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The Myth of Christian America  /  MCA (12 of 14): Faith of the Founding Fathers #2  /  Discussion Questions
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Question 5
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?
Another 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?

Direct Answer Bercot treats Washington’s refusal to receive communion and his never kneeling as powerful evidence that he was not living as a believer in the Episcopal sense—because in that tradition, communion is central and kneeling is normal participation. This challenges the idea that private belief is enough when outward worship and obedience show no engagement.

Support from Transcript:

  • Dr. Abercrombie observed that on “Sacrament Sundays” Washington “went out…always leaving Mrs. Washington with the other communicants.”
  • Washington reportedly admitted he had “never been a communicant,” and said if he started then it would look like “ostentatious display.”
  • After being reproved, he “never afterwards came on the morning of Sacrament Sunday.”
  • Bercot explains as a former Anglican that in a sacramental church “communion is…the center of the service,” and clergy even bring it to the sick.
  • He concludes: “for George Washington to never take communion…is basically saying that I’m not a believer” (while still believing in God).
  • Bishop White said, “I never saw him” kneeling, though in Anglican worship “you spend a lot of the service on your knees.”
Discussion Follow-ups What outward practices today function like “communion” and “kneeling” did then—visible signs that reveal whether faith is real or merely cultural?

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