Discussion Questions

David Bercot opens by praising Washington’s unusual willingness to “walk away from power” (stepping down after the war and after two terms) and calls him “above politics”; what does that restraint suggest about God’s view of ambition, power, and the kind of leadership that most easily becomes idolatrous? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Washington chose to give up power instead of holding onto it. What might that show about how God views ambition and power, and how leaders can start to treat leadership like an idol?

Bercot argues that many evangelicals use a “narrow definition” of Christian identity (born-again experience, Trinity, faith alone, believer’s baptism), yet still want to claim Washington as “one of us”; where have you seen Christians apply different standards to admired public figures than they apply to ordinary neighbors—and what does that reveal about our motives? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Where have you seen Christians use stricter “Christian tests” for regular people than for famous leaders they like? What does that say about why we want to claim certain people as Christians?

When Bercot insists on using primary sources (letters, speeches, diary, testimony of pastors) rather than patriotic retellings, what does his method imply about honesty before God—especially when a story supports our political or national hopes? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Bercot sticks to original letters and records instead of patriotic stories. What does that say about being honest before God when a story helps our politics or national pride?

Washington’s preferred God-language (“Providence,” “Supreme Architect of the universe,” “Heaven”) and the near-total absence of references to Jesus in his writings struck Bercot as spiritually significant; what conclusions do you think can and cannot be drawn from the way someone speaks about God, and how would early Christians have evaluated that kind of “God talk”? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Washington talked about God using words like “Providence” but rarely mentioned Jesus. What can we and can’t we guess about someone’s faith from the way they talk about God, and how might early Christians have judged that?

Discuss the two pastors’ observations: Washington left before communion, said he had “never been a communicant,” and was never seen kneeling; in a sacramental Episcopal context where communion is “the center of the service,” what do those practices communicate about faith, and how do they challenge modern evangelical assumptions that inner belief can be disconnected from visible obedience and worship? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Pastors said Washington left before communion and didn’t kneel or take communion. In a church where communion is central, what do those actions suggest about his faith, and how does that challenge the idea that faith can stay private and unseen?

Bercot describes reading large portions of Washington’s six-volume diary and finding “complete absence” of prayer, God, spiritual reflection—even on Sundays and Christmas; what do you think a person’s private record (when “you’re not expecting anyone else to ever read it”) reveals about the heart, and how does Jesus’ teaching on secrecy (prayer in secret, giving in secret) sharpen that question? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Bercot says Washington’s private diary has almost no prayer or spiritual thoughts. What do you think a private journal shows about a person’s heart, and how does Jesus’ teaching about doing things “in secret” affect that?

In Washington’s Sunday diary entries, Bercot notes attention to dinners, guests, politics, and who accompanied him to church, with almost no interest in sermons except calling one “very lame”; what does this picture suggest about using church attendance as evidence of discipleship, and how does it confront the way churches today often measure “faithfulness”? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Washington’s Sunday notes focus on meals, guests, and politics, not the sermon. What does this say about using church attendance as proof of being a disciple, and how do churches today measure “faithfulness” in similar ways?

Bercot challenges the claim “God specially picked Washington” by arguing that narrow escapes in war prove nothing, citing Alexander the Great’s astonishing victories and Hitler’s repeated survival of assassination attempts; what does this teach about God’s providence versus God’s approval, and where do Christians today still try to decode God’s endorsement from national success, military victories, or personal “miracles”? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Bercot says surviving danger doesn’t prove God chose or approved of someone. What’s the difference between God’s providence and God’s approval, and where do Christians still treat success or “miracles” as proof God is on our side?

The Valley Forge prayer story is traced to Parson Weems—also the cherry-tree storyteller—and Bercot calls it hearsay and psychologically implausible for a real Quaker/nonresistant Christian; what does this episode reveal about how myths form in Christian subcultures, and what are the spiritual dangers of building confidence on inspiring stories instead of truth? JumpstartAnother way to ask: The Valley Forge prayer story may be a made-up legend, like other famous tales. What does this show about how Christian myths get started, and what goes wrong when our faith is built on inspiring stories instead of truth?

In discussing speeches, letters, and the “Washington Prayer,” Bercot notes that Hamilton wrote many of Washington’s public words and that later Christians modified a paragraph and added “through Jesus Christ our Lord”; how should serious Christians respond when religious language is attached to national leaders to produce a “Christian America” narrative, and what concrete practices can your group adopt to resist being shaped by propaganda more than by Jesus’ kingdom? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If religious words are added to a leader’s speeches to support a “Christian America” story, how should Christians respond? What practical habits can your group adopt so you’re shaped more by Jesus’ kingdom than by propaganda?