted his
Nonetheless, we will go ahead and indulge in adevotions. Everyone read far more into
favorite evangelical pastime. That is, debatingWashington's religious pronouncements than
about whether or not Washington was a Christian.actually existed.
The assumption of the "pro" side is that if we can 
prove the founders were Christians, we therebyWashington's Pastor
prove that the U.S. Constitution is Christian. The 
"con" side responds that the Constitution is not aPeople who were close to Washington knew
Christian document and Christians are better offbetter. Dr. James Abercrombie, his pastor at
admitting it.Christ Church in Philadelphia during his Presidency
Most Christians are firmly convinced thatwas skeptical about Washington's Christianity.
Washington was a true blue, born-again, 
evangelical Christian. Others have their doubts.While his wife always went forward to kneel on
 communion Sunday, George Washington walked
Arguments Againstout the back door. When rebuked publically, he
promised never to attend church on communion
Washington's ChristianitySunday.
  
One of the key questions is why, did GeorgeDr. Abercrombie left us these words: "That
Washington refuse to take communion for mostWashington was a professing Christian, is evident
of his adult life?  For the serious Christian, suchfrom his regular attendance in our church; but, Sir,
refusal is an act of self-excommunication.I cannot consider any man as a real Christian who
 uniformly disregards an ordinance so solemnly
Two hundred years from now some wannabeeenjoined by the divine Author of our holy religion,
historians will seize on religious quotes by Barackand considered as a channel of divine grace."
Obama to prove that he was a Christian. 
Christians today do the same thing withBut, as noted above, analyzing the personal faith
Washington, but references to the Lord Jesusof anybody is somewhat risky business. We are
Christ in his voluminous collection of public andon safer ground with a careful examination of
private papers are surprisingly scanty?what the founders actually gave us. Their critical
 flaw was a failure to distinguish between the
More important, defenders have to explain whybiblical covenant model and the man-centered
George Washington occupied the rank of Grandsocial contract.
Master in the Masonic lodge. Each promotion in the 
Masonic lodge requires taking an anti-ChristianWashington's Religiosity
oath? 
 George Washington clearly valued Christianity as a
When it comes to Washington's religioussocially cohesive force, but he saw it as the
philosophical bent there is too much of a mythicalservant, not the master of government. He
nature to rely on anything other than primaryspoke often of the sovereignty of God, but his
source documents. These include such things asgod was the Masonic Grand Architect of the
Washington's public and private correspondenceuniverse.
and the writings of those who knew him well, like 
his pastor.Thus, he strongly encouraged chaplains in the
 Continental Army, but all of his senior officers
Washington and the Pietistswere Masons. He also served as a leader in his
 local church, but only attended about once a
In the mid-20th Century, conservative Professormonth. Church attendance was part of his
Paul Boller conducted an exhaustive study ofMasonic duty and a means of expressing his
Washington's public and private writings, togetherhumanitarianism.
with statements by contemporaries. His book was 
entitled, George Washington & Religion.Evangelicals are quick to point out that the
 founders were not "Deistic." More likely they were
Washington's pietistic biographers popularized anUnitarian. While most were church members, men
encyclopedia of stories about his religiosity basedlike Adams, Franklin, Jefferson, Madison and
on hearsay and scanty evidence that could neverWashington, looked at Christ from a Unitarian
hold up in a court. Far different was the storyperspective. That is, Jesus was not Divine and
that emerged from Boller's study of the sourcecertainly not relevant to the affairs of civil
documents.government.